Osaka Marketplace
Osaka Marketplace to Open in Downtown Pleasant Hill
A popular market with an emphasis on specialty Japanese products and prepared foods is coming to downtown Pleasant Hill. Osaka Marketplace, which opened its first store in Fremont in 2021, is bringing a new location to the old OSH hardware space at 155 Crescent Plaza. A representative told Dish that they were hoping to be in Pleasant Hill by the middle of next year and that the location would be very similar to Fremont, which carries specialty groceries often imported direct from Japan, including Wagyu beef and seafood from the country’s famed fish markets. There will be prepared foods to go, including fresh sushi, and also like Fremont, there will be a food court featuring made-to-order items with an emphasis on Osaka’s popular street foods and desserts such as Wagyu bentos, donburi rice bowls, and mochi doughnuts. The Fremont location is also known for hosting special events that have included its annual Osaka Summer Festival highlighting Japanese street foods, beauty fairs featuring Japanese cosmetics and skincare products, and bluefin tuna cutting displays. According to its website, Osaka Marketplace was “founded by a group of Japanese retail veterans along with some high-tech entrepreneurs who are passionate about bringing authentic Japanese shopping experiences to the Bay Area.” The formula seems to be working, as the market is also launching new locations in Foster City and Fremont in addition to Pleasant Hill.
Asian marketplaces seem to be all the rage these days in the East Bay. Japanese grocery chain Tokyo Central Specialty Market is launching a big new store in Emeryville’s Bay Street mall (the opening of which looks like it may now be next year), while Korean supermarket chains H Mart and Mega Mart are working on locations in Dublin.
Ramen Updates in Walnut Creek
We’ve got a little bit of hard news on the ramen front: We reached out to Mensho founder and ramen master Tomoharu Shono, who told us he was aiming to debut their new Walnut Creek restaurant by February of next year “if all goes smoothly”—which, of course, in the restaurant world is a big “if.” Still, it sounds like we can expect to see the Japanese “farm-to-table” ramen shop to open in the former Essence location on North Main Street downtown early next year. As for Marufuku Ramen, which is planning another to open another ramen restaurant in downtown Walnut Creek, the outlook is a little murkier. A representative for the Bay Area outfit, which has a dozen or so locations around the country, said they still “need a bit of time.” No ETA either on their planned shop in Dublin’s Ulferts Center, although given the smaller footprint and the fact that Marufuku’s website highlights it as “coming soon,” we can probably expect it to open before Walnut Creek.
Poké House
Poké House Expands East Bay Presence
A San Jose–founded poke chain with an emphasis on sustainable, ocean-friendly fish is quickly expanding in the East Bay and beyond. Poké House already has more than a dozen stores around the Bay Area, including one that opened in Walnut Creek in 2023, and just launched new locations in Alameda’s South Shore Center and on Bernal Avenue in Pleasanton near the Alameda County Fairgrounds. The restaurant also has plans to open another location in Brentwood at 5941 Lone Tree Way, in addition to expansion efforts in Southern California, Atlanta, Nevada, and Oregon. Poké House touts the fact that it uses specifically wild-caught and farm-raised seafood that’s been blessed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program or eco-certified by a third party.
Small Bites From Around the East Bay
In another sign of struggles in the craft brewing industry locally and nationwide, Oakland’s popular Temescal Brewing filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy—however, owner Brandon Börgel says they will remain open.
Good to Eat, Commis, Mama Oakland, and Cenaduria Elvira were the four East Bay spots to receive a spot in the San Francisco Chronicle’s roundup of restaurants with the best service in the East Bay.
Chez Panisse, Champa Garden, Rose Pizzeria, Spinning Bones, and Vientian Cafe got nods for best salads in the Bay Area.
Alameda’s Feel Good Bakery, known for its French-style bread and croissants, is shutting its two locations for good.
Babette is closing in Berkeley, as is the Miranda bar in Uptown Oakland, per Nosh.
Ice cream sandwich specialist Cream is closing its Concord location but will continue to operate out of a local commercial kitchen, where it will do catering and wholesale service.
AloJapan.com