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Sad news to start the week: Less than a year after opening, Dumpling Club will close up shop at 3233 22nd Street in the Mission District. Owner Cathay Bi made the announcement on Instagram on Sunday. “Starting Dumpling Club was hard, but choosing to end it was infinitely harder,” the post reads. “It took every ounce of my courage — more courage than I thought I even had — to make this decision.”
The charming storefront opened in January 2023, though Bi started the business back in 2019 as a subscription-based, small-batch dumpling club. She opened the shop with a vision of creating a community space where fans could pick up frozen dumplings, participate in classes, and shop for food and food-related products such as cookbooks, condiments, and ceramics. The location also serves hot food — including handmade dumplings filled with ingredients like squash blossoms and shrimp or pork and kimchi — on Thursday nights.
The shop’s last day will be October 8, per the post, and there will be news coming soon about the shop’s “remaining events and collaborations,” as well as frozen dumpling sales.
The couple behind Sonoma’s Animo will open a second restaurant
Chef Joshua Smookler and his wife and business partner Heidy He, who runs front of house at the couple’s hit Sonoma restaurant Animo, will open a second business, also in wine country. The Chronicle reports the couple purchased the Tips Roadside space in Kenwood and will open Golden Bear Station this fall. The upcoming restaurant will be more affordable than Animo, serving wood-fired pizzas, burgers, and steak frites.
An old-school East Bay diner has closed
The Mercury News reports that Stable Cafe, a classic diner in Pleasanton, has closed its doors for good. Esther Hall, who owned the business for 30 years, says she wants to retire and spend more time with her family. The diner is located inside the gates of the Alameda County Fairgrounds.
Check out the vendor list for the first Sunset Night Market
This Friday, September 15 will bring the first Sunset Night Market to Irving Street between 20th to 23rd avenues. The event goes from 5 to 10 p.m. and will feature a handful of food and drink vendors including PPQ Beef Noodle House, Shampa’s Pies, and SF Hole in the Wall Pizza, the Standard reports. Chef Martin Yan will do a cooking demonstration at 5:30 p.m.; other entertainment includes dance performances and live music across three stages.
Andytown’s flagship coffee shop is finally reopen
It’s been years since customers could step food inside the Andytown Coffee location on Lawton Street. The shop shut its doors on March 16, 2020, due to COVID-19 lockdowns and has been off-limits for customers ever since. But as of last week, it’s quietly back open, per a post on the business Instagram. Keep an eye out for news about a grand reopening celebration down the line.
