Casa Borinquena at San Francisco downtown food hall Saluhall will close Jan. 1

By Amanda Hari

Another restaurant is getting ready to close up shop at San Francisco’s downtown food hall, Saluhall.

Jan. 1 will be Casa Borinquena’s last day of service. Several others have closed just this year alone, including Momo Noodle, Kayma, and Tacos El Ultimo Baile.

The Nau family said it was a tough decision. For years, they have been building Casa Borinquena, trying to bring the community authentic Puerto Rican food that’s all 100% vegan.

“This business was my mom’s dream,” Emerald Nau explained.

Nau said growing up, her mom would always talk about opening a restaurant. In 2018, it finally became a reality when they started doing pop-ups in Oakland.

“Any place that was willing to take us we would work many different hours, cooking in ghost kitchens,” Nau explained.

Someone from IKEA tasted their food and pitched the idea of opening a location at Saluhall Food Hall. It sounded great, but in reality, it’s been a challenge.

“There’s been a lot of ups and downs, honestly,” Nau recalled. “When we first started, there was a lot of passion and excitement. But the area definitely impacts how business works.”

Nau said many people don’t realize there’s a second floor and that the crime, drug use, and people experiencing homelessness right outside the location deters customers.

“You’re seeing all this stuff, and then it’s like, ‘Am I going to park down there and my car is going to get broken into? ‘” said Nau, explaining the questions many customers raise.

Nau said issues with new management also impacted their decision to close.

“The food hall now is about to be under a new partnership, and it’s just been kind of hard to reach a mutual understanding,” Nau said. “I believe that the rent has also went up.”

Kerb Food was overseeing Saluhall since it opened in 2024, but now that the partnership has ended, Ingka Centres, the parent company of Ikea, is taking over.

Nau said until they close, they’re going to keep cooking.

“So, this is our chicken protein that we turn into skewers, or we chop up and put into our pastelillos or top our food off,” said Nau showing the kitchen.

They’re also thinking about what’s next. Casa Borinquena also has a location in Philadelphia, but they don’t want to lose their presence in the Bay Area.

“We’re trying to get into the East Bay because we’re located out there and it would just make it a bit easier,” said Nau. “We’ve been playing with the idea of opening in Oakland, maybe Emeryville, the dream is to be in Alameda.”

We reached out to Ingka Centres, but they have not responded yet.