Restaurant Watch: Yayu Closes, New French Bistro May Open, Morning Coffee and WiFi

Yayu Ethiopian Restaurant at 3343 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland, has closed, and its former space may soon house a French bistro, according to a report by Pamela Drake, director of the Lakeshore Business Improvement District, in the latest issue of the Splash Pad Newsletter. Drake reports that the bistro, operated by the owner of the Amalie wine bar in San Francisco, may open as early as March 2014.

Morning coffee and WiFi alternatives: The East Bay Express reports that an increasing number of dinner-only restaurants are using their space to serve up coffee, pastries and, usually, free Wi-Fi during the morning hours. Among them is Homestead, 4029 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. Others with similar schedules are Nick's Pizza on Shattuck Avenue in Oakland (no WiFi, though) and Temescal's Pizzaiolo, which has had morning hours for years.  Adesso, 4395 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, is expected to start morning open hours in late January or early February. See the complete Express article here.

Monkey Forest Road, which combined a cafe, art gallery and furniture store in a one-time bank building at 3265 Grand Ave., Oakland, has closed. See "Grand Avenue Cafe-Gallery Closes" for details.

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