The former Le Colonial space has a taker, a beloved local English muffin maker is moving into the Castro, and an SF brewery expands to Mission Bay, all in This Week in Food.

The storied former Le Colonial space (20 Cosmo Place) near Union Square, which from the 1950s to the 90s was the original San Francisco Trader Vic's and which has been dark since last fall, has a new tenant. As the Chronicle reports, the takers are Juan Loredo and Jose Natividad, owners of nearby bar Persona, as well as Burlingame bars Barrelhouse and Vinyl Room. And we don't know what they have planned for the 16,000-square-foot space, but whatever it is it will be boosted if a neighborhood group succeeds in turning the small parking lot next to it into a park.

The space that was the longtime home of Fisherman's Wharf restaurant Pompei's Grotto, at 340 Jefferson Street, has finally been claimed. As the Chronicle reports, the new tenant will be Salvadoran restaurant Chasca Rio, run in part by former Boudin Bakery owner Lou Giraudo. Giraudo is part of a group working on a $550 million plan to develop Pier 45 with a new fish market, brewery, and pizzeria in addition to event and hotel space — a plan that is notably opposed by Giraudo's son Dan, who is the current owner of Boudin Bakery, which sits at the head of the pier. This new restaurant joins the already announced Everett & Jones BBQ, which is moving into the companion space at 300 Jefferson, the former Lou's Fish Shack. Both restaurants closed simultaneously during the pandemic and their leases were terminated in 2023. (Pompei's Grotto had been in the space since 1946.)

Tablehopper brings us the excellent news that the Castro is getting a new bakery specializing in puffy, thick English muffins, called Leadbetter's Bakeshop. It's moving into the recently vacated Castro Fountain space at 554 Castro Street, and starting in mid-May owner Jamieson Leadbetter expects initial hours to be Wednesday to Sunday, opening at 7 or 8 am. SF residents may be familiar with Leadbetter's English muffins from bags bought at Bi-Rite or from Good Eggs, but Leadbetter stopped selling them in 2015 in order to concentrate on other lines of business making gluten-free products. But now they're back, and the new shop will also feature breakfast and lunch sandwiches and English muffins in a variety flavors including plain, whole wheat, cinnamon raisin, cherry-chocolate, apricot-ginger, cheddar cheese, and roasted onion.

Over at the Ferry Building, high-end deli and charcutier Fatted Calf has reopened its newly remodeled space as of Thursday. As Eater reports, there is now some seating inside, and the meat and cheese case is "larger than ever." They're open 8 am to 6 pm on Saturday, 8 am to 4 pm on Sunday, and 10 am to 6 pm on weekdays.

Hi Hat, a new spot serving pizza, burgers, wings, and beer, has opened in the former Pi Bar space at 1432 Valencia Street. And they're hosting an artist's reception tonight from 5 to 8 pm if you want to go check it out.

And over in Mission Bay, there's a new taker for the former Seven Stills brewery and distillery space, and it's San Francisco Brewing Co. The homegrown brewery will expand from its Ghirardelli Square headquarters, as the SF Business Times reports, and take over the space at 100 Hooper Street that has been dark since Seven Stills shuttered three years ago. They are aiming for an August opening, and the place will be a brewpub and beer garden, with a food menu like the one at Ghirardelli.

Down in Paso Robles, celebrity chef Charlie Palmer, whose Dry Creek Kitchen did wonders for downtown Healdsburg when it opened over two decades ago, is taking over three hotel restaurants. As the Chronicle reported Friday, Palmer will be opening new spots at the Paso Robles Inn and its sister property, in the spaces currently occupied by The Steakhouse at Paso Robles Inn, Cattlemen's Lounge, and the rooftop bar Tetto.

Also in the Chronicle this week, Associate Critic Cesar Hernandez published a rave review of new Oakland restaurant Sirene, calling it the "best new restaurant of the year so far." It's a second restaurant for the owner and chef of The Morris, Paul Einbund and Gavin Schmidt, and Hernandez loves the array of shellfish charcuterie, including the duck and lobster mortadella. And he's a fan of the fried chicken, but says the mussels in anchovy broth "stilled my heart."