By Peter Lawrence Kane
2014 saw a lot of churn among iconic San Francisco businesses, particularly in the food and beverage scene. Family-owned burrito joints (Cuco’s), decades-old neighborhood institutions (Villa Romana, All-Star Donuts), and some hipster mainstays (the Attic) all shuttered. Near-death experiences (the Uptown, Le Video) were outnumbered by sudden disappearances (Calumet Photographic, the San Francisco Bay Guardian) and obvious gentrification victims (the galleries at 77 Geary), while a few places that remain open for now will be leaving us very soon (the Lexington Club, the Empress of China), with the writing on the wall for still others (the Elbo Room). And, of course, Dolores Park is half-closed and will stay that way for a long time.
Luckily, however, we got a whole bunch of sexy newbies to keep us happy, well dressed, and well fed into 2015 and beyond, along with places that reconfigured (Fifth Floor as Dirty Habit, Plum as Ume) or reopened elsewhere (Marlowe). Don’t sit shiva for San Francisco just yet! Here are some of the bittersweet good-byes and exciting openings of the year.
We bid farewell to …
77 Geary Galleries (galleries, Downtown, some of which moved to other locations)
97 Cent Plus (discount store, Western Addition)
All-Star Donuts (28-year-old donut shop, Marina)
Amber Dhara (Indian restaurant, Mission)
Aquarius Barber Shop (Lower Haight)
The Attic (dive bar, Mission)
Baker & Banker (restaurant, Pacific Heights)
Bibliohead Bookstore (Hayes Valley, opening a new location in January)
Brandy Ho’s (Chinese restaurant, Castro)
Burmese Kitchen (Tenderloin, testing out a pop-up concept now)
Café Cocomo (club, Dogpatch, now Playa SF)
Calumet Photographic (Mission)
Chenery Park (restaurant, Glen Park)
Cuco’s (burrito joint, Lower Haight)
Dante’s Weird Fish (restaurant, Mission)
Drake’s Bay Oyster Company (Marin)
E’Angelo Trattoria (35-year-old Italian restaurant, Marina)
Eagle Donuts (Bernal Heights)
Empress of China (48-year-old restaurant, Chinatown)
Esta Noche (gay bar, Mission)
Fleur de Lys (Hubert Keller’s 28-year-old French restaurant, Tenderloin)
Goodwill (SOMA)
Grand Café (Union Square)
Greenburger’s (Lower Haight)
Hayes & Kebab (restaurant, Lower Haight)
Hapa SF (Filipino food truck)
Hi Lo BBQ (Mission)
Incanto (and later Porcellino, Chris Cosentino’s Italian restaurant/markets, Noe Valley)
Joe’s Cable Car (49-year-old burger joint, Excelsior)
The Lexington Club (lesbian bar, Mission)
Local’s Corner (restaurant, Mission)
Luna Park (restaurant, Mission)
Market & Rye (restaurant, West Portal location only)
Million Thai (latest occupant of SF’s most cursed space at 2080 Van Ness Avenue in Russian Hill)
New Central Cafe (cafe featured in Blue Jasmine, Mission)
Pearl’s Deluxe Burgers (6th & Market location)
Q Restaurant (Richmond)
Red Devil Lounge (music venue, Russian Hill)
Royal Tug Yacht Club (bar, Union Square)
Sunflower Authentic Vietnamese Restaurant (Mission location)
Therapy (vintage furniture/housewares, Mission location)
Tortilla Heights (Mexican restaurant/bar, Lower Pacific Heights)
Trocadero Club (bar, Tenderloin)
Urban Flow (yoga, SOMA, closing in its current location)
Villa Romana (60-year-old Italian restaurant, Sunset)
Woodward’s Garden (restaurant, Mission)
But were excited to welcome …
4505 Burgers & BBQ (Western Addition)
%ABV (gastropub, Mission)
Aina (Hawaiian restaurant, formerly 903 Cortland, Bernal Heights)
Amour Vert (eco-fashion boutique, Hayes Valley)
Anar Restaurant (Persian restaurant, SOMA)
Azalea Boutique (unisex clothes, Mission)
Bernal Star (formerly Liberty Cafeé, Bernal Heights)
Big 4 (restaurant inside the Huntington Hotel, Nob Hill)
Brenda’s Meat & Three (Southern restaurant, Western Addition)
Brewcade (arcade bar, Castro)
Chino (“Chinese-y” restaurant, Mission)
The Coachman (bar/restaurant, SOMA)
Cockscomb (bar/restaurant, SOMA)
Convert Man (men’s clothes, Hayes Valley)
Dirty Habit (bar/restaurant, formerly Fifth Floor, SOMA)
Gaspar Brasserie (French restaurant, Financial District)
Gather (workspace/boutique, Hayes Valley)
The Hall (European food court, Tenderloin)
Hogwash (beer hall, Union Square/Nob Hill)
Harper & Rye (cocktail lounge, Russian Hill)
ICHI Sushi + NI Bar (sushi restaurant/sake bar, Bernal Heights)
The Interval (bar/event space, Fort Mason)
Kin Khao (Thai restaurant in the Parc 55 Hotel, Union Square)
La Nebbia (Italian wine bar, Noe Valley)
La Rondalla (long-awaited Mexican restaurant re-opening, Mission)
Lazy Bear (supper club, Mission)
Magnolia Brewery/Smokestack (brewery/bar/restaurant, Dogpatch)
Monsieur Benjamin (French bistro, Hayes Valley)
Mr. Holmes Bakehouse (bakery, Tenderloin)
Orenchi Beyond (ramen restaurant, Mission)
Palm House (restaurant, Marina)
Pink Zebra (pop-up restaurant, Mission)
Progress (new restaurant from State Bird Provisions owners, Fillmore)
Rag & Bone (unisex boutique, Pacific Heights)
Ramen Bar (Michael Mina’s ramen restaurant, Financial District)
Rare Device (gifts/home décor, Noe Valley)
Red Hill Station (seafood restaurant, Bernal Heights)
Rx (bar, Tenderloin)
Souvla (Greek restaurant, Hayes Valley)
SRO (bar, SOMA)
Trou Normand (restaurant, SOMA)
Sui Generis (women’s consignment, Marina)
Ume (Daniel Patterson’s Japanese restaurant, formerly Plum, Oakland)
Urban Putt (bar/mini-golf course, Mission)
The Village (event space, SoMa)
What’d we miss? Add to this list of notable openings and closings in the comments.
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Photo of The Attic by Thomas Hawk/Flickr
