A little less sushi and shake in the East Bay following August closures

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. The openings and closings for each month are then compiled into a round-up. Have a tip for Nosh? Submit it here.

Berkeley restaurant closures

Kirala 2 Epicurious Garden

08.07.24: The team behind South Berkeley sushi restaurant Kirala first launched grab-and-go sushi counter Kirala 2 inside the tony North Shattuck Epicurious Garden in 2006, and the corner kiosk with a smattering of tables and prepared sushi was a hit from the start. This summer, when the popular stall cut back its lunch hours, diners were already pretty upset. Then the gate came down around the darkened kiosk and the notice appeared. “Thank you Berkeley,” it read. “We are grateful to be handing over this space to our longtime friend and talented chef Kyle Itani (Itani Ramen and Yonsei Handrolls), who will be opening Itani Sushi here in September 2024!” So long, Kirala 2, and thanks for all the fish. Kirala 2 was inside the Epicurious Garden at 1511 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley.

Lucky House Thai

08.07.24: “Thank you City of Berkeley, UC Berkeley and valued customers for supporting us for over 20 years,” says the closure note in the window of Lucky House Thai, on University Avenue in downtown Berkeley. The no-frills, affordable Thai restaurant opened as “New” Lucky House in the spring of 2004. It took more than luck for the small spot to persevere through two decades of industry ups and downs, including the unprecedented downs of the past four years. Farewell, Lucky House. Lucky House Thai was at 2140 University Ave. in Berkeley.

Namaste Madras Indian Cuisine

08.15.24: Summertime quiet near UC Berkeley can sometimes lead to quieter-than-usual restaurant closures with little notice or fanfare. Namaste Madras was a downtown Berkeley fixture for south Indian cuisine on Shattuck Avenue for 13 years, but Nosh stumbled on its closure by accident. Nosh has yet to sleuth out a closing date, but according to WhatNowSF, the closure makes way for the upcoming move and reopening of Center Street’s Easterly Hunan. Namaste Madras was at 2323 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley.

El Cerrito restaurant closure

Lilikoi Boba El Cerrito

08.15.24: El Cerrito Plaza’s Hawaiian-style boba, dessert and snack shop Lilikoi Boba has closed. (Online reviews note this location of the otherwise energetic franchise seemed to be having some trouble recently with inventory and other issues.) The nearby Pinole branch, located within Kyoto Ramen, also closed along with that business back in January, but open locations remain around the East Bay, including in Martinez and Walnut Creek. Lilikoi Boba was at 3080 El Cerrito Plaza in El Cerrito.

El Sobrante restaurant closure

Up & Under 2nd Pitch

09.06.24: All has been dark for several weeks (and marked “temporarily closed” on Google) at the Up & Under 2nd Pitch rugby-themed pub and grill in El Sobrante — sister location to the popular Point Richmond Up & Under pub. The El Sobrante location was the subject of a notable zoning dispute that was won by the restaurant earlier this year, but just this week, the location was removed from the group’s main website, and online ordering has been unavailable for many weeks. (The space was listed for lease at the end of July and on Sept. 5 updated to “no longer for lease”.) Though management had not responded before press time, comments on social media indicate closure, with rumors of a possible Indian restaurant moving in. We’ll keep you posted. The original Up & Under in Point Richmond remains open and popular, but Up & Under 2nd Pitch at 5216 Sobrante Ave. in El Sobrante has closed.

Oakland restaurant closures

Bamboo Asia Oakland

08.07.24: Oakland City Center’s colorful Bamboo Asia eatery, first opened in January 2020 and featuring flavors from Japan, Vietnam and India, has closed. According to tipsters, business had been slow for a while. The San Francisco location on California Street has also shuttered. Bamboo Asia was at 1221 Broadway in Oakland.

Elephant Sushi Oakland

09.06.24: When WhatNowSF revealed that newcomer Khatan Sushi was set to open at 352 14th St. in Oakland, Nosh reached out to see what this meant for current tenant, Elephant Sushi. The cozy, sushi mini-chain with three other locations, all in San Francisco (though one is marked temporarily closed), opened their first East Bay restaurant in downtown Oakland five years ago. Owners confirmed that, yes, they closed permanently at the end of August, though they don’t discount a possible future reopening in another part of Oakland or the East Bay. Elephant Sushi was at 352 14th St. in Oakland.

08.22.24: Nosh was sorry to hear from a tipster that the welcoming, sex-positive cocktail bar and community gathering spot Feelmore Social Club in downtown Oakland has closed. The bar shut down after service on Tuesday, Aug. 27, as SF Gate first reported. Owner Nenna Joiner opened the hospitable cocktail bar with a vibe that was, according to one Yelp reviewer, both “chic and kinky,” in the spring of 2023. Feelmore Social Club was at 1542 Broadway in Oakland.

Haruki

08.15.24: Thanks to a reader for alerting us that Rockridge’s Haruki sushi and ramen restaurant, formerly Momo Ramen from the same owners, has closed after a little over a year. “After careful consideration, we have made the decision to make improvements in our business,” reads the note posted in the window. “Please stay tuned for an exciting new business coming soon.” It’s unclear whether the team will return with a fresh concept, or bow out of the angular corner space completely. Nosh will keep an eye out for any updates. Haruki was at 6200 Claremont Ave. in Oakland.

Shake Shack Oakland

08.29.24: Shake Shack has shuttered its Oakland location as part of a culling of underperforming restaurants in three states, according to an announcement from the company first reported by Fast Company. A total of nine locations of the New York-based fast food burger chain in California, Texas and Ohio are slated for closure by mid September due to slow sales. However, the company did not wait to close the location on Telegraph Avenue, which originally opened in 2020. KRON4 reports the company confirmed the Uptown Oakland restaurant closed permanently on Aug. 27. In the East Bay, the Walnut Creek location and Bay Street Emeryville Shake Shack, which opened in March 2023, both remain open. Shake Shack was at 1954 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland, and is permanently closed.

Shakewell

08.22.24: Oakland’s Shakewell restaurant announced its upcoming closure on social media over the weekend. The Lakeshore eatery will shutter after service on August 31. Notable chef Jen Biesty and pastry chef Ted Nugent first opened the welcoming bar and restaurant 10 years ago with a Spanish tapas-influenced menu. At the time, tablehopper described it as “Mediterranean in spirit,” and that spirit remained when new owner Soroush Ghaderi (Mama’s Royal Cafe) took the helm in 2023. “When Soroush took over, with Tim’s ongoing support, we held on through so many challenges, determined to keep this place alive,” said the closing note. “But the reality of these times has caught up with us. Despite everything we’ve tried, we just can’t make the numbers work anymore.” According to the notice, though the restaurant side will close, the bar at Shakewell will remain open a bit longer as they figure out next steps. Shakewell is at 3407 Lakeshore Ave. in Oakland, and closed after service on August 31.

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