{"id":418493,"date":"2026-07-30T20:47:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T20:47:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/418493\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T20:47:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T20:47:23","slug":"reems-california-on-mission-and-25th-will-close-for-next-two-months-after-hit-and-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/418493\/","title":{"rendered":"Reem\u2019s California on Mission and 25th will close for next two months after hit-and-run"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reem\u2019s California<\/a>, the renowned Arab street food restaurant started by Palestinian-Syrian Chef Reem Assil, announced today that it will close<\/a> its Mission District location for the next two months, after learning that\u00a0a hit-and-run that damaged the storefront last month may have caused structural damage.<\/p>\n

\"StorefrontReem\u2019s California at Mission and 25th streets will be closed for two months for renovations following a hit-and-run last month. Photo by Oscar Palma. <\/p>\n

The restaurant will stay open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Saturday, Aug. 1st, according to a post<\/a> on Reem\u2019s Instagram.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cInitial estimates put the cost of repairs at almost $200,000,\u201d the post added. \u201cBecause foundational damage may have been done to the building, the work may require pulling permits from the city, which could add up to six weeks to the timeline,\u201d .<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope insurance will cover costs, but we have yet to hear a definitive response regarding what they will cover.\u201d<\/p>\n

The June 10 hit-and-run, which damaged the north side of Reem\u2019s facade, came at an especially bad time, as Reem\u2019s prepared to open a new storefront<\/a> in Jack London Square in Oakland (the location went on to open in late June).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Management at first boarded up the damaged section and continued operations, but later announced<\/a> on July 12 that it was ceasing dine-in operations and reducing its hours in order to facilitate repairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Assil initially started Reem\u2019s as a pop-up at the Mission farmers\u2019 market, before joining La Cocina business incubator. She opened Reem\u2019s California at 2901 Mission St., after the building\u2019s owners reached out<\/a>, saying that they wanted a community-minded business to fill the storefront that was once occupied by Mission Pie<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Reem\u2019s opened in March, 2020,<\/a> just before the pandemic prompted a citywide lockdown.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite this, the business thrived. In 2022, Assil published Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora<\/a>, a cookbook featuring over 100 recipes as well as personal essays on family, food and identity.<\/p>\n

Assil, who has been an advocate for the Palestinian people, has been a target <\/a>of death threats online attacks in the past. But, Assil wrote in a text, the facts did not lead her to believe the June hit-and-run had been a targeted incident.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just unfortunate that our restaurant happened to be on the wrong intersection that night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Assil hopes her employees will be able to return to work once the Mission location reopens.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur message to our loyal clientele is the same as it always has been..gratitude for keeping us an anchor space all these years,\u201d Assil continued. \u201cOur desire is to continue serving our community despite the circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

A fundraiser to help with the cost of repairs can be found here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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