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Oakland restaurant mainstay Le Cheval is calling it quits after 38 years in business. Owner Son Tran told news outlet KPIX that the restaurant is shutting down at the end of September, placing the blame on crime — not the pandemic — as the reason for the closure. “The lack of office workers did not kill us,” Tran says. “The crime, the criminals killed us.”
Tran said the restaurant has endured repeated break-ins at its 1007 Clay Street location, and that customers have also experienced car break-ins and robberies in the area of the restaurant. According to police statistics, auto burglaries are up 46 percent compared to last year, while robberies are up 30 percent, KPIX reports. Tran, who is an Oakland resident, told the outlet that he would like to reopen the restaurant someday, just not in town.
Palmer’s Tavern on Fillmore temporarily closes
A massive leak from an upstairs unit is forcing Pac Heights restaurant Palmer’s Tavern to temporarily close after damage was done to the ceilings, the floor, “and all the drywall in between,” says owner Sam Fechheimer. The restaurant will undergo an extensive remodel, Fechheimer shares, but it’s unclear how long construction will take. In the meantime, the menu will be revamped for the restaurant’s return. Stay tuned.
East Bay sushi pop-up moving into new Oakland home
Sushi pop-up Sushi Salon has made a name for itself through events at East Bay restaurants such as Fish & Bird Sousaku Izakaya. Now, the pop-up is setting up a permanent space, according to the Mercury News. The paper reports that a beverage-license notice for Sushi Salon has turned up at 4008 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, the location of a former States coffee shop near the MacArthur BART station.
New restaurant set to move into former Hard Water space
Over a year after chef Charles Phan closed waterfront restaurant and whiskey bar Hard Water comes news that a new tenant is taking over the space at Pier 3. Kais Bouzidi, owner of restaurants Sens and Barcha in San Francisco, is opening a third restaurant, Bon Delire, the San Francisco Business Times reports. Details on the new restaurant are scant, but a representative for the restaurant says that the restaurant is still in the early stages and that Bon Delire is at least six months away from opening.
