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.
Alameda restaurant closure
MO’s Wine Bar
09.26.24: Opened less than a year ago, Mo’s Wine Bar in Alameda announced on Instagram it would close on Sept. 28. The bar owned by Maura Passanisi focused on wines from women producers, offering them by the glass or bottle along with small plates and a selection of beers, ciders and non-alcoholic beverages. The wine bar originally opened in winter 2023. MO’s Wine Bar, 1515 Park St. (between Santa Clara Avenue and Times Way), Alameda permanently closed on Sept. 28. — Tovin Lapan
Berkeley restaurant closures
Bartavelle
Update 10.09.24: Regular operations wrapped on Sept. 15, but Bartavelle has since hosted a handful of events giving customers extra opportunities to gather and grab a final meal while also continuing fundraising to pay outstanding debts and cover final payroll. A “Swan Song for Bartavelle” fundraiser will be held Oct. 13 with various food and drink vendors, DJ sets, a raffle and a silent auction from 2 to 5 p.m. Additionally, a recent Instagram post, indicated they plan to keep going in some form with a “very simple coffee service.”
Original post 09.10.24: The team at Bartavelle surprised and saddened its devoted customers in Berkeley and beyond with a closing announcement posted to Instagram on Sunday, Sept. 8. Nosh stopped by that day to find crowds and long lines gathered to show support during what is slated to be the cafe’s final week before a Sept. 15 closure.
Suzanne Drexhage’s cafe has been a Berkeley keystone since she and her son Samuel Sobolewski first took over the former Cafe Fanny space in 2012. In 2018, the duo and their team launched Bar Sardine, a sort of Bartavelle after dark, with wine and seasonal nibbles befitting West Berkeley’s artisanal-minded diners. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the cafe slimmed operations to a small annex take-out window. In 2023, it reopened in beautiful new digs a block away, Bar Sardine relaunched, and it won the Nosh Award for best new bar …
Thai Delight
09.19.24: Early in September, Nosh spotted 17-year-old Berkeley restaurant Thai Delight’s windows papered over, but were reassured by signage that the inconvenience was only temporary, and that take-out remained available through the kitchen. Loyal Thai Delight diners had been noticing small shifts in decor, quality and service at the otherwise steadfast spot, so a possible refresh similar to the one they underwent in 2005 seemed in the works. But, in an abrupt reveal, Thai Delight’s familiar pine-green facade and dining room are gone. The space has been transformed as of Sept. 15 into modern new hot pot restaurant Azure (see this week’s openings), the space repainted a bright yellow with bold red accents. Though we welcome the newcomer, we’d also like to join locals in saying a fond farewell to nearly 20 years of some of Berkeley’s best basil tofu and pumpkin curry. Thai Delight was at 1700 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley.
U-Cha
10.02.24: Thanks to a reader tip, Nosh learned that U-Cha, Downtown Berkeley’s beloved Taiwanese boba tea spot, appears to have shuttered seemingly overnight. Popular among caffeine-driven Cal students, the shop was known for its adventurous boba drinks like the Bomberman, a milk-based tea sweetened with brown sugar. Reddit users also postedthat the boba location is no longer available on Snackpass, a mobile ordering app. U-Cha confirmed via an Instagram message that the shop is closed. U-Cha was located at 2199 Bancroft Way in Berkeley. — Cecilia Seiter
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
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.
First Edition
08.29.24: Unique, comic-book-themed cocktail bar First Edition announced it would close at the end of September and held several farewell parties and “all-night happy hours” as it counted down its final days. “Oakland, you are amazing,” said the August 24 Instagram announcement. “Your resilience and community spirit have carried us through a roller coaster of times. We are grateful for every memory made and every person who walked through our doors.” The team went on to graciously plug surrounding downtown Oakland neighborhood bars such as Night Heron. First Edition was at 1915 Broadway in Oakland and closed on September 30.
Tease Southern Kitchen & Catering
09.19.24: “As we prepare to bid farewell on Sunday, Sept. 22, to Tease Southern Kitchen & Catering, formerly known as Ovo Tavern & Eatery, we share our heartfelt journey of community, resilience, and unforeseen challenges,” said an email from Trevel Adanandus, founder of Oakland’s Tease Southern, to The Oaklandside. The restaurant and bar first opened as OVO (“Oakland’s Very Own”) Tavern in 2015, and in 2022, shifted to Southern-style soul cooking — chicken and waffles, seafood pasta, fried fish. The closure notice calls the shuttering an “unforeseen end,” citing conflict with new property owners as a reason. “As we navigate this chapter’s closure, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for the loyal patrons and supporters who have enriched our journey with their presence and love,” continued the note. Sept. 22 was its final day of service. Tease Southern Kitchen & Catering is at 5319 Martin Luther King Jr. Wy. in Oakland.
