Rob AriasBack in April, it was revealed that The Park Cafe group would be taking over the Actual Cafe/Victory Burger spaces after owner Sal Bednarz announced their closing. The new cafe will be the fourth in the The Park Cafe group family joining SF’s Dolores Park Cafe, Precita Park Cafe and Duboce Park Cafe.
Proprietors and partners Rachel Herbert and Dana Oppenheim, who live nearby, described being floored when they heard the sad news that Actual was closing. “We loved Actual and we were startled when we heard it was closing” said Herbert. She then initiated talks with Sal to takeover the lease and preserve it as a gathering space for the community. “This neighborhood needs an anchor neighborhood cafe.”
Paradise has consolidating the kitchens of Actual and Victory into one more efficient area and brightened up the space a bit. Herbert consciously opted to pay homage to Actual by maintaining a few artifacts including their eclectic sticker wall and outdoor GATS mural. They will also maintain the outdoor patio seating in front of the former Victory Burger space.
Oppenheim described the menu as fairly similar to their other establishments including ample breakfast options, coffee, sandwiches, salads and bowls. They’ll also be serving grass-fed beef burgers and a house-made quinoa burger as a vegetarian option.
The menu below lists some original menu items including a tapioca batter fried chicken sandwich with sriracha aioli and a signature ‘Paradise Salad’ with Vietnamese-style chicken sausage. Wines and craft beers on tap will be mostly Californian selections. Pastries will be sourced from local favorites Starter Bakery and Berkeley’s Bagel Baron.
Rachel & Dana are also new parents in the community and sympathetic to families and students. “We will be very kid friendly and lap top friendly” Oppenheim noted through the Golden Gate Nextdoor group where she has regularly engaged residents with their concerns and questions. A special kids’ menu is priced at just $5 per item.
The establishment will open its doors on Thursday, August 17th at 7 am. “We look forward to meeting and serving healthy super fresh fare to our neighbors and being part of our awesome neighborhood.”
Paradise Park is a historical name for the tract that includes the nearby Golden Gate Recreation area that is generally referred to today as The Golden Gate Neighborhood (not “NOBE” ;).
Menu:
Hours:
Open Every Day: 7am-8pm
(Breakfast Lunch & Dinner served all day)
Brunch: Saturday & Sunday 8 a.m.‐ 3p.m.
I really really hope that they have any or all sections laptop free like Actual did.
So they go out of business like Actual did?
Wait- what’s wrong with laptops?
I’m not implying it’s anyone on this thread but there are some that buy a cup of coffee and post up for hours to work/study. While this is fine when biz is slow, If you’re depriving someone who is there to eat/spend $, this has a negative impact on their business. Just remember how tough it is to run a small business these days especially in the food sector who have very narrow margins.
I know it’s the state of things, but 9 bucks for a breakfast sando…narrow margins indeed.
Yeah that’s way too much. Guess it’ll just be a lunch place.
I just want to point out that these prices are reflective of the prevailing $15 minimum wage being mandated by local governments and labor advocates. If you support “fair” wages, then we must support these local businesses by paying these exorbitant prices.
And please convince our non-local, out-of-state, and international clients to pay the mandated exorbitant prices also. They are surprisingly unwilling to pay triple what our competitors charge. But maybe you can encourage them while eating your $9 breakfast sandwich.
Thank you.