Standard Fare, one of Berkeley’s most popular restaurants for 11 years, is closing.
Chef-owner Kelsie Kerr announced on Instagram that the restaurant, well-loved for produce-centric daytime fare such as salads and sandwiches, will serve its last meals at 2701 Eighth St., Suite 118, on Dec. 19 so she can retire. Kerr confirmed rumors of an imminent closure to the Chronicle earlier this week, but did not provide a reason.
“It has been a real delight to feed and get to know you as the seasons rolled by. The team, past and present, has been amazing as well. Standard Fare could not be Standard Fare without you all,” read the announcement from Kerr, who previously cooked at California cuisine luminaries such as Chez Panisse and Zuni Café. Kerr also co-wrote the cookbook “The Art of Simple Food” with Chez founder Alice Waters.
Standard Fare began in 2014, offering prepared to-go meals from the window of a West Berkeley brick building. Kerr later revved up the operation to offer a daily changing menu of breakfast and lunch items, with counter seating along the window. In the morning, people line up for malty sticky buns and Spanish tortilla-like frittatas, and, in the afternoon, for sandwiches overflowing with the likes of kale, beets and hummus.
After a decade of solely offering midday fare, Kerr transformed the lunch counter into a full-fledged sit-down restaurant open for dinner, including a beer and wine license. Evening service kicked off summer of last year, and the restaurant earned a glowing review from Chronicle restaurant critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan, who noted her approach in sourcing seasonal ingredients and praised dishes like rosemary parsnip pudding soufflé, fritto misto with a varied lineup of vegetables, and salty beans with chile crisp…