A neighbor texted me last month asking if the new Cheesecake Factory at Serramonte was open yet. She'd seen the headlines all year: Koi Palace moving into a 20,000 square foot space with a koi pond, Fogo de Chão bringing Brazilian steak to the mall, a hot pot chain, an udon spot, a Japanese katsu concept nobody in the Bay Area had tried yet. She drove over on a Saturday and found drywall behind a "Coming Soon" sign.
She's not wrong to be confused. Restaurant opening timelines at Serramonte Center have changed over the past year and a half. For Daly City residents deciding where to eat this week, it helps to distinguish open venues from announced openings.
The New Food Concept That Opened
Since the restaurant announcements began, exactly one new food concept has opened at the mall. That's Jagalchi, the 75,000 square foot Korean supermarket that filled the space sitting empty since JCPenney closed in 2019. It opened March 28, 2025, with long lines and wall to wall local coverage, and it's been running ever since.
The other announced openings discussed here—the dim sum restaurant, steakhouse, and hot pot chain—have not opened.
The Six Announced Restaurant Openings
Koi Palace's planned move has been covered in several reports, and its announced timeline has changed. Palo Alto Online first reported the relocation in January 2025, quoting co-owner Willy Ng, who said the new flagship at 3 Serramonte Center, taking over a space that used to hold a Wet Seal, a Subway, and a Starbucks, would open that December. The new space is roughly double the size of the original Gellert Boulevard restaurant, at 20,000 square feet with room for 760 to 800 guests.
December came and went. KRON4 later reported that Regency Centers, the company that owns the mall, had pushed the date to the first quarter of 2026. The Chronicle's summer roundup of anticipated Bay Area restaurant openings listed Koi Palace as an upcoming arrival, with Chinese art, LED projections, and a koi pond.
None of that has happened yet. Serramonte's own store directory still lists the Koi Palace listing as "Coming Soon." The original restaurant on Gellert Boulevard, the one Willy Ng said would close the same day the new location opened, is still running on its regular hours this month. That Gellert Boulevard dining room has served diners since 1996.
The other five announced concepts have also not opened. Peninsula Buzz reported in August that Cheesecake Factory, Fogo de Chão, Haidilao, Marugame Udon, and Kin No Katsu are all still described as "in the works" for the mall, with Cheesecake Factory targeting the former Buffalo Wild Wings space this winter and Haidilao aiming for early next year. None of the six have opened.
For this week's dining plans, the six announced concepts are not yet options.
A Local Bakery Opening
The San Francisco Chronicle's report covered a new bakery from Kukje Supermarket, the Korean grocery on Junipero Serra Boulevard and a Daly City fixture since 2002. Owner Haesoo Park founded the original Kukje in San Francisco in 1990 before moving the store to its current Daly City location. A source had told local reporters the bakery was something he'd wanted to do for years but hadn't been able to get permitted.
Kukje Bakery, at 2368 Junipero Serra Blvd, opened in April, offering a mix of Korean and French pastries: coffee buns, almond croissants, layer cakes topped with glazed fruit. Together with Jagalchi's in-house bakery, Basquia, which specializes in rice flour breads like sulpang, it adds to Daly City's Korean bakery options.
Kukje Bakery was announced for a fall 2025 opening and opened in spring 2026. It has 50 seats; the planned Koi Palace location is 20,000 square feet.
Fall Plans in Daly City
The Cow Palace, a few minutes away on Geneva Avenue, has a fall calendar with confirmed dates. The Grand National Rodeo returns Friday, October 9 and Saturday, October 10, with Friday's program running from 5:30 to 10 p.m. The rodeo's annual Women of Rodeo showcase, an all-women competition in barrel racing and breakaway roping, runs as part of the same fall stretch, alongside the Jr. Livestock Show.
If you were at the Cow Palace back in May for FoodieLand Night Market, the outdoor food festival with its carnival games and two live music stages, that one's already come and gone for this year. The rodeo is one option for a fall outing.
Daly City also runs a Saturday farmers market at Serramonte Center, starting around 9 a.m., which is worth knowing about if you'd rather build a weekend around produce and a coffee bun than a mall food court.
A Weekend Itinerary in Daly City
If you're mapping out a fall weekend in Daly City, here are some open or scheduled options:
- Morning: the farmers market at Serramonte Center, then a coffee bun or almond croissant at Kukje Bakery on Junipero Serra Boulevard
- Afternoon: dim sum at the original Koi Palace on Gellert Boulevard, since the Serramonte location still isn't open
- A browse through Jagalchi if you want the Korean grocery and food hall experience that's actually up and running
- Evening on Friday, October 9, or Saturday, October 10: the Grand National Rodeo at the Cow Palace
These options are open or scheduled for fall.
Daly City has places to enjoy now as well as upcoming projects. The new bakery, long-running Kukje Supermarket, and Cow Palace events are part of Daly City life today. If you're thinking about what it means to live here, Perry Kayasone can talk you through the neighborhood in more depth whenever you're ready. Call Perry.
