Good Morning, Walnut Creek! 🌳

The mayor said “The Nut” into a microphone last week. KRON4, People magazine, and SFGate all ran with it, and you are reading the newsletter they were talking about. Also in this issue, the restaurant that took two first-place Chamber awards last year, the fire at Lettuce, and three homes on the market from $340K to $2.5M.

Lead Story

The mayor said “The Nut” into a microphone

At the August 18 City Council meeting, Mayor Kevin Wilk went on the record about the nickname.

“I thought people were calling Walnut Creek ‘The Creek’ for sure, but I’m seeing more and more ‘The Nut,’” he said. “Next thing I know, I’m walking around the streets downtown, and there’s people with ‘Nut’ paraphernalia. We’ll keep an eye on that one, on that trend.”

He also gave a shout-out from the dais to the guy selling the hats. That would be Joseph, who runs this newsletter.

Then it left town. KRON4 sent a reporter downtown to ask people on the street, and the clip has 2.2 million views on Instagram as of Monday. SFist picked it up Thursday. Friday, People magazine wrote about a California city divided over its new nickname and named Walnut Creek Spotlight and the $35 hats. Over the weekend SFGate food editor Jessica Yadegaran, a Walnut Creek resident, wrote a full column on it. She called the mayor, who told her that if people are talking about Walnut Creek, whatever they call it is fine by him. She interviewed Joseph too, and asked him about delivering hats to people’s driveways.

For the record, the name was on Reddit and TikTok before we printed a hat. The people picked it. We made it wearable. Some longtime residents would like it to go away, and the comment sections prove it. Poll at the bottom of this issue. Help us settle this.

Joseph and Mayor Kevin Wilk, as it aired on KRON4.

Featured Restaurant of the Week

Walnut Creek’s Best Restaurant and Best Caterer are the same kitchen

Manakish Oven & Grill opened at 2905 N. Main St. in December 2019. Three months later the dining room closed with everyone else’s. There was no honeymoon. The oven stayed lit.

Six years on, the 2025 Best of Walnut Creek Chamber Awards gave the place first place twice, Best Restaurant and Best Caterer. Both plaques hang by the counter. Forbes came through last July for the za’atar flatbread the place is named after.

We went Tuesday night. Joseph’s pick was the Super Supreme Manakish, $24, a flatbread out of the flame oven with pepperoni, salami, and sujuk. Danielle had the Chicken Kebab Plate, $24.99, with rice, hummus, and garlic sauce. Pistachio baklava, three for $10.50, and Turkish coffee poured at the table from a copper pot ended it. There is a Dubai chocolate cheesecake too. Order it.

Joseph and Danielle, Tuesday night. Baklava and the Dubai chocolate cheesecake on the table.

The sign you have seen from the Treat Boulevard exit. 2905 N. Main St.

The other half of the business is catering. Corporate lunches, hospital staff meals, weddings. Call (925) 526-7607 or email [email protected].

Paid partnership with Manakish Oven & Grill.

Around Town

A one-alarm fire tore through Lettuce Restaurant & Catering last Wednesday morning. It is the green Lettuce sign on the corner of Locust and Civic, across from City Hall and the Lesher Center, the one you have driven past a thousand times. Employees heard popping, smelled smoke, and got everyone out. Con Fire sent eight engines and more than 30 firefighters, the flames came through the roof, and nobody was hurt. The owner called the damage significant. The building is insured, and the restaurant will be closed for a long stretch while insurance and repairs get sorted. If you have a standing order there, find them on social before you drive over.

Photo: Walnut Creek Spotlight

 

Last open day is Tuesday, September 8. The branch shuts September 9 through about the end of May 2027 for a new all-electric heating and cooling system, a new roof, and electrical and lighting upgrades, paid for with Measure X money and county library reserves. The book drop and parking lot close too. Holds move to the Walnut Creek Library at 1644 N. Broadway, and you can borrow and return at Walnut Creek, Clayton, Concord, or Pleasant Hill in the meantime.

This Week

Thank you, Heather Farm. Walnut Creek Soccer Club’s first Kickoff Jamboree filled the new turf on Saturday, and a lot of you stopped by our booth. The next restock lands before Oktoberfest, September 25 and 26.

Sunset yoga at the Garden. Tonight, Wednesday, 6 to 7 PM at Ruth Bancroft Garden. $15, bring a mat.

Improv jam at Shadelands. Tonight, 7 to 9 PM at the Shadelands Art Center. $15, no experience needed, you can also just watch.

Trivia and line dancing at Bourbon Highway. Thursday. Trivia at 6:30, line dancing lessons at 8, $10 cover for the dancing.

Sunday Sessions at 1515. Dos Four plays the patio at 1515 Restaurant Sunday at 3 PM. No cover.

Gentle yoga at the library. Monday, August 31, 6:30 PM at the Walnut Creek Library. Free.

City Council, Tuesday. September 1, 6 PM at City Hall, 1666 N. Main. Agenda posts Friday.

Diablo Valley Farmers’ Market at Shadelands. Every Saturday, 9 AM to 1 PM, at N. Wiget Lane and Mitchell Drive.

Walnut Creek Farmers’ Market downtown. Every Sunday, 9 AM to 1 PM, on Locust Street between Cole and Lacassie.

Labor Day, planned early. City offices and the library close Monday, September 7. The Walnut Creek Concert Band plays its free Labor Day ParKoncert that evening, 6 to 7 PM at Civic Park, 1375 Civic Dr. Bring a chair. The day before, Center REP opens its season with The Glass Menagerie at the Lesher Center, and the first two performances are pay what you can.

What’s Good Walnut Creek

Swiss chocolate at Broadway Plaza

Läderach, the family-owned Swiss chocolatier that has been at it since 1962, is now open at Broadway Plaza. Fresh chocolate slabs, pralines, truffles. Monday through Saturday 10 AM to 8 PM, Sunday 11 AM to 6 PM. If you were waiting since the February announcement, the wait is over.

Market Pulse

What the Walnut Creek market is doing right now

Redfin's numbers covering the three months ending in June.

On the market this week

Community Board

RESIDUAL SUGAR · Voted Best Bar in the 2025 Chamber awards, and it is a wine bar. Dena Christie has run it on Locust Street since 2010. Date night, or the night after. Book at rswine.com.

BONDADOSO COFFEE & TEA · The Chamber’s Best Coffee of 2025, at 2195 N. Broadway, open 6 AM weekdays. The room is the point. Order ahead at bondadoso.com.

FRANK’S AUTO SERVICE & REPAIR · Best Auto Repair in the 2025 Chamber awards, three minutes from downtown at 1255 Boulevard Way. The shop people recommend when you ask. franksautoservice.com.

Claim a spot on our Community Board for your business