Hog Island Oyster Co. is bringing its Tomales Bay-to-table operation across the Caldecott Tunnel for the first time, announcing plans to open an oyster bar at 3596 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette in early 2027. The Marshall-based seafood company says the new spot will be its first-ever East Bay location, following locations in West Marin, San Francisco and Napa.
The announcement, made via press release, comes as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. The 2,200-square-foot space Hog Island is taking over was formerly home to Barranco Cocina Peruana, a coastal Peruvian restaurant that chef Carlos Altamirano opened in September 2017, according to KQED. Once built out, the Lafayette restaurant is expected to seat 130 diners inside, with an additional 40 seats on an outdoor patio, per the Chronicle's report.
What Diners Can Expect on Mt. Diablo Boulevard
The menu will lean on Hog Island's own harvest, offering fresh and grilled oysters grown at the company's farms in Tomales Bay and Humboldt Bay, alongside clam chowder, po' boy sandwiches and fish and chips. Beer, wine and spirits round out the bar program, the Chronicle's reporting indicates. The dining room will also incorporate large-scale artwork from local artists, a detail the outlet says is part of the restaurant's design plan.
San Francisco-based BCV Architecture + Interiors is designing the interior, continuing a working relationship the firm has with Hog Island. BCV Architecture + Interiors also has a Hog Island project in Larkspur.
From a $500 Loan to Five Bars and a Hatchery
Hog Island's roots trace back to 1983, when marine biologist John Finger started the company with a five-acre farm in Marshall on Tomales Bay, according to the Chronicle. Finger, now founder and CEO, said Lafayette felt like a natural fit for bringing Hog Island to the East Bay. The company has more than 300 employees as of late 2024, per Sunset Magazine.
Today the company harvests bivalves from 160 acres of farmwaters in Tomales Bay and 90 acres in Humboldt Bay, selling more than 5 million oysters and manila clams each year, the Chronicle's report notes. Co-founder Terry Sawyer is a partner at the helm of the company, according to Edible Marin & Wine Country. To study ocean acidification, the company operates a hatchery in Humboldt Bay and uses a Burke-o-Lator there to collect live data on seawater chemistry, per Humboldt State University's news service.
A Growing Footprint Rooted in Sustainability
Hog Island currently operates five oyster bars, located in Marshall, San Francisco's Ferry Building, Larkspur and Napa, along with its restaurant Tony's Seafood in Marshall and a retail window in Petaluma, according to the Chronicle. The company lists Tony's Seafood among its locations, per Hog Island Oyster Co.
The company is also a founding member of the Shellfish Growers Climate Coalition and draws roughly 80 percent of its farm energy from on-site solar panels as of 2021, according to NOAA Fisheries. The company frames its West Marin operations around sustainability commitments.
Lafayette's Changing Restaurant Row
Lafayette's arrival lands amid a wave of turnover along the city's Mt. Diablo Boulevard corridor. Western Flyer Brewing opened a 5,400-square-foot brewery and taproom at 3660 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in March, and the corridor has also seen changes among longtime businesses. The recent changes add to the evolving restaurant and retail landscape along the boulevard.
Hog Island's move into the former Barranco space adds another change along Lafayette's Mt. Diablo Boulevard corridor.
Hog Island's push into Lafayette adds to its existing Bay Area footprint, including its Napa outpost inside Oxbow Public Market. The company will become part of the Lafayette community once the build-out is complete, with the early 2027 opening timeline the only date confirmed so far in the Chronicle's report.
