Together they’ve got more than 200 years of history on either side of the Bohemian Highway in the tiny west county town of Occidental. Naturally, then, neither Negri’s nor the Union Hotel is going to let a global pandemic bring them down.

The two iconic restaurants, which sit across the street from each other in the heart of the popular tourist town, have endured the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic much like every restaurant in the county — with fits and starts. Both shut down in mid-March. Both reopened in July.