Oliveto, the 35-year-old Rockridge restaurant that led the way for the Cal-Italian food movement of the 1990s and early 2000s, will close at the end of 2021, co-owner Bob Klein told Nosh Tuesday.
“The life that has gone on here in the last 35 years has been remarkable,” Klein says of his restaurant, which Bauer has credited with inspiring notable Bay Area restaurants including Delfina, A16 and Flour+Water.
At street level there’s a casual-style Italian cafe, which Klein revamped in 2019 to serve slices of Roman-style pizza and whole-grain bagels from Berkeley’s Boichik Bagels, as well as grab-and-go sandwiches and a Mr. Espresso-fueled espresso bar.
Klein was firm, however, that he intends Oliveto to go out with a bang, not the proverbial whimper.
That “full blown” includes a resumption of many of the events that have made Oliveto a destination for the last four decades, including special dinners and offerings that loyal diners will recognize from years past.
While Klein declined to provide details on exactly what events Oliveto has in store, fans know that the spot is known for hosting days-long celebrations of ingredients like the truffle, as well as a destination “Oceanic Dinner” typically curated by Tom Worthington of Berkeley’s sustainable fish leader Monterey Fish Market.
“When you’re a purveyor and someone comes to you and wants to celebrate what you do, it’s like ‘yes, sign me up,’” Worthington said.
But though Klein says he’s retiring, that’s not quite true — he remains committed to Community Grains, the heritage wheat, whole-grain flour, pasta and bread company he founded to support California-grown grains.
Now Klein is focused on connecting Oliveto’s faithful patrons for one last hurrah, a doubtlessly jam-packed two months filled with diners who want to get one last meal in.
For its last two months in business, Oliveto’s upstairs dining room and downstairs cafe will be open seven nights a week.