Last updated: April 29, 2026

San Francisco Bay Area World Cup Watch Parties

The World Cup is almost here and this year, it will have great times for watching as we won’t have to wake up at 2am-5am to watch games as in the past… huzzah!

Whether you are a casual fan or a die-hard fan, bookmark this page as it will be updated with more recommendations in the coming weeks.

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Eddie’s List: San Francisco Bay Area Events & Things To Do

San Francisco newsletter: news, art, festivals, volunteer, galas, classes, talks, music, street fairs, tech, pop-ups, comedy, wellness & cultural events; food & drink recs. Bay Area events this weekend, San Jose things to do this week, East Bay activities

By Eddie Hernandez

Submit Tips For Places To Watch The World Cup 2026

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Related Reads On Eddie’s List

• San Francisco Sports Bars

• Best Bars With Food San Francisco

San Francisco Bay Area World Cup Fan Zones

https://bayareahostcommittee.com/newsroom/bay-area-host-committee-announces-fan-zones-for-the-fifa-world-cup-2026

San Francisco World Cup Fan Zones

San Francisco World Cup Fan Zones Downtown, Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf

• China Basin Park (Across from Giants Stadium)

• Pier 39

• Yerba Buena Lane, Downtown San Francisco

• The Midway, Dogpatch

• Thrive City, Mission Bay

• The Crossing, East Cut, Downtown San Francisco

East Bay World Cup Fan Zones

East Bay World Cup Fan Zones Pleasanton, Oakland, Walnut Creek, Richmond

• Alameda County Fair Grounds, Pleasanton,

• Raimondi Park, West Oakland

• Downtown Oakland (City Hall?),

• Hoffmann Theater at Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek,

• SS Red Oak Victory Historic Ship, Richmond,

• East Brother Beer Company, Richmond

South Bay World Cup Fan Zones | San Jose, Santa Clara

World Cup Fan Zones Milpitas, Sunnyvale, Morgan Hill, Santana Row

• San Jose Earthquakes Soccer Celebration at San Pedro Square, San Jose

  • Opening Weekend presented by the Bay Area Host Committee and SJ26

• The Row Cup, Santana Row, San Jose

• Civic Center Plaza, Milpitas

• Milpitas Community Center

• Morgan Hill

• Cityline Sunnyvale

North Bay World Cup Fan Zones Marin, Sonoma & Napa

• Sausalito

• Napa Valley

• Santa Rosa

The Peninsula World Cup Fan Zones

World Cup Fan Zones San Mateo, Redwood City, Half Moon Bay, Mountain View

• Courthouse Square, Redwood City

• Central Park, San Mateo

• Wheeler Parking Plaza, San Carlos

• Half Moon Bay

• Mountain View

Santa Cruz World Cup Watch Parties

• Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

• Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History

World Cup Matches at Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara

• Saturday, June 13 (Group stage): Qatar vs Switzerland

• Tuesday, June 16 (Group stage): Austria vs Jordan

• Friday, June 19 (Group stage): Turkey vs Paraguay

• Monday, June 22 (Group stage): Jordan vs Algeria

• Thursday, June 25 (Group stage): Paraguay vs Australia

• Wednesday, July 1 (Round of 32): Group D winners vs Group B/E/F/I/J third place)

Where To Watch World Cup San Francisco Bay Area

Below is a list of places to watch the World Cup games in the San Francisco Bay Area beyond the official fan zones. Some of the best places are based on who is playing, day/time and more. It’s mostly San Francisco and East Bay for now but will add more options shortly as well as specific recs for watching specific teams play.

Read more

Updated: April 23, 2026 - added 2 spots to get martinis and fries during happy hour (same day, time, place); 3 if you count onion rings.

French Fries & Martinis

Martinis and fries go together like nothing else. It’s a vibe that I associate more so with NYC like at hotel bars, cocktail bars but glad there are places that offer this in San Francisco from cocktail bars, restaurants with bar seats and more. Martinis and french fries (New York Happy Meal) remind me of my time in New York where diners signaled some sort of desire to socialize without being disrupted mid-meal with something more involved, messy or intimate.

For me, martini and fries is a holdover while waiting for dinner plans later or or it’s a compromise for skipping dinner but not wanting to have a full meal too late nor have a drink without something to line the stomach. It’s the combo that either suggests you want to be alone but in public or you want to meet people out and about without the noise of bars, the full room of couples or the defeated retreat to a diner or fast-food options late at night.

For over a decade, I have been observing who folks sit, dine, position themselves, eat, drink, talk and communicate with others in social settings. Knowing if someone wants to be left alone, wants to chat for a bit and nothing more beyond that evening, is going to tell you their life jounery or is going to reveal one of the most intense sob stories about their recent break-up - these are all things you must brace for when meeting folks at the bar.

This is something I am fascinated by despite my analytical background as understanding nuance, justifying exceptions to the rule and predicting future behavior are some of the core underlyings of meeting people, making friends and dating in our modern age.

Eddie’s List is 100% reader-supported & is manually curated each week.

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Runner-Up: Best Bay Area Local Website -48 Hills, Best of the Bay & San Francisco Bay Guardian 2024 & 2025!

• 👇 Sign up below for the next email newsletter, usually sent on Sundays w/ more recommendations each week from events, food, pop-ups, drinks & more. 👇

Eddie’s List: San Francisco Bay Area Events & Things To Do

Email event newsletter: art, festivals, volunteer, galas, classes, talks, music, street fairs, startup/tech, pop-ups, comedy, wellness & cultural. San Francisco event calendar, San Jose events this weekend, Bay Area events this week, things to do.

By Eddie Hernandez

Related Reads On Eddie’ List

• Best Bay Area Cheesemakers, Cheese Shops

• Best Wine Bars San Francisco

• Best Places To Dine Solo San Francisco

• Best Coffee San Francisco

• Best Bar Food: Dive, Wine, Cocktail Bars & More

Where To Have A Martini And Fries In San Francisco

I noticed a few lists out there that covered this trend but for those who know, the idea has existed for some time before the term girl dinners became a thing. Even then, lack of context made it hard to assess the vibe of such places: is it mostly couples or singles, are there actually any seats at the bar, or are these places more so for full dining rather than a limited snack while you nurse your cocktail - context matters.

Some suggestions I recently read online were quite useless as some places don’t serve french fries or food for that matter - perhaps that looked at Yelp and saw places that mentioned french fries and martinis but actually referencing lack of fries in such an establishment.

Martinis and fries may be the play more than ever given soaring prices in San Francisco, growing loneliness epidemic, and a desire to be around people even if no words are spoken. Most places in the city don’t make this a thing but a few do (or at least did) but martinis and fries are not just a girl dinner, the repesent something more than that.

Below are some of my favorite places to have a martini and fries across the city, which bar areas have seats to actually sit down (not all do), which days are fries offered (some only once a week), places that serve fries beyond orders wtih burgers or other entrees, places that have French fries and not polenta, not yucca nor tofu fries, which ones actually have fries on the menu (some only offer mashed potatoes or tator tots instead, which are good but not quite the experience).

Am I missing something? Is something outdated or closed? Let me know!

Submit Tips!

Best Martinis & French Fries San Francisco

Read more

Co-op & Employee-Owned Businesses Bay Area

Unfortunately, several co-ops and employee owned businsses closed during the pandemic, so I thought it was a good time to highlight ones that are surviving as well as newly formed ones and a few in the works. For now, I am focused on retail businesses, restaurants, cafes, coffee shops.

Eddie’s List is 100% reader-supported & is manually curated each week.

FAQ’s | Latest | IG | Contact | Dating & Photo Services | News | Directory

In my free weekly email newsletter, beyond events & things to do, I curate news articles from around the Bay Area, including news from local businesses regarding labor/employee disputes, acquisitions, pop-ups, collaborations and more. It’s sent out usually on Sundays.

• 👇 Sign up below for the next email newsletter, usually sent on Sundays. 👇

Eddie’s List: San Francisco Bay Area Events, News This Week

San Francisco Bay Area event calendar, arts, crafts, outdoor festivals, galas, classes, talks, music, street fairs, day parties, pop-ups, comedy, wellness, tech, activities, shows, book, concerts, cultural & free things to do this weekend San Jose Oakland

By Eddie Hernandez

Related Reads On Eddie’s List:

• Nationwide Shutdown: 150+ Businesses Closing In The Bay Area 1/30

• Who Owns Your Local Newspaper, Media Publication

• Mission Driven Companies, Orgs Bay Area

• How To Build Community In The Bay Area

• San Francisco Bay Area Fix-It Fairs, Bicycle Clinics & Repair Cafes

• Where To Donate Clothes In The Bay Area

• Private Equity Owned Restaurants, Coffee Shops, Vet Clinics Bay Area

Co-Op, Worker & Employee-Owned Businesses Bay Area

• Cheeseboard Collective, Berkeley

• Arizemendi

  • Inner Sunset, San Francisco

  • Mission District, San Francisco

  • Emeryville

  • Lakeshore, Oakland

• Westbrae Nursery, Berkeley

• Alvarado Street Bakery, Petaluma

• Dog Social Club Cooperative, Oakland (daycare)

• Adobe Books, Mission District, San Francisco

  • Volunteer Worker Owned Cooperative

• The Stud Bar, SOMA, San Francisco

• City Art Cooperative Gallery, Mission District

• Box Dog Bikes, Mission District/Duboce Triangle

• 924 Gilman, Alternative Music Foundation (volunteer-run non-profit collective)

Am I missing something? Is something outdated or closed? Let me know!

Submit Tips!

Co-Op, Worker & Employee Owned Restaurants, Cafes Bay Area

• The Local Butcher Shop, Berkeley

• Nick’s Pizza & Bakery, North Oakland

• Understory, Oakland

• Oceanview Diner, Berkeley

• A Slice Of New York (Pizza), San Jose

• Watershed Nursery Cooperative, Richmond

• Zachary’s Pizza, Oakland, Berkeley, Pleasant Hill, Pleasanton, Livermore

Worker & Employee-Owned Coffee Shops, Cafes, Bakeries Bay Area

• Hasta Muerte (coffee), Fruitvale, Oakland

• Sconehenge Bakery & Cafe, Berkeley

• Niles Pie Company, Union City

• Angel Cakes Bakery, Jack London Square, Oakland

If you would like to support me in creating & upkeeping free, helpful guides like this for everyone, feel free to buy me a coffee or beer below.

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Co-Op, Worker & Employee-Owned Grocery Stores Bay Area

• Rainbow Grocery, Mission District, San Francisco

• Mandela Grocery, West Oakland

• Other Avenues, Sunset District, San Francisco (website is down)

• Three Stone Hearth, Berkeley

• Oliver’s Markets, Cotati, Santa Rosa & Windsor

San Francisco Bay Area Farm Co-Ops, Employee-Owned Food Hubs

• Feed Cooperative, Petaluma

San Francisco Bay Area Co-Ops In The Works

• Cultivate Community Co-Op, Benecia/Vallejo

• Napa Valley Farm Food Co-Op

• Alana’s Cafe, Burlingame

Special Shout Out…

I have been a big fan, supporter, volunteer of La Cocina (kitchen/food incubator) in the Mission District. Aside from their epic food festivals, they have helped launched many small businesses or women and under-represented communities helping them get spaces, partnerships and more.

Employee Owned Restaurants San Francisco, Worked Owned Businesses Bay Area, Worker Owned Coffee Shops Bay Area, Employee Owned Retail Businesses San Francisco, Worked Owned Restaurants San Jose, Employee Owned Businesses Oakland, Berkeley, Employee Owned Businesses Contra Costa, Worker Owned Businesses Santa Clara, Employee Owned Stores Alameda, Employee Owned Grocery Stores Sonoma, Co-Ops Vallejo, Cooperatives Solano County

San Francisco Bay Area Restaurant, Hospitality Groups

With the high cost of starting a bar or restaurant, high chances of failure or just desire to try something new, many restaurant owners have formed groups to leverage resources, relay momentum, move around employees, and share costs to grow businesses and compete in a highly challenging environment here in the Bay Area.

This is where restaurant & hospitality groups come in. Economies of scale allow restaurateurs to hedge bets, absorb drops in business more easily, shift talent and resources where/when needed, leverage momentum from established businesses and more.

In my free weekly email newsletter, beyond events & things to do, I curate news articles from around the Bay Area, including news from local businesses regarding labor/employee disputes, acquisitions, pop-ups, collaborations and more. It’s sent out usually on Sundays.

Runner-Up: Best Bay Area Local Website -48 Hills, Best of the Bay & San Francisco Bay Guardian 2024 & 2025!

Eddie’s List: San Francisco Bay Area Events, News This Week

San Francisco Bay Area event calendar, arts, crafts, outdoor festivals, galas, classes, talks, music, street fairs, day parties, pop-ups, comedy, wellness, tech, activities, shows, book, concerts, cultural & free things to do this weekend San Jose Oakland

By Eddie Hernandez

These groups can offer more stability and growth for those looking to build on skills, work in different restaurants and opportunities to work in marketing, operations, beverage directors and more. Similarly, if you like one concept, you may like what else they are doing at other locations.

For those who are looking to open a new restaurant or bar, it may help to know who you may be competing with, what kind of market share and resources they possess as some of these operators are located in tight clusters in smaller towns and neighborhoods.

Related Reads On Eddie’s List:

• Nationwide Shutdown: 150+ Businesses Closing In The Bay Area 1/30

• Who Owns Your Local Newspaper, Media Publication

• How To Promote Events, Shows, Pop-Ups Bay Area

• San Francisco Bar, Restaurant Merchandise, Gift Ideas Guide

• Bay Area Businesses: Private Equity Owned, Co-Ops, Worker-Owned Restaurants

• San Francisco Bay Area Hot Sauces

• San Francisco Bay Area Cookbooks

• San Francisco Bay Area Employee-Owned Restaurants, Businesses

San Francisco Bay Area Restaurant Groups

Back of the House Restaurant Group

• Super Duper, Beretta, Lolinda, Cubita, Star Belly, Delarosa, aMano, Wildseed, Rad Radish, Uno Dos Tacos

• Closed: El Techo, Barvale, Belga

Future Bars Group

Cocktail bar group San Francisco

• Bourbon & Branch, Bottle Pub Club, Devils Acre, Gingers, Local Edition, Nightingale, Pagan Idol, Rickhouse, Swig, Dawn Club, Lark Bar, Tupper & Reed (Berkeley), Zombie Village, Long Weekend

• Closed: Tradition (now Zombie Village), Ginger’s (Hiatus but Google listing says permanently closed)

Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group

• 7 Adams, Trestle, Mama (Oakland), Jack & Remi, The Vault

• Closed: Madrigral, Stones Throw, Corridor, Fat Angel

Baccus Management Group

San Francisco & Peninsula

• Selby’s (Redwood City), Village Pub & Village Bakery (Woodside), Spruce, Magic Donuts, Augustine (San Jose), La Connessa, Louie’s Original, Pizza Antica (Lafayette, Santana Row)

• Closed: The Saratoga, Mayfield Bakery (Palo Alto)

The Absinthe Group

• Absinthe Brasserie & Bar, Arlequin Wine Merchant, Arbor, Comstock Saloon, Bosco

• Closed: Barcino, Bellota, Arlequin Cafe, Boxing Room

Am I Missing Something? Did A New Place Open Up? Let Me Know!

Submit Tips!

Big Night Group

• Marlowe, The Cavalier, Marianne’s, Leo’s Oyster Bar, Petite Marlow

  • Tosca Cafe is owned by Anna Weinberg (who is part of Big Night Group) but Big Night Group does not own Tosca.

  • Park Tavern was owned by Big Night Group but closed down and re-opened under new management (Anna Weinberg’s ex-husband)

The Mina Group

• SF: Bourbon Steak, Bourbon Pub, Pabu Izakaya, Pabu-Chan, International Smoke, Eighth Rule; Bungalow Kitchen (Tiburon); Wit & Wisdom (Sonoma)

Flour & Water Group

• Flour + Water (+Pasta Shop +Pizzeria +Pizza Shop), Penny Roma; partners in Trick Dog.

Omakase Restaurant Group

• San Francisco: Butcher Shop, Niku Steakhouse, Live Sushi, Prelude, Third Floor, Okane, Omakase; Kappo (Palo Alto), Omakase World Market (South San Francisco); Dumpling Time (Design Center, Thrive City, Berkeley, Santana Row, Stanford)

Simmons Family Restaurants

• Fog Harbor, Crab House, Pier Market, Wipeout Bar & Grill, Eagle Cafe, Biscoff

Thomas Keller Restaurant Group

• Yountville: French Laundry, Bouchon Bistro, Bouchon Bakery, Ad Hoc + Addendum, RO Restaurant & Lounge

Spirited Beverage Co. (Always Fishing Hospitality Group)

• Bars services inside museums, companies.

Worker-Owned Restaurants, Co-Op Businesses San Francisco Bay Area

This is a work in progress but I will continue to build it out…

Worker-Owned Restaurants

Stark Reality Restaurants

• Augie’s French, Willis Wine Bar, Bird & The Bottle, Starks Steak & Seafood, Bravas Bar de Tapas, Willi’s Seafood & Raw Bar, Monti’s, Grossman’s Noshery

M.O. Hospitality Group

• San Jose: Paperplane, Miniboss, Still O.G., EOS & Nyx

Atomic Workshop

• The Progress, Statebird, & Anchovy Bar

Avenir Restaurant Group

• Town, NOLA, Alpine Inn, Milagros

Burma Food Group

• San Francisco: Burma Super Star, Burma Love, Teakwood by Burma Love, Kayah by Burma Love; Burma Bites (Oakland)

1100 Group

• Cato’s Ale House, Ben & Nick’s, Little Star Pizza, The Star Pizza, Bar Camino

Delfina Restaurant Group

• Delfina, Delfine Pizzeria (4 locations, 2 SF, Burlingame & Palo Alto)

• Closed: Locanda

Slanted Door

• Closed: Out The Door (Take-Out); Slanted Door (Ferry Building); Re-Opening ?

• Slanted Door Napa, San Ramon

Back Home Hospitality

• Che Fico, Via Aurelia, Che Fico Parco Menlo, Che Fico Pizzeria, Bubbelah MPK

Vine Hospitality

• LB Steak (San Ramon, San Jose); Left Bank, Petite Left Bank, Meso (Mediterranean)

Brick x Brick Hospitality

• Kaiyo Cow Hollow, Kaiyo Rooftop, Cavana, Trevino Wine Bar, Novela, Whitechapel

Diablo Restaurant Group

• Walnut Creek: Rooftop, Cooperage, Gibsons Irish Pub, Bourbon Highway, Prime Steakhouse & Martini Garden

Saison Hospitality Group

• Saison, Angler, Saison Cellar & Wine Bar, Sason Winery (Santa Cruz)

San Francisco Bay Area Restaurant/Bar Openings, Closings 2026

Closings & Openings 2026

Tonic Nightlife Group

• California Street Cannabis Company, Teeth, Harrington’s

• Closed: Tonic, Soda Popinski’s, Bullitt, Tonic, Rebel, Royal Tug Yacht Club, Wild Hare, Lightning Tavern and Cease & Desist

Hat Trick Hospitality

• Brixton (2 locations), Hazies

• Closed: Sabrosa, Rambler, Otis Lounge

Palm House Hospitality

• Palm House, Audio, Bella, Flamingo Resort (Santa Rosa), Nick’s Cove (2023)

• Closed: Dorian, Bergerac

  • Looks like Anderson Pugash is no longer with Palm House Hospitality (based on updated Linkedin profile April 2026)

BSC Management

• 10/12 SF Strip clubs owned by BSC Mmgt. Exceptions: Mitchell Brothers O’Farrell Theatre & The Crazy Horse. -SF Examiner 2019

Proof Positive

“Kingston is the Managing Partner of Proof Positive, leveraging over 15 years of experience in private equity”

• Wilder, Westwood, Morella, Thriller Social Country Club, Golden Eye Social, The Underwood

• Coming soon: 3318 Fillmore St. (formerly Paxti’s)

• Investors in Horsefeather, Last Rites, Black Hammer Brewing, Hazie’s & Dahlia; (Wilkommen, and Rockwell per Linkedin profile)

PlumpJack Group

Gavin Newsom is a part owner.

• White Rabbit (formerly MatrixFillmore), Balboa Cafe, Wildhawk

• PlumpJack Wine & Spirits (retail store)

• Adaptation Wines (Napa), Plumpjack Winery (Oakville), Cade (Napa), Odette Estate Winery

Chandhi Hospitality Group

• Beer Baron (Santa Rosa), Chicken Guy (American Canyon), Mountain Mike’s (7 locations), Bollywood Bar & Clay Oven (Santa Rosa)

Daniel Patterson Group

• Jaca (Los Angeles)

• Closed: Cane Rosso (left before closing), Coi, Alta, Plum (Oakland), Locol (Oakland), Haven (turned into Dyafa w/ Reem Assil which later shutdown which she goes into detail about)

Lark Creek Restaurant Group

• Lark Greek Grill

• Closed: 1 Market, Lark Creek Steak, Yankee Pier, Cupola Pizzeria, Fish Story, Parcel 104 (Santa Clara), Arterra, Moreton Fig (USC/LA), Bradley Ogden (left in 2012 to found his own restaurant group)

• Arterra Restaurant (Del Mar) acquired/merged in part by Moana Restaurant Group in 2015

Real Restaurants Group

• Restaurant Operation Services: Bar Bocce, Bix, Bungalow 44, Buckeye Roadhouse, Corner Bar, Tam Tavern, Panorama Baking, Restaurant Picco, Pizzeria Picco, Tra Vigne Pizzeria, Playa Mill Valley, Tre Posti

  • Closed: Fog City Diner, Red Herring, BeauCoop, Floodwater (Mill Valley), Betelnut, Zero-Zero

Hospitality, Hotel Groups San Francisco Bay Area

• Woodside Hospitality Group

• Coming soon, sign up for my free weekly email for updates.

Individuals Who Own Multiple Bars/Restaurants SF Bay Area

Individuals who own 4 or more bars, restaurants in the Bay Area under different names or concepts (i.e. not chains)

• Nate Valentine

  • co-owned w/ Jamal Alexander: harper and rye, peacekeeper, bar april jean, bar darling, lobalita, (co-owned w/ Jamal Alexander)

  • Closures: Mamacita, Padrecito, Tipsy Pig

    • Mamacita Abruptly Shutters After 12 Years

    • San Francisco Mexican restaurant Padrecito closes abruptly

    • The Tipsy Pig will close after 16 years in SF (posted 5/23, closed 5/26)

  • August Hall & Fifth Arrow, Lost Resort

  • Other affiliations: Double Dutch, Ambassador, August Hall, Taverna Aventine

• Juan Loredo

  • Vinyl Room & Barrelhouse (Burlingame); Persona (SF)

  • Coming soon: 20 Cosmo Pl (formerly Trader Vic’s, Le Colonial)

• Pete Mrabe

  • Closed: Chubby Noodle, Don Pistos, Pete’s On Green

• Lalo Luevano and Paria Sedigh

  • Key Klub, Celeste & Bodega

• Jon Gasparini and Greg Lindgren

  • Rye, 15 Romolo, The Cordial

  • Closed: Rosewood

Bay Area Restaurants Groups, Napa Restaurant Groups, Sonoma Restaurant Groups, San Francisco Restaurants Groups, San Francisco Hospitality Groups, Bay Area Hospitality Groups, Napa Restaurant Groups, Thomas Keller Restaurant Group Restaurants, Sonoma Hospitality Groups, San Mateo Restaurant Groups, Peninsula Restaurant Groups, Cocktail Bar Group San Francisco, Hotel Groups Bay Area, Bay Area Bar Owners, Bay Area Restaurant Owners, San Francisco Bar Owners, San Francisco Restaurant Owners, San Francisco Strip Club Owners, San Francisco Nightlife Operators

Last updated: April 26, 2026 10:0PM

• Moved Bay Area Bar, Nightlife, Restaurant Groups To A Separate Page (Getting Too Long)

• Moved Employee-Owned Businesses/Restaurants To this Page

Below is a list of San Francisco Bay Area companies owned by or have majority stakes by Private Equity as well as businesses with a local presence acquired by larger companies, corporate-owned wineries, a few local investors in the F&B space, labor union developments and more.

Corporate, Private Equity & Employee-Owned Businesses Bay Area

• Added: Restaurant Groups San Francisco Bay Area; Private Equity Vet Clinics

• Added: Examples of Crowd-Funding Efforts, Platforms Businesses Have Used

As with all the guides, articles here, I will update businesses with links and provide additional developments (acquisitions, labor disputes, unionization efforts) based on feedback, interest. These things take time to research and process so I appreciate your patience.

In business and tech, places like Glassdoor, Blind provide lots of details around questions, concerns, complaints about work environments, cultures etc. but with hospitality, those outlets are not active. You may have to dig deep into reddit conversations or private groups on Facebook to get intel from servers, cooks, bartenders and more about owners, managers to avoid.

With most labor issues, companies benefit when the employees remain silent whether through stern warnings, NDA’s and more. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of their rights here in California so hopefully this will help shed light on some matters.

One resource I recommend for folks is Empower Work. It’s a free service that provides great resources on various topics related to workers: harassment, wage theft and more.

In my free weekly email newsletter, beyond events & things to do, I curate news articles from around the Bay Area, including news from local businesses regarding labor/employee disputes, acquisitions and more. It’s sent out usually on Sundays.

Runner-Up: Best Bay Area Local Website -48 Hills, Best of the Bay & San Francisco Bay Guardian 2024 & 2025!

Eddie’s List: San Francisco Bay Area Events, News This Week

San Francisco Bay Area event calendar, arts, crafts, outdoor festivals, galas, classes, talks, music, street fairs, day parties, pop-ups, comedy, wellness, tech, activities, bar lectures, book, quirky, cultural & free events this weekend San Jose, Oakland

By Eddie Hernandez

Related Reads On Eddie’s List:

• Nationwide Shutdown: 150+ Businesses Closing In The Bay Area 1/30

• Who Owns Your Local Newspaper, Media Publication

• How To Promote Events, Shows, Pop-Ups Bay Area

• San Francisco Bar, Restaurant Merchandise, Gift Ideas Guide

• Volunteer Opportunities San Francisco Bay Area

• Mission Driven Companies, Orgs Bay Area

• How To Build Community In The Bay Area

• San Francisco Bay Area Fix-It Fairs, Bicycle Clinics & Repair Cafes

• Where To Donate Clothes In The Bay Area

Related Private Equity News

https://adanews.ada.org/ada-news/2024/august/private-equity-affiliation-among-dentists-increases/

https://www.economicliberties.us/our-work/the-save-our-pets-act-stopping-the-corporate-takeover-of-veterinary-practices/

Private Equity Restaurants, Coffee Chains Bay Area

Either owned by PE firms, have significant funding by private equity firms.

• Philz Coffee, San Francisco (Freeman Spogli & Co, 2025)

  • Philz Coffee to remove Pride flags, all other flags from its locations (ABC7)

• Blue Bottle, San Francisco (Nestle, 2017)

• Peet’s Coffee (Acquired by JAB PE in 2012 —> Acquired by Dr Pepper 2025)

• Il Fornaio, Corte Madera (Create Restaurants Holdings, 2020)

• Morton’s Steakhouse, San Francisco (Owned by Landry’s, which is owned by billionaire Tilman Fertitta)

• Pacific Catch (significant PE investments 2010, 2016)

• Paxti’s, (Elite Restaurant Group, 2018)

• Rustic Bakery, Marin County (San Francisco Equity Partners, 2021)

• Romano's Macaroni Grill (Ignite Restaurant Group, 2013, Redrock Partners 2015)

• Togo’s, Campbell, HQ (Southfield Mezzanine)

• Flynn Restaurant Group, San Francisco (Google Business Listing)

  • 2,600 franchise locations around the world, primarily Applebee’s, Pizza Hut, Arby’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Panera Bread and Planet Fitness.

  • Company managers, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, and private equity group Main Post Partners each own roughly a third of the company.[1]

• Krispy Krunch Chicken, Main Post Partners (2021); ‘strategic growth investment’

• Bay Club, KKR (2018)

• Dave’s Hot Chicken, Roark Capital (2025), majority stake

• Joe & The Juice, General Atlantic (2023), majority stake

If there is a business, recent development or related matter I missed, let me know.

Submit Tips

Corporate Owned Wineries Sonoma, Napa

Treasury Wine Estates

https://www.tweglobal.com/brands

• Stag’s Leap (Yountville), Sterling Vineyards (Calistoga), Etude Wines (Napa)

The Wine Group (Livermore)

https://www.thewinegroup.com/our-brands/

• Benzinger (Glen Ellen), Beringer (St Helena); Image Winery (St Helena)

• Simi (Healdsburg,,2025) pending deal

Constellation Brands

• https://www.cbrands.com/collections/featured

Gallo Wineries (Modesto)

• Rombauer (St. Helena, Sierra Nevada Foothills, 2023)

• Asti Winery (Cloverdale, 2015)

• J Vineyards (Healdsburg, 2015)

• Louis M. Martini Winery (St Helena, 2002)

• Pahlmeyer Winery, (Napa, 2019)

LVMH Wine Brands

• Chandon Napa, Yountville

• Colgin Cellars, St Helena

• Joseph Phelps, St Helena

• Newton, St Helena (New local owners as of September 2025)

Winery Groups Sonoma, Napa

Jackson Family Wines

• Sonoma: Copain, Kendall Jackson, Arrowhead, Hartford Valley Winery, Matanzas Creek Winery, Stonestreet, Verite, Siduri, Murphy Goode, La Crema, Legacy, Anakota

• Napa: Cardinale, Freeman Abbey, Galarie, Mt Brave, Lokoya, La Jota Vineyard

• Mendocino: Champ de Reves, Edmeades, Maggy Hawk

Ste, Michelle Wine Estates

• Patz & Hall (Sonoma), Conn Creek (St. Helena)

If you like this guide, check out my other free guides below ranging from volunteering, civic engagement, building community, trinket trade boxes, free classes, safety tips, book clubs and much more.

Free Guides!

A lot of money is needed to start a restaurant in San Francisco given, labor costs, real estate, permitting delays, and more.

Many of the successful restaurants and groups here in the Bay Area have received funding to help get through those brutal first 2 years of operations.

There is nothing wrong with having investors, but this just highlights how brutal it is for a single owner to execute flawlessly, get help from neighbors, family an friends and rely on customers to be their voice.

This is part of the reason why I made this newsletter so I could help get the word out on local, independent businesses that can’t afford PR firms, don’t have the luxury of shared marketing and business operations across multiple locations, have to learn social media on the fly, operate their own websites, learn to update business listings on Yelp/Google and have to hit the ground running have a fighting chance at success survival.

Crowdfunded Bars, Restaurants San Francisco Bay Area

Bond Offerings & More San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants, Bars, & More

• The SMBX (from 2023): Palm City Wines, Papoca, Rize Up Bakery, Boichik, Outta Sight Pizza, Humphry Slocomb, Degrees Plato, Osito

• WeFunder: San Francisco | Oakland

San Francisco Bay Area Food & Beverage Investors

• Salt Partners: B-Side, Bacon Bacon, Horsefeather, Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream, Last Rites, Lazy Susan, Pecking House, Saison Sunday Bakeshop and Neighbor Bakehouse:

  • Not listed on site: Crenn Dining Group

• Sareen Capital: Lazy Bear, Esme, Jules, Chubby Noodle

  • Assist: True Laurel, The Morris

• CircleUp: Fort Point Henhouse, Miyoko’s Kitchen

Owners & Investors In San Francisco Bay Area Breweries

• Lagunitas (owned by Heineken); 2015 50% stake; remaiing 50% in 2017

• Fort Point (investors include Circle Up Partners)

  • Merged with Hen House to form Fort Point Henhouse

• Anchor Brewing (owned by Hamdi Ulukaya, founder/CEO of Chobani yogurt)

• Magnolia Brewing

  • Sold in 2017 to New Belgium Brewing; 2019 Kirin Holding acquires New Belgium; 2024 becomes independent again

• Ballast Point sold for $1B to Constellation Brands in 2015; sold to by Kings & Convicts Brewing, Chicago for $41.1M 2020

• Bear Republic (owned by Drakes)

• Trumer (Firestone Walker via Gambrinus sale in 2026)

If you would like to support my efforts with creating and upkeeping free guides like this for everyone, you can buy me a coffee below.

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San Francisco Bay Area Employee Labor Unionizations

• What Happened To Dandelion Chocolate Union? -Eater SF

• Frustrated Berkeley REI Workers Accuse Co-Op of Union Busting, Straying From Values -KQED

• Apparently, Boba Guys Workers Aren’t Even Allowed to Talk About Unions -Eater SF

• Verve Coffee workers in Santa Cruz, San Francisco push to unionize on Labor Day -Lookout Santa Cruz

• Highwire Coffee Roasters’ Union Says Management Stalling On First Contract -Bay Area Current

• Gilman St. Philz Coffee employees unionize, form Philz’s first union (DailyCal)

• Blue Bottle workers at East Bay’s four locations have unionized (Oaklandside)

Labor Disputes Bars, Restaurants, Coffee Shops San Francisco Bay Area

• Yank Sing: Group of Dim Sum Makers Won $4 Million in Back Pay (2015, KQED)

• Cafe Reveille, Lower Haight; Front of Staff unionization efforts in Reddit thread.

• Employees Reportedly Getting Screwed Out of Their Stock (SFist)

• Napa Valley’s famed French Laundry sued for alleged labor violations (SFChronicle)

San Francisco Bay Area Ghost Kitchens

Coming Soon

A lot of restaurants operate ghost kitchens in the Bay Area. There is little info about them as many do not have any Yelp/Google business listings.

Corporate & Private Equity Owned Veterinarians Bay Area

• Save Our Pets Act: Stopping the Corporate Takeover of Veterinary Practices

• https://privateequityvet.org/vet-list/

  • this is the best, most complete list but you have to dig through one by one, sort through spreadsheet (xlsx download or map view); below is an overview from source above by brand/holding groups (175 by my count)

    

Below are some of the non-branded locations I was able to dig up on my own (cross-referenced with PetVetEquity).

• PetVet Care Center (KKR); 15 as of April 13,2026

  • ACE Animal Hospital, Fremont

  • All Bay Animal Hospital, Concord

  • Animal Clinic of Benicia

  • Bel Marin Animal Hospital, Novato

  • Berkeley Dog & Cat Hospital

  • Bloom Plaza Animal Hospital, San Jose

  • Burbank Pet Hospital, San Jose

  • Diablo View Veterinary Medical Hospital, Pleasant Hill

  • East Bay Veterinary Clinic, Oakland

  • Four Corners Veterinary Hospital, Concord

  • Montecito Veterinary Center, Santa Rosa

  • Radiocat, Oakland, San Mateo

  • South Hillsdale Animal Hospital, San Mateo

  • South Novato Animal Hospital

  • Ygnacio Animal Hospital, Walnut Creek

• Thrive Pet Healthcare (TSG Consumer Partners), 12, as of April 13, 2026

  • Small Paws Pet Hospital (formerly Especially Cats): Taraval St, San Francisco

  • Park Animal Hospital, San Francisco

  • East San Rafael Veterinary Clinic: 820 D St, San Rafael

  • Eye Care for Animals - Santa Rosa

  • San Jose Animal Hospital: 940 Berryessa Rd, San Jose

  • Canyon Creek Pet Hospital: 4015 S Bascom Ave, San Jose

  • Dermatology for Animals - Campbell, Walnut Creek, Oakland

  • PetCure Oncology San Jose

  • Kensington Veterinary Hospital

  • The County Vet, Novato

Unfortunately, there is an insane number of PE & corporate-owned veterinary services in the Bay Area, I don’t have the time to list them all, but assume there is at least one in every major city, and assume more than half of all vets are owned by one of the above.

Coming Soon: Corporate-Owned &Private Equity-Owned Dentistry Offices

Restaurant Investors San Francisco, Private Equity Owned Restaurants Bay Area, Corporate Owned Wineries, Independent Wineries Sonoma, Bay Area Ghost Kitchens, Labor Unionizations San Francisco, Labor Disputes Hospitality Bay Area, Veterinarians Owned By Private Equity San Francisco, Corporate Owned Veterinary Clinics Bay Area, Bay Area Businesses Owned By Private Equity, Local San Francisco Businesses Owned Corporations, Private Equity Owned Restaurants San Francisco, Corporate Owned Restaurants San Francisco, Corporate Owned Coffee Bay Area, Private Equity Owned Dentist Offices San Francisco, Corporate Owned Dentists Offices Bay Area, Restaurant Investors San Francisco, Bar Investors San Francisco

San Francisco Bay Area Newspapers, Media Sites

Independent, Local Media, Publications, News Outlets

Sign up for my free weekly email newsletter with curated news articles each week (usually sent on Sundays, via email only), 25,000+ subscribers

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Eddie’s List: San Francisco Bay Area Events & Things To Do

Email newsletter: art, festivals, volunteer, galas, classes, talks, music, street fairs, startup/tech, pop-ups, comedy, wellness & cultural event. San Francisco Bay Are events this weekend, San Jose things to do this week. News round-up. Food & drink recs

By Eddie Hernandez

You can also check out the news section of my newsletter here.

Each week, I curate articles mostly from local papers and the sites below. I tend to focus on articles that are actionable, insightful, and/or educate audiences. Ideally, these are pieces that people might have missed or should know about.

I am not interested in regurgitating the same tired headlines or clickbait articles.

Similarly, I do help folks find the right outlets, journalists to pitch stories to. If you have a story you think needs to be told, reach out to me via the contact form in the weekly newsletters and I will see what I can do.

Popular reads by Eddie’s List:

• San Francisco Bay Area Farmers Market Directory

• How To Make Friends SF Bay Area

• How To Build Community Bay Area

• How To Reduce Car/Garage Break-ins, Bike Thefts

• Bay Area Neighborhood Emergency Response Team Trainings

• Social Justice Opportunities, Events Bay Area

• Compostable Takeout Containers, Coffee Discounts, Fix It Clinics

• Recycling Locations, E-Waste & More

• Volunteer Opportunities San Francisco Bay Area

• How To Be A Better Neighbor, Customer, Resident

Important Articles To Read San Francisco

• BigMoneySF: Explore the major players paying out to remake SF -Mission Local

• The Bay Area’s 45 Worst Slumlords -IndyBay

• 2 of S.F.’s richest pressure groups, TogetherSF & Neighbors, merge -Mission Local

• New Owner of SF Publication Blocked Over 4,000 Twitter Accounts -Underscore SF

• Medium gives Bold Italic for free to upstart political action group -AxiosSF

• Conservative YIMBYs acquire Bold Italic. Ex-editor tells us what that means -48Hills

San Francisco Neighborhood News, Local Newspapers

• Ingelside Light: https://www.inglesidelight.com/

• Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon: https://richmondsunsetnews.com/

• San Francisco Bayview: https://sfbayview.com/

• Mission Local: https://missionlocal.org/

• El Tecolote: https://eltecolote.org/content/en/

• Potrero Review: https://www.potreroview.net/

• Noe Valley Voice: http://www.noevalleyvoice.com/

• Outside Lands: https://www.outsidelands.org/

• The New Fillmore: https://newfillmore.com/

• Golden Gate Express (SFSU): https://goldengatexpress.org/

• San Francisco Gazetteer: https://sf.gazetteer.co/

Neighborhood Association Newsletters

• Glen Park Newsletter: https://www.glenparkassociation.org/

• One Richmond SF: https://onerichmondsf.com/

• Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association: https://hayesvalleysf.org

• Sunnyside Neighborhood Association: https://sunnysideassociation.org/

General San Francisco Publications, SF News Sites

• The Frisc: https://thefrisc.com/

• SFist: https://sfist.com/

• 48 Hills: https://48hills.org/

• Street Sheet: https://www.streetsheet.org/

• SF Public Press: https://www.sfpublicpress.org/

• StreetsBlog: https://sf.streetsblog.org/

• SF Examiner (Clint Reilly Communications): https://www.sfexaminer.com/

• Nob Hill Gazette (Clint Reilly Communications): https://www.nobhillgazette.com/

• SF Weekly (Clint Reilly Communications): https://www.sfweekly.com/

• Broke Ass Stuart: https://brokeassstuart.com/

• 7x7 Bay Area: https://www.7x7.com/

• Coyote Media: https://www.coyotemedia.org/

To support my efforts on bringing you helpful news and information, consider buying me a coffee or beer.

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East Bay Newspapers, Independent Journalism Sites

Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, Alameda Newspapers

• Cityside Journalism: https://citysidejournalism.org/

  • Oaklandside: https://oaklandside.org/

  • Berkeleyside: https://www.berkeleyside.org/

  • Richmondside: https://richmondside.org/

• Daily Californian: https://www.dailycal.org/

• Oakland North: https://oaklandnorth.net/ (UCB Graduate School of Journalism)

• Milpitas Beat: https://milpitasbeat.com/

• The E'ville Eye News (Emeryville): https://evilleeye.com/

North Bay Area Newspapers, Local News

Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Solano Newspapers

• Vallejo Sun: https://www.vallejosun.com/

• Point Reyes Light: https://www.ptreyeslight.com/

• West Marin Feed: https://www.thewestmarinfeed.com/

• The Ark (Tib/Belvedere/Strawberry): https://www.thearknewspaper.com/

South Bay Area / Peninsula Local Papers, Newspapers

San Jose, Palo Alto, Silicon Valley Newspapers

• San Jose Spotlight: https://sanjosespotlight.com/

• Palo Alto Post: https://padailypost.com/

• Pacifica Tribune: https://www.pacificatribune.com/

• Stanford Daily: https://stanforddaily.com/

• Silicon Valley Voice (Sunnyvale/Santa Clara): https://www.svvoice.com/

Embarcadero Media Foundation: Peninsula, Palo Alto, Bay Area

• Palo Alto Online: https://www.paloaltoonline.com/

• Palo Alto Weekly: https://www.paweekly.com/

• Mountain View Voice: https://www.mv-voice.com/

• The Almanac (MP, Atherton, Woodside): https://www.almanacnews.com/

• RWC Pulse: https://www.rwcpulse.com/

• Danville | San Ramon: https://www.danvillesanramon.com/

• Pleasanton Weekly: https://www.pleasantonweekly.com/

• Livermore Vine: https://www.livermorevine.com/

Bay Area Publications, News Sites, News Outlets

• Bay Area Reporter: https://www.ebar.com/

• SF Bay Times: https://sfbaytimes.com/

• Local News Matters: https://localnewsmatters.org/

Weeklys Media Group Publications, News Outlets

https://www.weeklys.com/

Regional Weeklies

• Pacific Sun (North Bay)

• North Bay Bohemian

• Good Times Santa Cruz

• East Bay Express

• Metro Silicon Valley

Local Publications

• Gilroy Dispatch

• Healdsburg Tribune

• Hollister Free Lance

• King City Rustler

• Los Gatan

• Morgan Hill Times

• Press Banner

• Salinas Valley Tribune

• The Pajaronian (Watsonville)

• Tri-City Voice

Bay Area Publications Owned By Private Equity or Hedge Funds

Media News Group (owned by Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund), acquired publications from Sonoma Media Investments in 2025.

• Mercury News

• Press Democrat

• Petaluma Argus-Courier

• Sonoma Index-Tribune

• Sonoma Magazine

• Sonoma-Index Tribune

• North Bay Business Journal

• Sonoma County Gazette

• La Prensa Sonoma

• Marin IJ

• Vallejo Herald

• East Bay Times

Bay Area News Stations Owned By Nexstar Media Group

• KRON4 (Bay Area)

• KTXL, Fox 40 News (Sacramento)

Context: https://www.nexstar.tv/nexstar-abc-affiliates-to-preempt-jimmy-kimmel-live-indefinitely-beginning-tonight/

Sacramento/Central Valley Publications

McClatchy Media (Hedge Fund)

• Fresno Bee

• Modesto Bee

• Sacramento Bee

• Merced Sun-Star

San Francisco Newsletters, Bay Area Event Calendars, Things To Do

1 email per week, includes a news round up so you don’t have to see all those click bait headline articles that can be a caption or 1 sentence.

Eddie’s List: San Francisco Bay Area Events & Things To Do

San Francisco newsletter: news, art, festivals, volunteer, galas, classes, talks, music, street fairs, tech, pop-ups, comedy, wellness & cultural events; food & drink recs. Bay Area events this weekend, San Jose things to do this week, East Bay activities

By Eddie Hernandez

Local Media Outlets San Francisco, Bay Area Newspapers List

Am I missing something? Leave a comment below or use the contact form on the homepage.

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Updated: April 20, 2026

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San Francisco newsletter: news, art, festivals, volunteer, galas, classes, talks, music, street fairs, tech, pop-ups, comedy, wellness & cultural events; food & drink recs. Bay Area events this weekend, San Jose things to do this week, East Bay activities

By Eddie Hernandez

Related Reads On Eddie’s List

• Recycling Locations, E-Waste San Francisco Bay Area

• Where To Donate Clothes San Francisco Bay Area

• Why Does San Francisco Have So Much Trash?

• San Francisco Senior Activities, Things To Do

• Places w/ Compostable Containers, Fix-it Clinics, Cafe Mug Discounts

• How To Build Community San Francisco Bay Area

• San Francisco Bay Area Flea Markets

• San Francisco Bay Area Karaoke Nights, Venues

San Francisco Bay Area Trinket Trade Boxes

Trinket boxes have been around for a while but they are gaining momentum as new ones sprout up and go viral on Instagram, Tik-Tok etc. Some popular trinket boxes were set up as early as Covid as a way to share things with neighbors while limiting contact. Others came together as a way to re-use items and not contribute to trash piles. Some just throught it was a cool way to help keep kids (and adults) entertained during the repetitive days of the pandemic.

As with all my guides, I will update them based on feedback, user interest, etc. If you like it please give it a like, hit the share button otherwise I will focus on other guides to maintain, add new entries to etc.

What’s In Trinket Trade Boxes?

Some people call these “Tchotchkes” (pronounced chotch-key) and others may refer to them as chingaderas.

Similar to that random drawer in your kitchen, it can contain things you think are useful but may not use often or don’t want to get rid of.

They contain rechargeable batteries, matches, ornaments, small toys, coupons, spare change, bookmarks, left over public transit cards and gift cards, resumes, qr codes to dating profiles, directions to a treasure hunt, exes belongings, pens and more.

Where Are Trinket Trade Boxes Located?

Some trinket boxes are attached to poles, some are on private property, a few have been repurposed mailboxes and others have set-up residency similar to public libraries.

They are inspired by several other related efforts to make art public but also share with the community similar to community kitchen & public pantries.

Gnome houses have been set up on a Bay Area trail though they are not always there nor visible (treat for those who are curious, persistent and take time to smell the roses (moss).

Mini art and garden glass houses are common in certain neighborhoods in the Bay Area area similar to ones like this.

There are even specialized libraries like this cookbook public library box.

At least one trinket trade box has its own business listing with reviews!

There are even dog stick

Did I miss one? Did one get decommissioned? Submit your San Francisco Bay Area Trinket box below:

Submit Tips!

Below are trinket boxes across the San Francisco Bay Area. Most have a dedicated Instagram account to share updates, new items, requests, rules, relocations and more but a few are off the grid and don’t have a digital footprint.

San Francisco Trinket Trade Boxes

• Inner Sunset Trinket Box, 3rd & Irving

• Noe Valley Trinket Box, Sanchez & Alvarado

• Central Richmond Trinket Box, 23rd Ave & Balboa

• Outer Sunset Trinket Box, 48th Ave & Morage

• Lower Pac Heights Trinket Box, Pine & Orben

• NOPA Trinket Box, Baker & Hayes

• Castro Trinket Box, 16th & Sanchez

• Caja de Chingaderas, Mission District (coming soon)

• Sunnyside Trinket Box, Monterey Blvd

East Bay Trinket Trade Boxes: Alameda

• Livermore Trinket Box, Stetson Court

• Berkeley Trinket Box, Parker & McGee

• Castro Valley Trinket Box, Outside Boba Bliss

East Bay Trinket Trade Boxes: Contra Costa

• North Concord Trinket Box, San Michelle & Saint George

• EL Cerritto Trinket Box, Junction Ave & Morris Ave

• Oakley Trinket Box, 970 W Cypress Rd

• Brentwood Trinket Box, Brush Creek Drive

• Crockett Trinket Trade Box

• Lafayette Trinket Vault (Vintage Vida Shop, 10-5pm except Mondays)

Marin County Trinket Trade Boxes: Novato

• Novato Trinket Box, Presidents Neighborhood

Sonoma Trinket Trade Boxes

Napa Trinket Trade Boxes

Solano Trinket Trade Boxes

Peninsula Bay Area, San Mateo Trinket Trade Boxes

South Bay Area Trinket Trade Boxes, San Jose

• Gilroy Trinket Trade Box, Wren & Uvas Park

• Santa Clara Trinket Trade Box, San Tomas//Cabrillo Ave

• San Jose Trinket Trade Box, Hellyer x Pallisades

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Bay Area Trinket Boxes Locations, Bay Area Neighborhood Trinket Boxes, San Francisco Trinket Boxes Noe Valley, Mission, Richmond, Sunset; San Francisco Trinket Boxes Map, Livermore Trinket Box, Oakland Trinket Box, Alameda Trinket Boxes, Contra Costa Trinket Boxes, El Cerritto Trinket Boxes, Concord Trinket Trade Box, Novato Trinket Trade Box, Marin County Trinket Trade Boxes, Berkeley Trinket Trade Boxes, 510 Trinket Trade Box, East Bay Trinket Trade Box, Santa Clara Trnket Trade Box, South Bay Area Trinket Trade Boxes

Check out my other news articles here!

Related reads on Eddie’s List:

• The New Coffee Shops On Clement Street, Inner Richmond

• First Date Ideas San Francisco (cafes, bars & more)

• Laptop Etiquette Cafes, Coffee Shops

• Free Coworking Spaces San Francisco

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By Eddie Hernandez

San Francisco Bay Area Banana Coffee Drinks

Banana coffee drinks are the latest craze in the Bay Area. Several coffee shops that opened in the last year or so have begun to offer coffee drinks featuring bananas in a variety of ways.

If you have spent time in South Korea, you may already up to speed on these trendy, delicious drinks. They became pretty popular in the early 2010’s and have since made their way to LA & NYC. They are being offered more often in Bay Area spots, including two debuting this week, huzzah! (which is why it took me a while to finish this piece).

Banana coffees can range in sweetness levels to accommodate younger customers who prefer sweeter drinks over bitter coffee profiles that tend to be more favorable with more mature audiences.

I had a hunch that Buoy Cafe in Hayes Valley would have it when I messaged them 10 days ago, and sure enough, they told me they were launching the drink this week!

Another coffee shop, Kissaten Hi-Fi, formerly Nourish Cafe, opened up last week in the Inner Richmond, offering up their own coffee banana drink as well. While some banana coffee drinks can be rather sweet, this one is pretty well balanced.

Have a place that sells great banana coffee drinks in the Bay Area that readers should know about! Let me know below!

Send Tips!

Where To Find Banana Coffee Drinks In The Bay Area

Here are the places that offer some variation of banana coffee drinks, including some that used to offer it (seasonally) and hopefully will bring them back this year.

Spring is usually the time of year when banana drinks are in demand. Even places like Dunkin Donuts are catching in on the demand with their own offerings.

Some of these places may offer drinks seasonally so double-check with them directly before making the trek to these establishments.

Sohn, Dogpatch (Opened August 15, 2025)

https://www.sohnsf.com/

• Banana Oat Milk Latte

Soul Blends Coffee, West Oakland (Opened March 22, 2025)

https://www.instagram.com/soulblendscoffee/

• Banana Fosters Latte

Kissaten Hi-Fi, Inner Richmond (Opened May 7, 2026)

https://www.instagram.com/kissahifi/ (Kissaten HiFi menu)

• Banana Cue: Banana Brown Sugar, Milk, Saba Chips

Burlap Coffee, Temescal, Oakland (Near MacArthur BART Station)

https://burlapcoffee.godaddysites.com/

• Banana Mocha

Buoy Cafe, Hayes Valley (Opened July 1, 2025)

Cafe during the day, bar in the evenings.

https://www.thebuoysf.com/

• Banana Brûlée Latte (offered in March 2026)

Boba Guys, Various Locations

https://boba-guys.square.site/?location=9JCHTXK5CJADP&item=806

• Korean (Dirty) Banana Milk (must add espresso shot to order)

Earth Tone Cafe, Inner Sunset

• Banana kafe latte

Blue House Cafe, Ingelside

https://www.bluehousecafesf.com/

Academic Coffee, San Jose, Santa Clara

Espresso Banana Latte

https://www.academiccoffee.com/

Dead Eye Coffee Bar, San Jose

(recipe from Academic Coffee given February 2026)

https://deadeyecoffeebar.com/

Little Late Bird, San Mateo

Banana Latte

https://littlelatebird.square.site/

Dynamo Donut March Drink Special: Banana Shakerato

• Mission District & Marina Kiosk

House of Phin Vietnamese Coffee, Oakland

• Banana Milk Latte

  • A bold shot of Vietnamese black coffee poured over our creamy, housemade banana milk — made with real banana purée, soy milk, and a splash of almond milk. Sweet, strong, and 100% dairy-free—your new comfort go-to.

Equator Coffees Banana Coffee Drinks

• Iced Banana Latte

• Banana Foam

Places That Use To Serve Banana Coffee Drinks Bay Area

Follow them on social media to see if they bring these drinks back!

Sweet Bar, Oakland

• Banana Hazelnut Coffee (summer, seasonal)

• Banana Milk Latte (seasonal)

Butter & Crumble, North Beach

• Banana Cold Brew Coffee collab with @abanicocoffeeroasters

Cafe de la Olla, Santa Rosa

Chocomil Mocha w/ Banana Cold Foam

And if you need more banana in your life, I highly recommend checking out the chocolate, banana, almond croissant for B. Pattiserie (it’s like half croissant, half bread pudding).

Banana Coffee Drinks San Francisco, Banana Coffee Drinks Bay Area, Cold Brew Banana Coffee Bay Area, Banana Milk Latte Bay Area, Banana Coffee Drinks San Jose, Banana Espresso Drinks Santa Clara, Banana Coffee Drinks Oakland, Kissaten HiFi Inner Richmond, kissaten HiFi menu, Kissaten San Francisco

The San Francisco Bay Area art community has suffered deeply from the 2022 closing of SFAI, to the more recent funding cuts of the NEA, the upcoming California College of the Arts (CCA) closing, the news that the di Rosa estate in Napa being put up for sale, and the pausing of the first free Thursdays at the SFMOMA, it’s been brutal.

There was an event hosted 2 weeks ago by SOMarts to gather the arts community to discuss the future of arts in San Francisco.

These high-profile institutions, along with the recent struggles and uncertainty of other art galleries and community spaces, have dominated the local Bay Area headlines, but there is one story I would like more people to know about, and that is of Ronald Chase and the San Francisco Art & Film For Teenagers program.

Ronald Chase, San Francisco Multimedia Artist, Friend and Mentor

On December 20, 2025, San Francisco lost one of the best in Ronald Chase, multimedia artist, beloved mentor, educator and friend. A notice was put out through his organization San Francisco Art & Film For Teenagers. I didn’t know Ronald, but I have met people who did, and I am always touched when I hear of people speak incredibly highly of others, unprompted.

I met Ronald years ago at his studio through a mutual friend, and I could immediately tell how much he cared about the arts and more so how much he loved sharing it with the world around him. Some of you reading this may have been there at that Twelfth Night parties of his in the Mission District back in 2016.

In one of his earlier works, a film from the first officially permitted Gay Pride Parade in 1972, he captured the momentous event and incorporated voiceover interviews offering insight into the mood that day.

In 2014, Ronald did something pretty unique as as he opened up his studio to the public and gave away some of his work with one caveat - that people promised not to sell his work, that they framed the pieces of art and if they ever got tired of it, that they pass it along to a friend.

San Francisco Art & Film For Teens

Ronald started the San Francisco Art & Film For Teens, making arts accessible to youth of San Francisco. Over the years, the program evolved from gallery walks, symphony performances, film clubs to trips to Europe that inspired future artists.

As someone who grew up in Marin County, I took a few grade school field trips to the symphony and museums here in SF, and while impressive, they were largely isolated shows full of students from other schools, empty performance spaces, and partial viewings. I didn’t really get the full experience of attending a ‘real‘ show until much later in life. A program like this really opens up the doors to what can feel like a private, invite-only or in-the-know audiences only, given the attire, age, and socioeconomic backgrounds of the average attendee.

Given the closings and dire state of funding for our creative, music, and artistic institutions, artists, galleries and more, San Francisco Art & Film For Teenagers offers something unique and invaluable to our youth at a time when people are struggling to make/keep friends, find communities to facilitate opportunities to leave home and experience some of the incredible offerings of our city.

When I heard of Ronald’s passing, my thoughts went out immediately to those around him. I recently met and reached out to a few people who knew him and wanted to share these notes, and photos with you.

Learn more about the program here, including upcoming opportunities for teens to explore the arts with fellow passionate peers, and for many of the programs, at no cost, as well as ways you can support this remarkable program.

Interview with Isaiah Dufort, Executive Director San Francisco Art & Film For Teenagers

What spaces, performances or pieces are students most interested in?

The program that gets the most attention from our students is Cine Club, our weekly film screening series. We show a film every Friday evening up at the Randall Museum, a wide range of films from silent and classic films, to foreign language films and art house stuff, the kinds of things students are unlikely to discover on their own. It’s difficult to judge which films will be hits with students. We recently showed an Anna May Wong silent film that had the students totally captivated. Our free tickets programs where we take students to the SF Symphony, Ballet and Opera are also quite popular, they’re one of the easiest ways for local students to attend these events for free on a regular basis.

Can you tell me about your experience with the program as a student and how you became involved with it and ultimately became the executive director?

I found Art & Film when my high school English teacher, Gloria Daffner, recommended it to me. I started going to see the Friday night films and quickly became a regular. Ronald learned that I had some experience with theater tech and asked if I would be interested in running AV for the program. While at college I ended up becoming his assistant for his last opera production, Die tote Stadt at the NYC Opera. When I graduated he asked me to help run the non-profit and I never left. He “retired” at Art & Film’s 25th anniversary party, but naturally he was involved in running things right up until he passed. He was still teaching our Film Workshop a couple of weeks before he died, it was that important to him.

An Interview With One Of Ronald’s Students (San Francisco Art & Film For Teenagers)

What did you learn from Ronald?

He taught me how to have an opinion, how to talk about art, how to speak in public, and that what I had to say mattered. He gave me a sense of belonging in art galleries and symphony halls. He helped me understand that San Francisco’s arts institutions, especially the symphony, are world-class.

He taught me to slow down and to look carefully. He believed beauty was essential and worth making room for in everyday life.

He introduced me to 8½, which remains my favorite film.

Ronald made paper ornaments decades ago, twenty or thirty years ago I guess, and used the same ones every year on his Christmas tree. Near the end of his life, the tree was still up and lit beside his bed. It was one of the last things he saw.

He also encouraged me in small, practical ways: to hang art in my house, to put up a Christmas tree, to buy flowers every week. He liked to point out that it didn’t have to be expensive. Trader Joe’s was fine.

I encourage you to watch these select videos of Ronald, and by Ronald, to see the type of man he was and the lasting impact he will have on this city and the lives of people he touched here in San Francisco and beyond.

Ronald Chase, A Portrait (March 2013, shot in his Mission District Studio)

A Life Well-Lived, 2024

If you have a story, note or photo you would like to share, please do so below. If you don’t have an account with Substack, you can contact me here through this contact form.

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Ronald Chase, San Francisco Art & Film for Teenagers, San Francisco, Ronald Chase San Francisco Memorial, SF Artist Ronald Chase Tribute

San Francisco Bay Area Restaurant News: Openings, Closings & More

Sign up for my free weekly email newsletter with events, pop-ups, things to do, news and more each week (usually sent on Sundays). Over 26,000 subscribers, usually sent on Sundays (free via email, online archives for paid subscribers only).

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Eddie’s List: San Francisco Bay Area Newsletter

San Francisco Bay Area curated news, food/drinks recs & event calendar: arts, crafts, festivals, volunteer, galas, classes, talks, music, street fairs, tech, day parties, pop-ups, comedy, wellness, book, quirky & cultural events). ~Sundays via email only.

By Eddie Hernandez

New Restaurant, Bar Openings, Closings & More Bay Area 2026

In my free weekly email newsletter, my focus on the news round-ups deals with more local and state issues, but I felt there was a need to easily relay info on closings and openings so here we are.

I have been sending tips to publications for years regarding openings, closings and more, but now, I am testing out a news feed so you can keep up on latest news developments during the week regarding restaurant closings, bar openings, and local business expansions.

It’s not meant to be a directory of all or even most new openings, but rather a curated list of unique places, places I am excited about, and some that have not gotten much coverage (and are piquing my attention).

I do post some of these openings, closings announcements in my free weekly newsletter (archived only for paid supporters, free via email weekly email).

Related News:

• San Francisco Pop-Up Restaurants

• Other News Articles On Eddie’s List

• Bar, Restaurant Recommendations

• San Francisco Bay Area Openings, Closings 2025

Have An Exclusive Tip? Want To Announce Your Opening?

Use the contact button below to submit suggestions. Priority given to exclusives, then to places that are not covered excessively in other publications, are recent (or in the future) etc.

Leave A Tip!

Temporary Closings San Francisco Bay Area 2026

• December 15, 2024 - Jewish Contemporary Museum To Close For At Least 1 Year

San Francisco Restaurant, Bar Openings 2026

January 2026 Restaurant/Bar Openings San Francisco Bay Area

• Former Slims Space on 11th St To Re-Open As The Buddha January 2026

• Tokyo Central Market Opens January 31st In Emeryville

• RT Bistro Opening January 9th (folks behind Rich Table), Hayes Valley

February 2026 Restaurant/Bar Openings San Francisco Bay Area

• Maria Isabel (from folks behind Dalida) Opening February 2026; Now March 3

• Goldenette Diner Opens On Polk Street, February 16

March 2026 Restaurant/Bar Openings San Francisco Bay Area

• Rose’s Pizzeria Opening On Clement Street March 2026

• Club Deluxe Opening Spring 2026

• Jou Jou (Lazy Bear) Opening In 2026

Bay Area Restaurant, Bar Closings 2026

January 2026 Restaurant/Bar Closures Bay Area

• November 24: Casa Borinquena Leaving Saluhall January 1, 2026

• Phoenix Hotel To Close January 1, 2026; Phoenix Hotel To Remain Open

• Cookin’ To Close On January 1, 2026

• Lodge Bar, Oakland Announces Closing January 7, 2026

• Cafe Jacqueline, North Beach Has Closed, Up For Sale

• 1/7: Amy’s Drive Thru (Rohnert Park) Closing March 8, 2026 (last one)

February 2026 Restaurant/Bar Closures Bay Area

• Hotaling & Co (formerly Anchor Distilling) to close 2/27/2026

March 2026 Restaurant/Bar Closures Bay Area

• Thee Parkside in Potrero Hill to close as the building/land was sold in August 2025 to a developer who plans on leveling the building. It’s currently open but slated to close in March 2026.

• Tiger’s Taproom, Jack London Square, Oakland to close March 1st

Bay Area Restaurant, Bar & Business Openings 2026

• Berkeley’s Rose Pizzeria Opening In Inner Richmond, SF, Takes On Funding

• Cliff House To Open Street Level Portion Of Space By Summer 2026

• Presidio Mess Hall (food hall, market & bar) to open in 2026

• T&T Supermarket, San Jose

• Osaka Market to open Foster City location in December; Pleasant Hill in 2026

• Arsicault To Open 4th Location In Palo Alto -Palo Alto Online

• Asia Live Santa Clara To Open In Fall 2025 2026 -EaterSF

• Tartine opening up in Marin (Strawberry Village, Mill Valley) end of 2025 2026

• Reem’s To Open In JLS Oakland; fundraising info; initial timeline Fall 2025 2026.

• Hidden Splendor Beer Opening in San Rafael Fall 2025 2026 (from the man who brought you Magnolia Brewing on Haight & Alembic)

• Two Pitchers Brewing (Oakland) Opening Outer Sunset Location w/ Maillards Smash Burgers -Posted Oct 17

• Gather SF: Folks from the Center (yoga, tea house, 3rd space) are fundraising for a new space in San Francisco

• Huntington Hotel, Nob Hill, Re-opening Spring 2026

• Super Duper Taking Over Burger King Spot On Fillmore

• Dave & Busters Opening In Jack London Square, Oakland -KRON4

San Francisco Bay Area Restaurant, Bar News 2026

• Arthur Mac’s Oakland struggling to survive. Posts for help on November 23, 2025

• Neon Workspace To Open 2nd Location On Clement, Inner Richmond Walgreens?

  

• Bottom of the Hill Music Venue to Close NYE 2026

• Waiting Patiently On Former Trader Vic’s, Le Colonial Space In Union Square; Purchased by folks behind Vinyl Bar & Barrelhouse (Burlingame) and Persona (SF) in 2025, expect multiple businesses announced later this year (crossing fingers).

• Outta Sight Folks To Take Over Pomerory (frmly Shovels); Summer Opening?

• Butter & Crumble Opening 2nd Location On Union Street (Summer 2026)

• Hi Neighbor Group To Open Indoor/Outdoor Space At 185 Berry

• Owners of Sam’s Anchor Cafe (Tiburon) To Acquire Silver Peso In Larkspur

• Smoking D’s Is Opening 2nd Location In The Richmond District

San Francisco Bay Area Restaurant, Bar News 2027

• Good Earth Opening In Northgate Mall (former Rite-Aid), Spring 2027

• Soho House Opening in Sonoma 2027

For those interested in getting the word out about your future opening, I offer opportunities for exclusive announcements like the ones below.

• Thrive City Announces Opening Of Splash Bar

Leave A Tip!

Restaurant Openings San Francisco, Oakland Bar Closings, New Business Openings Bay Area, New Bay Area Brewery Openings, New Restaurant Openings Marin County, Best New Restaurants San Francisco, Hot And New Restaurants Bay Area, New Restaurants Mission San Francisco, Cliff House Reopening Date, Bay Area Restaurant Opening News, Bay Area Restaurant Closures January 2026, San Francisco Restaurant Openings January 2026, New Restaurants San Jose, New Restaurant Openings South Bay Area, Restaurant Openings Santa Clara, Bay Area Restaurant News February 2026, Bay Area Restaurant Openings March 2026, San Francisco Restaurant News, Bay Area Restaurant Opening News, San Jose Bar Closing News, New things to do in San Francisco, New Restaurants Palo Alto January 2026, Latest Store Openings Marin, Marin Restaurant News,

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Voted Best Local Website Runner-up 2024 & 2025 by Best of the Bay 48 Hills & San Francisco Bay Guardian.

Eddie’s List: San Francisco Bay Area Newsletter

San Francisco Bay Area curated news, food/drinks recs & event calendar: arts, crafts, festivals, volunteer, galas, classes, talks, music, street fairs, day parties, pop-ups, comedy, wellness, Silicon Valley tech events, book, quirky & cultural events).

By Eddie Hernandez

Related reads on Eddie’s List

• 2026 Restaurant, Bar Openings San Francisco Bay Area

• Visitors Guide, Travel Tips San Francisco

• Free Events, Activities & Things To Do In San Francisco

• Past Articles On Eddie’s List

• Weekend, Trips & Getaways From The Bay Area

• Beloved Bohemian Creamery, Sebastopol, Closes

• Where To Find Double 8 Creamery Buffalo Milk Soft Serve

• SFMOMA Pauses First Free Thursday Program Indefinitely

If you have an opening, closing, local business news, cultural story, juicy tip, civic engagement, or are doing something good in the community, feel free to contact me below. I typically focus on places that are not covered by other publications and prioritize exclusives.

Tips & Story Ideas

Skywalker Ranch store opens in the Presidio, San Francisco

Skywalker Ranch recently opened a general store to the public in the Presidio last week to much fanfare.

The store, located a short walk from the Yoda statue, features a range of items from wines, tiki glasses, shirts and more.

Skywalker Ranch store is located next to Piccino Presidio (the closest entrance is the Chestnut Gate off of Lyon Street in the Marina (one block North of the Lombard Gate).

In case you were wondering, there was Skywalker Ranch store in the Presidio already but it was for employees only meaning you had to know someone to possibly get a tour of the space. This newer store is in a different location from the previous iteration and according to staff, much bigger too.

During nicer days, the views from outside the store are amazing.

Skywalker Ranch General Store Hours

11AM-7PM, Monday - Friday

Skywalker Ranch General Store Address San Francisco

Building D, San Francisco, CA 94123

Skywalker Ranch General Store Merchandise

• Helmets

• Backpacks

• Lightsabers

• Shirts

• Mugs

• Wine (from Skywalker Ranch Vineyards)

• Robes

• Toasters

• Wafflemakers

• Glasses

• Cookbooks

• Lotions

• Candles

• Indiana Jones Hat

Expect more items to be stocked in the coming days and weeks.

There is no website, nor is there a phone number to contact the store with any questions.

More about Eddie’s List here.

And just because…

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21st Amendment Acquired By Evil Genius (Pennsylvania)

https://www.phillyvoice.com/evil-genius-beer-acquire-21st-amendment-brewery/

For a curated weekly round-up of news, events, and food & drink recommendations, check out my free weekly email newsletter. Over 26,000 Bay Area locals are subscribed, are you next? Events span talks, classes, festivals, street fairs, block parties, music shows, cultural events, comedy, pop-ups and more.

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Eddie’s List: San Francisco Bay Area Events & Things To Do

Email event newsletter: art, festivals, volunteer, galas, classes, talks, music, street fairs, startup/tech, pop-ups, comedy, wellness & cultural. San Francisco Bay Area events this weekend, San Jose things to do this week. News round-up.

By Eddie Hernandez

For past articles, visit the news page on Eddie’s List

On August 28, 2025, 21st Amendment announced that their co-founders would be stepping away from the business they started 25 years ago.

https://www.facebook.com/ShaunOSullivan/posts/10162989310499787

21st Amendment Brewery Closed

The announcement was also posted through O’Sullivan’s personal Instagram account.

A few days later, Brewbound reported that the production facility in San Leandro and taproom in San Francisco would close by early November. The brewpub actually would go on to close sooner than that on the last day of the Giants schedule (which also happened to be a home game). The Giants baseball stadium is a few blocks down the street from the taproom.

Well, if you were looking for the announcements on 21st Amendment’s website or social media posts recently, you won’t find them.

21st Amendment Brewing Re-Opening?

A cryptic post on November 10 left fans hopeful and confused.

“Brew Free or Die - and we’re not dead yet 🍻#BrewFreeOrDie”

If the posting had occurred on Halloween, it would have been more fitting or at least more ambiguous.

Nothing else has been posted as far as I can tell. The Google businss listing for the taproom is marked as permanently closed as of December 1st.

No jobs have been posted on the career pages nor job sites. An email sent to them on December 1st yielded an auto-reply:

Thank you for reaching out!

We’ve received your message and someone will get back to you as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience!

If you are looking for our beer try our Beer Finder: https://21st-amendment.com/pages/beerfinder

Cheers,
21st Amendment Brewery

I will reach out with any updates as soon as I learn of them.

21st Amendment Brewery News, Updates

Update: December 5, 2025

Another post from 21st Amendment (first since last post above) further adds to the mystery around what is coming next from them.

“…we’re not done yet. BREW FREE OR DIE!”

Update February 17, 2026

In more news, there are job posts attributed to 21st Amendment seeking a brewer lead and brand ambassor positions. There were no jobs found on their own website but as often the case, this may not mean much as some businesses are slow to update their own websites, use 3rd parties, lack necessary web developers etc. to coordinate efforts across the business.

21st Amendment Brewing Closing, 21st Amendment San Francisco Re-opening? 21st Amendment Brewing Re-Opening? 21st Amendment Brewery News, 21st Amendment Brewery Jobs San Leandro, Evil Genuis Acquires 21st Amendment Brewery

To keep up to date on protests, vigils, other ways to support immigrants & local communities, sign up for my free email newsletter here (sent once a week, on Sundays).

The fine folks at LA Taco are compiling a list for Los Angeles, details here.

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If you would like to sign up for my free weekly, email newsletter, you can do so below. Usually sent on Sundays, once a week. 26,000+ subscribers. Curated events, things to do and news.

Runner-Up: Best Bay Area Local Website -48 Hills, Best of the Bay & San Francisco Bay Guardian 2024 & 2025!

Eddie’s List: San Francisco Bay Area Newsletter

San Francisco Bay Area curated news, food/drinks recs & event calendar: arts, crafts, festivals, volunteer, galas, classes, talks, music, street fairs, day parties, pop-ups, comedy, wellness, Silicon Valley tech events, book, quirky & cultural events).

By Eddie Hernandez

If you have an opening, closing, local business news, cultural story, juicy tip, civic engagement, or are doing something good in the community, feel free to contact me below. I typically focus on places that are not covered by other publications and prioritize exclusives.

Tips & Story Ideas

Nationwide Shutdown, General Strike January 30, 2026

More info here: https://nationalshutdown.org/

You can support the cause by attending the protest below, supporting businesses closing down when they re-open or by not spending this day, no work, no school if you are able to. Don’t jeopardize your career, education nor livelihood/safety, there will be more opportunities, unfortunately. If you must, spend locally, spend ahead of the day, or day after.

Don’t pressure folks who don’t have the means, resources to participate this day as they may be helping in their own way, on their own time.

Update! Please Read!

A few businesses have reached out to me and asked how they can support on Friday as they are unable to close. One way to participate without closing is to donate a percentage of sales to orgs helping immigrants, keeping space open, offering pay as you will for the day & more (see examples below).

You can find some more here in this document I created.

Even just sharing the posts from businesses below as stories on Instagram is a great way to show support.

Other ways to support here in this post I found online. Also, please support our art institutions, artists, musicians, creatives, non-profits, third spaces, and the like. The community is taking a beating.

• Thee Parkside | MCCLASF | See more here.

If you have other suggestions, drop me a note.

Economic Blackout Friday January 30, 2026

There are plenty of businesses that simply can’t afford to not pay their employees living check to check nor can shut down because their customers depend on them for essential needs.

Do not pressure businesses to close, they are likely doing other things to support causes you may be unaware of.

For the rest, closing on Friday, January 30, 2026, one of the busiest days of the week and one of the slowest months of the year can be risky, but here they are, doing their part.

Below are some businesses shutting down for the day. Please support them when they re-open. Buy gift cards in advance, show them love online (follow, like, comment).

Did I miss a company? Contact me (google form, don’t need to be subscribed to submit places for 1/30 shutdown), comment below or tag me on Instagram!

This list will be updated frequently. Check back soon for updates.

Related reads on Eddie’s List:

• A Day Without Immigrants Strike, San Francisco Bay Area 2025

  • Places that closed down to show solidarity for immigrants.

• Bay Area Restaurants Offering Free Food For SNAP, Cal-Fresh Recipients

• San Francisco Bay Area Volunteer Opportunities

• Social Justice Opportunities, Protest Calendars Bay Area

• How To Meet People, Make Friends In The Bay Area

• How To Build Community In The San Francisco Bay Area

• Who Owns Your Restaurant, Coffee Shop: Co-Ops, Private Equity Businesses

San Francisco ICE OUT Bay Area Protests, January 30

• ICE OUT 1/30: National Day Of Action Protest, 1PM Dolores Park

• Fruitvale Plaza, 2pm, Oakland

Businesses Shutting Down San Francisco Bay Area

Please note, some places are sharing notifications of the protest tomorrow and may not be shutting down. Please be sure before suggesting places.

Check back as this will be updated often.

Last Updated: 3/8/2026, 8:50AM

Businesses Shutting Down January 30, 2026 San Francisco

• Black Jet Baker, Bernal Heights

• Edo Salon, Lower Haight

• Spec’s Bar, North Beach

• Cafe Suspiro, SOMA

• Ed’s Garden Service, San Francisco

• Steel & Lacquer, Civic Center

• Donaji, Mission District

• Tantrum, Inner Richmond

• Mission Cliffs Gym

• Kira Shop, Inner Sunset

• Hilda & Jesse, North Beach

• A Runner’s Mind, Presidio Heights

• Wishing Well Workshop, Inner Richmond

• Frank Grizzley’s, Bayview

• Al Pastor Papi, Union Square

• Park Life, Inner Richmond

• Hashimoto Contemporary Art Gallery, Dogpatch

• City Lights Bookstore, North Beach

• Rampant Wine, Outer Richmond

• Earth Fire Studios, Inner Sunset

• Medicine For Nightmares, Mission District

• Lisa Says Gah, Hayes Valley

• El Mil Amores Restaurant, Mission District

• On Waverly, Chinatown

• BAVC Media, SOMA

• Le Bouquet, Marina District

• Psyched Radio

• Arizmendi, Valencia

• Booksmith, Upper Haight

• Cal Surplus, Upper Haight

• Sidewalk Flowers, Cole Valley

• Slash Art Gallery, Dogpatch

• The Mill, NOPA

• Firefly Restaurant, Noe Valley

• Daymoon Bread, Sunset District

• North Bay Aesthetics, Union Square

• Monkey Brains ISP (via IG stories)

• Roxie Theater, Mission District

• Omnivore Books, Noe Valley

• Gratta Wines, Bayview

• Fraenken Gallery, Union Square

• San Francisco Arts Ed Project, Dogpatch

• MMClay Ceramics, Hayes Valley

• Southern Exposure Art Gallery, Mission District

• La Raza Centro Legal, Mission District

• Yo Tambien, Inner Sunset

• Cellarmaker Brewing, Mission District

• Electronic Frontier Foundation

• Berggruen Gallery, Yerba Buena

• Bones Bagels, Noe Valley

• Running Wylder, Castro

• House of Air, Fort Point (via IG stories)

• Scuderia, Dogpatch

• Shop Fibers of Being, NOPA, FiDi

• BDubCuts, Downtown (via IG stories)

• Sunset Mercantile, Sunset District

• Scenic Routes, Inner Richmond

• Pasta Supply Company, Inner Richmond & Mission District

• Botanic Panic, Mission District

• 500 Capp Street, Mission District

• Love & Luxe, Mission District

• Cheeky Bits Sweets, Embarcadero

• Manny’s, Mission District

• Fiat Lux

• DLX Skate Shop, Mission District

• Golden Sardine, North Beach

• Queer Arts Featured, Castro

• El Buen Comer, Mission District

• Trick Dog, Mission District

• Nooworks, Mission District

• Orion Custom Framing, Mission District

• Haines Gallery, Fort Mason

• Bryr Clog, Dopatch

• Heart Salon, Central Richmond

• Space Craft Earth, Inner Parkside (via IG stories)

• Dogpatch Boulders

• Mendel’s, Upper Haight

• Four Barrel Coffee, Mission District

• Verve Coffee, Castro (and all locations, including HQ)

• Mureta & Co, Pacific Heights

• Now Place, Chinatown

• Sensitive Vintage, NOPA (via IG stories)

• Strikeslip Gallery, Mission (via IG stories)

• Relic Vintage, Upper Haight

• Andytown Coffee, (3629 Taraval, 3016 Taraval Roastery, 800 Great Hwy, Canyon Mkt & Gus)

Businesses Shutting Down January 30, 2026 East Bay

Businesses Closed January 30, 2026 Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda

• Edo Salon, Oakland

• Millennium Restaurant, Oakland

• Arizemendi, Emeryville

• Wolfhound Bar, Emeryville

• Paraisol Plant Studio, Berkeley

• Pretty Penny Clothing, Berkeley

• Popoca, Oakland

• Oakland Chocolate Company

• Bombera, Oakland

• Spectator Books, Oakland

• Nick’s Pizza, Oakland

• Standard & Strange, Berkeley

• Wombhouse Books, Oakland

• Tall Boy, Oakland

• Mrs Dalloway’s Bookstore, Berkeley

• Team Touchstone, Climbing Gym, Berkleley

• Krispy Joe’s, Oakland

• GW Power, Climbing Gym, Oakland

• Cellarmaker Brewing, Oakland, Berkeley

• Stuff, Albany

• Modern Coffee, Oakland

• Redwood Cycle House, Castro Valley

• Berkeley Ironworks Climbing Gym

• Diablo Rock Gym, Concord

• Great Western Gym, Oakland

• Spirited Play Labs, Berkeley, San Ramon

• Curbside Creamery, Oakland

• Line 51 Beer, Oakland

• Broc Cellars, Berkeley

• Cheeseboard Collective, Berkeley

• Nabolom Bakery, Berkeley

• Berkeley Art Center

• Oken, Oakland

• Fillgood, Berkeley

• Walden Palm Books, Oakland

• Tally Ho Bookstore, Oakland

• Ok’s Deli, Oakland

• Renegade Running, Oakland

• Metro Lighting, Berkeley

• Arizmendi, Lakeshore

• Pony Studios, Oakland

• Oaklandish, Downtown & Dimond

• Bageltopia, Berkeley

• Ordinaire Wine Shop & Bar, Oakland

• Destiny Arts Center, Oakland

• Black Squirrel Yarns, Berkeley

• Crown Oak, Oakland

• Bar Method, Berkeley

• Tessier Winery, Berkeley

• Narrative, Oakland

• St George Spirits, Alameda

• Eggy’s Neighborhood Kitchen, Berkeley

Businesses Shutting Down January 30, 2026 Peninsula Bay Area

Businesses Closed January 30, 2026 San Mateo, Palo Alto,

• A Runner’s Mind, Burlingame

• Las Hijas, Conchas, South San Francisco

• A Novel Affair Bookstore, Los Altos

• Cafe Borrone, Menlo Park

• Spirited Play Labs, San Mateo

• Andytown Coffee, Menlo Park

• Pizzeria Delfina, Burlingame

Businesses Shutting Down January 30, 2026 South Bay Area

Businesses Closed January 30, 2026 Santa Clara, San Jose, Sunnyvale

• Institute of Contemporary Art San Jose

• Moment, Japantown

• Upper Floor Studio, Cupertino & Santa Clara

• Fillory Yarn, San Jose

• Make Me Holey, San Jose

Businesses Shutting Down January 30, 2026 North Bay Area

Businesses Closed January 30, 2026 Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Vallejo, Fairfield

• Tantrum, Mill Valley

• Di Rosa Art Center, Napa

• Preston Farm & Winery, Healdsburg

• East Peak General Store, San Anselmo

• Wine Co Yeah, Napa

• Ernie’s Tin Bar, Petaluma

• Spinning Threads Vintage, Sebastopol

• Slow Co Pizza, Cotati

Bay Area Businesses Supporting In Other Ways

• Astranda Bakery x Omnivore Books Bake Sale 50% of sales to Immigrant Defense Network

• Good Times, Oakland - Donating 15% of Sales To Immigrant Defense Network

• Rickshaw Stop, Hayes Valley - Donating all bar proceeds to standingwithminnesota.com

• Understory, Oakland - Pay what you can soup & tea

• Amoeba, Haight - Donating % of sales 1/31-2/1 to CHIRLA & IMMDEF

• Vesuvio, North Beach - Opening later at 7pm, donating % of sales; matched by owners

• Dynamo Donuts Closing early at 12pm

• Pond Brewing, San Rafael: donating portion of sales from weekend to Canal Alliance & Copal

• Smiley’s Saloon, Bolinas - 5% of cash transactions to MN legal aid fund

• Babylon Burning, South Beach is giving away Abolish Ice t-shirts

• Rikki’s Bar, Castro donating $1 from every drink to immigrant legal defense services

• Paper Son Coffee is donating $1k to ICWC and $1k to API Legal Outreach

• SPRO Coffee donating proceeds to CHIRLA

• Sante Adairius, Oakland, Santa Cruz, Capitola - donating 15% of proceeds to Support Kind

• Stellina Alimentari, Petaluma donating 10% of sales to Sonoma immigrant services

• Ramen Shop, Oakland donating ramen proceeds to Trans Latin Coalition & BMLP (Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project)

• Tala Wine Matching Staff tips as a donation to organizations supporting immigrants

• Banana Yoga, Oakland (free classes)

• Backhaus, donating 100% of operating profit to the ACLU .

Please share this post with others! Thank you!

Share This Post!

On that note, I want to share this video from Mr. Rogers that offers some hope in times of fear, uncertainty, despair… It means a lot to me and I hope it does the same for you.

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The California Post has launched and in case you are wondering, they are owned by the News Corp, owners of the New York Post. News Corp is controlled by the Murdoch family.

On Monday, they made an announcement via the New York Post in which they promoted their Page Six Hollywood edition and more.

Any questions can be directed to their email: customerservice@californiapost.com

If you are not familiar with the New York Post, they are considered an “American conservative daily tabloid newspaper” according to Wikipedia.

One of their more famous cover stories below from 2012.

Published Dec. 5, 2012 (screenshot)

Doomed: Pushed on the subway track, this man is about to die

California Post Newspaper

The California Post has already lured two employees from the San Francisco Standard, according to Linkedin as well as the executive editor from the Daily Mail.

They are hiring for positions mostly in Los Angeles with a few in Sacramento and San Francisco.

For those who want to support local journalism, consider subscriptions or donations to a variety of locally owned publications. The list below contains publications owned by private equity (in case you did not know).

Now more than ever, it’s important to make sure folks are getting the correct information from trusted sources. Know who owns your media company.

Why Should You Care About The California Post Launch?

It’s another publication that will compete with eyeballs, namely conservative crowds. Many of them rely on Fox News, NY Post, and the like but having a West Coast home base will allow readers to have a dedicated source for their leanings without all the clutter of the East Coast publication (New York Post) and without all the city/area specific outlets of local markets like KTVU (Fox affiliate San Francisco Bay Area) and Fox 11 Angeles and many others (screenshot from Wikipedia below).

To sign up for my free weekly newsletter spanning curated events, news and more, sign up below (usually sent on Sundays; 25,000+ subscribers).

“Best of the Bay: Best Local Website” Runner-Up, 2024 & 2025”

-San Francisco Bay Guardian & 48 Hills

Eddie’s List: San Francisco Bay Area Newsletter

San Francisco Bay Area curated news, food/drinks recs & event calendar: arts, crafts, festivals, volunteer, galas, classes, talks, music, street fairs, day parties, pop-ups, comedy, wellness, Silicon Valley tech events, book, quirky & cultural events).

By Eddie Hernandez

California Post Newspaper Website

It is currently redirecting folks to the NYPost site but I’d imagine it will be functional in the coming days, weeks.

California Post Subscription

The California Post paper is offering a daily print edition in addition to the online platform (subscription)

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For more local news, check out the archives here.

Update March 2, 2026…

SFMOMA Half-Off Admission, Discounted Tickets

Enjoy special pricing across the museum between March 2–April 17 as we get ready to reveal Reimagined: The Fisher Collection at 10 with nearly 250 artworks across four floors. ($15 tickets, usually $30 for adults)

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Eddie’s List: San Francisco Bay Area Events & Things To Do

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By Eddie Hernandez

SFMOMA Pauses Free First Thursday Program Indefinitely

The SFMOMA recently paused their immensely popular Free First Thursday program recently with no return date set as seen on their website below.

https://www.sfmoma.org/event/first-thursdays-at-sfmoma-free-admission-for-bay-area-residents/

(screenshot taken 1/23)

SFMOMA: First Thursdays at SFMOMA (Program Temporarily Paused)

I first noticed the above message and thought it was related to Super Bowl weekend or perhaps the timing as the website usually pauses ticket reservations until two weeks out from the date but no.

In an email message to me, “The program is paused indefinitely beginning immediately. No free admission on 2/5.”

This is super unfortunate as the cost for an adult is $30.

UPDATE: Reason provided (to me over the phone) for pausing the program is because there is no sponsor for it, currently. See previous sponsor info below.

(screenshot via Wayback machine, 12/21/2025)

SFMOMA Free Admission Days

You can still get free admission through one of their other, more limited, programs below.

https://www.sfmoma.org/free-days/

Related reads on Eddie’s List

• San Francisco Bay Area Shuttles (Last Mile)

• Bay Area Volunteer Opportunities

• Walking Groups San Francisco Bay Area

• Civic Engagement, Social Justice Events Bay Area

• How To Make Friends In The Bay Area

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James Beard Award Semifinalists San Francisco Bay Area

See last year’s James Beard Award Semifinalists San Francisco Bay Area here.

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By Eddie Hernandez

Each week, I recommend a specific drink or dish to try out in the San Francisco Bay Area. Several establishments have been nominated below. You can check it out here.

Related reads on Eddie’s List:

• Best Wine Bars San Francisco

• Best Beer Bars, Breweries San Francisco Bay Area

• Weekly Recommended Dishes/Bites By Eddie’s List

• More News Articles By Eddie’s List

• Free Eddie’s List Guides

• Best Solo Dining San Francisco

• Best Places To Meet Singles In San Francisco

• San Francisco Bay Area Galas, Black-Tie Events & More

• San Francisco Bay Area Wine Festivals, Auctions

2026 James Beard Award Semifinalists San Francisco Bay Area

Below are the San Francisco Bay Area semifinalists for the 2026 James Beard Award.

The restaurant & chef nominees will be announced on March 31, 2026, and winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on June 15, 2026 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Outstanding Restaurateur

• Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, Atomic Workshop (The Anchovy Bar, The Progress, and State Bird Provisions), San Francisco, CA

• Srijith Gopinathan and Ayesha Thapar, Ettan, Copra, and Eylan, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Los Altos, and Menlo Park, CA

Outstanding Chef

• Michael Tusk, Quince, San Francisco, CA

Outstanding Restaurant

• Foreign Cinema, San Francisco, CA

Emerging Chef

• Steve Joo, Joodooboo, Oakland, CA

Best New Restaurant

• The Happy Crane, San Francisco, CA

Outstanding Bakery

• N/A

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker

• Monique Feybesse and Paul Feybesse, Tarts de Feybesse, Oakland, CA

Outstanding Hospitality

• House of Prime Rib, San Francisco, CA

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

• The Progress, San Francisco, CA

Outstanding Bar

• Smuggler’s Cove, San Francisco, CA

Best New Bar

• The Valley Club, San Francisco, CA

Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service

• Paul Einbund, The Morris, San Francisco, CA

• Derek Stevenson, Auro, Calistoga, CA

Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service

• Kevin Diedrich, Pacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco, CA

Best Chef: California

• Eric Alexander and Courtney McDonald, Restaurant Josephine, Auburn, CA

• Kim Alter, Nightbird, San Francisco, CA

• Harrison Cheney, Sons & Daughters, San Francisco, CA

• Sarah Cooper and Alan Hsu, Sun Moon Studio, Oakland, CA

• Geoff Davis, Burdell, Oakland, CA

• Zareen Khan, Zareen’s, Palo Alto, CA

• Emma Lipp and Stephanie Reagor, Valley Bar & Bottle, Sonoma, CA

• Brandon Rice, Ernest, San Francisco, CA

• Fik Saleh and Rachel Saleh, Fikscue Craft BBQ, Alameda, CA

• Kosuke Tada, Mijoté, San Francisco, CA

Despite all the amazing bakeries we have in the San Francisco Bay Area, the region was shut out in two (one) notable category:

• Outstanding Bakery

• Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker (edit: missed Tarts de Feybesse)

Disclosure: I am not part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards this year. I was not a part of the voting body last year nor any year for that matter.

Full 2026 list here: https://www.jamesbeard.org/stories/james-beard-award-semifinalists-2026

What are your thoughts about this year’s recommendations? Any places get snubbed?

Leave a comment

About Eddie’s List

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There was another cafe that opened up on March 7th before these two cafes below. kissaten hi-fi opened at 6th & California over the weekend offering Japanese single cultivar matcha & Filipino inspired coffee. There is possibly another one opening up, more on that soon.

New Cafe Coming To Clement Street, Inner Richmond

For a curated weekly round-up of news, events, and food & drink recommendations, check out my free weekly email newsletter. Over 26,000 Bay Area locals are subscribed, are you next? Events span talks, classes, festivals, street fairs, block parties, music shows, cultural events, comedy, pop-ups and more. Make it easier on yourself to go outside, find a new hobby, discover a new third space, meet people, find new friends & more.

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By Eddie Hernandez

See the news section of my newsletter here, including openings/closings.

Related reads:

• Is 21st Amendment Brewery Re-Opening?

• Free Coworking Spaces San Francisco

• San Francisco Bay Area Local Publications, Media Outlets List.

• Laptop Etiquette At Cafes

• Best Coffee Roasters San Francisco

• Cafe Reveille Post On Reddit Re: Front Of House (Labor Union Discussion, Staff Dismal)

• 2026 Restaurant Bars, Openings San Francisco Bay Area

• The Rise Of Banana Coffee Drinks San Francisco Bay Area

• Who Owns Your Local Restaurant, Cafe: Private Equity, Corporate Owned & More

New Cafe Coming To Clement Street

For those familiar with the area, there has been a lot of turnover on Clement Street in the past ~5 years. Clement Street was already popular among locals, but now is becoming a destination spot as anticipation builds for an update on Rose’s Pizzeria (rated one of the top pizzas in the U.S. by the NYT). The most recent update from August 13, 2025 pointed at an opening date between November 2025 and January 2026.

As we wait on that opening, there is something happening just up the street a few blocks up at 324 Clement Street between 4th & 5th Street. The space has been vacant for some time with construction work going on and off.

Here is a listing from the space from November 17, 2022…

New Coffee Shop In The Inner Richmond?

Per ABC records search, it looks like there will be another place to drink coffee on Clement Street (and there will be more, but more on that later).

Cafe Reveille already has locations on Lower Haight, Mission Bay, Russian Hill and Berkeley. I thought there was another location at North Beach but that seems to be a different business (Reveille Coffee) not Cafe Reveille. If it’s confusing to you, you are not alone. The North Beach location is also a cafe but not listed on the Cafe Reveille website.

Things get a little interesting when you dig a bit further. A quick internet search for the address online yields a different business listing, Tea For Me, which already has 3 Bay Area locations.

Oddly, there is already a Yelp page for this location with 4 photos from a user named Genevieve. More so, the photos have several dozen likes already.

It’s not unusual for multiple businesses to operate in a single space i.e. Hi-NRG in the High Treason spot up the street, Overkill Grill inside of Benders in the Mission District or the upcoming Maillards (burgers) and Two Pitchers (taproom) location in the Sunset, but having a cafe and tea shop both with ties to the same space is a bit unusual.

Who knows what’s ultimately going in here, but whatever it is, the new space appears to have a brand new back patio deck which is pretty rare for Clement Street as sidewalk space is limited beyond the various parklets and the wide sidewalk area on Arguello by Breck’s.

Neither Cafe Reveille nor Tea For Me responded when I reached out to them but will update folks once updates are available.

Despite the high number of coffee shops on the block already, folks are not deterred from opening up a new spot on the popular Clement Street (another coffee shop is in the works not too far away, more on that soon).

New Coffee Shop 200 Clement Street

A coffeeshop at the old Cumaica is in the works according to planning permits through the city and website that was recently made private but still exists via the Internet Archive.

Edit: March 9, 2026

And of course there is kissaten hi-fi that opened on 6th Ave at California on March 7, 2026. Check out my banana coffee article here.

Running list of curated local bar, restaurant & shop openings in the Bay Area:

To support my efforts on bringing you helpful news and information, consider buying me a coffee or beer.

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• Go support places that donated food to SNAP recipients during uncertain times.

• Go support local places that supported A Day Without Immigrant strike.

SF Bay Area Restaurants, Bar Openings, Closings

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San Francisco Bay Area curated news, food/drinks recs & event calendar: arts, crafts, festivals, volunteer, galas, classes, talks, music, street fairs, tech, day parties, pop-ups, comedy, wellness, book, quirky & cultural events). ~Sundays via email only.

By Eddie Hernandez

New Restaurant, Bar Openings, Closings & More Bay Area

In my free weekly email newsletter, my focus on the news round-ups deals with more local and state issues, but I felt there was a need to easily relay info on closings and openings so here we are.

I have been sending tips to publications for years regarding openings, closings and more, but now, I am testing out a news feed so you can keep up on latest news developments during the week regarding restaurant closings, bar openings, and local business expansions.

It’s not meant to be a directory of all or even most new openings, but rather a curated list of unique places, places I am excited about, and some that have not gotten much coverage (and are piquing my attention).

I do post some of these openings, closings announcements in my free weekly newsletter (archived only for paid supporters, free via email weekly email).

Related News:

• San Francisco Pop-Up Restaurants

• Other News Articles On Eddie’s List

• Bar, Restuarant Recommendations

• Bay Area Restaurant/Bar Openings, Closings 2026

Have A Tip? Want To Announce Your Opening?

Use the contact button below to submit suggestions. Priority given to places that are not covered excessively in other publications, are recent (or in the future) etc.

Leave A Tip!

San Francisco Bay Area Restaurant, Bar Openings 2025

• Bar Maritime Opens In The Palihotel - January 2025

• Shoji Opens In Downtown San Francisco In February

• Jules Pizza, Lower Haight Opens May 20th

• SF’s first women’s sports bar (Rikki’s) Opened On June 10th; follow them on IG for updates on fun events like lesbian pie eating contest as featured on Eddie’s List.

• Valley Club Opens Up In Old Benjamin Cooper Space In Union Square -June 12

• Trader Joe’s, Tracy, June 13

• Alma y Sazon, Emeryville (Vegan Mexican), June 20th

• Humble Cheeseburger Opens Up Food Truck In Corte Madera, June 30

• Bar Bibi Opens In Russian Hill

• Happy Crane (Modern Chinese Restaurant) Opens In Hayes Valley, August 8

• Hopscotch Chicken Soft Opening In Berkeley, Aug 22-24 (from chef behind Oakland spot)

• Sangria & Salt Opens Up In The Mission (On September 12)

• Korean Market Mega Mart Opens In East Palo Alto On September 24

• Dutch Bros, Gilroy, September 29

• Hedge Coffee Opens Up In The Mission Oct 25; DJ’s on weekends in December

• Freewheel Brewing Opens In San Rafael (former Libations Taproom spot), Nov 14

• Devil’s Teeth Pop-Up In Larkspur November 15-December 15

• Green Heron Has Soft Opening in November In Old Hobson’s Choice Location In The Haight; from folks behind Red Tail

• Laughing Monk, NOPA had it’s soft opening on November 14, 2025

• November 19, 2025 - Seattle’s Dough Zone opens up in Berkeley

• Kappo (Niku Steakhouse Folks), Opens Up Counter Dining At Stanford Mall

• Chicken Fried Place Opens November 22, 2025

  • Old Wes Burger Place in The Mission; from former Osito Chef

• November 24: Fieldwork Brewing Opens Santa Rosa Location

• Tacos Oscar (Oakland) To Appear At Woods Brewing (Lower Haight), Thur-Mon

• December 1: Jose Andres’ Zaytinya (Mediterranean) Opens At Stanford Mall

• Bang & Ofulsen Opens In Union Square

• Bitters & Bottles Opens Up In The Panhandle

• Bar Panisse (bar nextdoor to Chez Panisse, Berkeley) to open December 11

• Equal Parts Opens Up December 17 in North Beach

• Osaka Market to open Foster City location in December; Pleasant Hill in 2026

San Francisco Bay Area Restaurant, Bar Closings 2025

• January 1, 2025: Bohemian Creamery of Sepastobol Closes

• June 23, 2025: Ditas Sausalito Closes, Turns Into Breakfast Spot Eria Cafe

• July 13, 2025: Fisch & Flore (formerly Cafe Flore) Closes, New Concept In The Works

• October 22, 2025: Bulgarian Street Food Kuker Suspend Trailer Operations

• October 31, 2025: Bergarac (SOMA) Announces Closure;

November 2025 Restaurant/Bar Closures San Francisco Bay Area

• K-Elements BBQ Closing On November 23, 2025

• November 14, 2025 - Roses Taproom In Oakland Announces Closing

December 2025 Restaurant/Bar Closures San Francisco Bay Area

• November 17, 2025 - Bissap Baobab (Mission District) Closing December 28, Looking For New Place

• Ounces Outdoors, San Rafael Closing December 7, 2025

• Jack’s aka Jeant'y’s at Jacks, Re-opening December 9, Downtown San Francisco

• Standard Fare, Berkeley To Close December 19; Bolita Masa Moving In!

• Art Boutiki, San Jose, closing December 2025

• Ol Factory Brewing Closing 3rd St Location in San Francisco December 14, 2025

• Edith’s Pies, Oakland: Last Day Open December 15

• Oakland’s Friends & Family To Close December 30

• The Good Hop Taproom & Bottle Shop In Oakland To Close December 31

• Oasis Nightclub To Close January 1, 2026

• November 24: Casa Borinquena Leaving Saluhall January 1, 2026

• Phoenix Hotel To Close January 1, 2026

• Cookin’ To Close On January 1, 2026

• Lodge Bar, Oakland Announces Closing January 7, 2026

Temporary Closings San Francisco Bay Area 2025

• December 15, 2024 - Jewish Contemporary Museum To Close For At Least 1 Year

• November 14, 2025 - Spanish Table Temporarily Closes Inner Richmond Location

• Nov’ 25: Pho Love, Milpitas closes after viral video of meat slammed on ground

San Francisco Bay Area Restaurant Openings 2026

• Berkeley’s Rose Pizzeria Opening In Inner Richmond, SF, Takes On Funding

• Tokyo Central Market Opens January 31st In Emeryville

• Cliff House To Open Street Level Portion Of Space By Summer 2026

• Presidio Mess Hall (food hall, market & bar) to open in 2026

• T&T Supermarket, San Jose

Announcements

• Chef and owner of S.F. sensation Ernest has plans for a new restaurant (Lawrence) in SoMa (formerly Alexander Steakhouse)

• Le Colonial space purchased by owners associated with Persona (SF), Barrelhouse & Vinyl Room (Burlingame) -April 24, 2025

• Food Folks opening up on Clement St; to offer food, drinks, & local pantry goods

• Crunch Fitness Opening Up In San Rafael

• Rich Table folks opening up RT Bistro (coming soon as of November 25)

• Tartine opening up Marin location (Strawberry Village, Mill Valley) end of 2025

• Reem’s Is Opening Up In Jack London Square Oakland; fundraising info; initial timeline was Fall 2025.

• Club Deluxe Is Re-Opening; Latest post on Nov 7 states construction starts soon; it closed back in 2022.

• Berkeley sandwich stalwart Grégoire launches 1st S.F. franchise (9th & Irving, old Jamba Juice)

• Hidden Splendor Beer Opening in San Rafael Fall 2025 (man behind Magnolia Brewing on Haight & Alembic); taking over State Room on 4th Street.

• Two Pitchers Brewing (Oakland) Opening Outer Sunset Location w/ Maillards Smash Burgers -Posted Oct 17

• November 20: Bergerac Folks Announces Plans For Bella; News Article Here

• Gather SF: Folks from the Center (yoga, tea house, 3rd space) are fundraising for a new space in San Francisco

• Huntington Hotel, Nob Hill, Re-opening Spring 2025

Bay Area Restaurant, Bar & Business News

• Thee Parkside in Potrero Hill may close as the building/land was sold in August 2025 to a developer who plans on leveling the building. It’s currently still alive and doing well with events through January 7, 2025 (as of November 24, 2025).

• Arthur Mac’s Oakland struggling to survive. Posts for help on November 23, 2025

• Neon Workspace To Open 2nd Location On Clement, Inner Richmond Walgreens?

  

For those interested in getting the word out about your future opening, I offer opportunities for exclusive announcements like the ones below.

• Thrive City Announces Opening Of Splash Bar

Leave A Tip!

New Korean restaurant opens in San Francisco’s Richmond District -KRON4

• I am particularly interested in this place since it opened up without much PR. Will report back soon.

Sake Moku opens in the Inner Richmond (sister sake bar to Moku Yakitori bar).

• Great bar, dim lighting, food from next door but with less stuffiness and great vibe, music. Awesome date spot or just a place to go solo.

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Beloved Craft Beer Bar, The Good Hop To Close 12/31

One of my favorite craft beer bars is about to close by the end of the year.

Earlier today via a social media post on Instagram and Facebook, The Good Hop announced it will be closing on 12/31 citing insurmontable challenges. You can read the posts and comments from customers here: Facebook Post | Inst…

Read more

A Tiktoker by the name of Breeestaxx posted a video attacking Las Tostadas for (1) not serving her alcohol and then again for being kicked out of the establishment. This normally would not make news if it weren’t for the establishment keeping receipts of the claims and justifying the actions taken.

@tostadassjWe just want to share what really happened calmly and respectfully. When our server JOJO explained he could not allow the drink without an ID, the guest grabbed a cup of water and acted as if she was going to throw it at him. That is the moment we refused service. We have the right to do so when safety becomes a concern. As he removed the plate, she lifted another plate as if she was going to throw it. She didn’t and we are thankful she didn’t. As she walked out, she threw ketchup that landed near a baby and a family who were dining. That is something we cannot ignore. Safety comes first. We want our employees and the families in our facility to feel safe, always. And please let us not be affected by a story that is not true. Just like many small businesses, it is easy to be hurt by misinformation online. But businesses also deserve the chance to speak up and protect themselves so they can survive. To anyone who believed the first version of the story, we understand. We just ask for fairness and understanding. Thank you to everyone who continues to support and uplift small businesses

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The tiktoker in question was fuming when she was denied a drink when she tried to place an order of two drinks (assumedly one for her and one for the guy she was with). She showed a photo of her ID and was denied (as she should be).

Tostadas Restaurant Influencer Drama

The pair received one drink and the woman in the video is seen taking photos of the drink. She initially claims to just record a video for tiktok but then claims she took a ‘sippy-sip’.

She then claims the person who came to their table was ‘just’ bartender and is not allowed to kick anyone out.

On her way out, she claims to have picked up the ketchup and “threw it across the f'ing restaurant”.

Even without the video receipts, it’s hard to even believe anything this couple has to say given that they admitted to:

1. not having an ID

2. taking a sip out of a drink

3. tossing ketchup across the restaurant

4. calling the staff names left and right

This is also coming from the same account that posted this video a while back…

For a curated weekly round-up of news, events, and food & drink recommendations, check out my free weekly email newsletter. Over 24,000 Bay Area locals are subscribed, are you next? Events span talks, classes, festivals, street fairs, block parties, music shows, cultural events, comedy, pop-ups and more.

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