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.
Albany restaurant opening
Pretty Things
04.28.26: A new Solano Avenue craft beer bar announced its soft opening on Instagram. Pretty Things has 21 beers on tap, many from local breweries such as Cellarmaker, Alvarado Street, Faction and Ghost Town. The bar, in the former location of Flora & Ferment, also allows customers to bring outside food.Pretty Things, 1122 Solano Ave., Albany
Berkeley restaurant openings
The Cheese Board Cheese Shop and Bakery
04.07.26: The Bay Area’s original coop-run pizza shop reopened its cheese and bakery store on Friday, April 10. The cheese and bakery was operating out of a temporary shipping container and was recently closed for a couple of weeks. The shop is back Friday, expanding into the former Berkeley Produce Center. “… We are going to have a dedicated line for cheese service, a dedicated line for bread and pastries,” worker-owner Radcliffe Eccleston of The Cheese Board Collective told NOSH earlier this year. “People can just expect a much more pleasant, much smoother flow, where they can take their time shopping. No one is going to be rushed.” Cheese Board Bakery, 1504 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley
Milk Cloud Bakery
04.21.26: Milk Cloud Bakery launched its pre-order service with the first pick-up on Saturday, April 25 at their West Berkeley location. What’s on the menu? Shokupan (Japanese milk bread), a variety of sweet and savory sandwiches including a strawberry one, and a soy-marinated egg one, and basque cheesecakes (slices and whole cakes). The bakery is in the former location of La Noisette and has not officially opened yet. Milk Cloud Bakery, 2701 Eighth St. Ste. 116, Berkeley
Nudi Blue
04.07.26: One of the most anticipated East Bay openings this spring, from the owners of a favorite Berkeley brunch spot, Tanzie’s Cafe. Owners Jezreel “Jae” Rojas and Krissana “Tanz” Tussanaprasit dreamed up the new concept of a restaurant: a Thai teahouse during the daytime, focusing on teas from Chiang Mai and small pastries and bites such as housemade scones, and tea sandwiches. In the evenings, Nudi Blue will serve seafood and offer a wine bar. Nudi Blue opened Thursday, April 9. Nudi Blue, 2049 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley
Shake Shack
04.28.26: Shake Shack Berkeley opened Tuesday, April 28 at 10 a.m. in downtown at the Hellen Diller Anchor House, an apartment complex for students. This is the company’s fifteenth location in the Bay Area. Shake Shack, 1950 Oxford St., Ste. F, Berkeley
SoDo Cafe
04.07.26: Sourdough donuts have arrived in a permanent location after three years of pop-ups. The Bay Area’s only sourdough donut company recently soft opened in its permanent home at Hammerling Wines in West Berkeley. In addition to donuts, they also serve sandwiches and focaccia’s with toppings. SoDo Cafe at Hammerling Wines, 1350 Fifth St., Berkeley
Hercules restaurant opening
Hōm
04.07.26: Hōm Coffee opened April 4 in Hercules. The new coffee shop is along the Hercules waterfront, sandwiched between Rodeo (not to be confused with Rodeo Beach) and Pinole. The shop sources pastries from Oakland-based Gregory’s Gourmet Desserts (aka Gregory’s Underground Desserts), including croissants, muffins, scones, and HOM Coffee, 2525 Bayfront Blvd., Ste. E, Hercules
Oakland restaurant openings
Cajun Claws Seafood Boil House
04.28.26: A new cajun seafood boil spot has soft opened in Uptown Oakland. The restaurant is in the former Roam Burgers and Hotbird location. During the soft opening, dishes are 10% off from noon to 5 p.m. The restaurant held its grand opening on May 4 with a jazz band, dance, and complimentary food. Cajun Claws, 1951 Telegraph Ave., Suite. 2, Oakland
Delight
04.13.26: A new smoothie spot has soft-opened on the east side of Lake Merritt, according to a reader tip. It is owned by friends of Admas Ethiopian and Eritrean foods, which is next door. Specials include a pineapple mint and coconut refresher that’s made with fresh pineapple and mint, coconut water, and honey. They also offer acai bowls and other classic smoothies like mango, avocado, and strawberry. Delight, 1910 Park Blvd., Oakland
Jiams
04.21.26: A new Southeast Asian restaurant has opened in Oakland’s San Antonio neighborhood. Jiams focuses on Mien, Laos, Thai, Cambodian, and Vietnamese food. Jiams is run by the same family that runs the Lao Market grocery store across the street. Thanks to NOSH tipster for letting us know. Jiams, 1612 International Blvd., Oakland
La Quebrada
04.07.26: A new Mexican spot opens in Oakland’s Eastlake neighborhood. The restaurant is in the former location of Phở Vy, a neighborhood favorite, which closed last May. La Quebrada serves an array of dishes from pupusas to tamales, carne asadas, tacos, burritos, fish, and mole. La Quebrada, 401 International Blvd., Oakland
The Lodge
04.28.26: A cherished Oakland bar and restaurant has reopened. The dive bar was closed for about two and a half months. The bar was known to host pop-ups from up-and-coming chefs and food ventures. One big change is that The Lodge, located near Kaiser in Oakland, is now open for lunch. They still plan to host some pop-ups. The Lodge, 3758 Piedmont Ave., Oakland
Sable Lounge
04.28.26: A new bar opens on Oakland’s Grand Avenue near the lake. Sable Lounge is in the former location of The Barbary, a tiki lounge that closed in February. Sable Lounge soft opened April 23-25. A co-owner told NOSH that they plan to be open again for a soft opening Thursday, April 30 to May 2 from 6-10 p.m. Follow their Instagram for updates. Sable Lounge, 3332 Grand Ave., Oakland
Sana’a Cafe
03.31.26: Sana’a coffee has expanded their Yemeni coffee shop footprint to the outskirts of East Oakland, opening up a cafe on 98th Avenue near the Oakland airport (now called the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport). The grand opening is Friday, April 3. The cafe chain has two other locations in Oakland, and is quickly expanding. Sana’a Cafe, 185 98th Ave., Oakland
Starline
05.05.26: What’s going on at the former Starline Social Club space? For a brief time, it was called Bad Decision, but owners told NOSH that after they took over last January, they have been reworking the concept. They recently partnered with food purveyor Sistas Wings to lead the kitchen is now renamed Starline. Sistas Wings’ menu includes not only wings, but oxtail, pork chops, lamb chops, and sides. Starline, 2236 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, Oakland
