There's a sign in the window at 2072 University Avenue, just off Shattuck, where Bobby G's Pizzeria used to be. It says North Beach Pizza is moving in. If you've ordered a stromboli in Berkeley in the last few years, you probably know North Beach Pizza already. It's been at 2420 Shattuck, on the other side of downtown. The move covers a few blocks.
That's what most of this fall's food news along Shattuck looks like. Businesses that are already here are trading addresses. Each move frees up a storefront, and in most cases a nearby operator has already lined up to take it. North Beach Pizza's current space at 2420 Shattuck is the exception so far, with no new tenant named yet.
A Pizza Shop Coming Back to University Avenue
Gustavo Ramirez helps run the Berkeley branch, and his father, also named Gustavo Ramirez, owns it. Ramirez told Berkeleyside's East Bay Nosh that the restaurant was once at 1598 University Ave. It moved to 2420 Shattuck after that land was sold to developers. So when the University Avenue space came open, the family signed a lease.
"It was just really ideal, really perfect. Everything kind of lined up perfectly for us to be able to make that move back to University Avenue."
In mid-October he expected to open "within the next few weeks." In late October the restaurant's own page still said "NEW Location Coming October on University Ave!" without a firm date. The menu isn't changing, according to Berkeleyside. That means the pepperoni, the cheese stromboli, the chicken parmigiana, and the Alcatraz, a ranch-sauce pie with chicken, gorgonzola, red onion and a spiral of Buffalo sauce.
The Ramirez family's ties go beyond this one shop. They own seven of the chain's remaining restaurants. Founder Altamir Souza opened the first one in San Francisco's North Beach in 1982.
The Address Swaps Run Up and Down Shattuck
North Beach Pizza's move is just the most recent one. Starting at Ashby and heading north, here's what has changed hands since late summer:
- 2971 Shattuck at Ashby: BKK Mexican and Thai opened in the former Taqueria La Familia this month.
- 2451 Shattuck: Eggy's Neighborhood Kitchen, the breakfast and brunch spot, is moving into the former Fish & Bird Izakaya from its old home in North Berkeley's Epicurious Garden.
- 2420 Shattuck: North Beach Pizza's current home. No next tenant has been announced for after the move to University.
- 2174 Shattuck: Sliver Pizzeria's downtown shop in the Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza. It's now Sliver's only Berkeley location.
- 2106 Shattuck: Ceré Tea, a matcha-focused shop, soft-opened in the former Happy Lemon.
- 2072 University near Shattuck: North Beach Pizza, coming soon to the former Bobby G's.
- 1941 University: Berkeley Bagels opened a second shop on Aug. 27, branching out from its Westbrae store on Gilman.
- 1511 Shattuck: Epicurious Garden, where Eggy's left, Shattuck & Butter is waiting to open, and The Burger Fix is taking a separate kiosk.
- 1500 Shattuck at Vine: Cheese Board Collective's expanded bakery and cheese shop. That move is already done.
Look at where the operators come from. Berkeley Bagels came down from Westbrae. North Beach Pizza is crossing downtown. Eggy's is heading south from the Gourmet Ghetto. Each of them was already serving Berkeley customers before taking a new space. When East Bay Nosh covered the bagel opening, it quoted Gilman store manager Alex Suon. He hoped the University store would bring the UC Berkeley population and the downtown neighborhood "the same great quality bagels, handmade, chewy New York-style bagels."
Eggy's Left Epicurious Garden, and the Food Hall Has Two Openings Waiting
Every move leaves a space behind, and Eggy's move shows how quickly those spaces get claimed. Eggy's had already left the food hall at the north end of Shattuck by September. By mid-October a brunch restaurant called Shattuck & Butter had announced a soft opening for Oct. 15 in the same food hall, Epicurious Garden. Berkeley Eats posted an update the morning of Oct. 15 saying the opening was delayed. Shattuck & Butter's own site still says "Opening Oct '26." It gives the address as 1511 Shattuck Ave.
A second Epicurious Garden tenant is waiting too. The Burger Fix, a smash-burger counter, is going into the former Hopscotch Chicken kiosk at 1511 Shattuck, Suite A. The food hall's page for it still says "Coming Soon" and that opening details "will be announced." The Oct. 21 Berkeley Eats digest put it simply: both openings "have been delayed, stay tuned."
Earlier this year, Serotonin Scoops opened in the same food hall on June 19. Down at 2451 Shattuck, Berkeley Eats expected Eggy's to soft-open the week after Oct. 14. If you go, check the restaurant's Instagram for current hours first.
Cheese Board Finished Its Move First
The biggest storefront change on North Shattuck is already complete. The Cheese Board Collective bought the buildings at 1500 Shattuck after its landlords decided to sell. Members told Berkeleyside in January that owning the property means Cheese Board stays on Shattuck for the foreseeable future. During construction, the bakery and cheese counter ran out of a modified shipping container parked outside the pizzeria.
According to the collective's announcements page, the container's last day was March 28. The expanded bakery and cheese shop soft-opened on April 10, and full cheese service came back on June 16. In January the collective described the plan to Berkeleyside. Customers would come in through the doors at Shattuck and Vine and leave through the old bakery storefront at 1504, with separate lines for cheese and for bread and pastries.
On this block the space didn't go to a newcomer. Cheese Board simply bought and absorbed the building next door.
Where the Moves Pull Back
Not every move is a step up in size. Sliver Pizzeria closed its roomy Southside shop at 2468 Telegraph after eight years. That leaves its downtown location at 2174 Shattuck as the one place in Berkeley for a Sliver sourdough slice. Sliver is a local chain started by three former Cheese Board members, so its downtown shop sits a short walk from where the founders came from. The Telegraph space already has a taker. Berkeley Eats reports that M2 Subs & Burgers is coming to 2468 Telegraph.
A few blocks away, Seniore's Pizza closed its branch at 2518 Durant Ave., open since 2014. A company representative told East Bay Nosh that the ebb and flow of Cal students throughout the year made business difficult.
Both closings were on the Southside, and both of the pizza shops that are staying or expanding chose downtown Shattuck and University. Those blocks serve office workers, BART riders and nearby residents as well as students, which is the mix Berkeley Bagels named when it explained its University Avenue opening.
Solano Gets Its Turn in January
North Berkeley's other main street is in the middle of a similar handoff. Oh G Burger at 1823 Solano Ave. didn't reopen on Oct. 15 as a window sign had suggested. It has closed for good to make room for Smish Smash. Owners Amy Han and chef Vic Donado started the smash-burger pop-up in 2020 at Cookiebar Creamery in Oakland and Neptune's in Alameda. Han told the San Francisco Chronicle, "We're really happy to be back in the East Bay because that's where we started." The Chronicle reported in September that they expected to open in January. Like the other operators on this list, they already have East Bay customers. Our Solano Avenue Stroll post has more on how quickly that street's storefronts turn over.
Two Dates Before the Next Opening
While you wait for the Shattuck openings, two dates are coming up. On Saturday, Nov. 7, Donato & Co. holds a ticketed tasting called Italy, Uncorked, with finger foods and more than 50 wines. A week later, on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 5 to 7 p.m., Fourth Street turns on its holiday lights at the Fourth Street Berkeley Dazzling Holiday Light Celebration at Fourth and Delaware. The lights stay on every night until February 2027.
Keeping track of which storefront goes to whom is a big part of how I market Berkeley homes. If you'd like to know how the new businesses near your block affect what your place is worth, Darlene Perry can walk you through it. Get your free home valuation and we'll start with your address.
