The month of December typically brings a wave of restaurant closure news, with New Year's Eve always a popular night for saying goodbye, and this week we get news of longtime Potrero neighborhood staple Chez Papa Bistrot and the Mission's five-year-old Nombe both giving up the ghost.

As Inside Scoop reports, Chez Papa (1401 18th Street at Missouri) is shuttering after 12 years on Potrero Hill, ceding the bistro business to nearby sister restaurant Chez Maman — which now has a second location in Hayes Valley, and always had a similar menu to Chez Papa. Chez Papa's Mint Plaza location closed last year, and owner Jocelyn Bulow remains at the helm of four restaurants, including two locations of his Mexican spot Papito, in Hayes Valley and Potrero.

Bulow is planning to hold on to the space, however, and hints at a new project in the works.

Meanwhile, Nombe (2491 Mission Street), which has been serving up good ramen, sake, and izakaya fare since 2009. The place actually helped bring press attention to original chef Nick Balla, who moved on to Bar Tartine, and husband-and-wife owners Gil Payne and Mari Takahashi have kept the place going since his departure, mostly with Takahashi in the kitchen, as Eater notes. Payne and Takahashi may still continue to make ramenburgers on a mobile basis.

This does mean that some prime restaurant real estate at Mission and 21st is now up for grabs, unless it's already secretly spoken for. Stay tuned for more on that.

Both Chez Papa and Nombe will close on December 31.