One of the most consistent and consistently depressing threads of news during the pandemic to date has been the parade of permanent restaurant closures in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. Former Civic Center Whole Foods Employees Say Store Didn't Close Just Because of Crime. By the early 1930s, he had combined that fish stall with a bar that sold fresh crab and shrimp, and it was housed in what the restaurant says was the first building at the Wharf. Not everyone was able to access funding that contained about $28.6 billion of the total $100 billion needed, the New York Times reported. It was yet another blow to businesses that had. MISSION Above Ground, the vegan brew pub from the same owners as Millennium, will spin its last vegan pizza this Saturday, November 6, the SF Chronicle reports. See a closing we missed? Last December, San Francisco shut down amid a spike in COVID cases, and it forced restaurateurs to return to the takeout and delivery-only model. MISSION Tablehopper spotted that Sons Addition has closed on 24th Street, although the family promises theyre looking for a new location with a full liquor license. Now, the restaurant is celebrating 60 years. MARINA Popular French bakery and bistro Le Marais will close its flagship location on Chestnut Street, the San Francisco Business Times reports. In those neighborhoods, some of the noteworthy closures included two The Organic Coup stores in FiDi and Myriad Gastropub in the Mission. It's not always the best restaurant of the year or even the most prominent but rather, the one that offered something special, moved the conversation forward and made the Bay Area the food epicenter it . neighborhoods saw a net loss of restaurants in 2020 and 2021. JAPANTOWN Many tears have already been shed over the closing of mochi institution Benkyodo, but in addition to previous coverage, the San Francisco Chronicle updates that the owners will not be closing until the end of March, so there are still a couple of months to get in line for mochi, manju, and other sweet confections. Add photo. SACRAMENTO Olive Branch, a Fair Oaks cafe, also closed in August. Even more 530 restaurants closed in 2021 and just 265 opened. "Hard Water was born with the goal for the bar to be a place where you can take your best friend to have a drink that you know they will remember for the rest of their life," read the farewell message on Instagram. There's a reason they're still around: they keep giving us a reason to come back. It turns out that today is their first day open after their old location closed over 3 years ago. SAN JOSE Known for smoked meat with a side of karaoke, Bens BBQ & Brew closed at the end of the year, after the landlord doubled the rent, Mercury News reports. NOE VALLEY Bistro SF Grill has served its last Balkan dishes and wine to Castro and 24th, Tablehopper reports. Its being replaced by Cousins Asian Street Food, but despite being a similar-sounding concept, its unclear if the new restaurant is from the same owners. Decades after The Oriental Restaurant first opened in Berkeley, the Chinese and Vietnamese restaurant has permanently closed its doors, as first reported by Berkeleyside. Their contribution to the Port and the city will not soon be forgotten.". The Ferry Building is an Embarcadero icon. San Francisco's Most Iconic Restaurants - OpenTable Yet its been challenging to accurately quantify how many restaurants were closed due to the pandemic and to assess the full scope of its impact on the industry. THE RICHMOND The Outer Richmond has lost an essential Shanghainese restaurant, What Now San Francisco spotted first. My Neighborhood. The Best Restaurants in San Francisco - Eater SF BERKELEY Berkeleyside reports that Lanesplitter pizzeria is closing at 2033 San Pablo Avenue after 23 years, while the popular Babette cafe is snagging the keys to its location and departing BAMPFA (the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive). Email her at Susana.Guerrero@sfgate.com, Hearst Foundations award WSU with a $150,000 grant, Hearst Foundations award Seattle Art Museum with $250,000 grant, Hearst Foundations award two Wash. orgs with $175,000 in grants, Two popular Seattle parks will close early this summer, city says, Most calls made to Seattle police are for noncriminal activity, Home in local architect's family since the 60s is on sale for $3M. Heres where to eat nearby. Husband-and-wife owners Cindy and Bruno Frisch (originally from the UK and Germany, respectively) are now in their 90s. For 7 years, this Michelin-starred eatery rolled out creative, ingredient-focused dishes to die for. Why every Californian needs an air quality monitor, Coachella 2023: What to pack for a weekend in the desert, How to plan a weekend getaway to Mount Shasta. The Michelin-starred restaurant closed for good in August, after seven years in the Mission District. She did note one silver lining of the pandemic, however: the continued existence of Shared Spaces, a program that allowed restaurants to turn parking spots and sidewalks into outdoor dining venues. The Italian restaurant in Nob Hill announced its permanent closure following a lack of tourists amid the pandemic. A running list of notable Bay Area restaurants and bars that have permanently closed. By Mama L. 15. But many of us have suspected that Whole Foods was using the same gambit as Walgreens did a couple years back, crying about the conditions of San Francisco's streets and the crime problem while, in actuality, making some shrewd business moves and cutting some dead weight. The association helped negotiate the return of the beloved Cafe du Soleil in a new space earlier this year, and connected Otra with neighbors who became investors in the restaurant. (Note: The data includes some restaurants that were temporarily closed and have since reopened, as well as businesses licensed to serve food and drink that arent technically restaurants.). The owners told the Chron they were busy on weekends, but not during the week, and sadly that wasnt enough to pull through the pandemic. Open for a good run of seven years, this location recently closed for renovations, and the owners said theyve decided not to return. BERKELEY Theres one less spot to grab a coffee in the East Bay after Espresso Roma closed its doors in August. Is San Francisco tiki bar the Tonga Room actually good? Prominent pandemic closures in those and surrounding neighborhoods included celebrity chef Chris Cosentinos Cockscomb, 23-year-old seafood restaurant Farallon and the Michelin-starred In Situ. The upscale Japanese restaurant serving traditional kaiseki meals in San Francisco's Japantown announced its Dec. 20 closure on Instagram, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.. 2020 is set to add more record-huge blazes to that list before the year is out, and the August Complex fires burning in Mendocino National Forest have now surpassed both the LNU and SCU complexes in size to become the second-largest wildfire in state history. But Ben Tre remains open in South San Francisco and Millbrae, and sister restaurant Gao is still open in San Mateo plus, the owner is promising a new San Francisco spot, for all those craving that phozilla monster bowl of noodles and lobster. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Benkyodos owners, brothers Ricky and Bobby Okamura, shared a note on the restaurant's website explaining that they were closing the sweet shop so they could retire. Eastern European deli the Junket has shuttered after a wonderful run of 42 years, Berkeleyside laments. She argues that Congress needs to refill the Restaurant Revitalization Fund that provided emergency funding for businesses impacted by COVID. Pane e Vino Trattoria, an Italian restaurant located at 1715 Union St. in San Francisco, has closed. Acquerello. celebrity chef Chris Cosentinos Cockscomb, return of the beloved Cafe du Soleil in a new space, notable restaurants have recently opened there, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Then drop us a line. SACRAMENTO Two separate breweries coincidentally announced closures around the new year: Dream Dog Brewing lost their lease, and Campus Brewing is selling off the last of its beer, according to the Sacramento Bee. Jazz bar Club Deluxe is closing after three decades in San Francisco. SACRAMENTO Favorite Chinese breakfast spot Harrys Cafe will close on December 31, as the owner wants to retire after 17 years in the restaurant game, according to the Sacramento Bee. Eeeew! Get all the latest & greatest posts delivered straight to your inbox, The List of SF Restaurants That Have Closed Since the Pandemic Begin, donate money to the Independent Restaurant Coalition, use this form to write to a congressperson, Five Classic and Charming French Bistros In San Francisco, Restaurant Scenes In SF and Chicago Hit Hardest By Pandemic, Says OpenTable, Petit Crenn Reopens For Prix Fixe 'Pop-Up' In Hayes Valley. The restaurants in question are Castagnola's, Tarantino's and Pompei's Grotto, which combined represent 255 years of San Francisco dining history. That high-foot-traffic, high-price area relied on being jam-packed at least a few days a week, Dvorak said of the Mission. Now, it's revered. COW HOLLOW Favorite neighborhood Italian restaurant Pane e Vino closed on August 26, ending a pizza, pasta, and puttanesca run of 30 years. SOMA In Situ has permanently closed within SFMOMA, as first spotted by the SF Chronicle. While the owners shared that closing was the best move for the business, they hinted that Terrapin could potentially open in some form, somewhere down the road. Read more. This is despite the fact that it had been planned for years, as part of the enormous Trinity Place project, before its March 2022 opening. Delivery & Pickup Options - 359 reviews of Radio Africa Kitchen "Here's the deal -- Radio Africa is a 'Nomadic Restaurant' featuring New American cuisine with a great North African twist. The list, which was based on business registration collected by the Treasurer and Tax Collectors Office, included restaurants that notified the city of their individual store closures between Jan. 1 and Dec. 26, 2021. The parklet was built to handle customers outside of Maggie McGarry's on Grant Avenue in San Francisco. Best Dining in San Francisco, California: See 394,031 Tripadvisor traveler reviews of 6,869 San Francisco restaurants and search by cuisine, price, location, and more. Tia Margarita put margaritas on the map in SF. Residential neighborhoods fared better. Menu. And, this person adds, "Sales werent too great for the supposed flagship store of the region. So drive further east for the meaty Oktoberfest menu of sausages, pretzels, and warm potato salad. She received an M.A. I'd like to be optimistic, but I still think we have a lot of challenges, Thomas said. SUNNYVALE Longhorn Charcoal Pit bar and grill has served its last steaks and burgers after a wild ride of 61 years, Mercury News reports. Daily Grill - San Francisco - Permanently Closed - OpenTable require proof of booster shots to dine indoors, Why every Californian needs an air quality monitor, Coachella 2023: What to pack for a weekend in the desert, How to plan a weekend getaway to Mount Shasta. Star chef Corey Lee opened the museum restaurant in 2016, curating dishes by chefs from around the world, garnering a Michelin star, James Beard award, and other accolades. Rose added a kitchen to the existing seafood bar, and opened the first iteration of Alioto's Restaurant in 1938. Fewer office workers and less tourism have proved to be lingering challenges for many restaurant businesses, especially those in SoMa and the Financial District. Allie Van Duyne Allie worked in fast food kitchens before joining Toast and now DoorDash, writing about the future of the restaurant industry. POLK GULCH Encore Karaoke Lounge seems to have belted its last tune. That was also framed as a decision about "safety.". 45 Best Restaurants in San Francisco in 2023 The original location on Haight Street remains open. A pedestrian walks by closed businesses along Geary Boulevard on April 16, 2021, in San Francisco. Radio Africa Kitchen - San Francisco, CA - Yelp OAKLAND Roam Burgers has closed its only location in Oakland, a tipster was sad to report. Photos by Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle, predicted 75% of independent restaurants would close, said the city could lose half of its restaurants. Its likely to cause more tension between the Oakland Police Department and Alameda County DA Pamela Price that Price has issued an arrest warrant for OPD officer Phong Tran on five felony counts of perjury and bribery. FRUITVALE Reems Arab bakery officially departed its original location in Fruitvale on August 31, the SF Chronicle reported first. And, keep ordering that takeout and going to drink booze at restaurants with outdoor seating! But the restaurant announced its closure on December 18, SFGate spotted first. San Francisco Restaurant Closings Oakland Soul Food Icon Brown Sugar Kitchen Shutters After 15 Years, and More Closings A running list of notable Bay Area restaurants and bars that have. Friends and neighbors will miss the nourishing cafe fare with Brazilian touches, and especially that cake of the day. According to its business website, the closure was a result of the business losing its lease. The owner of popular tapas bar Cha Cha Cha closed his Mission District location in June after struggling to fill the large, 143-seat space amid declining foot traffic in the area. During the month of October more restaurants. Share. in English from UC Berkeley. She also has experience conducting research on journalism and the news media at the Pew Research Center. The shop was founded in 1980, and owner David Sandy Boyd told Berkeleyside that the $18,000 rent was outpacing the $300 per day income, leading him to tell the landlord hed shutter as soon as there was someone else to take the space. On average, they are about 75% of the way back. OAKLAND Its the end of a chicken-and-waffles era for a California soul food icon. Since the rollout of the vaccine, bar and restaurant owners have been able to reopen dining spaces, perhaps making it easier to stay afloat, while also having better protection for their staff and customers from catching COVID. The family is moving to Boise, Idaho, where they plan to open another Thai restaurant. When Benkyodo permanently closed at the beginning of the year, the news marked the end of an era for generations of customers who shopped at the 115-year-old Japanese confectionery. Only downside is that it looks like it's closed from the outside as you can't see in and the doors are closed with no "open" sign. One of the oldest restaurants on San Francisco's Michelin list (founded in 1989), Acquerello, with its earth-toned walls, white tablecloths, and graceful fresh flower arrangements . AL's Place. A (literally) fiery seafood restaurant opens in Richmond's Point San It feels to me like a little bit of a waiting game, said Justin Catalana, who runs Fort Point Beer Co. on Valencia Street. The San Francisco Business Times said that it was "unclear" whether the family would reopen the restaurant at another location in the city in the future. Even though the restaurant was doing great business, London reportedly closed AL's Place to spend . Benkyodo, Japantowns legendary manju and mochi destination, closed in late March, after 115 years in San Francisco. For those of us who love food and more specifically love the restaurant culture that has evolved in San Francisco in the last couple decades, this is cause for some serious emotional doldrums. The Laundromat is an all-day spot in the Richmond serving bagels, pizza, and natural wine in a sceney space. She received an M.A. Working from home became institutionalized, hollowing out the core business of many lunch and after-work spots; supply chain woes and ascarcity of restaurant workers piled on further. The city lost numerous beloved bars and restaurants throughout 2022, from Michelin-starred hotspots Coi and ALs Place to the legendary seafood restaurant Aliotos, which closed after 97 years. If you want to help, you can donate money to the Independent Restaurant Coalition, or use this form to write to a congressperson to urge them to take action to save small restaurants around the country. Owner Chelsea Hung took over Washington Bakery & Restaurant in 2018, when her mother, Tilly Tsang, retired from running the shop. For a soul food brunch surrounded by retro decor, Hard Knox Cafe in the Richmond is a solid choice. Menu. OAKLAND After 35 years of simple seasonal pastas, pizzas, and vegetables, Oliveto is ending its run as an Italian institution in Rockridge, Berkeleyside reported first. Some, like Locanda, cut out early without waiting to see how much time could be bought through takeout and federal stimulus loans. I tried everything, Patterson wrote on Instagram. Among them were the Financial District and the Mission District, which had about 15 closures each. The owners son shouted out his dad in a cute Facebook post. When Mayor London Breed declared a state of emergency in February2020, no one could have predicted how COVID-19 would unravel San Franciscos food industry. Regardless, the restaurant will live on in San Francisco food history, and in the memories of both San Francisco residents and visitors to the city alike. Some are listed as permanently closed on. Sam Wo Restaurant - San Francisco, CA - Yelp This is a review for restaurants in San Francisco, CA: "LOVE this place. Closed 5:30 AM - 6:00 PM. The 27-year-old Chinatown restaurant, known for its pineapple buns, wonton noodle soup and other Hong Kong-style cuisine, permanently closed in April. Their new restaurant Otra remains open with lots of fresh masa and smoky mezcal cocktails in Lower Haight. We were sat immediately at a great table in the front window. MARKET Fog City News, the downtown newsstand with a surprisingly impressive array of chocolate, is closing at the end of the year. BERKELEY Lucky Bird, a fast-casual street food spot on Shattuck, has closed after only two years, Berkeleyside reports. October saw more restaurant closures in SF and beyond - SFGATE SF Bay Area Restaurants That Closed During Coronavirus - San Francisco Nami Sumida is a data visualization developer at The San Francisco Chronicle. Business was slow and unpredictable. Elena Kadvany joined The San Francisco Chronicle as a food reporter in 2021. OAKLAND Berkeleyside reports that Batch Pastries closed and cooled the ovens on September 25. Great for groups as it's large and spacious with its high ceilings. See hours. 2022 was a strong year of recovery for restaurants, even adjusting for inflation, Egan told SFGATE after reviewing restaurant sales tax through September. Lani Conway April 26, 2021. Philz Coffee - San Francisco, CA - Yelp (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.). The SF Chronicle reports that new owners from Santa Cruzs Sante Adairus are planning to reopen and rename the taproom Oakland Arbor, although its not clear when. Finding the total number of city closures isnt simple. Last year, Laurie Thomas, the executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, told SFGATE that it would require the city to comb through nearly 4,000 restaurant permits with San Franciscos Department of Public Health and review the ones that were still active. SANTA ROSA Creperie Chez Solange will close at the end of October, according to Sonoma Magazine. Would Whole Foods have made the decision to curtail hours last fall, closing the place at 7 p.m., if they were doing gangbusters business and regularly had long lines at checkout at 7 or 8 p.m.? In 2020, 335 restaurants closed while 269 . The first time I came they were doing a buy 4 get 1 free and yesterday 20% off if you checked in on yelp. March 2023 with a deadline of June 30, 2022. What are some highly rated restaurants in San Francisco, CA? Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Office-heavy areas like the Financial District and SoMa were among the hardest hit and continue to struggle, and that shows in the data: The Financial District saw a 17% decrease in restaurants from 2019 to 2021 and SoMa saw an 11% drop. During that time, it never paid rent on that space, or on its "support warehouse," and its owners have since decided to end its 66-year-lease with the Port of San Francisco a little over 14 years early. The Korner Store, which opened in September 2021, is hoping for a resurgence of Valencia Street in the Mission. I wish the dynamics of San Francisco [were] different. Matterhorn Restaurant & Bakery - San Francisco, CA - Yelp Even after the direct effects of the pandemic lifted, the aftermath destabilized the industry at every turn. CASTRO Reveille Coffee has closed its popular location on 18th Street, where coffee drinkers and their pups used to gather in the mini front patio secluded by plants, Hoodline reports. Her rent had almost doubled to about $6,000 a month since she first opened the cheese-centric restaurant. According to an Instagram post by chef and owner Daniel Patterson, investors refused to let him reopen Coi during the two-year pandemic. The great gentrification wave on Mid-Market that city leaders promised back when Twitter was given their infamous tax break never really happened. Mandalay in the Richmond has been around since 1984. Went with a group of friends and had such a wonderful time. (For this story, SFDPH told SFGATE that the Treasurer and Tax Collectors Office currently had the most accurate data.). When he died in 1933, his wife, Rose, took the reins. But throughout the city there were other prominent business closures, such as 20th Century Cafe, two Namu Stonepot locations, Tygers Coffee, and most recently, Dotties True Blue Caf. Club Deluxe, longtime jazz bar in San Francisco's Haight, is closed But that balance drastically shifted during the pandemic. Even though new places continue to open, this is an incredibly challenging time for restaurants. Renowned chef Tom Colicchio predicted 75% of independent restaurants would close for good. Stay up to date!