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
Jollibee
10.15.24: Jollibee, the coveted Filipino fast food restaurant, touched down in Alameda on Oct. 11. The chain specializes in fried chicken, burgers and spaghetti, plus peach mango pies for dessert. Jollibee, 2670 Fifth St., Pad A, Alameda
Shaka Shack
10.15.24: Shaka Shack is now open in the former Little House Cafe location on Blanding Avenue in Alameda, serving Hawaiian breakfast and lunch options like ube waffles, Hawaiian roll french toast, mac salad and loco moco burritos. They also offer plenty of shave ice flavors to cool down in the dog days of October’s second summer, with Mai Tai, lilikoi and piña colada among them. Shaka Shack, 2300 Blanding Ave, Alameda
Berkeley restaurant openings
Bigotes Pizza
10.29.24: Central Berkeley recently welcomed Bigotes Pizza to the neighborhood, a casual pizzeria that serves whole pies and slices as well as wings and a variety of salads. You’ll find classic cheese and pepperoni pizzas on offer, as well as more creative pies like the Bigotes Special (red sauce, cheese, al pastor, pineapple, cilantro and red onions). You can also build your own pizza if you feel like getting creative yourself. Bigotes Pizza, 1706 University Ave., Berkeley
Easterly Hunan
10.15.24: When construction on Berkeley’s Center St. forced temporary closures of several businesses, including Easterly Hunan, loyal patrons waited eagerly for the popular outpost to return. That day has finally come: the home of authentic Hunan cuisine has a new location at 2323 Shattuck in Berkeley and is open for lunch and dinner. The extensive menu includes traditional Chinese offerings like griddled pork intestines and stinky tofu alongside classics like kung pao chicken and Mongolian beef. Easterly Hunan, 2323 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley
Simple Dish
10.08.24: Simple Dish has replaced what was previously instant ramen shop Noody on Durant Avenue in Berkeley. Simple Dish offers a variety of traditional and contemporary Chinese fare including porridge dishes, dim sum dumplings, steam pots and stir fried noodles. Simple Dish, 2431 Durant Ave. (Suite B), Berkeley
Oakland restaurant openings
BBQ Chicken
10.15.24: Korean drama lovers of Oakland, rejoice: you can now get your famous Korean fried chicken fix at the newest BBQ Chicken location on College Ave. (The chain makes an appearance in the popular K-drama Crash Landing On You.) You’ll find crispy whole chicken, wings and boneless piece offerings in hot flavors like galbi, soy garlic and Caribbean spice, as well as other Korean staples like kimchi fried rice and ddeok-bokki, a chewy, spicy rice cake dish. BBQ Chicken, 5295 College Ave., Oakland
Gold Palm
10.08.24: Since Palmetto’s and Duende’s untimely departures from Uptown’s Floral Depot building, the vacant space has haunted the corner of 19th and Telegraph like the ghost of a busier, bygone era. Luckily, Bar Shiru owners Shirin Raza and Daniel Gahr couldn’t let a building this beautiful stay empty for long. Gold Palm, the couple’s latest venture, celebrated its soft opening in the historic art deco space on Friday, Oct. 4, serving self-described Pakistani party food and “light, effervescent drinks,” per SF Eater’s report. Raza and Gahr said they’re excited to contribute to the revitalization of a once-bustling neighborhood. They’re also working on a “secret bar” attached to the restaurant that’s slated to open in the coming weeks. Gold Palm, 1900 Telegraph Ave., Oakland
Khatan Sushi
10.29.24: Khatan Sushi is now open in Downtown Oakland’s former Elephant Sushi space. Alongside sushi rolls and nigiri, Khatan offers donburi dishes like salmon and chicken teriyaki, plus Mongolian buuz (steamed meat dumplings) and desserts. Khatan Sushi, 352 14th St., Oakland
Nua Thai Kitchen
10.29.24: Earlier this year, Nosh reported that Pla Daek, a northeastern Thai restaurant on Piedmont Avenue, had announced a “temporary” closure for renovations, but signs of a comeback were sparse. Now, it appears that Pla Daek is gone for good, and newcomer Nua Thai Kitchen has taken its place. The restaurant, offering authentic Thai dishes such as khao soi (curry noodle soup), sakoo (pork-stuffed tapioca), Thai sausages and pad see ew noodles, celebrated its soft opening last week. Nua Thai Kitchen, 4133 Piedmont Ave., Oakland
Round Table Pizza
10.23.24: Round Table Pizza is the latest addition to Oakland’s Hegenberger Gateway Center. The opening comes after a slew of restaurants left the Hegenberger business corridor in recent months, including In-N-Out, two Starbucks stores, a Subway, a Denny’s and a Black Bear Diner. Round Table Pizza, 8450 Edgewater Drive, Oakland
Shake Shack
10.23.24: If Shake Shack is playing favorites, it appears that San Jose has landed in the burger chain’s good graces. While its Oakland location shuttered in August, Shake Shack’s third San Jose storefront opened in the Westgate Center on Oct. 17th. It’s a little outside Nosh’s normal coverage area, but we wanted any readers who have been craving the chain’s crinkle-cut fries, shakes and burgers to know to head to the South Bay. A fourth location is underway on Bascom Avenue, per the Mercury News. Shake Shack, 1600 Saratoga Ave. (Westgate Center), San Jose
Simmer and Steamer
10.23.24: Thanks to a reader tip, Nosh learned that Simmer and Steamer, a fast-casual purveyor of Korean rice bowls, has opened on Kala Bagai Way in Berkeley. You’ll find hearty options like the galbi beef rice bowl, kimchi fried rice and pork belly curry bowl on the menu at decently affordable prices. Simmer and Steamer, 2012 Kala Bagai Way, Berkeley
Sun Moon Studio
10.29.24: Sun Moon Studio, a tiny, farmer- and producer-driven fine dining destination in West Oakland, has managed to evade the spotlight or even a whisper from the press since its opening this summer — until now. The SF Chronicle’s Elena Kadvany brought Sun Moon Studio into the light on Monday, and it’s easy to see why this unassuming establishment flew under the radar for so long: with no sign outside and only four tables to speak of upon opening, the restaurant has so far relied on word of mouth to get patrons in the door. The $150 tasting menu includes seasonally-inspired dishes, such as a tomato tart featuring a Shaoxing wine-oyster sauce reduction, alongside more permanent residents, like the savory egg custard tart topped with salmon roe. Reservations are required and can only be made by sending an email to chef/owner duo Sarah Cooper and Alan Hsu, both of whom have Michelin-starred restaurants on their résumés (Per Se in New York City and San Francisco’s Benu, respectively). The couple was also instrumental in opening Oakland’s farm-to-table restaurant Pomet. Sun Moon Studio, 1940 Union St., Suite 21, Oakland
Teta Nahla
10.23.24: Mohammad Abutaha, founder of Uptown Oakland’s popular Palestinian-Jordanian restaurant Shawarmaji, debuted his newest venture this week: Teta Nahla, a destination for “Arab soul food” that, unless you were part of Abutaha’s family growing up, you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. Abutaha named the restaurant after his grandmother, whose culinary skill inspired his career as a chef and steward of his homeland’s flavors. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on the opening. Teta Nahla, 2123 Franklin St., Oakland
Vegan Mob
10.08.24: Vegan Mob, purveyor of plant-based soul food dishes like the Smackaroni and the sweet Peach Mobbler, is back on its old block again — this time on wheels. After the brick-and-mortar space (formerly the Kwik Way Drive-Thru on Lake Park Avenue) closed in September 2023, owner Toriano Gordon expanded to other Bay Area locations before rolling back up to his old Oakland outpost in a food truck last weekend. You’ll find the truck parked outside the drive-thru Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. and stay tuned to Nosh for more on the return. Vegan Mob, 500 Lake Park Ave., Oakland
Richmond restaurant openings
JQ&B Liu Shang Pin
10.23.24: Food writer Richard Sterling once said that the durian emits an odor as if it were “garnished with a gym sock,” but this spiky fruit amounts to more than just its smell. It’s hailed as the King of Fruits across Southeast Asia, and those brave enough to break through its hostile shell are rewarded with the taste of its incredibly sweet, creamy and custardy flesh inside. JQ&B Liu Shang Pin, a specialty durian shop that recently opened in Richmond’s Pacific East Mall, is somewhat of a shrine to this oft-misunderstood delicacy. The shop is no-frills and to the point: inside, you’ll find four freezer cases of whole Malaysian durians wrapped in gold foil that go for as high as $23.99 per pound, but nothing to the tune of durian-flavored drinks or desserts. Check out KQED’s write-up of the shop to learn more. JQ&B Liu Shang Pi, Pacific East Mall (3288 Pierce St.), Richmond
