Editor’s note: Nosh covers food and restaurant news across the East Bay, and each week we publish one article covering all the restaurant openings and one article covering closings. Have a tip for Nosh? Submit it here.
Gilman Grill
This humble Berkeley spot’s quiet closure might not be believed by its customers, some of whom have been regulars for decades, and, unless they’ve heard the news, might even show up next week hoping for a cup of coffee, eggs Benedict, a burger or maybe a cold one, looking to secure their regular counter spot or table. Gilman Grill’s last day was July 31, after “maybe 30 years or so,” shrugged a staffer with a smile inside the quiet, mostly empty, old-fashioned little restaurant on their final day of service (it’s been open for 33 years). “It’s been a good run.” The very visible spot at Gilman and Fourth streets was known for its come-as-you-are comforts in otherwise industrial-fancy West Berkeley — down-home plates of classic breakfast and lunch fare served with warmth and without pretense inside the square, diner-like dining room or outside on the patio. Because of area gentrification, the corner location’s high rent and recent persistent construction curbing business, the restaurant had to call it quits, according to a source who preferred to remain unnamed. No word yet on what will happen to the space. Gilman Grill was at 1300 Fourth St. in Berkeley.
Wise Sons Uptown Oakland
The embattled deli storefront for Wise Sons bagels in Oakland has closed, as Nosh first learned on Reddit and by confirming with a staff member at another location. San Francisco-based Wise Sons first opened in Oakland in 2020, soon after the company acquired Oakland’s indie Montreal-style bagel shop Beauty’s Bagels. The group kept the Beauty’s Bagel Shop brand intact in Temescal (and it is still open along with the San Francisco Wise Sons locations), but revamped Beauty’s second location to become the first shop in the East Bay to bear the Wise Sons name. Along with enduring the business troubles associated with the pandemic, the shop faced other difficulties, including two car crashes to its exterior and multiple break-ins. Wise Sons Uptown was at 1700 Franklin St. in Oakland.
