Latest news with #KopiBar
San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Top Bay Area coffee shop and Indonesian restaurant have closed
SanDai, Walnut Creek's unique Singaporean-Indonesian restaurant, has closed. Chef-owner Nora Haron announced the news, as well as the closure of her adjacent Indonesian-inspired cafe, Kopi Bar, in a press release Friday. Despite strong weekend crowds, she said that slow midweek activity was too much to overcome. Monthly rent for the space on North Main Street, a quieter stretch compared to the heart of downtown Walnut Creek, was more than $28,500, according to Haron. The businesses closed March 2. The upscale restaurant and coffee bar opened in early 2023. At SanDai, Haron put a California twist on the cuisine of her family's Nusantara, a geographical and cultural zone which encompasses Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei, as well as parts of Thailand and the Philippines. Haron's sought-after dishes included her pickled pineapple topped beef rendang, fish fried rice and a raviolo stuffed with tiger prawn in a red broth. 'We really had a good time with the fun-loving atmosphere and sunny, stroll-friendly streets of Walnut Creek,' Haron said in an email to the Chronicle. 'We had a lot of very loyal, hyperlocal fans and we made such heartfelt connections in the community.' Kopi Bar offered Indonesian-inspired beverages like creamy avocado coffees and coconut cappuccinos made with beans roasted by Oakland company Mr. Espresso. Pastries displayed Haron's baking expertise, with croissant muffins stuffed with coconut-egg cream and lapis gulung, a traditional Indonesian cake made with an egg-heavy batter featuring nutmeg and other spices. It ranked among Chronicle restaurant critic Cesar Hernandez's list of the Bay Area's best coffee shops. While the first incarnation of Kopi Bar has closed its doors the brand will live on, Haron said, she hopes to expand the coffee shop to new locations through next year. 'We're growing, evolving, and bringing Kopi Bar to even more people,' she said. 'This is just the beginning.' A spokesperson for the restaurants said these plans are very early in development and no further information was available.
Eater
11 hours ago
- Business
- Eater
A Premiere East Bay Indonesian Restaurant and Cafe Has Closed
Fans of the Bay Area's favorite restaurants and cafes for Indonesian, specifically Nusantaran, cuisine winding down operations in the last few months. It's official: SanDai & KOPI Bar on North Main Street are closed. Owner Nora Haron confirmed the news in a press release on Wednesday, June 18. The Walnut Creek location will close in its entirety, as Sandai was the restaurant arm and Kopi Bar the cafe component. That said, Kopi Bar will move and expand into 'several' new locations in 2025 and 2026. 'We're growing, evolving, and bringing Kopi Bar to even more people,' Haron wrote in a statement. 'This is just the beginning.' Per the release, weekdays in downtown Walnut Creek have dried up. The foot traffic was not enough to cover costs, not to mention the gargantuan $28,500 monthly rent payment. The Sandai team pointed out three other Walnut Creek downtown businesses on Main Street have closed in recent months. Loyal Sandai enthusiasts began noticing signs of closure in the last few months, noting inconsistency on Yelp; in late May, local outlet Beyond the Creek tried to crack the case. The restaurant was a quick favorite for gado gado, mushroom satay, and fresh seafood dishes such as ikan pepes. Haron's work as an ambassador for Oakland's longtime roaster Mr. Espresso provided the cafe its own roast, the backbone to popular items including kopi avocado (literally avocado coffee in Bahasa Indonesian) and the Coconut Capp, an elegant blend of fruit and caffeine. While this closure marks the end of a cooking chapter for Haron, it sounds like Kopi Bar's future is bright. The cafe and pastry business will enter 'high-traffic, easy-access neighborhoods with population density' in the coming year. See More: San Francisco Restaurant Closings
