Category: restaurants
Sigh … Ken Ken is gone gone
April 5, 2018
After five years, popular Mission ramen spot Ken Ken Ramen has called it quits. A note posted in the window of the 18th Street restaurant says the decision to close was for “personal, financial and professional reasons.” The restaurant’s last day open was apparently Saturday. While Ken Ken is no more, it looks like the […]
Balompi-YAY! Beloved pupusa restaurant reopening soon
November 11, 2017
Missing Balompie Cafe’s amazing pupusas? The wait is almost over. Signs have gone up in the restaurant’s entrance at 18th and Capp Street announcing a reopening date of November 24th. The spot has been closed since late May of 2016 while their building has underwent a seismic retrofit.
Urban Fish out of water, becoming Japanese spot
October 30, 2017
Urban Fish took its last gasp months ago, and it appears a Japanese restaurant is set to breathe new life into the space. Signs have gone up outside 2193 Mission near 18th Street, indicating that the tiny restaurant space could be soon home to a restaurant called Tawara that offers “sake dining,” which I can […]
Mau to stay after last-minute deal with landlord
October 1, 2017
Finally, some good news for a Valencia Street tenant. Much-loved Vietnamese restaurant Mau appears to have reached a last-minute deal with its landlord on the day it was slated to close. A sign in the restaurant’s window states that as of 2:40 p.m. Saturday their landlord reached out and both sides were able to come […]
“Francisca’s” restaurant opening in former Palace space
June 21, 2017
More than a year after a fire shuttered the restaurant and damaged apartments above it, the owners of The Palace are opening a new restaurant in the space. Francisca’s, named after owner/chef Manny Torres Gimenez’s grandma, is expected to officially open around July 15, although a soft opening is going on right now. The restaurant […]
Look who’s back. Sunflower’s Valencia side reopened
April 17, 2017
Closed for more than three years, Sunflower’s Valencia Street space is finally back. A walk by the restaurant Friday night found 506 Valencia’s Street’s neon sign lit once again and the Vietnamese restaurant full of customers. One of the servers told me the restaurant reopened more than a week ago. Sunflower shut its doors in September 2014 […]
Restaurant beat: Cha Cha Cha wants live music
March 20, 2017
Under new ownership since late fall, Cha Cha Cha is trying something new: live music. The tapas restaurant, at 2327 Mission St., has applied for a permit that would allow Cuban bands to play there several times a month. Irfan Yalcin, who bought the restaurant last year and also owns nearby L’Emigrante and Urban Fish, […]
“Brown Sugar Factory” debuting on Valencia
March 14, 2017
Valencia Street’s newest restaurant Brown Sugar Factory is scheduled to open today and Capp Street Crap got a look recently at a draft menu. An employee at the new restaurant, described as Asian fusion, told me yesterday that Brown Sugar Factory should be open for business this afternoon. At 525 Valencia St., the spot was […]
Starboard gone, now home to Asian popup
January 31, 2017
Open less than a year, Mission hofbrau Starboard is apparently no more. The restaurant’s old space on 16th Street is now home to a popup serving Asian fusion cuisine. It is unclear what happened with Starboard. Emails sent through the restaurant’s website and to its sister business Slate, next door, were not returned. Adrian Pham, one of the partners […]
True grits: Cajun restaurant about to debut in the Mission
January 17, 2017
Alba Ray’s, a new Cajun restaurant that’s moved into the former Hapa Ramen space near 19th and Mission streets, is scheduled to open Monday. Workers on suspended scaffolding were busy repairing and painting the exterior of the 2993 Mission St. space over the holiday weekend, while a crew focused on the finishing touches inside. Taking a […]