Nyum Bai, Acknowledged by Michelin and James Beard, Stages a Remarkable Return

Nyum Bai, the award-winning Oakland restaurant that abruptly shuttered last year, is on the brink of a comeback.

The Cambodian restaurant known for noodle bowls and Khmer rock landed on just about every Bay Area best restaurant list during its five years at 3340 E. 12th St. in the Fruitvale district. But, since its closure, which was spurred by the restaurant’s lease coming to an end, chef-owner Nite Yun has been relatively quiet as she planned the next iteration of Nyum Bai. She promised at the time of the Oakland closure that she would be back.

“This is not the end of Nyum Bai, rather the closing of its first chapter, which has been something truly special,” Yun wrote on Instagram in May 2022.

As first reported by the San Francisco Business Times, this next chapter looks to be a coveted stall at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, where Yun recently registered a Nyum Bai business address. Yun did not return an SFGATE request for comment as of publication, and a Ferry Building spokesperson told SFGATE that no lease has been signed at this time.

“There is currently no signed lease in place for Nyum Bai and the Ferry Building,” the spokesperson said in an email. “Readers can keep an eye on our social channels and website for any upcoming tenant announcements and expansions. More to be announced soon.”

A note at the top of the Nyum Bai Instagram page hints at a “new location coming 2024.”

Nite Yun got her start via culinary incubator La Cocina in 2014 before opening a counter spot at the Emeryville Public Market and, eventually, her indoor-outdoor Fruitvale restaurant, which quickly became a Bay Area dining destination. The restaurant made Michelin’s Bib Gourmand list and was named a James Beard Award semifinalist in 2019. Since the 2022 closure, Yun has popped up at Outside Lands. You can also find her and her signature dishes at Birba in Hayes Valley this Sunday, July 30, 1-8 p.m.