East Oakland favorite Carnitas Carnitas Zamora is opening a 30-seat taqueria at 6633 Bancroft Ave in April, expanding its menu while keeping the Sunday truck ritual.

Rancho Cantina is expanding beyond Lafayette, taking the Cocina Hermanas space at 501 Hartz Ave in Danville with a targeted summer 2026 opening. The Danville spot will bring the Lafayette wood‑fired menu and a larger bar to Hartz Avenue.

Jake's Cafe & Catering in Livermore closed on March 23 after 12 years. Owner Jake Palmer cited health reasons and handed out free farewell breakfast burritos.

Juice House Co. will shutter its five Bay Area stores on April 4, founder Tiana Duvauchelle announced. Gift cards remain usable in‑store but refunds won't be offered.

The Berkeley L&L on Telegraph Avenue appears to have closed, with local reporting and the chain’s listings currently giving mixed signals. The shuttered storefront sits near the UC Berkeley campus.

San Francisco’s Flour + Water has opened a Pizza Shop in Uptown Oakland, bringing 96‑hour‑fermented dough, a delivery-first model and a few Oakland‑exclusive menu items. The new location joins a surging local pizza scene.

A family-run Burmese concept from Benicia and Concord plans an outpost at Old Oakland's Swan's Market, adding tea-leaf salad and palata to the market lineup.

Alli Li is turning the former Friends and Family into There/There, a bar-focused queer hangout with affordable drinks and community programming opening in May.

Kitava is opening a Walnut Creek outpost at the former Little Pear site, with co‑founder Bryan Tublin aiming for a late spring 2026 debut. The chain will bring gluten‑free, plant‑forward bowls and salads to downtown.

Nardi has opened on Telegraph Ave., serving Ethiopian and Eritrean breakfasts — enkulal firfir, genfo, dulet and a sharable Nardi special are on the morning menu.

Ace Seafood has quietly taken over Small Change’s Temescal spot, broadening the oyster bar into a casual seafood counter with fried plates, oysters and patio events.

Café Bolita has opened in West Berkeley, bringing Bolita Masa’s nixtamalized-corn cooking to a permanent corner. The cafe starts with takeout and parklet seating while renovations finish.

A 1930s Shell station on Russell Street has been reborn as The Station, a smashburger stand serving $10‑ish burgers, fast eight‑minute tickets and long lines. The tidy menu and patio vibe have made the corner a quick‑bite destination in South Berkeley.