MISSION HEIRLOOM CAFÉ Gluten-free, grain-free and soy-free offerings will be available at Mission Heirloom Café, which opens this fall in North Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto. The restaurant will move into 2085 Vine St. where much-loved vegetarian Chinese restaurant Vegi Food operated until 2012. The Heirloom Café will be serving organic, non-GMO cuisine and Intelligista coffee. The café will have outdoor seating. Mission Heirloom currently operates a takeout kitchen on Eighth Street, where you can get a preview of their offerings by picking up lunchtime meals Tuesday through Friday.
BOBO DRINKS Bobo Drinks will open its fifth location at 2037 Shattuck Ave. on Friday, July 4. The café serves sweet drinks and light snacks from a diverse range of locations, from New Orleans beignets to Banh Mi sandwiches from Vietnam (the website menu even includes stir-fried snail with coconut milk). The Shattuck Avenue store will be the micro-chain’s first location in Berkeley. Its website reads, “Our motto is to keep the drinks fresh by brewing tea leaves daily and keeping the sugar level at a minimum by using fresh fruits instead of over-using artificial syrups.”
TAMON TEA A small Japanese café serving snacks, fresh mochi and specialty teas has opened at 2055a Center St. in downtown Berkeley. The café, Tamon Tea, occupies a small space and serves affordable, simple food. Their specialty is a small rice bowl called omusubi, which they serve with seaweed and different toppings.
Shop Talk is our regular column in which we post updates on Berkeley businesses. If you’re a Berkeley business with news, or a Berkeleysider who has spotted a change in your neighborhood or on your travels, shoot us an email with the details. Read previous Shop Talk columns, and check out Bites for the latest East Bay restaurant news.
