Cotogna to Close Three Months as T&T Supermarket Lands in SF

Cotogna will close on January 15 for a renovation of roughly three months, while a vacant Best Buy box at San Francisco's City Center just became the Bay Area's newest T&T Supermarket. Those two facts frame a week in which operators expanded, retrenched and, in one case, broke the law.

The Asian Canadian grocery chain opened in the long-empty former Best Buy space next to the Geary Boulevard Target. T&T sits alongside H Mart as a major Asian grocery destination. Its draws include the whole-bird butterflied fried chicken called Papa Chicken, an extensive bakery, house brands of dumplings and buns, and a large fish counter. For the mall's landlord, the lease fills a box that sat vacant for years. The chain did not disclose square footage or headcount.

Why is Cotogna closing?

The Jackson Square Italian favorite will shut for a months-long renovation beginning January 15, as the SF Standard reports. The kitchen and prep space were designed in the last decade to serve 36 indoor seats. The parklet added roughly 100 seats. The back of house never caught up. The renovation expands kitchen and prep capacity and replaces the pizza oven. Sister restaurant Quince, next door, underwent a similar extensive renovation several years ago. Cotogna has not announced a reopening date beyond "about three months." Operators rarely hit that estimate on schedule.

What is opening now?

• Yabani, a cocktail bar mixing Japanese and Arabian flavors, opened November 6 at 1779 Folsom Street, in the former Nihon Whiskey Lounge space. Owner Khaled Dajani, who also owns the amaro-focused Bar 821 on Divisadero, built the concept with beverage director Mohammed Zagha. It will operate only Fridays and Saturdays for the next couple of months, with fuller hours after the new year. The focus is customizable Japanese-style highballs, varied by spirit and flavor profile, while retaining some of Nihon's Japanese influence.
• Neul, a Korean brunch spot, is headed to the Pistachio Kitchen space in Lower Pac Heights, per the SF Business Times. The target opening is mid-December. Pistachio Kitchen, three years old, has not yet closed. Neul describes itself as "a modern neighborhood kitchen bringing a fresh take on brunch, coffee and everyday dining... inspired by Korean roots and a love for good food."
• CoCo Ichibanya, Japan's biggest curry chain with more than 1,000 locations there, opens its first Northern California restaurant in mid-December at 19900 Vallco Parkway in Cupertino. The 50-seat unit follows several in Southern California and Texas. The menu centers on Japanese chicken cutlet curry with customizable toppings, plus dumplings, spicy teriyaki fried chicken and curry udon bowls.

What happened with the crab?

California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers cited 11 people at Thornton State Beach in San Mateo County for poaching Dungeness crab before the season opened. The group waded into the water with buckets after dark, was reported by a concerned citizen, and was cited for fishing out of season, taking undersize crabs and taking over-limit crabs, KRON4 reports. Recreational season opens Saturday. The commercial season is delayed again, because of migrating whales. That delay squeezes suppliers and keeps crab off menus at the price point operators planned for.

Who else is moving?

Original Joe's is eyeing the former Left Bank Brasserie space at 635 Santa Cruz Avenue in Menlo Park, the Chronicle reports. The mayor announced the deal prematurely; no lease is signed. Read that as interest, not commitment.

Pizzaiolo Anthony Mangieri of Una Pizza Napoletana returns to San Francisco for two pop-ups. The November 16 ticketed event at A16, marking "30 years of Una," sold out in seconds, possibly to bots. A November 17 morning appearance at Linea in the Mission has no public details yet.

Finally, the Chronicle's critics are now publishing reviews weekly, still slower than Michael Bauer's one-man pace. Cesar Hernandez gave Hannosuke, a donburi chain that opened in San Jose in September, one star. He wrote that the location may not match the Tokyo flagship, but still delivers "crackling tempura" and the chain's signature Edomae-style tendon sauce. The 22-seat dining room regularly draws a line out the door, a signal that one star has not dented demand.