There is a particular kind of cold that lives out near Taraval Street. It is a day in late June and there is no sun out here on Taraval and 21st, just the greyness of Central Sunset and Muni whirring by periodically. I love that for us in a country that’s sweltering in heat, and it affords me the opportunity to visit this spot’s latest addition: Jandii Cafe.
Jandii (pronounced jan-dee, after the Korean word for a lush patch of grass) is the newest project from Jiyeon and Hoyul Steven Choi, the couple behind one of the Bay Area’s quietly enormous restaurant families. You have probably eaten their food without knowing it: Sweet Maple, Kitchen Story, Blackwood, the U:Dessert Story boba shops, the Berkeley Social Club and its infamous Millionaire’s Bacon.
I stopped going into an office a decade ago, but I wonder when everyone else did. My guess is these are all SF State students. Pictured is 11 am on a Monday. There are two main communal spaces, wall outlets, a couple bathrooms, and wifi with purchase.
Newness can die off or carry a business, as we’ve seen with the enduring success of Game Parlour down the street. Jandii soft opened this past week on a moderately quiet spot with mainstays I’ve seen for at least a decade: the KFC Taco Bell at 1150 Taraval. New Taraval Cafe at 1054. And my favorite greasy spoon, Tennessee Grill at 1128. It’s also in spitting distance of a Public Library branch…