farewell to the spanish table in berkeley
as announced today on instagram, and reported on by the chronicle, next sunday will be the last day of operation for the spanish table's berkeley storefront at 1814 san pablo avenue after 24 years.
the longstanding berkeley shop featuring spanish cookware, tableware, pantry items, cheeses, meats, a wide range of spanish wines and other specialty imports was first opened by steve winston and sharon baden in 2001.
it was immediately heralded as a keystone destination in foodie berkeley, and over the years grew to encompass an online retail presence and two additional bay area locations, one in marin (now closed) and one in san francisco.
current owner bastian schoell has outlined his reasons for the berkeley closure on the spanish table's blog. they are multiple, from post-pandemic retail and foot-traffic changes to the current administration's tariffs on european goods.
however, both the online and san francisco retail components of the spanish table will remain open, and among other developing concepts, the team's ongoing food collaboration with berkeley's new evergreen cafe will continue, and possibly become more robust beginning in september.
meanwhile, the spanish table's berkeley location will shutter after a three-day closing sale (friday-sunday) next weekend, with discounts on everything from ceramics to rare madeiras.
the spanish table's berkeley storefront at 1814 san pablo avenue in berkeley will close on august 17.
august 9, 2025