California Italian restaurant The Rustic (215 Church Street) has shuttered after three years in the neighborhood.
The Rustic quietly closed in early September. A sign posted in the window around September 11 stated the restaurant was "temporarily closed until next week."
A phone number listed for The Rustic has now been disconnected, and the restaurant has not been open since at least September 3.
The Rustic at 215 Church St. quietly closed earlier this month. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline
Restaurant owner Zoti Ali Turap did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The former Chez Panisse alum also owns sister restaurant Tavola Rustica in Larkspur.
An employee at Tavola Rustica confirmed the closure to Hoodline and stated the restaurant had been sold to a new owner.
Despite being closed, The Rustic is still accepting reservations on OpenTable. Multiple reviews on the website indicate diners have shown up only to find the restaurant closed.
On a recent visit by a Hoodline reporter, table settings were still in place, and the menu was displayed in the window.
The Rustic opened in May 2025 in the space most recently home to Cook Shoppe, which had sat empty for four years.
The Rustic has been closed since at least September 9. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline
Hoodline readers will recall Cook Shoppe shuttered in 2019 in the wake of an investigation by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (CA ABC) for serving alcohol without a license, multiple lawsuits, and unpaid wage claims. The incident even spawned an 8-episode podcast called The Wedding Scammer.
Before Cook Shoppe, 215 Church Street was the longtime home of neighborhood favorite Chow, which closed in early 2019 after 22 years.
Public records show no permits have been filed and a liquor license transfer has not been initiated.
CA ABC spokesperson Devin Blankenship tells Hoodline, "There is nothing in our system yet for a transfer of that license."
Inside The Rustic, which reportedly has been sold. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline
The Rustic's seasonal menu offered customers wood-fired oven pizza, flatbread, steak, and fish. Additionally, the restaurant served house-made pasta and risotto.
The closure adds another vacant restaurant space on a block that has long struggled with vacancies. In January 2025, Il Casaro Pizzeria shuttered after six years in the space.
Hoodline will provide an update as we learn more about the closure and the new restaurant.
