Virtue + Vice, the bar and restaurant that has anchored 267 Hartz Avenue in downtown Danville since spring 2022, is closing its doors for good. The restaurant will serve its final meals and drinks this Saturday, wrapping up more than four years in business.
Owner and culinary director Sarabjit Bajaj founded Virtue + Vice with a goal of serving fusion comfort foods from around the world, drawing on his own background working in hospitality hotspots across the globe. As reported by Danville San Ramon, the closure was announced in a social media post, with the team inviting customers to return for the final service. Over its run, the restaurant created 14 different menus and more than 100 different cocktails, a rotation that, per the restaurant's own account, reached a 17th seasonal chapter this spring.
Bajaj brought a well-traveled resume to the project, having previously managed kitchens and beverage programs at an internationally top-10 ranked hotel in Egypt as well as luxury resorts in South America, Australia, and Europe, according to the restaurant's own site. That global perspective shaped the menu's fusion of international flavors, and it appears to have resonated with diners: the restaurant earned three OpenTable Diner's Choice Awards during its four years in downtown Danville, generated directly from verified customer reservation ratings.
A Charity Program That Raised Six Figures
Beyond the food, Virtue + Vice built a name for its Dine for a Cause program, held Wednesday nights, which donated 10% of overall dining proceeds and 100% of server tips to charity partners, according to a Rubicon Programs post detailing the effort. Local volunteer groups frequently stepped in as guest servers during those Wednesday fundraisers. Altogether, the program raised more than $100,000 for local nonprofits, and restaurant management expressed gratitude to the local organizations and community partners that supported the fundraising, crediting customer support with making the business more than just a restaurant.
The restaurant also ran promotions like Thirsty Thursdays, which discounted spirits by 10% and seasonal cocktails by 20%.
A Hartz Avenue Address With a Long Dining History
Before Virtue + Vice opened there in spring 2022, the address was home to The Peasant & The Pear, a popular restaurant owned by Chef Rodney Worth. Patch reported that the restaurant planned to move to 111 West Prospect Avenue in 2020, according to Patch.
Virtue + Vice's closure adds to a pattern of turnover along the Hartz Avenue corridor. In March, Hoodline reported that Lafayette-based Rancho Cantina was taking over 501 Hartz Avenue, a few blocks north, replacing former tenant Cocina Hermanas. Downtown Danville's commercial core along Hartz Avenue and San Ramon Valley Boulevard is home to a range of businesses.
Rising Costs and Roadwork Squeeze Independent Restaurants
The closure comes as downtown Danville has also seen other changes. In April 2024, the town began construction on its $4.9 million Downtown Master Plan Catalyst Project, according to the Town of Danville.
For now, downtown Danville diners have one more chance to say goodbye. Virtue + Vice will serve its final meals and drinks this Saturday, closing the book on a four-year run built on globally inspired comfort food, rotating seasonal menus, and a charity program that turned Wednesday dinners into six-figure community giving.
