12 long-lived Bay Area restaurants we said goodbye to in 2024

During tumultuous times, we look for comfort. And we often find it in our go-to dishes at our longtime favorite restaurants.

But every year we say goodbye to many of those establishments. The ones we pay tribute to here had been landmarks for years, even generations. Some chefs and owners decided to retire or take a break. Others couldn’t weather the costs of doing business in this inflationary, post-pandemic era. Or ran up against redevelopment plans.

Here, in order of longevity, are 12 businesses that shut their doors after 25 years or more, plus a few revivals and relocations that we’re thrilled about. Let us know if we missed one of your favorite legacy restaurants.

CASPERS HOT DOGS, Hayward, 76 years

In late June, folks began rushing to the Caspers on C Street in downtown Hayward not just to savor one of the chain’s classic hot dogs — after all, there are five other Caspers, including a location just across town — but to eat one at this landmark spot.

This location was the oldest surviving restaurant in the chain, a Hopper-esque diner with a neon sign — an architectural stunner — that had been in operation since founders Rose and Paul Agajan built it in 1948.

The family described the planned closure as an economic decision made to “strengthen the health and future sustainability of the company.” Their five other Caspers, which remain in operation, are located in Pleasant Hill, Dublin, Richmond, on Oakland’s Telegraph Avenue and on Hayward’s Foothill Boulevard.

BURGER PIT, San Jose (the last one) and Cupertino (the first one), 71 years

Who better to operate a burger empire than a family named Berger? Oakland native Albert Berger launched the business with a few partners in 1953 as the Burger Bar. That walk-up stand at First and Keyes streets in downtown San Jose famously sold a bag of 10 burgers for a buck — an appealing deal for hungry students at then-San Jose State College.

The first location to be called a Burger Pit opened in Cupertino in 1956. For years, several operated under the motto of “good food at reasonable prices.” This past spring, customers flocked to the last location, operated by son Paul Berger at Blossom Hill and Kooser roads in San Jose, for a final Steerburger, a bowl of secret-recipe chili and salad with housemade blue cheese dressing (Berger does divulge what gives the dressing its zing).

With a huge rent increase in the offing, Berger said: “There’s no way (to continue). It’s time.”

UPDATE: Months later, the new tenants have moved in and named their restaurant The Barbeque Pit in homage to the classic burger joint. Nice touch.

PEZZELLA’S VILLA NAPOLI, Sunnyvale, 67 years

Generation after generation of Pezzellas have fed Italian specialties to South Bay residents. As the story goes, the patriarch and matriarch — Raffaele and Maria Pezzella — drove west from Brooklyn to the Bay Area in 1956 with sons Pat and Vince. A year later, Raffaele opened his restaurant at 952 W. El Camino Real in Sunnyvale with a staff of six, mostly family, and Villa Napoli was a success.

In 1975, the sons built the new, much larger Pezzella’s Villa Napoli nearby, at 1025 W. El Camino, and trained the next generations. They received praise over the years for their lasagna, eggplant parmigiana, pizza and a specialty burger, as well as their community involvement. The restaurant became a Sunnyvale landmark.

On June 22, 2024, they closed the doors for the last time. The website note from Vince, Maria, Ralph and Dominic reads: “It’s been a wonderful 67-year journey, through 3 generations. We have made many friends throughout the years and want to thank everyone for your love and support. Hope to see you one more time to say ‘Ciao.’ ”

FIORILLO’S, Santa Clara, 52 years

For decades, the Fiorillo family fed Santa Clara University faculty and football players. Santa Clara City Hall employees and Silicon Valley tech engineers. Birthday celebrants and anniversary couples.

In June, the restaurant success story came to a close as Michael Fiorillo, son of the gregarious founding chef and owner, Vincent, along with his relatives and staff, served their last plates of Seafood Pasta Fiorillo and Chicken Marsala — two of Vincent’s most popular recipes.

Matriarch Elaine had helped run a succession of Italian restaurants, sometimes seven days a week, since she and Vincent, both children of immigrants from Naples, moved to the Bay Area from New York City in 1972. “It’s time for me to enjoy my family,” she said.

UPDATE: The  massive restaurant and banquet space is now home to the Chinese fusion restaurant Home Eat, which serves Sichuan, Hunan and Taiwanese dishes 365 days a year.

STEAMER’S GRILLHOUSE, Los Gatos, 45 years

Steamer’s, the town of Los Gatos’ premier seafood destination and a downtown mainstay, will shut down after dinner service on Christmas Eve.

Siblings Paul, Mark and Linda Matulich opened the restaurant on Aug, 17, 1979, and Steamer’s had remained under that family’s ownership and direction since then. The restaurant moved to its current University Avenue location in 1999.

The family thoughtfully gave loyal customers a few weeks to get back in to enjoy their favorite dishes. As longtime seafood experts, the Matuliches had steered the menu’s evolution over the years, supplementing the classic entrees of Seafood Linguine, Steamed Clams and Atlantic Lobster (and always fresh fish) with dishes such as Asian BBQ Glazed Salmon and Roasted Mussels with a Thai Curry-Lime Butter.

In a sentimental note, they wrote: “This decision was not made lightly, and while it marks the end of an era, we want to take this moment to celebrate everything Steamer’s has meant to our family and to this wonderful community.”

JADE GARDEN, Walnut Creek, 36 years

Two weeks after the Lunar New Year in February, the Wangs closed the doors on their popular Chinese restaurant that nearly made it to four decades at the Encina Grande shopping center on Ygnacio Valley Road.

After the pandemic and the loss in lunch business due to the work-from-home trend, they decided that even a 10 percent increase in rent would be tough to shoulder, the family told KRON4 news.

Customer Veronica posted on Yelp that she was “happy to support a small Asian-owned business before they close their doors after an incredible 36 years in business,” and raved about the food and the child-friendly atmosphere. “The hot and sour soup had fresh shrimp and was really good so I got one to go. They have kids books in the back and a koi pond with 4 giant fish my kids adore. The chicken chow fun, the snow peas with shrimp and water chestnuts, and pot stickers were all very good.”

THREE BROTHERS FROM CHINA, Pleasant Hill, 32 years

Truth in advertising! Three brothers from China — Ivan, Steven and Allan Li — did indeed open this restaurant in 1992, about a decade after moving to the United States, our Bay Area News Group archives show. They closed the kitchen and retired on May 31 of this year, leaving scores of customers wondering where to go for authentic cuisine.

The list of raves on Yelp is a long one. Honey walnut prawns. Peking duck. Sesame chicken. Hong Kong-style noodles. Salt-and-pepper fish. Black pepper beef.

“It was my dad’s favorite local-ish Chinese food, and as a picky old Chinese man who loved to cook, that was very high praise,” longtime customer Steven T. of Benicia wrote.

Chris L. of Millbrae was a newcomer. “So incredibly sad to just discover this restaurant, only to learn that they will be closing at the end of May because their lease is up and they plan to retire. The food was SO incredibly good and authentic. I honestly never expected to find such a place in this area.”

MIKE’S DINER BAR, Palo Alto, 30 years

Telling customers it’s time for a new chapter in his life, the owner of midtown Palo Alto’s popular Mike’s Diner Cafe closed the restaurant after Father’s Day 2024.

“This has been the most difficult decision of my long restaurant career,” Mike Wallau said in a statement, “but after 30 years running various Mike’s eateries, it’s time for me to change direction, focus on my family, and grow my restaurant consulting business.”

The news came less than a year after Wallau, with the support of neighbors, prevailed in an eviction battle at the Middlefield Road property.

Before the shutdown, he said he had arranged for another family-oriented restaurant group to take over the space.

UPDATE: A rebooted Bay Area favorite, Kirk’s Steakburgers, has taken over.

BARONE’S, Pleasanton, 29 years

Since 1995, Barone’s has been known for Italian fine dining, with shrimp risotto, veal meatballs and beef carpaccio served at white linen-draped tables. Owners Joe and Maricela Barone first announced closure plans in late 2022, then kept the restaurant open another couple of years.

The last day of service finally came in October 2024, according to Pleasanton Patch. The couple’s note to customers read, “We are deeply grateful for the love, support and friendship you have shown us throughout the years. Barone’s wouldn’t have become the vibrant, welcoming gathering place it is today without all of you.”

A mixed-use development is planned for the property, which had been home to Casanova restaurant before the Barone’s era.

PLAZA GOURMET DELI, Foster City, 29 years

Farewell, Philly cheesesteaks.

This venerable deli, open for 35 years in San Francisco and 29 years in Foster City, boasted a whopping 11 variations on the cheesesteak theme, including versions with chicken, salami, mushrooms, pizza toppings or all-vegetarian on torpedo rolls. The sandwich menu also featured a European sandwich made with French ham, brie and sweet butter, and freshly roasted turkey options.

Proprietor and Bay Area native Pat Kelly described himself on the website as “the grumpy lookin’ but fun-lovin’ owner … who attended Junipero Serra High School and San Jose State University, where I played baseball and studied business.” A deli job in college led to the opening of Plaza.

In January, the family posted its thanks to loyal customers and employees, saying, “We’ve decided it’s time.”

MARKET HALL FOODS, Berkeley, 28 years

This May closing was a loss for the folks who frequented the Fourth Street location of the Market Hall — billed as a “marketplace for curious eaters” — but the huge, original foodie mecca remains mere miles away, in Oakland’s Rockridge district.

Again, post-pandemic challenges were to blame.

“Our store at 4th Street brought us many new friends and opportunities over these past decades, but like many other retailers and food establishments, we have been experiencing new challenges post-COVID,” co-owner Sara E. Wilson wrote to customers. “At our 4th Street location, the lunch rush was our busiest time, but with more people working from home, we could no longer rely on those customers.”

Fans will find seafood, meat, cheese, baked goods, produce, wine and a global array of culinary imports at the Rockridge Market Hall, which is marking its 37th year in business. The shops there employ upwards of 200 people.

CHEVYS, Emeryville, 25 years

The demise of sombrero birthdays on the waterfront in April was a loss to East Bay families. This location of the popular chain had opened in 1999 in what used to be — testing your memory here — a Charlie Brown’s steakhouse.

Customers could enjoy the restaurant’s “unique take on Tex-Mex cuisine, which included seasonal margaritas, flaming tableside fajitas and a tortilla-making machine in a glass-enclosed space that kids could endlessly watch,” our reporter John Metcalfe wrote.

But fans don’t have to go far for the experience. Chevy’s Fresh Mex still has Bay Area locations in Union City, South San Francisco, Fairfield and Santa Rosa.