Tomate Cafe’s sandwich board sign, perched for so many years on Sixth Street, is gone. When the status of Tomate comes up in an online search, the words “permanently closed” are highlighted in red. The 2025 closures of Tomate and Crixa Cakes are reminders that even long-time fixtures of our culinary ecosystem can dissolve. That state of flux does have an upside. When the next wave of restaurateurs arrive with their fledgling brands, they bring an enthusiastic dose of optimism to their new enterprises.
In Tomate’s place, Jennie and Benji Smith have opened Uqbar. The cafe’s name is a Borgesian reference to the late author’s short story, Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius. For the first time ever, the Bay Area’s food media teams have been scrambling to pair “Jorge Luis Borges” and “hotly anticipated” in the same sentence. Benji, the chef on the team, told me that after he read the story the word Uqbar stayed with him. The sound of this imaginary realm also carried Mediterranean associations with it, a good fit for the food they decided to make.
“When we say ‘Mediterranean,’ we mean the Mediterranean diet,” Benji said. “We want to be produce-forward—whole grains, lean meats, olive oil.” The menu also draws inspiration from the Middle East, with “all those amazing foods, cultures and the region’s hospitality.” Menu highlights are listed on the chalkboard inside, but at this early stage the most substantial dishes are shakshuka ($17), a breakfast plate ($14-$17) and a hummus plate ($14-$18).
Each option can be ordered by combining a variety of different ingredients. The hummus plate includes a house-made flatbread served as: classic, with tahini, a green herb sauce and chickpeas; breakfast, with a boiled egg, roasted potatoes, sumac onions and herbs; or the one I tried, with lamb. The kitchen arranges every component on the plate like an edible puzzle. On one side are pickled onions draped with dill and parsley. On the other, fatty pieces of crisped lamb nestled against green herb sauce. All of it is piled high on whipped hummus.
Uqbar uses Acme bread to make sandwiches, but Benji bakes the flatbread in-house. His first job in the restaurant industry was at a pizza place. During college, he interned at Bread Furst in Washington, D.C.
More recently he worked as the sous chef at Nichole Accettola’s Kantine in San Francisco. His primary responsibilities there were in the savory kitchen. “But they have a big bakery program where I would pop over, help out and learn some stuff,” he said. “But this is my first time running our tiny little bakery program.”
When I ate lunch at Uqbar, I recognized a familiar face behind the counter. Jennie Smith, who runs Uqbar with her husband, said they offered employment to all five of Tomate’s former employees. Four of them stayed on. “That group of people together has over 50 years of experience working here so I feel really grateful that the staff came along,” she said.
Describing their shared vision for a cafe, Jennie said they are aiming for a cozy, living-room vibe. “We wanted to do breakfast and lunch in a more intimate setting,” she said. “The outdoor space is so gorgeous here. I love that it’s off the street. It feels secluded and really welcoming.”
To transform Tomate into Uqbar, the Smiths kept “lots of the lovely architectural features,” but did some decluttering. “We brought in a bunch of plants,” Benji said. “We got some new tile work, but we tried to keep what was great about it and just add some nice touches.”
After a successful grand-opening weekend at the end of November, Benji said it was hectic because they sold out of some items. “But we were really stoked,” he said. “It meant we were bringing a lot of people in.” To Uqbar, an imaginary place made real by a mountain of chopped-up chickpeas.
Uqbar, 2265 Fifth St., Berkeley. Tue-Thu 8am to 2pm; Fri-Sat 8am to 8pm. 510.858.1999. uqbarthecafe.com
