Coming soon to Orinda: Equator Coffee’s 13th location will anchor the new CreekHaus development, bringing sustainable, women-owned coffee culture to the city’s evolving dining scene.
Orinda’s food and beverage scene is perking up. Two new projects are slated to open in coming months, including one that will feature an Equator Coffees cafe.
Another addition is Sorso, a wine bar and small Italian plates concept, set for the former Starbucks location at Theatre Square adjacent to the Orinda Theatre. It’s the brainchild of Daniele Carsano, a native of Turin, Italy, who has been involved with a number of Italian-inspired restaurants and bars in the Bay Area. Walnut Creek’s Montesacro (formerly Mint 54) is one and Casa Barotti, an Italian-Peruvian hybrid on College Avenue in Berkeley down the street from Wood Tavern, is another.
Sorso, which means “to sip,” will be a wine bar that offers cuisine focused on small plates as opposed to full entrees.
“We’re going to put in a light kitchen,” said Carsano, but the focus will be on wine. “I’m a passionate wine lover,” he said, “and we’ll have a broad wine list.”
Sorso will also have a full bar with “a robust cocktail menu,” said Carsano.
The site “just fell into my lap,” he said, but Carsano had been looking for a local opportunity. “I’m a long-time resident of Orinda and Orinda could use a contemporary restaurant. Sorso will be a different offering than what we currently have.”
The addition of Sorso at the prominent storefront location – which has been vacant for a significant time – should give the Theatre Square development a shot in the arm, boosting existing establishments such as the Fourth Bore tap room, Japanese eatery Serika (with relatively new ownership), and Shemroon, a Persian-inspired coffee shop next door to the wine bar.
Also expected to boost Orinda’s restaurant and bar scene is the upcoming CreekHaus development at the former Bank of America site across from Community Park.
As first reported in Orinda News last October, the CreekHaus project will house food and beverage purveyors at street level, while also serving as the company headquarters for the developer, the Orinda-based Paymun group of companies.
Paymun Chief Executive Ben Zarrin, an Orinda resident, is best known for his luxury home development in the Wilder section of town.
Marin County-based Equator Coffees, a women-owned company known for its sustainable practices, will anchor the project.
“We are thrilled to confirm that we are opening a corporate-owned Equator Coffee cafe at the CreekHaus development,” said Equator Vice President of Marketing, Shelby Colley. “This will be our 13th location, and we are super excited to join the Orinda community.”
The mixed-use CreekHaus project will feature a tap room called CreekHaus Beer Garden, complete with rotating taps of local craft beer and serve food provided by PizzaHacker, which has locations in Mill Valley and the Bernal Heights neighborhood in San Francisco.
The ambitious project is also slated to include an unnamed upscale “bistro” with a full-service cocktail bar, though details about ownership and management have yet to be disclosed.
A Paymun spokesperson said CreekHaus is expected to open this summer.
