Japanese Restaurant in Berkeley Closing

Fish & Bird Sousaku Izakaya, a Japanese restaurant at 2451 Shattuck Ave. in downtown Berkeley, said on May 18 that it will close next month. The restaurant said on social media that its final meal will be served on Sunday, June 14, ending a run of about six and a half years in Berkeley. KRON reported the closure this week after the restaurant’s announcement, and other local outlets said diners had reacted with disappointment online. The restaurant’s website remained live on May 21 and continued to list regular dinner hours and contact information. ### Which Berkeley restaurant is closing, and when does it shut down? Fish & Bird Sousaku Izakaya said it will close on Sunday, June 14. KRON reported that the downtown Berkeley restaurant announced the decision on social media and said that date would be its final service. (kron4.com) The restaurant is located at 2451 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley. Fish & Bird’s website identifies it as an izakaya-style restaurant and bar specializing in modern Japanese cuisine, and lists dinner service from Thursday through Monday. ### What did the restaurant say about the decision? The restaurant’s public message said, “Fish & Bird will be closing our doors,” according to reports that cited the Instagram post. (kron4.com) KRON said the post described the period in business as “a tough 6 1/2 years,” while What Now San Francisco reported that owner Yoshika Hedberg cited retirement and other factors behind the closure. (fishbirdizakaya.com) What Now San Francisco said Hedberg thanked the community in the closure message. Hoodline also identified Hedberg as the owner and said the restaurant would close after dinner service on June 14. ### How long has Fish & Bird been operating in Berkeley? Local reports described the restaurant’s run as roughly six and a half years. (kron4.com) KRON said the closure comes six and a half years after Fish & Bird first opened its doors, and What Now San Francisco described the business as closing after a 6.5-year run. (whatnow.com) The restaurant’s own website has older archived pages dating back several years and still presents Fish & Bird as an active business in downtown Berkeley. A Berkeley food site said the restaurant opened in January 2020, but KRON and What Now framed the tenure more broadly as six and a half years. That suggests the business may have begun operations or taken shape before its current full-service run; the restaurant has not published a fuller timeline on the pages reviewed. (kron4.com) ### What kind of place was Fish & Bird? Fish & Bird’s website describes the restaurant as “a unique Izakaya style restaurant and bar” with a modern interpretation of Japanese dishes. The site says the menu uses local and organic ingredients and includes a cocktail and sake program alongside dinner service. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Berkeley dining guide included Japanese restaurants among the city’s notable food options, and an MSN pickup of Chronicle reporting described Fish & Bird as a popular Berkeley izakaya known for creative takes on Japanese cuisine. (berkeley-eats.com) ### Where did news of the closure surface? KRON published a report on May 18 saying the restaurant would shut down next month. (fishbirdizakaya.com) Patch listings and other local aggregation pages also surfaced headlines about a popular Japanese restaurant in Berkeley closing, matching the timing and details of the Fish & Bird announcement. (sfchronicle.com) The San Francisco Chronicle’s May 18 sitemap also listed an item headlined that Fish & Bird, a popular Berkeley izakaya, is closing for good. That entry indicates the closure drew wider Bay Area food coverage beyond the restaurant’s own post. ### What happens before the final day? OpenTable still showed Fish & Bird as bookable this week, with recent diner reviews posted on the listing. (kron4.com) The restaurant’s website also continued to display Berkeley contact details, online ordering links and regular dinner hours as of May 21. Sunday, June 14, is the next named milestone for the business. (sfchronicle.com) Until then, diners can still find hours, reservations and contact information through Fish & Bird’s website and reservation pages for the Shattuck Avenue restaurant. (kron4.com) (opentable.com)