the cheese board to unveil new expanded space april 10
after a brief hiatus while the team readies for reopening, berkeley's 58-year-old worker-owned cheese board bakery and cheese shop will open its handsome, newly expanded retail and kitchen space a bit earlier than expected, with a soft opening on april 10.
the final day for the temporary shipping container that has served the cheese board community since january as a retail outlet will be tomorrow, saturday, march 28. the cheese board bakery and cheese shop will then remain closed from march 29 through april 9.
the cheese board's long-anticipated expansion project helmed by levitch associates has married the cheese board bakery and cheese shop's original space at 1504 shattuck avenue with an adjacent, corner site at 1500 shattuck, growing the venue significantly.
an early peek reveals an upgraded, roomy new space outfitted in natural woods and sleek tile from heath ceramics, with a feel that is both spruced-up but also warmly familiar.
the upgraded retail area will feature a brand-new cheese counter in the north corner (cheeses cut to order coming in may), spacious bakery counter in the center of the room, and dedicated coffee station in warm earth tones near the exit.
the selection of products for sale at the cheese board will also expand to include new pantry goods such as rancho gordo beans, blue willow tea, oaktown spice shop spices, various new mustards and salts, and both saba and girl meets dirt jams, along with other retail products. there will also be a fresh selection of books and cookbooks and, for the grand opening (coming in may), opinel knives and jk adams cutting boards.
also new will be a broader view onto bakers at work at a large open kitchen beyond the retail space. farther behind the scenes, cheese board pizza's team members will now have more room for busy kitchen prep.
with the new space, customer flow should be clearer, smoother and more efficient, with more breathing room – visitors were often gently redirected in the tighter areas of the former shop. the wonderfully old-fashioned cheese board system of using playing cards to take turns at the cheese counter will also make a return.
throughout the closure and reopening of the bakery and cheese shop, cheese board pizza's regular schedule will remain as usual; par-baked pizzas will also be available.
the cheese board bakery and cheese shop will be temporarily closed from march 29-april 9, 2026, and will reopen friday, april 10, 2026, at 1500 shattuck avenue in berkeley.
march 27, 2026 (tips please; happy spring break busd; like berkeley eats? please feel free to forward.)