SFGATE - Food & Dining

'It feels like that energy is missing': Why San Francisco's iconic rooftop bar remains closed

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 17:48:40 GMT

Perched on the 19th floor of the InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco, you’ll find the stylish Top of the Mark bar. Its large windows offer sweeping views of the city in an elegant setting, but these days, no one is around to enjoy it. Since March, the classic 80-year-old cocktail lounge has remained inaccessible after the hotel closed its doors the public, save for a group of first responders that it currently hosts. With fewer guests to tend, things have been much quieter.

Historic Palo Alto restaurant will close until 2021

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 02:49:21 GMT

Palo Alto's MacArthur Park restaurant has been around since 1981, and the building — a historical landmark — has been around even longer. But now, the restaurant will close temporarily, just two weeks after finally reopening outdoor dining, the Mercury News reported.

German cafe in the Castro announces permanent closure

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 02:49:20 GMT

A cafe in San Francisco’s Castro district, known for its German pastries and vibrant mural, is calling it quits after two years.

Popular SF bakery and sister brewery close due to COVID exposure

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 02:49:20 GMT

Both locations of San Francisco's Devil's Teeth Baking Company as well as sister restaurant Sunset Reservoir Brewing Company have closed temporarily after an employee at the brewery tested positive for COVID-19.

Toy Boat Dessert Cafe receives a lifeline — Jane the Bakery owner to take over, preserve toys

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 19:06:54 GMT

Just two months after the owners of Toy Boat Dessert Cafe announced their plans to put the beloved shop up for sale, one local has announced she will be taking up the mantle: Amanda Michael, owner of Jane the Bakery, said she will be taking over the spot and preserving much of what makes this place well-loved.

Acclaimed San Francisco barbecue chef, Marvin Lau, dies at age 42

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 03:09:44 GMT

Native Sons BBQ, the popular San Francisco barbecue pop-up, has lost its chef and co-founder: Marvin Lau died on July 5 after a long battle with cancer. He was 42 years old.

'It's not possible to continue a model that you can't sustain': Duende announces temporary closure

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 03:22:59 GMT

As the pandemic continues to place obstacles for business owners, Oakland’s Spanish restaurant Duende has temporarily closed its doors.

Toronado, the popular San Francisco beer bar, is (almost) ready to reopen

Sun, 02 Aug 2020 20:43:13 GMT

The beginnings of makeshift patios are taking form outside one of beer lovers' favorite bars, Toronado, perhaps signaling the start of the path back to grabbing a beer on the board.

How a group of SF volunteers helped generate nearly $50,000 for North Beach restaurants

Sun, 02 Aug 2020 12:35:48 GMT

On a recent evening in San Francisco, a group of seven gathers outside Italian restaurant Il Pollaio on Columbus Avenue where 25 takeout meals await them. The bags are divvied up among the group as they begin their delivery shift on behalf of the North Beach restaurant.

These are the restaurants that have closed permanently in July

Sat, 01 Aug 2020 13:28:59 GMT

The restaurant and bar industry has been hit hard since shelter-in-place started in March, forcing a number of businesses to shutter permanently. Here's a list of noteworthy establishments that have closed during the month of July.

4505 Burgers and BBQ closes its Oakland location

Sat, 01 Aug 2020 05:44:10 GMT

4505 Burgers and BBQ, a barbecue restaurant known for its smoked meats and sides, has announced it is closing its Oakland location indefinitely.

SF Michelin-starred restaurant closes due to COVID-19 exposure

Fri, 31 Jul 2020 22:08:22 GMT

State Bird Provisions, the Michelin-starred restaurant serving dim sum-style, seasonal Californian cuisine in the Fillmore, has closed temporarily due to potential exposure to the coronavirus. The Progress, State Bird's next-door sibling restaurant, has also closed.

Trader Joe’s says product labels targeted by petition aren't racist

Fri, 31 Jul 2020 06:35:46 GMT

Following some criticism from a petition deeming product names as "racist" a few weeks ago, Trader Joe's has since offered some insight into its product-naming process, stating that it disagreed with the claim that its products should be construed as racist.

Even Chez Panisse is doing takeout sandwiches now

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 22:55:02 GMT

Chez Panisse, Alice Waters' acclaimed Berkeley fine dining restaurant, is now trading its signature four-course, upwards of $100 dinner menus for to-go sandwiches. Since March, the restaurant has been selling Cannard Family Farm CSA boxes and pantry items, but its expanded Friday takeout menu is a relatively new addition.

What happens if your bar doesn’t fit in CA’s reopening plan? Smuggler’s Cove doesn’t know

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 14:47:39 GMT

Smuggler’s Cove has the largest rum selection in the country. It has multiple “Best Bars in America” nods. And it has an unparalleled movie set-caliber interior. What it doesn’t have, though, is any idea of whether it’ll ever be able to open again.

Reopened brewery goes totally contactless with new 'Beer-O-Mat'

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 14:47:39 GMT

On languid summer days, Temescal Brewing’s beer garden typically sees its wooden picnic tables crammed with tipsy friends gulping from foam-topped glasses. With taco trucks out front, pastel decor and beers with names like “Lawn Flamingo” and “Breezy Days," the Oakland brewery on Telegraph Avenue is the epitome of a carefree day in July.

A month after launching takeout, SF's oldest restaurant shuts down all operations

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 23:23:38 GMT

Tadich Grill, San Franicsco's oldest restaurant, will shut down its takeout operation on Friday, about a month after launching it.

'If anyone gets sick, we’re ruined': SF restaurant that hosted COVID wedding party speaks out

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 23:23:38 GMT

Over the weekend of July 4, a San Francisco couple defied health orders to host an indoor wedding with nearly 100 guests at Saints Peter and Paul Church in North Beach, as first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. Afterwards, at least 10 attendees, who had flown in from places as far way as Nashville, Arizona, and San Diego, tested positive for the coronavirus, including the newlywed couple. The night before, 40 wedding guests also congregated on the expansive outdoor patio at Harborview Restaurant and Bar, a dim sum restaurant at Embarcadero Center.

San Jose retro themed diner closes after 20 years

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 07:39:39 GMT

A retro 1950s-themed diner has closed after 20 years in San Jose. Peggy Sue’s, an American diner located in San Jose’s San Pedro Square, quietly closed on Monday with nothing more than a simple sign that gave thanks to customers through the years.