A simmering dispute with a Fruitvale landlord nudged a home cook out of her apartment kitchen and into one of Oakland’s buzziest new restaurants. What started as a few weekend bowls for friends and neighbors has turned into a counter-service residency at the Aloha Club, where lines now form for kathiew, a Cambodian beef noodle soup. Chef-owner Nena Naek is channeling family recipes into a tight, weekend-only menu that leans hard into comfort and distinctive ingredients.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Naek launched InNenasKitchen in March 2024 as a home restaurant in Fruitvale. The project quickly jumped from roughly 50 bowls a week to more than 100. The Chronicle reports that Naek now burns through about 200 pounds of beef ribs and around 200 quarts of broth each week to make her kathiew, which goes for about $20, and that shrimp rolls and pig-ear sausage round out the menu. When her landlord told her to shut down the home operation, Naek moved first into a warehouse space and then into a weekend residency at the Aloha Club.
Per a California Secretary of State business record compiled by BizProfile, InNenasKitchen LLC was registered on Feb. 9, with Nara Nena Neak‑merquillo listed as manager. That filing signals a shift from underground pop up to emerging commercial venture, even as Naek keeps her weekday job in the medical field. The paperwork gives the growing operation a formal base to build on if the crowds keep coming.
Where It Fits In Fruitvale
Eater SF notes that Fruitvale is packed with immigrant-run restaurants, taco trucks and pop ups that can turn small projects into neighborhood fixtures in a hurry. The Aloha Club at 952 Fruitvale Ave. has become a kind of weekend clubhouse for rotating kitchens, with an outdoor patio and walk-up counter that fit a family-run setup. That mix of steady foot traffic and a ready-made stage has pushed InNenasKitchen beyond its home-kitchen loyalists.
“I always thought, ‘I need to put my mom and grandmas’ recipes on the map,’” Naek told the San Francisco Chronicle. The Chronicle reports she runs the weekend service alongside her mother, fiancé, niece and daughter, with each relative handling a slice of the work, from condiments to cooking to counter duty. That family-powered model, paired with a short, carefully executed menu, is what turned a landlord squabble into a small culinary phenomenon.
For now, Naek is keeping InNenasKitchen to weekend service at the Aloha Club, letting demand and broth supply determine whether it grows into a full-scale restaurant. The move into Aloha adds one more layer to Fruitvale’s already deep dining scene and shows how small, family-run outfits can formalize quickly when demand collides with a visible platform. If the interest holds, expect more sold-out nights and long lines snaking past Fruitvale’s patio tables.
