2022 New Restaurant Round-Up

As businesses continue to recover from the turbulence of the pandemic, 2022 has been another year of growth in the San Leandro restaurant community. Year over year, San Leandro typically sees multiple new restaurants open all over town, even if some local favorites have also had to close. Here is a highlight of restaurants that opened in 2022:

Japanese restaurant Hanami filled the vacancy left by Noodles Pho Me at 377 Bancroft Avenue and offers sushi, sashimi, ramen, bento boxes, tempura, Japanese poke, udon, and more. There’s even a Hanami burrito!

Mochinut is a popular brand of mochi donuts, but San Leandro customers may also enjoy Korean rice flour hot dogs and bubble tea drinks. Mochinut opened at 185 Pelton Center Way this year, filling the space left by Maejoo.

Also in Pelton Center, Be Well Juice offers healthy cold-pressed juices and smoothies, as well as two hearty sandwiches. The menu boasts nine refreshing juices (which can be made fizzy upon request) and five or six abundantly fruity smoothies. Find them at 138 Pelton Center Way.

Fieldwork Brewing‘s new San Leandro Taproom & Beer Garden at 1495 E. 14th Street boasts 32 taps of fresh beers from their Berkeley brewery along with a full food menu of Neopolitan and Detroit style pizzas, Salads, and Small Plates.

Also at 1495 E. 14th Street, sharing a wall with Fieldwork, Dave’s Hot Chicken opened just before Thanksgiving, offering Nashville-style, spicy fried chicken that has been lauded nationwide.

Jin Gege is gaining support among locals for its offering of Hong Kong-style soy sauce chicken, or “see yao gai,” a Cantonese favorite often found hanging alongside roast duck and poached chicken in Chinatown eatery windows. In San Leandro, you can find it at Greenhouse Marketplace (699 Lewelling Blvd, Ste 270).

Tio’s Mediterranean Grill opened at 794 E. 14th Street in October and the menu mixes dishes from various Mediterranean locales, including Greece, Turkey, Iraq, and Jordan, thereby creating a unique offering of flavorful and halal choices.

After years of looking for a suitable space to open of a scoop shop, Koolfi Creamery opened last year at 599 MacArthur Boulevard. Kulfi is a traditional Indian sweet treat, a bit denser and creamier than regular ice cream, and with flavors such as rose, mango, saffron, cardamom, and pistachio.

San Leandrans revel in the diversity of their local eateries, and the continued growth of the culinary community in 2022 is an indication that San Leandro’s economy has returned to pre-pandemic strength. 2023 promises to continue this momentum, with a few restaurants already in the pipeline, such as:

• IHOP at 201 Davis Street
• Ike’s Sandwiches at 155 Parrott Street
• Nick the Greek at 1509 E. 14th Street