Moonstar Restaurant, the popular buffet/catering service that offers premium dining in a relaxed environment, has been a San Francisco staple for nearly 30 years but has struggled to maintain stable footing in the chaos wrought by recent years.
The situation was looking grim for Moonstar only a year ago. They were already forced to shut down their original buffet and move to Daly City about five years ago, and then in 2020 the outbreak of the global Covid-19 pandemic made the operation of a buffet completely untenable. Moonstar was unfortunately forced to shutter its Daly City buffet earlier this year.
Thankfully, it appears that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the San Francisco icon. After closing the Daly City location, Moonstar was able to move into the kitchen of its sister restaurant, Moonchef. There, they were able to continue to serve patrons through take-out service, though customers were nostalgic for the buffet experience.
Now, What Now San Francisco has confirmed that Moonchef will be opening its doors back up to indoor dining later in early October. Moonchef was founded by Daisy Li and Chef Paul Ng in order to serve the community and cater to a population traditionally neglected by popular restaurants – seniors. Together they sought to create delicious, healthy, and affordable meals to seniors in need. They place a special emphasis on ensuring that their food is low enough in fat, sodium, and sugar that it meets the nutritional demands that seniors need in their diet.
That’s not all though, in addition to the reopening of Moonchef, What Now San Francisco also learned that Moonstar will be premiering a new concept under the name Starchef at 400 McAllister Street. Starchef is expected to serve government workers inside the Civic Center Courthouse, though it will not be open to the general public. Judges, lawyers, and other workers however will be able to enjoy Starchef’s cafeteria-style offerings.
Unfortunately, those of us without a J.D will have to look elsewhere to satisfy our buffet cravings. Thankfully, now that Moonstar is reopening with Moonchef at 405 South Canal Street, we’ll have plenty of options.
