Excelsior Buzz: Thai curry with yard sale, and new pupusa joint on the way

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“Excelsior Buzz” is a recurring column on changes, tidbits and other news from the Excelsior. Got news? Send us tips at xueer@missionlocal.com.

Mystery solved: Amami Sushi, a Japanese bistro at 4435 Mission St. near Avalon Avenue that we previously reported to be temporarily closed, will not be gone for good, according to a Mr. Wu, who was in the shop on a Tuesday afternoon. 

Wu, who said his son owns the restaurant, revealed that Amami is only closing its doors briefly. Following a major cleanup and the delivery of some  new kitchen appliances, “We’ll open again in about 10 days,” Wu said in Mandarin. “Please come by!”

If you drop by Zabb Thai at 4440 Mission St. near Francis Street, you’ll still find the same affordable, flavorful Thai favorites, including pad Thai, pad see ew, and a variety of curries. But these days, you can also browse a small thrift selection while you wait for your food.

The owner, Anna So, is in the middle of decluttering her home and has turned half of the restaurant into a mini indoor yard sale. The display features everything from kitchen gadgets and books to old clothes and cleaning supplies.

Chopsticks Chinese Fast Food, a hole-in-the-wall at 4615 Mission St. known for quick and inexpensive meals under $10, has been closed for more than two years. 

And now, the space is set to become a new to-go restaurant, according to Eddy Martinez, a real-estate broker contracted by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development to support small businesses in the Excelsior. 

Martinez said the new restaurant is owned by Pablo Maron, who also owns La Espiga De Oro, the burrito/pupusa/tamale/taco mainstay at 2916 24th St. near Florida Street in the Mission District. Martinez, who helped Maron with lease negotiation, said Maron is planning on bringing his pupusas to the Excelsior. 

“He has experience running a business,” Marinez said. “And that’s good.”

Renovations inside the space are already underway. We’ll share an update once an opening date is announced. 

You now have a new spot to change your tires in the Excelsior. Check out One Stop Tire Shop at the triangle corner of Mission and Maynard streets. The shop just opened on Feb. 3, but it has tire-history: It housed Giusto’s Service from 1946 until several years back.

Kawalpreet, a 23-year-old who used to work at the One Stop Tire Shop’s other location in Antioch, said he is helping get the store up and running while the owner is away for a vacation. 

“We want to take good care of the people here,” Kawalpreet said. 

If you’re a business owner who wants to bring in more customers using Google, make sure to check out the free workshop on Monday, March 2 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Excelsior Library at 4400 Mission St. 

The workshop will go over how to optimize your Google business profile so that your shop will pop up when people look up products and services like yours. It’s part of a series of workshops at the library oriented towards small business skills; business lease negotiation is next on the schedule. For a complete list of what’s going at the Excelsior Branch click here.