Beloved Berkeley gourmet grocery store to close, citing Trump’s tariffs

(KRON) — A specialty grocery store in Berkeley dedicated to Spanish and Portuguese food, wine and other goods is closing this week after almost 25 years and blaming President Trump’s tariffs. The Spanish Table on San Pablo Avenue announced on its website that its final day will be Sunday Aug. 17.

“The trade policy the President is pursuing is putting us out of business and will cost American’s jobs,” the Spanish Table said in an Instagram post last week.

“At present, 15% tariffs on European imports and a weaker dollar will raise prices by upwards of 35%,” read a post on the Spanish Table’s blog from company president, Bastian Schoell. “The uncertainty of our administrations trade policies so far this year have also made direct imports, which make up 30% of our products, impossible and we are out of many goods we can’t buy from others.”

The Spanish Table opened in Berkeley in the fall of 2001 and the Iberian food business later expanded with a second location in San Francisco. Described as the “OG” of Spanish Table shops, the Berkeley location was designed as an “almacen,” a big, warehouse-type store, in this case, “filled with the best from Spain and Portugal.”

“After a good 24 2025 run, we are closing this store and will be focusing on our San Francisco location and partnering with other local Berkeley businesses to keep the Iberian food community intact,” the Spanish Table wrote on its website.

The store will be going out with a bang with a closing party this Sunday, Aug. 17 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Spanish Table’s Clement Street location in SF opened in 2016 and will continue to serve the Inner Richmond neighborhood and online.

“While this chapter ends, the Spanish Table continues in San Francisco and online,” the store said in an Instagram post. The Spanish Table also said its working on Spanish food and wine pop-ups beginning in September.