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 openings
Peak
01.24.25: Brunch and Thai food is becoming a crowd-pleasing combination in the East Bay, and Peak is the latest restaurant to demonstrate that yes, eggs and tom yum are a great pair. The menu is designed to be shared and includes several vegetarian options, like toasted sourdough topped with savory sautéed maitake mushrooms, soft scrambled eggs and fresh herbs. Peak, 1405 Webster St., Alameda
Pizzeria Pappo
01.24.25: Pizzeria Pappo is newly opened on Alameda’s Santa Clara Ave. It launched with lunch service only, but dinner service and online orders have now started. Stop by in person to grab a quick slice, salad or a bowl of spicy vodka fusilli. Pizzeria Pappo, 709 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda
Berkeley restaurant openings
Donut Farm
02.04.25: Folks looking for their vegan donut fix can now find Donut Farm on Adeline Street in Berkeley — the shop recently moved from its San Pablo location in Oakland. You’ll find all the classic Donut Farm flavors like Mexican hot chocolate, vanilla sprinkles and chocolate coconut, plus coffee and espresso drinks. Donut Farm, 3278 Adeline St., Berkeley
Lao Garden
01.28.25: Berkeley welcomed a new Laotian restaurant to its ranks last week: Lao Garden will celebrate its grand opening on Feb. 1, with a 20% discount on dine-in orders. You’ll find a variety of noodle dishes, curries, wraps, salads and seafood specialties on the menu, which waxes poetic about Laotian culinary mastery. Lao Garden, 2514 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley
Penelope’s Coffee & Tea
01.21.25: Penelope’s Coffee and Tea celebrated its grand opening on Jan. 21, serving decadent lattes, breakfast sandwiches and its signature “womlette” — an omelet pressed in a waffle iron — to visitors in Berkeley. The local cafe, which also has locations in San Francisco and Foster City, opened in the former Peet’s location on Shattuck. Penelope’s Coffee & Tea, 2255 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley
Oakland restaurant openings
Bella Italia
02.04.25: A new pasta and pizza spot opened in January on the Allendale/Maxwell Park neighborhood border. Bella Italia offers frequent specials and discounts and the menu includes Caesar salad, chicken parmesan, garlic knots, wings, and mozzarella sticks in addition to a range of traditional pastas and pizzas. Bella Italia, 3100 High St., Oakland
Billingsgate Seafood
02.04.25: Market Hall has a new fishmonger. Just days after Hapuku Fish Shop closed following 20 years of service, Billingsgate Seafood moved in. This is Billingsgate’s first East Bay location (its other retail shop is in Noe Valley), and, alongside fresh catch, plans to offer seafood dishes like poke, clam chowder and cioppino. According to the SF Chronicle, a beer and wine license may also be in the works. Billingsgate Seafood, 5655 College Ave., Oakland
Jaji
01.28.25: If marrying ingenuity and nostalgia is a specialty, then restaurateurs Paul Iglesias and Sophia Akbar have certainly staked their claim on it. After the sweeping success of Parche, their celebrated Colombian restaurant that blends traditional dishes with a colorful, 21st-century flair, the couple is slated to open a new restaurant with a similar concept this week, this time with a nod to Akbar’s Afghan roots. Located on the ground floor of the Kissel hotel, Jaji delivers a modern take on traditional Afghan flavors that aims to invoke both nostalgia and excitement. The rotating menu will serve dishes like mantou (Afghan dumplings) and vegan kebabs, while the full bar’s cocktail offerings tap into flavors common to the region, like coriander and pistachio. Jaji, 2455 Broadway, Oakland
La Chicharronada Colombiana
02.04.25: La Chicharronada Colombia, an authentic Colombian outpost with a previous location on Foothill Boulevard, is celebrating the grand opening of its brick and mortar on Feb. 8. Expect thick slabs of crispy chicharron accompanied by plantains, yucca and guacamole, plus smaller snacks like fried empanadas and Colombian soft drinks. La Chicharronada Colombiana, 280 Hegenberger Rd., Oakland
Las Guerreras
02.04.25: In Old Oakland’s Swan’s Market, La Guerrera’s Kitchen has announced a rebrand. Now called Las Guerreras, which owners Reyna Maldonado and Ofelia Barajas announced “reflects our journey, resilience, and commitment to bringing you the bold, vibrant flavors of Guerrero,” the purveyor of coastal Mexican flavors is also opening a highly anticipated cevicheria on Feb. 8. Its grand opening event will include a seafood-inspired menu and music from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Las Guerreras, 538 9th St., Oakland
Nosso
01.28.25: Nosso, a sleek, vibey lounge complete with a wall adorned in pink roses absolutely begging for selfies, celebrated its grand opening in Downtown Oakland earlier this month. Patrons can enjoy live DJ sets while sipping on craft cocktails and munching on elevated bar food — think oxtail sliders, thai chili wings, Brussels sprouts and fries — Wednesdays through Saturdays starting at 4 p.m. Nosso, 532 8th St, Oakland
Sirene
01.28.25: From the team behind San Francisco’s highly acclaimed bistro The Morris comes Sirene, which dropped anchor in the low-lit, moody space previously known as Sister this week. The restaurant opened officially on Jan. 29. Smoky and seafood-forward, Sirene is giving new life to Sister’s old bones, staying true to the exposed brick interior while injecting a burst of color with fresh paint, plants and artwork. Better yet, the wood-fired pizza oven will be put to good use — items like grilled abalone with garlic butter and whole roasted spiny lobsters with charred béarnaise sauce are on offer, as well as fried chicken, shrimp chorizo and lobster-duck mortadella. Stop by Wednesdays through Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for coffee and pastries; dinner service runs from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Sirene, 3308 Grand Ave., Oakland
Xingones
01.21.25: On the heels of several recent departures in Jack London, Xingones, a purveyor of Mexican street snacks plus fried chicken and waffles, is filling the void. The restaurant moved into what was formerly Chop Bar from Old Oakland and is celebrating its soft opening this week, with a grand opening slated for Jan. 28. Xingones, 190 4th St., Oakland
Yosi Café
02.04.25: Yosi Café, situated next to Snail Bar in what used to be Abesha Ethiopian Cuisine, is slated to open on Feb. 8, per a Nosh reader. For now, the café will sell pastries baked in-house, and plans to offer Ethiopian food at dinnertime are in the works. Yosi Café, 4929 Shattuck Ave., Oakland
Pinole restaurant opening
MexiHibachi
01.21.25: Home of the hot Cheeto hibachi burrito and spicy udon noodles, MexiHibachi, the Richmond-based catering business that took off on TikTok, just expanded to a brick and mortar in Pinole. Check their Instagram for updates on opening hours. MexiHibachi, 1578 Fitzgerald Dr., Pinole
Richmond restaurant opening
New Life Café
01.21.25: Bendrick Foster, who runs the Richmond-based youth mentoring program New Life Movement, is furthering his mission to empower local youth with the recent opening of New Life Café, which provides hands-on vocational training in culinary arts, menu planning, customer service and catering. A breakfast menu is in the works, but for now, stop by for soups, salads, sandwiches and teriyaki bowls. New Life Café, 322 Harbour Way #7, Richmond
San Pablo restaurant opening
Blue Rabbit
01.24.25: A sleek new bar by the name of Blue Rabbit shimmied into San Pablo last month, boasting icy, understated blue lighting and additive-free agave spirits that pay homage to Oaxacan tradition. Blue Rabbit is the brainchild of Deepak Aggarwal, who’s known for other popular establishments like East Bay Spice Company and the now-closed Khana Peena. Stop in to bask in the cool blue and sip on fiery mezcal-forward cocktails like the Love and Other Demons (Mestiza mezcal, Ford’s gin, St. George green chili vodka, Cocchi Americano, carrot shrub, lemon). Blue Rabbit, 1811 E 23rd Street, San Pablo
Walnut Creek restaurant opening
Headlands Brewing
01.28.25: Headlands Brewing, a local beer garden championed for its family-friendly spaces and outdoorsy aura, opened its third East Bay taproom last Friday, this time touching down in Walnut Creek. Nestled between a handful of redwood trees, the beer garden comes with plenty of seating and cozy fire pits, as well as a play area for kids. Alongside Headlands beer, patrons can enjoy a menu of burgers, salad and sandwich offerings, plus cocktails crafted by Jae Daaboul of East Bay Spice Company and Parche. Headlands Brewing, 2999 Oak Road, Walnut Creek
