A new retro-diner-inspired brunch spot, Hilda & Jesse (701 Union St. at Powell) has just opened in North Beach, in the space formerly occupied by North Beach Gyros.

There's now a petition and multiple news stories about the fight to allow local burrito favorite El Farolito to open a new location in North Beach, which would be the brand's 12th in the Bay Area.

Most of the Bay Area is masking back up, at least in some situations, and tensions are high as COVID cases and hospitalizations tick up. But things continue to reopen, and events are still happening.

The Stinking Rose (325 Columbus Ave.), which opened in 1991 in North Beach and maintains a loyal clientele of tourists and garlic-loving locals, has been closed throughout the pandemic. And now we learn that it won't reopen unless a new owner steps in and wants to keep the concept going, with the original owners deciding to retire.

After nearly two years of being totally dark, the 102-year-old Tosca Cafe (242 Columbus Ave.) is opening its doors again this week, having undergone its second light remodel and refurbishing in the last decade.

Historic, beloved North Beach dive bar Specs turns 53 years old this week, and after nearly 14 months of being dark, the bar and museum of curios is planning to light up again next month and start slinging its cheap drinks outdoors.

Boasting 100 seats outside on two sidewalks, a much anticipated new tapas bar is finally debuting in North Beach following several months of introducing itself to the 'hood via a takeout window.

102-year-old Tosca Cafe (242 Columbus Ave.) is coming alive yet again in North Beach, after a too-brief rebirth last year, and following its much bemoaned 2019 closure.

A priest has died of COVID-19 at Saints Peter and Paul Church in North Beach, 27-year-old Muddy's Coffee House has closed at 24th and Valencia, and an East San Jose gym that had remained open in defiance of health orders has temporarily closed.

The Tacolicious locations at San Jose’s Santana Row and in San Francisco’s North Beach are no more – some of the latest casualties of pandemic economics.

A new Spanish tapas and aperitivo bar is preparing to open next month at the prominent North Beach intersection of Stockton, Green and Columbus.

Plus, Mexican-Korean fusion spot Tacorea is expanding to the North Beach/Chinatown border.

Third-party delivery services take a big bite out of revenue for struggling restaurants — a "predatory economy" that volunteers are fighting by delivering the food themselves.