Hilda's Coffee Shop closed in September 2025 after 65 years at the center of San Anselmo Avenue. Thirteen months later, its old address is open again, and it serves its first burger at 11 a.m. San Anselmo's 2026 openings mostly fit the same pattern. Downtown got a burger counter, a Vietnamese dinner spot with a rooftop bar and a Parisian bakery still in construction. The town's new pancakes turned up on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard instead. Downtown breakfast is still served by the cafes that were already here before Hilda's closed.
What replaced the pancakes at 639 San Anselmo Ave.
According to the history Creekside Pizza & Taproom posted, Hilda's opened in 1960. Tor Nielsen named it for his wife, Hilda, and his German-style pancakes made it a draw. About 18 years later the Nielsens sold it to Darleen and Brian Young, and their daughter Sue Kirton took over in 2006 and ran it until she retired. The page dates Hilda's run as 1960 to 2025. When it closed, the building needed major work to meet current building, health and accessibility codes, the Marin Independent Journal reported.
The new tenant is Tasty Delicious, which opened in late September. Its team includes managing partner Pat Townsley, who owns Creekside across the street, chef and general manager Jackson Palmer, and operations manager Ryan Soifer. The menu sticks to burgers, fried chicken, fries, soft-serve and shakes. Burgers run $10 to $14 and a 12-ounce shake is $6, which the IJ said was meant to keep it affordable enough for regular visits. The Bubba's Burger is the house smash burger, named for the diner that once operated across the avenue. Bubba's original clock hangs near the kitchen, and Hilda's old sign is next to the bathroom door. The dining room is 12 feet wide and seats about 34. A new street-side parklet holds roughly 50 more.
Hours went to 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily starting Oct. 5. The IJ wrote that a coffee-shop-style breakfast with Hilda's pancakes was planned for later in the year. The restaurant's own FAQ is less specific about timing:
"Give us a moment. You want it. We want it. There's lots to figure out. Once we get the lunch & dinner rhythm perfect, we'll get on this."
So the breakfast is a stated goal, with no date. The corner that served San Anselmo's breakfast for six decades now opens at lunch.
Tụ Tập and Maison Nico follow the same order
A few doors up the avenue, Tụ Tập opened July 29 in the former Kientz Hall at 625 San Anselmo Ave., the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Co-owner Adam Block and executive chef and partner Justine Kelly run it. Its website lists dinner from 5 p.m. every night, with the bar and rooftop open until 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Brunch is listed as "coming soon."
The newcomer built most squarely around mornings hasn't opened. Maison Nico, a San Francisco pastry business, plans a bakery and cafe at 121 Tunstead Ave. Jack's Drug Store and Jack's Medical Supplies occupied that building from 1962 until 2022. In September, the San Anselmo Planning Commission approved a permit that lets it sell bottles of wine to take home. Sales will be limited to a roughly six-foot display and a wine club of organic, biodynamic and small-production wines from California and France. The IJ reported that Maison Nico expected renovations to finish in early November but had not set an opening date.
Counting the three together, downtown added one place that opens at 11 a.m., one that opens at 5 p.m. and one that hasn't opened. Each has said a morning menu or bakery service is coming. None has a confirmed date for it.
The one newcomer that started at breakfast
Pretti Platters took the opposite route. It opened May 19 at 810 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., the former Auryn Thai space near Red Hill. Co-owner Fah Intapura built the menu around breakfast and brunch, with eggs, Dutch pancakes and French toast. When it opened it served 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, according to the IJ.
Five months later it's adding an evening shift. Its website lists new hours starting Oct. 22: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays and 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekends. Dinner was set to start Oct. 29, running 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Weekend breakfast now opens half an hour earlier than it did in May.
That's the clearest sign of where San Anselmo's new pancakes went. The Dutch pancake is now served out on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard near Red Hill, off San Anselmo Avenue.
Who covers the morning shift downtown
The town's mornings still run on businesses that were open before Hilda's closed. Each one's own site gives these addresses and hours:
| Spot | Address | Morning hours | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marin Coffee Roasters | 546 San Anselmo Ave. | Daily from 6 a.m. | Huevos rancheros, eggs Benedict, house-roasted coffee |
| Longway | 641 San Anselmo Ave. | Daily from 7:30 a.m. | Coffee shop next door to Tasty Delicious |
| M.H. Bread & Butter | 101 San Anselmo Ave. | Daily from 8 a.m. | Shakshuka, fried-egg sandwich, artisan bread |
| Comforts | 335 San Anselmo Ave. | Cafe Wed–Sun from 8 a.m.; market daily | Family-run cafe with weekend brunch |
| Flour Craft Bakery | 702 San Anselmo Ave. | Tue–Sun from 8 a.m. | Gluten-free baking, plant-forward brunch |
| Bubbala's | 906 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. | Breakfast and lunch | Breakfast tacos, California scramble |
Two details in that table shape the week. Marin Coffee Roasters opens at 6 a.m., the earliest start in the table, and its site lists a full plated breakfast. That makes it the closest match to what Hilda's served for anyone who wants eggs at a table before work. The schedules also thin out early in the week. The Comforts cafe at 335 San Anselmo Ave. serves Wednesday through Sunday, though its marketplace opens daily at 8 a.m. for grab-and-go. Flour Craft at 702 San Anselmo Ave. is closed Mondays.
On a Monday, the sit-down options are Marin Coffee Roasters and M.H. Bread & Butter, which both serve daily. Longway covers coffee at the Hilda's end of the block from 7:30 a.m., and Pretti Platters opens at 9 a.m. out on Sir Francis Drake. M.H. Bread & Butter, at 101 San Anselmo Ave., also anchors the opposite end of the avenue from Tasty Delicious. Depending on where on the avenue you start, the morning walk goes in different directions.
What to watch on the avenue this month
Three things would change the morning map, and two of them depend on dates that haven't been set.
- Maison Nico's opening. Renovations at 121 Tunstead Ave. were expected to wrap in early November. No opening date had been announced as of the IJ's September report.
- Breakfast at Tasty Delicious. The IJ's "later this year" for Hilda's pancakes is the most specific timing on record. The restaurant's FAQ ties it to getting lunch and dinner running first.
- Brunch at Tụ Tập. It's listed as coming soon on the restaurant's site, with no hours posted.
Until one of them launches, a Saturday breakfast downtown still means Comforts, Flour Craft, M.H. Bread & Butter, Marin Coffee Roasters or Longway. Dutch pancakes are at Pretti Platters from 8:30 a.m. on weekends.
If you live near San Anselmo Avenue and have been following the changes at 639 San Anselmo Ave. and 121 Tunstead Ave., and wondering how your own block fits into the bigger picture, Greg Corvi is glad to talk it through. Request a complimentary home valuation & consultation.
