Walnut Creek `castle' now home to Panama Bay Coffee
Panama Bay Coffee Co. is breathing new life into a Walnut Creek building that's been vacant for a decade.
Seven years in the making, Panama Bay at the Castle has opened in the tiny, spire-topped brick building at the corner of California Boulevard and Bonanza Street in downtown Walnut Creek. The coffee shop offers hot and cold espresso drinks, pour-over coffees, housemade natural energy drinks, baked goods and more. It opens at 6 a.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. on weekends at 1499 N. California Blvd.
This marks the fourth location for the Bay Area-born coffee company, which started in 1993. The flagship cafe is located at 2115 First St. in Livermore. There are kiosks in Oakland and Vallejo, too.
Panama Bay president and co-founder Steve Welty, a Walnut Creek resident since 1989, remembers taking his kids for fro-yo when the vine-covered, Danish-style building was home to Yogurt Castle.
Welty started eyeing the vacant property in 2015. But his vision for “the castle” didn't take shape until a few years later when he found the right contractor. Inside, the brick walls and inner tower are covered with signs displaying positive affirmations.
Outside, a walk-up window on California Boulevard makes it easy to grab a latte or pastry on the go. A smiling greeter can often be spotted on the corner waving at drivers, just because.
“The castle is such a great setting. We want to be a place that enhances the experience of living here or visiting Walnut Creek,” Welty says.
In addition to pour-over coffees and espresso drinks, the menu features teas, smoothies, ice-blended coffee drinks, milkshakes and Torani syrup-spiked energy drinks made from the fruit of green coffee beans. Those come in six flavors, including Orangesicle and Pina Colada. Baked goods and pastries include cookies, croissants, scones and gluten-free muffins and brownies. Look for affogatos, ice cream sandwiches and egg sandwiches soon.
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Campbell's Naschmarkt brings its Austrian fare to Palo Alto
For a decade, downtown Campbell's popular Naschmarkt, named after the largest open-air produce market in Vienna, has been serving Austrian specialties — from Kraut Rouladen and Spaetzle to the classic Wienerschnitzel with lingonberry sauce — plus seasonal California dishes.
Now there is a Naschmarkt North. Dino Tekdemir, who has owned the restaurant since 2019, saw there was a desire for this sort of place on the Peninsula. So he closed his Anatolian Kitchen in Palo Alto, part of the broader California Avenue restaurant row, and remodeled the space for a transition to Austrian cuisine.
Naschmarkt supplements the traditional and “new Austrian” dishes with chef-driven specials (think Pan Roasted Grouper and Duck Pot Pie). For dessert, Apple Strudel and an ethereal souffle, the Salzburg Nockerl, lead the menu. Naturally, there are dozens of Austrian and German wine and beer offerings to pair with every course.
And the Palo Alto location, unlike the Campbell one, serves lunch. Look for sandwiches stuffed with schnitzel, sausage or eggplant, a Nasch burger, chilled
Fish Tartine, plus a few of the dinner entrees.
DETAILS >> Open Tuesday-Sunday for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and for dinner starting at 5 p.m. at 2323 Birch St., Palo Alto; https://naschmarkt-restaurant.com.
Belly restaurant opens new Oakland location in Rockridge
The idea at Belly, the new Asian- and Cali-inspired eatery in Oakland's Rockridge district, is to fill your tummy with no-frills good food that comes in the form of tacos, burritos and bowls.
Owner Alice Woo unveiled the second location of her bright, fast-casual restaurant last week in the spot formerly housing The Hideaway at 5634 College Ave. While the original Belly, located downtown on San Pablo Avenue, serves lunch and dinner, Woo's new location is starting with lunch service only, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Monday.
There are 10 mouth-watering tacos on the menu, from the Belly (house-marinated steak, rice, Korean slaw, kimchi aioli) to the Spicy Chicken (spicy honey-fried chicken, peanuts, sesame slaw, cucumbers) and each will run you about $6.50 each.
Upgrade to a green tortilla-wrapped burrito or a bowl stuffed with fries, like the Surf, made with tempura fish, avocado, pico de gallo, sambal aioli, spicy crema and multigrain rice, for $16-$18. Belly offers six types of fries — the Korean Cali fries feature a fried egg, cheddar and marinated sirloin — as well as tots, onion rings and salads. Don't miss craft sodas and housemade seasonal lemonades.
Willow Glen Restaurant Week heads into its last day
Today is the final day to find Willow Glen Restaurant Week dining deals along Lincoln Avenue in San Jose.
A dozen establishments are offering special fine-dining experiences and casual/family discounts for the event, sponsored by the downtown Willow Glen Business Association.
Among the money-saving options: Both Vin Santo and Braise have created prix fixe tasting menus. Willow Street's $50 dinner deal includes one pizza, one salad, one dessert and two beverages. Round Table Pizza is offering a Large “Double Play” Pepperoni Pizza for $19.99. At Tarah Thai Kitchen, receive a free Thai tea with a $30 order. Mariette Chocolates will take $5 off an order of $30 or more. The Wheelhouse of Willow Glen is offering $5 off the price of any pitcher of beer.
Both Willow Glen Sweet Shoppe and El Halal Amigos are offering discounts of 15% and 10%, respectively, on purchases.
Find more, along with menu details, at www.willowglen.org.