Top Bay Area coffee shop and Indonesian restaurant have closed
Chef-owner Nora Haron announced the news, as well as the closure of her adjacent Indonesian-inspired cafe, Kopi Bar, in a press release Friday. Despite strong weekend crowds, she said that slow midweek activity was too much to overcome. Monthly rent for the space on North Main Street, a quieter stretch compared to the heart of downtown Walnut Creek, was more than $28,500, according to Haron. The businesses closed March 2.
The upscale restaurant and coffee bar opened in early 2023. At SanDai, Haron put a California twist on the cuisine of her family's Nusantara, a geographical and cultural zone which encompasses Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei, as well as parts of Thailand and the Philippines. Haron's sought-after dishes included her pickled pineapple topped beef rendang, fish fried rice and a raviolo stuffed with tiger prawn in a red broth.
'We really had a good time with the fun-loving atmosphere and sunny, stroll-friendly streets of Walnut Creek,' Haron said in an email to the Chronicle. 'We had a lot of very loyal, hyperlocal fans and we made such heartfelt connections in the community.'
Kopi Bar offered Indonesian-inspired beverages like creamy avocado coffees and coconut cappuccinos made with beans roasted by Oakland company Mr. Espresso. Pastries displayed Haron's baking expertise, with croissant muffins stuffed with coconut-egg cream and lapis gulung, a traditional Indonesian cake made with an egg-heavy batter featuring nutmeg and other spices. It ranked among Chronicle restaurant critic Cesar Hernandez's list of the Bay Area's best coffee shops.
While the first incarnation of Kopi Bar has closed its doors the brand will live on, Haron said, she hopes to expand the coffee shop to new locations through next year.
'We're growing, evolving, and bringing Kopi Bar to even more people,' she said. 'This is just the beginning.' A spokesperson for the restaurants said these plans are very early in development and no further information was available.
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