Joon Market, a hip little lunch and dinner spot in East Sac, is closing after little more than a year in business. Owners Seth Helmly and Saba Rahimian announced the closure on Instagram, blaming “the most recent wave” of COVID. “We have hit a hard realization that our small business no longer has the staying power to ride out the pandemic story,” the owners wrote.
The couple opened Joon Market in December 2020, serving takeout sandwiches, salads, dips and sides at lunchtime. Eventually, they added patio and indoor dining and expanded to dinner service, offering beer, wine and an interesting selection of sharable plates. A new breed of young restaurateur, they introduced local diners to pét-nat wines and breads made from heirloom grains. The eatery received an outsized amount of attention; in 2021, readers of Sacramento Magazine voted it best new restaurant and named Helmly best up-and-coming chef. “To say this has been a wild ride merely scratches the surface of all we have experienced,” they wrote on Instagram. “You helped give Chef Seth recognition for his amazing food and efforts with features and award nominations, by which we were/are so, so humbled.”
Joon Market will remain open until Feb. 11 to give customers a chance to dine there a final time and to redeem gift certificates purchased during the holidays. This week, regular business hours will be in effect: 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 5:30–9 p.m. Wednesday–Saturday.
Joon Market is at 5401 H St. For more information, call (916) 389-0025 or go to www.joon-market.com.
