Openings, with an international chain theme.
- Shancheng Lameizi Hot Pot (Milpitas) international Chongqing hot pot chain
- YH-Beijing (SF Lower Haight) in the former Chinese American Wonderland space. Yelpers say it’s a collaboration of Wonderland owner,
who is still there. Beijing dim sum (is this sourced from Dim Sum USA or made by a former Chili House Chef?), a variety of XLB, and Beijing roast duck “coming soon” - Eden Silk Road international chain has opened a more casual style Oakland location (previously reported by @zippo1)
- Guilin Rice Noodles [edit: not affiliated with chain elsewhere in SFBA]
Closed:
- Alley House (Shanghainese, Inner Richmond) has been replaced with Wei Guo Kitchen. No word yet on when they open or format.
- England Rose Garden (Taiwanese) at 640 Barber Ln Milpitas
Openings:
- Grand Hotpot (Pacifica) is owned by long-time restauranteur Louis Kuang who we’ve previously discussed as owning Cantonese and Sichuan restaurants and owns Grand Hot Pot Lounge in Inner Richmond among other places.
- In the former Eden Silk Road space, Chef Sha (San Mateo) has hot pot, shaokao (skewers), and 江湖菜 (“river-and-lake cooking”) which refers to a genre of Chongqing cuisine .. Fuchsia Dunlop’s “Food of Sichuan” says it is the “kind of rough, generous, spicy food enjoyed by laborers eating by the riverside” and “you can tell you’re in a jianghu Chongqing restaurant when you have to pluck small morsels of chicken or eel from a colossal pile of chilies and you’re surrounded by noisy, laughing, red-faced people.” A few localrestaurants use this term, e,g., Chef Zhao in San Mateo’s “Boiled fish fillet with flaming chili (river and lakes boiled fish) 江湖水煮魚“.
Anyway, the liquor license indicates Chef Sha refers to Huiru Sha. I found someone by that name. in public records for Little Lamb Mongolian Hot Pot in San Jose and there’s overlap in the menu too. Incidentally, the Little Sheep Hot Pot next door is temporarily closed. Chef Sha menus (excluding hotpot) below:
