In this edition of Oakland Eats, a popular boba spot takes over a former Chinatown market, a Thai street food slinger moves into a former Mediterranean eatery, a café specializing in jambalaya spices things up, and an African-Caribbean chain opens a new outpost.
Let's dig in.
Royalteas USA: 702 Webster St.
In July. we reported the closing of New Tin's Supermarket in Chinatown. Now, tipster extraordinaire Al M. repots that a new bubble tea spot called Royalteas USA has started renovations and plans to open in the space at the end of this month or in early October.
A complete overhaul of the space appears to be underway, Al M. reports, with just about half of the work completed. "A tour of the place revealed...mostly plumbing and electrical [work] done, but no furnishings yet," he said.
Royalteas has another spot in Fremont (38509 Fremont Blvd.) and already has quite a following, so bubble tea fans should expect to see a similar menu with a few tweaks "just to suit nearby locals taste and demand," said Al. "Things like snacks and other desserts."
The chain is known for tea drinks made with milk, whipped cream and cream cheese, so look for items on the menu like cheese mousse mountain green tea.
For traditionalists, there is an array of milk teas with boba, matcha, matcha with red bean, and fruit teas.
Pin Toh: 1442 Franklin St.
Pin Toh—located in the former Adam's Mediterranean Grill & Café—bills itself as an affordable spot serving traditional Thai-style street food and is currently in its soft-opening phase.
Look for items on the menu like kao pad talay (basil-seafood fried rice), kaon soi, a chicken and coconut curry, a variety of veggie curries, and pad makeur with eggplant and tofu.
Pin Toh is open Monday–Saturday 11:00am–8:30pm.
Broke Local: 340 14th St.
A new café serving up soup, sandwiches, salads and more has opened up in the former KulTuah Café space Downtown.
Al M. reports "the place did a complete 360-degree turnaround. Gone are made-from-scratch Caribbean food to a subtle change of simple soup, salad and sandwiches."
Look for soups on the menu like gumbo and jambalaya and sandwiches like a BLT with house-made avocado spread.
Broke Local is open Monday–Friday 11:30am–2:30pm, closed on weekends.
Suya African-Caribbean Grill: 1312 Broadway St.
Lastly, we reported in May that Suya African-Caribbean Grill's third location was in the works, taking over a former Subway sandwich shop on Broadway.
Now Al M. reports the space has officially opened for business, serving up an array of grilled skewers like beef, tilapia, chicken, veggies and more.
Suya African-Caribbean Grill is open Monday–Friday 11am–6pm. It's closed on weekends.
Thanks to tipster Al M.! Have you come across a new restaurant (or one that's closed) in Oakland? Text your tip and a horizontal photo to 510-757-9959. If we use your tip, we'll give you credit.
