Rob AriasOur February, 2025 Food & Drink updates include Grand Opening dates for the highly anticipated Total Wine & More as well as the Tokyo Central grocery store at Bay Street. We also have news on the closure of two Oakland food establishments with both businesses pointing their fingers at County and City of Oakland bureaucracy for their demise.
Delirama Jr. Pulls Plug on Planned San Pablo Ave Location
Delirama Jr. , who announced their intent to open a smaller location next to Wolfhound on San Pablo Avenue back in 2023, have pulled the plug on their venture.
They had been hosting a series of pop-ups and fundraisers to build the capital to make the necessary renovations to the space that was previously used as a Clay Studio.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share our decision not to move forward with the opening of San Pablo,” founder Cash Caris announced on their Instagram account. “The health department and the city of Oakland hit us with overwhelming financial demands, requiring costly structural changes—many of which we believe are unnecessary-and the possibility of staying closed for up to another year. For a small business like ours, these challenges are simply too much to manage right now.”
Delirama earned accolades for their Pastrami at their former Solano Avenue location with the SF Chronicle dubbing them “A Pastrami Paradise.” KQED compared them to New York City’s legendary Katz’s Deli.
Sadly, another North Oakland storefront will remain vacant indefinitely but Delirama’s offerings can still be found at Olfactory Brewing in Berkeley where they run the kitchen.
Delirama made it clear that they were still on the hunt for a home to call their own. ”This is not the end of our story. It’s just the beginning of a new chapter. This hurts, no question, but it won’t stop us. We’ve got the best pastrami in the Bay, and we’re more determined than ever to make our dream of opening our own shop a reality.”
Tokyo Central Grocery Store Begins Buildout
Bay Street Emeryville nearly “broke the internet” when they announced the long-awaited Grocery Store tenant back in August, 2024.
There hasn’t been much activity at the space since making some folks a bit anxious. Six months later, we are finally seeing some activity on the building’s shell including some “Coming 2025” window graphics.
Tokyo Central will offer a wide variety of premium, imported Japanese goods, such as groceries, made-to-order and ready-to-go food trays, health products and many other specialty items. The location will also feature a full-service, upscale dining establishment serving fresh, authentic Japanese cuisine.
They are expected to host their Grand Opening later in 2025 according to Bay Street (timetable amended from “late summer”).
Total Wine & More Announces March Grand Opening Date
Total Wine & More, who first announced an Emeryville location at the East Bay Bridge Shopping Center about a year ago, are on the verge of opening their doors to the public.
The location will operate in about 25K square feet of the former 40K square foot Decathlon space (and Toys “R” Us before that). A demising wall has been installed to partition the space and Federal Realty are still seeking a neighboring tenant to occupy the vacant space.
In the past few weeks we’ve began to see progress toward opening including exterior and interior signage as well as a parking lot cart corral. They are actively hiring through their website.
They recently posted signs on their windows announcing a March 13 Grand Opening.
March 7 Update: Total Wine had a surprise soft-opening today. A $10 discount is available on orders over $50 using the code “EMERYVILLE10” or code 2332 or by scanning the barcode linked on their website (restrictions apply, offer valid through 06/15/2025).
Pacific Fish & Grill Now ‘Le Marine Fish & Grill’
The Public Market has a new stall … sort of. The former La Vida Fish & Chips became Pacific Fish and Grill shortly after opening and recently rebranded as “Le Marine Fish & Grill.”
Le Marine still serves Fish & Chips but have expanded their menu to include crab burgers, grilled salmon, clam chowder, fried calamari and tomato soup with melted mozzarella.
If you’re looking to satisfy a sweet tooth, they offer a range of “magnolias” which is a Turkish pudding layered with fresh fruit.
The East Bay Times has a nice write-up of their menu changes including prices.
Mandela Parkway Corridor: Kowbird Closes; Almanac West Oakland Clubhouse Opening Soon
Some good news/bad news along West Oakland’s Mandela Parkway Corridor.
Chef Matt Horn appears to be divesting from West Oakland following the closure of his second restaurant and opening of a new Lafayette location. After announcing the permanent closure of the Mandela Parkway Horn BBQ last year following a suspicious fire, he announced the closure of his Kowbird restaurant on February 12 in a revealing Instagram post.
Proprietor Matt Horn partially blamed the closure on lack of support from the City of Oakland and a serial ADA lawsuit litigant.
“Despite numerous efforts to address outstanding building violations, we have faced significant challenges in receiving the necessary support from the city to resolve these issues. Regarding the ADA lawsuit, it is important to clarify that the accuser is involved in nearly 200 similar cases across California. Unfortunately, this is a widespread issue that many small businesses are facing in the state. It is a part of the price of doing business here, and we continue to navigate this challenge with resilience.”
On the positive news front, the Prescott Food Hall is coming along and Almanac Beer Co. is teasing a Grand Opening of their Almanac West Oakland Clubhouse. The opening is anticipated to occur prior to the The Oakland Ballers opening day on May 20.
Almanac will anchor the Food Hall that will also feature six local restaurateurs and a coffee shop.
Mama Lamees Announces Departure from Falasteen Project
Last month we reported on the positive development of Mama Lamees proprietor Lamees Dahbour realizing her dream of running a full-service restaurant. Unfortunately, this dream has come to an abrupt end prior to the restaurant’s grand opening.
“I’d like to share that my time with Falasteen has come to an end, and I’m no longer part of the restaurant,” Dahbour announced in an Instagram post.
Dahbour was not specific of the reasons but expressed a resolve for moving forward.
“My heart remains fully committed to this mission, and I’m excited to explore new ways to bring it to life.”
