WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – When the Little Pear in Walnut Creek announced it would close earlier this year, we were sad about one thing in particular: its delicious pretzel appetizer.
The Little Pear served Walnut Creek for years, and it was a tasty local hangout.
The good news? It didn’t take long for a new restaurant to announce that it would take over Little Pear’s spot. And after a bit of a wait, that restaurant is finally about to open.
Kitava, the Bay Area clean-casual restaurant replacing The Little Pear in Walnut Creek, is finally almost ready for its public debut.
The Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a “Grand Opening Week Kickoff & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony” for Wednesday, May 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kitava’s new location at 1699 N. California Blvd. The event listing says guests can hear from Kitava CEO and co-founder Bryan Tublin and receive a free beverage with any meal purchase.
The restaurant has also posted its Walnut Creek location page, listing dine-in, delivery and pickup service, with hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
We’re told that it’s already in a “soft opening” phase right now, leading up to the grand opening this week.
Before The Little Pear, the same location was home to The Counter, the custom burger restaurant that closed in 2023.
We first reported in March that Kitava was planning to replace The Little Pear, after the move surfaced through a liquor license application.
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What Kitava Serves
Kitava describes itself as a “clean casual” restaurant serving Modern American food centered around vegetables, healthy fats and “mindful proteins.”
The brand’s menu is built around bowls, salads, protein plates, small plates, sides, drinks and brunch items. Kitava says its menu is 100% free of gluten, dairy, soy, peanuts, refined sugar and seed oils.
Sample menu items listed by Kitava include a Sweet Plantain Bowl with jasmine rice, plantains, cumin beans, kale slaw, avocado and romesco sauce; a Sesame Chicken Bowl with crispy cassava-flour chicken, charred broccoli and ginger ponzu; and a Power Bowl with wild rice, greens, hummus, sweet potatoes, avocado, pickled onions and avocado goddess dressing.
The brunch menu includes items such as blueberry pancakes, a warm quinoa breakfast bowl and grass-fed beef and egg tacos. Kitava also lists protein plates with paprika chicken, picadillo beef and miso salmon.
The change represents a pretty significant shift for the space.
The Little Pear was part of chef Rodney Worth’s local restaurant group and had a more classic neighborhood bistro feel. Kitava, by contrast, is part of a growing Bay Area brand with locations in San Francisco, Oakland, Albany and SFO.
We’ll be sure to stop by and try it out after the grand opening. Make sure to join our free 925 News newsletter so we can share a review and photos!
