STREET TALK | CYNTHIA TRAINA

Restaurateur Kevin Chen keeps renting more neighborhood storefronts. His latest is Yuzu, on Sutter Street near Fillmore, painted, appropriately enough, bright citrus yellow. It’s part takeout counter, part grocery and — in the evening, behind a refrigerator door — a “speakeasy omakase” serving a 12-course tasting menu for $65 at a 10-seat counter. Chen says his seafood purchasing power lets him keep the price unusually low. The goal is omakase without the special occasion price tag — “a very affordable omakase dining experience with a very fun casual setting,” he says.

And he’s not done. Chen is also launching Avocado Green, a tea and coffee shop in the windows of the Nono Baru space at 1800 Fillmore. The corner spot is soft-opening now with handcrafted drinks, premium matcha lattes, housemade pastries and takeout food. Yuzu joins his other neighborhood ventures: Don Don, Ninniku and Nono Baru.

MORE KOREAN OPTIONS: Already we reported that the former Pride of the Mediterranean space at the corner of Fillmore and Sutter would become a Korean restaurant from the team behind the Jevikal food truck. Now it has a name: Matdol Tofu.

The concept comes from Jiman Jang, who moved to the Bay Area from Korea last year after running the salad brand Sweet Balance there for about a decade. Earlier this year, Jang and his partners launched Jevikal, a San Jose food truck serving gimbap and dakgangjeong. The new Fillmore restaurant will center on handmade tofu, with dishes including sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew), L.A. galbi (marinated short ribs) and deulgireum makguksu (buckwheat noodles with perilla oil). The team is also working on allergy-friendly and vegan options.

Jang says the location has special resonance because Fillmore is only a few blocks from where Korean immigrants first put down roots in America more than a century ago. The Gongnip Association for newly arrived Koreans moved its headquarters to 1944 Buchanan Street in 1908.

“We felt this neighborhood would truly understand the spirit of what we’re bringing with Matdol,” he says. His team is aiming to open in December or January.

NEW RETAIL & FOOD: Tacos El Patrón, which is taking over the former Black Bark BBQ space at 1325 Fillmore, has just opened its doors. … Spanish footwear brand Alohas is taking over the former Rocksbox space at 2208 Fillmore, next door to D&M Liquor, adding another international fashion name to the street. … Still to come: Hello Mart is opening on September 12 in the combined grocery store and former Buchanan Cleaners space at 2137 Buchanan, bringing groceries, takeout bento boxes and a coffee bar to the otherwise residential block.

HELPING THE HOMELESS: Many in the neighborhood have noticed more people sleeping on the street in recent months. Supervisor Stephen Sherrill recently met with Fillmore merchants about street safety and homelessness, and Sherrill said his staff is working to get to know the regulars and connect them with services.

A FILLMORE CO-OP? With the Webster Street Safeway gone and the Lucky supermarket on Fulton preparing to close, some residents near Fillmore are wondering whether the neighborhood should take groceries into its own hands.

About 75 people gathered recently at the African American Art & Culture Complex to explore creating a community-owned grocery store. The effort is led by neighborhood resident Emma Dolan, who has been studying models including San Francisco’s Rainbow Grocery and Oakland’s Mandela Grocery Cooperative. The idea is in its early stages, and even supporters acknowledge that a co-op takes years to build. But with fewer nearby options — particularly for seniors and residents without cars — there is plenty of interest in both short- and long-term solutions.

District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood says the Safeway closure remains “a major concern for the whole community.” He is working on planning and zoning changes, part of his Affordable Groceries Act, that would make it easier for new grocery stores to open across San Francisco.

Cynthia Traina is a residential realtor with Vantage Realty. Contact her with news or suggestions at CT@CynthiaTraina.com or @PacificHeightsRealtor.