Rob AriasSome food & drink updates in and around Emeryville since our last April update. Among the updates in May include a new Chipotle location, two grand openings, the likely elimination of a beloved café space and a new food hall coming to West Oakland.
COMING SOON: Chipotle to former Jamba Space
The March City of Emeryville progress report noted a tenant improvement at the former Jamba Juice space at the Powell Street Plaza. Construction efforts are already underway to renovate the space at 5761 Christie Ave for a Chipotle Mexican Grill.
The chain is known for their compact menu, fresh ingredients and customization options of their bowls, burritos and tacos. The chain is especially popular with Millennials and considered a healthier alternative to the abundant burger, sandwich and pizza chains.
Currently, the closest Chipotle is in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood or Downtown Berkeley.
They are scheduled to open this fall according to a company spokesperson.
Former Hip Hop Juice Box Being Considered for Housing Conversion
Another interesting tidbit from the city’s latest progress report: Owners of 3960 Adeline Street met with the city regarding a “café conversion to two residential units.”
The corner unit of the Key Route Lofts was Scarlet City Espresso from 2014 to 2019 and Hip Hop Juice Box from 2019 to 2021. Hip Hop Juice Box closed amid the pandemic and the space has sat vacant since.
Many developments, in Emeryville and elsewhere, have included ground floor retail space as a planning requirement to help increase neighborhood vibrancy and foot traffic. Many of these, especially along the San Pablo Avenue Corridor, have remained vacant and may lack the financial incentives needed to attract a viable tenant.
This conversion is considered a minor modification and approval is provided at the staff level (not city council).
Good to Eats Appearance on Check, Please! Bay Area
Emeryville favorite Good to Eat Dumplings made a recent appearance on KQED’s Check, Please! Bay Area providing a boost in awareness to the already popular restaurant.
The intimate space on 65th street has been a revolving door of businesses the past decade but seems to have found the right tenant with lines of guests frequently extending out the door.
Good to Eat serves “tapas” sized plates allowing patrons to try and share a variety of dishes.
The segment features proprietors and partners Angie Lin and Tony Tung whose recent trip back to Taiwan to visit the popular “roadside banquet” markets helped them augment their menu with unique ingredients and flavors.
Guest Aparna Kothary, who identifies as a vegetarian, recommended ordering from the rotating grilled items menu that included a layered tofu sheet and soy glazed eggplant. Other items spotlighted in the segment included their braised pork belly, oyster mushroom skewers, grilled squid and shrimp & tofu noodles.
The three dinners topped of their dining experience with a roasted oolong tea cheesecake. 😋
GRAND OPENING: Nusa Public Market Stall
The latest Public Market stall in partnership with the La Cocina nonprofit held their official Grand Opening on May 15. Their initial soft opening with limited menu items and hours was held back on April 17.
Nusa serves Indonesian staples including Beef Rendang, Turmeric Chicken Noodle Soup and their 1000 layer cake.
Proprietor Jennifer Huang and her husband were on hand for the ribbon cutting along with ABC News anchor Dion Lim and 2024 Emeryville Mayor Courtney Welch among others.
Nusa is currently open Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. They intend to open seven days a week when they are able to increase staffing.
Check their insta for their menu, latest operating hours and a link to online ordering.
COMING SOON: Prescott Food Hall
Some news on the Oakland side of the border, Prescott Food Hall will open their doors on June 6 to coincide with the inaugural home stand of the Oakland Ballers baseball club who will play at nearby Raimondi Park.
Located at 1620 18th Street in West Oakland, the 12,000 square foot space will be anchored by Almanac Brewery and eventually include eight food and beverage options.
The area is slowly transforming from outpost to destination already populated with Kowbird, Soba Ichi, Ghost Town Brewing and Kilovolt Coffee among others.
Additional updates on new tenants and related announcements can be viewed on their website.
Delirama Jr. Seeking Funding to help open San Pablo Ave location
Delirama Jr., who are looking to open up a new location adjacent to the Wolfhound bar, are seeking help from the public targeting $40K in startup funding.
Founders Anahita Cann & Cash Caris experienced a series of setbacks at their original Berkeley location including the failure of their walk-in refrigerator and a power outage that led to six-figure losses in spoiled ingredients and revenue. With the lessons learned from this experience, they opted to close this location and embark on this new and smaller project in North Oakland.
The duo, known for their pastrami sandwiches, have been hosting a series of pop-ups to help generate the capital needed for the build-out of the new location at 5512 San Pablo Avenue.
“We remain resilient and determined to bring our culinary vision to life,” they note in their plea for funds.
GRAND OPENING: Mumu Hot Pot
The long awaited “Grand” opening of Mumu Hot Pot is slated for June 1.
The location has been in soft opening mode for the past few weeks with limited hours while previewing their latest location to influencers and others.
A typical hot pot experience includes a soup base, thinly sliced meats, noodles and a variety of sides including fresh veggies and other sides like seafood and other proteins. The clean, modern interior at the location elevates the hot pot experience.
The Bay Street location is one of six locations in the Bay Area including SF, Pleasanton, San Jose, Foster City and Sunnyvale.
View their latest hours and full menu on mumuhotpot.com.
