After More Than a Decade in Downtown Oakland, Japanese American Diner Hopscotch Is Closing For Good | Eater SF

"After 11 years in the Uptown Oakland neighborhood, I find the impending closure of Hopscotch—set for Thursday, June 22—to be bittersweet. Itani’s first restaurant, co-founded in 2012 with Jenny Schwarz when he was 29, earned acclaim for its Japanese-inspired, American diner food, including a 3-star review in its first year from Michael Bauer, a Chronicle Rising Star Chef nod in 2013, and an appearance on Check, Please! Bay Area. Over time the operation shifted from lunch, happy hour, dinner, and weekend brunch to experiments with an all-day menu and then dinner-only as Itani tried to adapt to the changed dining landscape; special events consistently packed the room and ultimately turned Hopscotch into more of a special-occasion spot. Although the dining room will close, the food will live on as Hopscotch Catering (started during the pandemic), the Annex will host private events through the end of July, and the space is being prepped—alongside Low Bar owners and former Hopscotch employees Matt Meyer and Daniel Paez—for a new concept with cosmetic changes hoped to be completed by September; reservations for the final week can be made via Resy." - Dianne de Guzman