Well, heck. After 10 years of holding down the corner of Haight and Steiner in the Lower Haight, MAVEN is closing at the end of March (their last service will be Monday March 29th). In a heartfelt post on Facebook, owner Jay Bordeleau shares: “Maven was unable to find a reasonable path forward with our landlord. The phrase, ‘Such a total bummer,’ is beyond an understatement. […] COVID19 caused 10 people to lose their jobs a year ago. And now, the hardest part about this decision is five more people losing their gainful employment during a pandemic because of a needed business decision. I’m mad. I fought as hard as I could for their jobs and it still wasn’t enough.” Such a big ugh.
Maven was a great first date spot, and such a neighborhood hangout. They also had a cocktail called the Oxford Comma, which should speak to any writer’s heart. Come by for a last drink and their burger with Angostura bitters. Open Tue-Sun 4:30pm-9.30pm. 598 Haight St. at Steiner.
Over in the Mission, a big piece of 22nd Street’s gypsy-bohemian vibe has gone silent with the closure of THE REVOLUTION CAFE, according to this piece in Broke-Ass Stuart. It was always like a lively European café street scene, with violins or congas or Balkan beats on the patio nightly at The Rev. The piece mentions owners Andre and Jennifer Larzul are remaining silent about the closure, but “a group of about 9-10 regulars have been discussing the possibility of taking it over, but there is nothing concrete.” One can only hope, there was no place like it. 3248 22nd St. at Bartlett.
Maven’s bar and living wall. Photo by Molly DeCoudreaux.
