Sushi lovers, rejoice: Berkeley is getting a new fishy-fish place from Kyle Itani, the chef behind buzzy Oakland restaurants such as Yonsei Handrolls and Itani Ramen.

Itani Sushi, which opened last week inside North Berkeley’s Epicurious Garden food hall, is the brick-and-mortar evolution of the chef’s pandemic sushi project, Nikkei Sushi. It offers grab-and-go prepared sushi as well as made-to-order nigiri, rolls, salads, rice bowls and ramen and soba noodles. There will also be a few items from Itani’s other restaurants, including gyoza and housemade yuzu lemonade.

Fans of East Bay sushi joints will delight in the news that sushi chef and partner Jeremias Jimenez was the head chef at Mujiri, a sublime but bargain-priced operation on San Pablo Avenue.

The Epicurious Garden food hall had recently lost another sushi tenant, Kirala 2, so Itani’s arrival is fortuitous. It turns out he and long-time Kirala owner Akira Komine are friends.

“He was looking to retire (and) asked if I wanted to take over Kirala 2, his takeout-sushi concept, give the place a modern revitalization and continue on the legacy of what he started, but with my version of it,” says Itani in an email that must be quoted further.

“How could I refuse? The stars aligned, fate spun in harmony, the syzygy occurred, the Aether breathed in sync, the Moiria wove a smooth thread, the spheres hummed in concord, the Pleiades whispered, the Great Year turned its cycle, and I ended up with my next restaurant.”

Itani’s restaurants have recently been in a state of flux. This year saw the closure of his Japanese cantina, Good Luck Gato, and the neighboring bar Ninth Life in Oakland. And now he’s planning a new private-dining and event space — the Annex — at the former Ninth Life address.

Details >> Open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at 1511 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley; itanisushi.com.

Hello Kitty Cafe is Bay bound

Fans of the winsome whiskered one will find Hello Kitty Cafe’s sweet snack van parked for the day on Oct. 12 in Walnut Creek, Oct. 19 in San Francisco, and Oct. 26 in San Jose.

For the uninitiated, fans young and old of this ultra-popular Sanrio creation find this cafe on wheels and Kitty’s offerings absolutely adorable.

Besides decorated cookies and other sweets, products include T-shirts, bow-shaped water bottles, enamel pins and more.

And there’s new merch for Kitty’s 50th anniversary (she’s not as young as she looks): hoodies, thermals, plush toys and mugs.

Here’s the schedule, with hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at all destinations:

Walnut Creek >> Oct. 12, Broadway Plaza (event plaza near Macy’s)

San Francisco >> Oct. 19, Stonestown Galleria (main entrance near Marugame Udon)

San Jose >> Oct. 26, Santana Row (near Maggiano’s on Olin Avenue)

Koin Coffee heads for Walnut Creek

The idea behind Koin Coffee, which opened in Walnut Creek’s Shadelands are just a few weeks ago, began on a church service trip to Mexico a year and a half ago, when co-owners Donna Allen and Tristyn Johnson connected over their mutual coffee cravings. Johnson had worked at John Muir Health for years before starting a coffee shop inside the Concord Medical Center — she called it Kendra’s Cup, after her mother, who’d worked there as a nurse.

The new spot near the Kaiser Shadelands campus serves espresso drinks in a variety of flavors, including a seasonal pumpkin spice latte. Pastries hail from Starter Bakery, and the menu includes various toasts with toppings such as Boursin cheese, avocado or cinnamon.

The cafe draws its name from the Greek word koinonia, which means community or fellowship. Johnson and Allen say they’re hoping the coffee house will serve as a slower-paced, community-focused cafe, one that invites lingering and does not offer, say, a mobile ordering option.

“To us it takes away from what’s beautiful about meeting and gathering in coffee shops,” Johnson says. “We’re excited to start hosting people. We can’t wait for them to try everything that we’ve been working so hard to put together,” Allen says.

Details >> Open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at 325 N. Wiget Lane, Suite 100, in Walnut Creek; koinoniacoffee.us.

Send restaurant tips to Linda Zavoral at lzavoral@bayareanewsgroup.com, Kate Bradshaw at kbradshaw@bayareanewsgroup.com and John Metcalfe at jmetcalfe@bayareanewsgroup.com.