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. Have a tip for Nosh? Submit it here.
Brewja Coffee
A reader let us know that Brewja Coffee’s Downtown Oakland location was served a three-day notice to pay rent or quit, accompanied by a photo of the notice posted on the door stating more than $79,000 in rent is owed. The cafe’s Instagram notes its Oakland location is permanently closed. A second location still operates in San Lorenzo. Brewja Coffee was located at 409 14th St. (at Franklin) in Oakland.
Church’s Chicken (El Cerrito)
Another East Bay Church’s Chicken location has shuttered — this time in the city of El Cerrito. (Oakland’s Church’s Chicken closed its doors recently after failing a health inspection.) Church’s was located at 11575 San Pablo Ave. (at Cutting Blvd.) in El Cerrito.
Phở Vy
Acclaimed Vietnamese restaurant Phở Vy, known for its comforting soups and Mexican-Vietnamese fusion, is closing its doors on May 18. Owner Tuan Nguyen told KQED that he’s powering down to take care of elderly family members, but plans to expand service to catering and pop-ups are underway. For nine years, Phở Vy has served some of the East Bay’s most beloved soups, as well as bò kho tacos — a spin on quesabirria made with Vietnamese beef stew and topped with pickled vegetables typically put in bánh mì. Phở Vy was located at 401 International Blvd. in Oakland.
Starbucks (Shattuck Ave.)
After a turbulent few years involving worker strikes and sudden, unplanned closures, Starbucks has shut its Shattuck Avenue location for good. The store has been listed as permanently closed on Yelp and Google. Starbucks was located at 2224 Shattuck Ave. (between Allston Way and Kittredge St.) in Berkeley.
Walnut Creek Yacht Club
After nearly three decades of serving steamers, prawn cocktails and loaded clam chowders, Walnut Creek Yacht Club has sailed into the sunset. Owners Ellen McCarty and Kevin Weinberg announced the closure on the restaurant’s website.
“After long and thoughtful consideration, we have made the decision to close Walnut Creek Yacht Club, and set sail on the next challenge of our lives — retirement,” they wrote. “We have talked with others who wished to keep WCYC sailing, but this craft was built with our blood, sweat, and tears, and we knew that if someone else took the helm, she might not weather any new storms that could come her way. To preserve her legacy and ensure that everyone could remember her as she was, we decided it was best to sail her into port and tie her safely to the dock.” Walnut Creek Yacht Club was located at 555 Bonanza St. in Walnut Creek.
