By Kathy Chouteau
Chick Chick Chicken has temporarily closed for a complete revamp and will be reincarnated as the new San Pablo restaurant, Blue Rabbit, according City documents.
Business owner, Deepak Aggarwal, is redesigning Chick Chick Chicken into a formal, upscale dining restaurant with specialty cocktails, according to the San Pablo Planning Commission. He looks to have Blue Rabbit serve Mexican style cuisine, along with handcrafted agave tequila and mescal, and with a bar and tables for guests in its reimagined space.
Renderings of the floor plan indicate Aggarwal’s plan to have seating at a counter and tables for up to 30 people, with a bright interior where the guests could watch meal and drink preparation while they dine, per the Planning Commission. It will also feature a folding glass wall to the outside.
In its previous incarnation, Chick Chick Chicken was a casual restaurant with a Type 41 on-sale Beer and Wine ABC license, according to the Planning Commission. It indicated that Aggarwal has asked to “also sell distilled spirits and to upgrade the existing ABC license from a Type 41 to a Type 47, which is an on-sale general alcohol license for eating establishments.” His application was granted, with the condition of operating until 10 p.m. on Monday through Thursdays and midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Ultimately, Aggarwal looks to “have the renovated restaurant better reflect an atmosphere that is more in line with his other existing restaurants” in Berkeley, Alameda and Oakland. Some of his other East Bay eateries include the East Bay Spice Company, Tap in Lounge, Tipsea and Khana Pena in Berkeley, as well as the Lemon Drop in Alameda.
The San Pablo business owner has owned Chick Chick Chicken since September 2019—the former home of Kai’s Thai Food from 1990-2001, when Rose Garden Thai opened there. In 2015, Rose Zapp Thai opened at the location, until four years later, when Chick Chick Chicken swung open its doors.
When it opens (TBD), Blue Rabbit will be located at 1811 23rd St., Suite E, in San Pablo. Aggarwal told the Planning Commission that his focus “is not merely to sell food and spirits, but an unparalleled experience.”
