Encouraging news after the many recent challenges for hospitality businesses is a “surge” of new-restaurant openings around Mountain View such as I haven’t seen since pre-pandemic. Those below are in our downtown business district.
Hummus Mediterranean Kitchen, which has locations in SF and San Mateo, soft-opened July 21 at 185 Castro. The location housed past popular restaurants, including Jacqueline’s bistro and wine bar (closed 1993), Thaiphoon MV (closed 2011), and for the past decade, Ephesus (whose Turkish bakery-café sibling Olympus continues, down the street).
Occupying the 859 Villa space vacated in 2020 by Ramen House Ryowa is Katsu, a new high-end omakase sushi restaurant seating just 8, not fully open at press time. sushi-katsu-mv.com
“Coming soon” to 220 Castro (formerly Pho Hoa) is a new location of Ume Tea, a bubble-tea chain.
Pending at 738 Villa, Café 86 is a chain coffee-tea-dessert shop “From LA to the Bay,” emphasizing Ube (purple yam) desserts. cafe-86.com
Limón Rotisserie, the popular Peruvian restaurant chain, is due to open its Santa Clara County location, 800 California at Castro, where Flights closed in the pandemic. A licensing ownership-change notice appeared in May; remodeling is underway as of late July.
The old Yakko Sushi overhead sign remains in late July, but 975 W. Dana is gutted inside for conversion to a new restaurant, The Terrace.
In a long-expected move (see comments to May 2021 Update, link below), 147 Castro’s Hong Kong Bistro is merging into parent restaurant Fu Lam Mum, nearby. Amarin Thai Cuisine (174 Castro) will expand to use the former HK Bistro spot, reportedly mainly for take-out.
Supplemental news:
301 Castro at Dana (former Books Inc site): The florist tenant cited in August 2021’s Update opened for business some months ago as Bloomsgiving, “a combination florist, plant store and coffee shop” with local-resident proprietors Jessica and Daniel (Jerry Steach’s report in the Newsletter). Coffee and tea drinks are offered, with prospects of a larger menu later. https://www.bloomsgiving.com/shop/cafe/4
Venerable ramen restaurant Maru Ichi, where fresh noodles have been made just inside the front window for nearly two decades, announced plans to close “sometime in September.” This follows the closure of rival Ryowa on Villa St., the other of downtown MV’s longtime popular ramen houses. Thanks to Alex Park for the info: https://nextdoor.com/news_feed/?post=234446452
