Gone are the shelves of specialty cheeses, imported crackers, fresh seafood, pricey meats, and farm-fresh local produce. In its place are Middle Eastern specialties that are pitch-perfect.

When San Francisco’s Che Fico restaurant opened a sister location, Che Fico Parco Menlo, in the Springline development in Menlo Park last year, it also debuted a nearby gourmet market, Il Mercato di Che Fico.

Trouble was that surrounding residents never became regular shoppers there. So, about a month ago, the market was jettisoned for Bubbelah instead.

A Yiddish term of endearment, this fast-casual restaurant leans into Chef-Owner David Nayfeld’s Jewish-Italian heritage.

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