It’s a new year, with a fresh round of closures that totally sucks. Over at the Ferry Building, Traci Des Jardins has shuttered MIJITA after serving her amazing chilaquiles there for 15 years. The Chronicle reports she was at the end of her lease, and may repeat the concept somewhere else, but that’s TBD. She reportedly has another Mexican restaurant concept in the works, so we’ll need to stand by on that; she will continue to be part of The Commissary, Arguello, School Night, and Public House.
And just after one year of business, Tanya Holland is closing the Ferry Building location of BROWN SUGAR KITCHEN after service on Sunday January 19th. It’s a shame to lose the first and only black female-owned business in the Ferry Building Marketplace. She’s going to be focusing her attention on her Oakland location, and her post on Instagram alludes to more to come.
I received a tip a few weeks ago that things were strange at CAFE FLORE in the Castro, with diminished hours, erratic hours of closure, and more. And how sad: after 47 years of serving as an iconic location in The City, the café closed over the holidays and is moving to an events-only concept. Of late, the food (and cocktails) have not been been where they used to be, or should be—but man, with the right operator, that place should be humming. It’s a damn shame. I hope someone with some money steps in, buys the location, does the upgrades it needs, and does it right. It’s too iconic, and beloved by so many for being the Castro’s alfresco living room, since 1973! 2298 Market St. at Noe.
Another icon has closed: after 25 years on Valencia, BURGER JOINT has thrown in the dish towel. The building was going through a retrofit, but it looks like they don’t want to wait it out. 807 Valencia St. at 19th St.
And it just keeps on unraveling: FRINGALE in SoMa is closing on January 25th—it opened in 1991. I remember dining there often when Gerald Hirigoyen was the chef (the restaurant had the most amazing sweetbreads). In the Chronicle piece, current owner Jean-Marie Legendre cites the endless construction on Fourth Street and the changing lunch habits of the local tech workforce as the primary reasons for closing. 28 years, what a run. 570 4th St. at Brannan.
Lower Nob Hill residents who liked the quality food and groceries at MERAKI MARKET are bemoaning its sudden closure. I wrote in to owner Stanlee Gatti for an update on what’s next—the site mentions a “restructuring,” but who knows what that may mean. [Via Hoodline.]
In the temporary closure department: the newly open GOZU remains closed after a small fire on New Year’s Eve. A note from the restaurant states: “On New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2019), there was a small fire at Ittoryu Gozu. The fire department came instantly and no one was injured. The majority of the space is in good condition, however we will need some time to rebuild our hearth—the main feature and element of our robatayaki-inspired restaurant.
“The fire was not due to any wrongdoing by the Gozu team, but was due to a structural issue. The restaurant employees, the building’s staff, and city officials have stepped up to handle this unfortunate situation. As we learn more about the damages, we will share with our community, but do not foresee being closed beyond two months.
“During this time, our incredible team that we have built over the last couple of months, will come together and positively impact the community by further refining and evolving our vision to be stronger than before. Please stay tuned!”
Another temporary closure is ~SOUVLA~ Hayes Valley, which is closed through January 27th for renovations. But they thought of everything, and parked the Souvla truck at PROXY, where you can order almost all of Souvla’s menu from 11am-10pm daily.
Mijita tamales. Photo © FrankenyImages.com.
