A fab reader tipped us off to this new coffee spot downtown, called CHAPEL HILL COFFEE CO.. We got in touch with owner Rafael Vizcaino, who opened the shop with his brother Jorge. They are currently softly open, with a grand opening planned for next month. They are serving Four Barrel coffee, along with pastries from Neighbor Bakehouse and tea from Chamois & Twig. The space was designed by Boor Bridges Architects (Four Barrel, Sightglass) and Kyle Minor Design (Farina Pizzeria), but some of the exterior work is on-going during the soft open phase. Hours are currently Mon-Fri 7am-2pm. 670 Commerical St. at Kearny, 415-948-8119.
Hayes Valley has a new place for boba tea, called CUBE TEA. It’s actually inside the Papabubble candy store, and they’ve partnered with Papabubble to make their “candy cubes,” a flavored spin on the usual boba tapioca. All the tea is brewed in-house and available with either milk or soy. Hours are Tue-Sun 11am-7pm. 488 Fell St. at Laguna, 415-355-1188.
There have been some changes at Italian restaurants in The Richmond, according to The Richmond Blog. Apparently, a new restaurant called LUNA ROSSA has moved into the former Mescolanza space on Clement. But it’s not a totally new restaurant; the owner, Jeff Piccinini, was one of the original owners of the space, years ago. They sold it to a former employee, but have now moved back in. Piccinini reports that they are currently softly open, and are offering classic menu items along with some new choices. The space has a pizza oven, and they hope to add more creative combinations to their pizza toppings and utilize more seasonal produce on the menu, which you can peek at here. Hours are Sun-Thu 5pm-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-10pm. 2221 Clement St. at 23rd Ave., 415-379-4910.
This does not, however, mean the end of MESCOLANZA. Liquor license activity shows that they have relocated to a space on Geary at Second Avenue, in the home of the now closed Ichiraku. Their website reports that they will be opening soon, but no word on exactly when. 3750 Geary Blvd. at 2nd Ave.
The interior at Chapel Hill Coffee Co. Photo courtesy Chapel Hill Coffee Co.
