New Italian Eatery to Arrive at Point Richmond’s Historic Mac Hotel

The beloved Point Richmond Mac Hotel will soon be reopening its restaurant.

Local restaurateurs at Mi Casa Grill in Richmond have confirmed to Hoodline that they will open a new on-site eatery. According to Mi Casa Grill staff, the restaurant should open as early as May if everything goes according to plan. It will be called Biancoverde and will offer Italian cuisine.

The Mac Hotel is located in downtown Point Richmond, an area of ​​Richmond that looks and feels like a small town from another era. Built in 1911, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings.

The restaurant is located on the first floor of the hotel and became widely popular after the renovation in the 1970s, which restored it to its early 20th century glory. However, the place closed at the start of the pandemic and has been empty for the past few years, with locals mourning the loss of their favorite meeting place along Point Richmond’s main street.

It has now been leased to chef Juvenal Magaña and his wife Blanca, who have already begun preparing the hotel’s restaurant space for opening this spring. “It will be very nice inside,” promised the Mi Casa Grill server and the couple’s friend Andres Orduno, who participated in the project. “This is an iconic building.”

The interior of the Mac Hotel. | Photo: Mak Hotel

The couple opened Mi Casa Grill (12056 San Pablo Street) just over a year ago, breathing new life into a long-vacant grocery store parking lot on San Pablo and McDonald Avenues in Richmond near the El Cerrito border. . Led by Chef Juvenal, the restaurant serves “Mexican comfort food” like the crowd’s favorite quesabirria, as well as some South American dishes like Salvadoran chrysalis and Venezuelan empanadas.

With cute décor, a covered sidewalk dining area, signature cocktails and water murals, the restaurant drew crowds to the previously dilapidated display window. Wednesday night there was a line to sit down, as well as a constant stream of customers buying takeaway food. In addition to dinner, the restaurant serves breakfast six days a week (closed on Mondays) and specialties such as tacos on Tuesdays.

Inside Mi Casa Grill. | Photo: Leila Weir/Hoodline

View of Mi Casa Grill from San Pablo Avenue. | Photo: Leila Weir/Hoodline

The place recently attracted locals to celebrate its mariachi anniversary.

Now the couple, both Richmond natives, will bring their own twist to the historic Point Richmond diner. Orduno commented that a local Richmond couple could bring a beloved place back to life. “The owners were born in Richmond. She [Blanca] studied at Richmond High,” Orduno told Hoodline. “It’s a full circle of people who have grown up in the restaurant-owning community here.”

Mac’s restaurant and bar is located at 50 Washington Ave., Point Richmond. For more information visit www.thehotelmac.com.