This is a curated list of the Bay Area’s most notable and permanent restaurant and bar closures, with new updates published once a week. See a closing we missed? Then drop us a line. For more news, check out our list of restaurants that closed earlier this spring.
May 22
BERKELEY — Persian restaurant Daryoush is joining the mass exodus of Center Street businesses lately as it’s soon to undergo construction, East Bay Nosh reports. The restaurant closed on Monday, May 20 but it’ll be a short-lived closure, however — the owners are opening a new location at 1534 Locust Street in Walnut Creek on June 1.
BERKELEY — The Berkeley location of Anthony’s Cookies has suddenly closed, East Bay Nosh also reports. The business has been on San Pablo Avenue for seven years, but the news outlet reports that for sale signs appeared on the building recently and tipsters wrote in to confirm the closure. A second location in San Francisco’s Mission District remains open.
OAKLAND — Sister businesses Good Luck Gato and Ninth Life have closed in Oakland as of May 11. The two businesses took over the Hopscotch space in the fall of 2023 with grand plans — Good Luck Gato was an “izakaya cantina” with Japanese-Mexican dishes and drinks, while Ninth Life was a ‘90s-themed cocktail bar — but shuttered after less than a year. Co-owner Matthew Meyer blamed high costs and low foot traffic. “Please support small businesses,” a statement about the closure reads in part. “Leave your house, let us cook for you, get another round. The restaurant industry needs you.”
OAKLAND — Oakland’s Lakeshore Cafe is closing its doors after 22 years. The owners announced the closure via Instagram, writing that the restaurant will shutter as of Monday, May 27. “We have been honored to be part of this community and incredibly grateful for your support throughout the years, and we want to assure you that this decision was not taken lightly,” the post reads. The message goes on to say that a new restaurant will take over the space shortly.
PENNGROVE — A tipster wrote in about the closure of Yanni’s Sausage in Penngrove, and indeed it seems that the business is now marked closed on Yelp and Google. The business was a local favorite for its Greek and Italian sausages, earning the designation of small business of the year in Sonoma County from Senator Bill Dodd in 2018.
May 15
PRESIDIO — Sunday, May 12 was the final service at the Presidio Social Club, which was well-loved through its 18-year tenure by the water as a place to celebrate birthdays and graduations with strong cocktails and truffle fries. Owner Ray Tang told the Chronicle staffing and size of the grand hilltop operation became too difficult. Still, he’d like to open a new place down the road. “I’m a longtime San Franciscan, and I’m not done yet,” he told the paper.
BERKELEY — Though Uji Time Dessert Cafe was set to close on Telegraph Avenue at the end of May, East Bay Nosh reports the destination for matcha taiyaki is already closed. April 28 was the last day, though business ownership still have plans for expansion in the Bay Area.
FREMONT — Two Bay Area Red Lobster locations closed amidst the corporation shuttering a bevy of bottomless seafood spots throughout the country on Monday, May 13. The Press Democrat reported the Rohnert Park outpost closed for good on May 3, and SFGATE confirms the Fremont location is also “temporarily closed,” per the business’s website. That’s the same note the Rohnert Park posted before the outpost confirmed its permanent closure.
NAPA — Bay Grape Napa will close, per the Chronicle, while keeping the original Oakland location intact. Owners Stevie Stacionis and Josiah Baldavino are looking to sell that location, too, as they hope “to build a more sustainable life for our family.” Decant SF will expand from its SoMa outpost to wine country by taking over the space in July.
APTOS — Palapas Restaurant y Cantina is closing for good on May 19 as new ownership will turn the restaurant into a raw bar and seafood haven called Dos Pescados this summer. The Lookout reports Brandon Smittcamp of the 55-year-old Lime Light and chef Trent Lidgey of One Fish Raw Bar will open the new venture.
May 8
LOWER HAIGHT — Ritsu Tsuchida’s Iza Ramen, founded in 2013 as a pop-up at now-closed Blowfish Sushi, closed for good on Saturday, May 4. The Haight Street ramen shop opened its doors in 2015 bringing powerful noodles and scintillating broth to not only the neighborhood but also the city writ large. According to a tipster email, workers were informed of the closure a week before the final day.
UPPER HAIGHT — Hobson’s Choice, a Haight Street dive bar favorite for just over a quarter century, will close after the second weekend in May. Broke-Ass Stuart reports owner Chris Dickerson let the outlet know that decreased foot traffic in the area around the Victorian rum house led to the decision to shutter.
INNER RICHMOND — Five Happiness on Geary closed after about 50 years in business. According to Tablehopper, owner Bill Yang retired and is shuttering the business as he goes. The Chinese restaurant featured weekend Taiwanese specialtie and was a go-to for banquet dinners.
SAUSALITO — Seafood Peddler, founded in San Rafael before relocating to Sausalito’s Johnson Street, closed permanently after service on Sunday, May 5. On the business’s website, a message pops up saying thank you and farewell.
RICHMOND — After less than two years in business, the Richmond Marina’s Dissident Spirits Co. will close its doors at the end of May. In an Instagram post, ownership says “evolving market conditions and insufficient growth” made for “an unsustainable situation.” The young company made waves from the get-go with award-winning gins.
May 1
LOWER NOB HILL — After four years at 1030 Polk Street, French patisserie Maison Danel has closed, Tablehopper reports. The restaurant opened in February 2020 just before the pandemic shutdowns in March, but now it looks like reservations are closed and the phone line has been turned off.
WESTERN ADDITION — Che Fico’s casual sister restaurant, Che Fico Alimentari, is set to close on Thursday, May 9, SFGATE reports. An Instagram post cited “new economic realities, making it clear that its current model was unsustainable” as the reasons for the closure, but stressed that it’s not a permanent goodbye. The downstairs space will flip into Che Fico To-Go focusing on tiramisu, pizza, and chopped salad, among other items.
MISSION — Tablehopper also caught the closure news on Ivory and Vine in the Mission. An Instagram post on the restaurant’s account affirms the closure, thanking customers for their support. The post, however, does also seem to leave the door open for another upcoming business. “Consultations are ongoing to chart a path to sustainability,” the post reads in part. “Stay tuned, I’ll keep you posted.”
DOGPATCH — Midnite Bagel owner Nick Beitcher announced Tuesday via Instagram that he is closing the business’s Dogpatch commissary kitchen as of Friday, May 10. The bagel shop built its name at farmers markets and pop-ups and briefly occupied a space in Inner Sunset in 2022 before closing that location and directing customers to its kitchen at 1176 Illinois Street. Beitcher says that he’ll take a brief break before returning to the farmers markets in mid-July to sell the sourdough bagels.
