Killinee Kopitiam closes in Palo Alto, but reopens in South Bay

The Bay Area’s first branch of Singapore’s oldest cafe has closed in Palo Alto, but will reopen at a new location.

Killinee Kopitiam, located at 552 Waverly Street in downtown Palo Alto, closed on Dec. 26, according to an Instagram post. The chain’s “flagship store” will reopen next spring in San Jose’s grocery-packed Westfield Valley Fair Shopping Center.

“Our Killinee Kopitiam may be part of a long-established and well-loved international chain, but our operations are local. And we are committed to maintaining a high level of focus and standards. We are passionate about , and that means not overextending our team as we take advantage of opportunities at this location at Valleyfair,” the post reads.

At the time, Killinee Kopitiam’s U.S. franchisee, Amanda Tor Steckler, was planning a major expansion to 62 stores over the next eight years, including four more in the Bay Area. Steckler is also working with Bay Area chef Nora Harron to open SanDai, a more upscale Southeast Asian restaurant in Walnut Creek, and Kopi Bar, an Indonesian coffee shop next door, this year. It opened.

However, the growth of Killinee Kopitiam subsequently slowed. Harron said the restaurant group will no longer open planned locations in Mountain View, Livermore and Cupertino, due in part to “economic conditions.”

“We still have expansion plans, but we’re taking it slow,” she said.

Contact Elena Kadvany: elena.kadvany@sfchronicle.com