A month after closing, this famed vegan restaurant has returned to Oakland

A month after closing, an acclaimed plant-based restaurant in Oakland is back much like a carrot - in a pared-down way.

Millennium in the city’s Rockridge district is reopening on Wednesday, June 17, for dinner service, according to an email from Alison Bagby, co-owner and director of operations. One of the most famed vegan restaurants in the country, the eatery has unveiled a new concept focused on prix-fixe dinners and a rapidly changing menu.

The restaurant, which opened in 1994 in San Francisco and moved to Oakland in 2015, had shuttered in May with Bagby saying it wasn’t busy enough and was not financially sustainable.

"Like so many independent restaurants, the years since 2020 (with the pandemic) have been incredibly hard," she said.

But now Millennium will host set menus on its heated patio, serve a small a la carte menu inside and also allow patrons to order at a counter and self-seat themselves. Plus, beginning in July, there will be pizza every Tuesday.

"As we reopen, we'll be offering reservations exclusively on our heated, covered patio, featuring either a three-course ($65) or five-course ($95) prix-fixe dinner," the restaurant posted on Instagram. "We'll also be updating our menu more frequently than before. While not every dish will change each week, you can look forward to new offerings and fresh updates on a weekly basis."

Millennium 2.0 will have "fewer seats" and a "leaner crew," according to a report in VegNews. Chef Eric Tucker told the site that the "unexpected and overwhelming support from patrons, both new and old, truly convinced us to move forward."

The restaurant is taking its sleeker form as a challenge to serve leveled-up food.

"If you've attended one of our wine dinners or special event dinners, you know how exciting it can be when Eric channels all of his creativity and talent into a more focused menu," read its Instagram post. "We're thrilled to embrace that approach with this new format and can't wait to share these dinners with you."

Details: Open 5-7 p.m. Tuesdays and 5-8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays at 5912 College Ave., Oakland; millenniumrestaurant.com

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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 2:23 PM.