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Chop Bar
Update, July 25: Unfortunately, it’s for good — Chop Bar officially closed on July 9 after 14 years. For the team it’s been a sad whirlwind, and so much of the gastropub’s web presence remains online that readers have been writing to us in hope that the closure was just temporary, but no. “This decision was not made lightly, as there were many prior conversations surrounding how to keep Chop running successfully,” management told Nosh in an email this week. “But in the end, we decided that closing would be best to preserve the integrity and memories created by everyone who loved Chop Bar.”
Original post: Thanks to a reader, we learned that Chop Bar in Jack London Square quietly closed earlier this month. A note on the restaurant’s website says the dormancy is temporary, though there is no other explanation and no mention of the closure on other social media. The phone still works but we have not yet heard back from management with more detail. Hang in there Oakland carnivores — though it seems ominous, it might just be a summer break. (Though the gathering spot has been open since 2009, it moved to its current, larger digs in 2019.) We’ll let you know if we hear more.
Temporarily closed Chop Bar is at 190 4th St. in Oakland.
Izza
Thanks to our readers for sharing that Japanese izakaya Izza in Temescal has closed. The restaurant bravely opened in October 2020, and for nearly three years, enjoyed consistent popularity and sustained many locals with its Japanese and Korean-inflected specialties.
Izza was at 4419 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland.
Stinky’s Bar
Sadly, Stinky’s is closed, according to an Instagram farewell. The redone and reopened Dogwood, from owner Alexeis Fillipello, was darkly decorated in clown art, featured a free, irreverent movie theatre, and was a self-proclaimed haven for Oakland’s “qweerdos.” Stinky’s faced untenable water intrusion during this winter’s storms, and though the community gave what they could, the odds were stacked. “Sad clown,” said the post. “With a lack of funds to rebuild the business, insurance not paying out, and the hard times facing Oakland right now, we think we will sit this next one out.” Fans of the bar…or of clowns…should watch for the closing bar’s upcoming art sale. Stinky’s opened in late 2021.
Stinky’s Bar was at 1644 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland.
Sunny Side Café
Another quiet closure, Berkeley’s Sunny Side Café shuttered once and for all in recent weeks, having only moved into the Epicurious Garden standalone restaurant space, formerly the Imperial Tea Garden, in January of 2022. For almost 20 years, the breakfast and brunch spot was a bustling local favorite, first on Solano Avenue in Albany, where it opened in 2004, and then, starting in 2009, at its second location on student-heavy Oxford Street in Berkeley (whose sunny building murals remain up as accidental tribute though that cafe closed a couple of years ago). According to North Berkeley neighbors, despite the outdoor dining space at its new location, Sunny Side had experienced sleepier business since the pandemic, and left the garden without fanfare several weeks ago as the owners decided to retire. We wish them the best. Meanwhile, newcomer Eggy’s Neighborhood Kitchen has already opened in the space. (See this week’s openings.)
Sunny Side Café was at 1511 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley.
