‘Best restaurant in Alameda’ closed permanently last month

In a farewell note posted across social media, the Zafari family thanked customers for two decades of loyalty. The restaurant is named after their daughter.

“The pandemic was a rough time for the restaurant industry but Angela’s was able to sustain our staff and support the community because of you,” wrote chef and co-owner Saboor Zafari.

Originally opened in 2001 in Alameda’s Marina Village, Zafari and his wife Maria moved the restaurant to 1640 Park St. in 2015. Saboor emigrated from Afghanistan in 1977 and moved to Wisconsin, where he taught himself how to cook, alongside a classically trained chef, at an unnamed French restaurant he bought with his brother, according to a 2015 review by the East Bay Express.

Standout Afghan dishes included aushak, Afghan pan-fried dumplings stuffed with leeks and spinach, and traditional lamb kabobs over basmati rice. The menu also featured Italian and French dishes, such as lemon chicken and French onion soup, which highlighted Saboor’s cooking technique in other cuisines.

The family said they’re excited to move on to the next chapter of their lives, including the marriage of their daughter Angela, the restaurant’s namesake, which Saboor expressed in the thank-you note.

In 2015, Luke Tsai, current food editor at KQED, wrote that Angela’s was possibly the best restaurant on the East Bay island in the East Bay Express review.

“The fact that there isn’t a single trendy thing about Angela’s is part of its charm. The other, more significant part is the food: Afghan flavors filtered through the lens of old-school French cooking techniques and other Western influences,” Tsai wrote. “… Angela’s Kitchen serves food that is tastier and more ambitious than just about anything else you’ll find in its immediate vicinity. Pound for pound, it might just be the best restaurant in Alameda.”

Loyal customers expressed their thanks and well wishes in the social media comments.

“When we moved here 20 years ago, it was great to find such a special dining place in Marina Village. Many great memories of your nephews as the waiters there,” wrote one person of the family-run business. “… Wishing you and your family the best in your future.”