The Filipino-inspired empanada and boba shop at 2618 Telegraph Ave. closed June 20, ending a four-year run that began with a 2022 opening in a former Subway space.

Kuboba Spot, the Filipino-inspired empanada and boba restaurant on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, closed June 20 after four years in its brick-and-mortar space.

The shop, co-owned by Seyna Smith and Sam Bernardino, soft-opened in June 2022 and held its grand opening July 2 that year at 2618 Telegraph Ave., a former Subway storefront. It offered empanadas priced $6.05–$6.50 each, along with buko pandan boba drinks, and served 75–120 patrons daily during its early months. The business originally launched with preorders for friends and family before moving to pop-ups and catering, and it received an Alameda County ARPA small business recovery grant.

No specific seat count is on record. In a farewell Instagram message, the owners wrote, “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to each and every one of you… We have been incredibly blessed to be surrounded by such a kind, welcoming, and supportive community.”

The closure leaves a vacancy on the busy Telegraph corridor between UC Berkeley’s campus and the Elmwood district, where small food businesses often cycle through quickly. Kuboba Spot’s four-year run fits the pattern of pandemic-era openings that managed to secure initial grants but faced the ongoing math of a tight-margin neighborhood.