Castro Business Briefs: Philz Coffee Update, Simply Brilliant Plots Move, More

Castro Business Briefs: Philz Coffee Update, Simply Brilliant Plots Move, MorePhotos: Steven Bracco/Hoodline
Steven Bracco
Published on September 09, 2015

The recent barrage of restaurant closure announcements (Pesce, Chili Pies, Zapata, and most recently Janchi) has dominated Castro business news of late, but there are still plenty of changes going on at other businesses around the neighborhood. Here are the latest updates.

Philz Coffee (549 Castro St.)


Hoodline reported back in July that Philz Coffee's newer, larger location on Castro Street would be opening in November. But Philz senior project manager David Grey now says the shop could open by late September. "We're a couple weeks away from the finish of construction, and the major hurdles left are inspections and getting PG&E out to set our electric meter." 

Patrons will be happy to know that the new location will have four barista stations, as opposed to the two at the current 18th Street location, which will speed up wait times. But while the new space is definitely larger, Grey told us that it's still small compared to other Philz outposts around SF.

"The interior will have some nods to the current location," Grey said, such as the rainbow mug on the menu. "The store team will be doing much of the decorating, so it's our aim that we'll bring along much of what makes the current spot special." Philz also plans to take advantage of the wider sidewalks on Castro Street by adding sidewalk seating.

Simply Brilliant Press (2336 Market St.)


A sign was recently posted in the front window of Simply Brilliant Press, letting customers know that the print shop will be moving to a new location in the Castro at the end of 2015.

Hoodline spoke with an employee who wished to remain anonymous, and who told us that the business was moving due to an increase in rent. When we asked about where they were planning to move, the employee said that they had not yet found a new location in the neighborhood.

Simply Brilliant has another SF location (on Sutter Street in the Financial District), along with locations in Sacramento and Rancho Cordova.

Mystery Restaurant For Sale

It appears that yet another restaurant in the neighborhood may be on its way out. A listing on Craigslist recently went up for a "well established restaurant in the renowned Castro District, San Francisco. The restaurant has been partnered with the neighborhood for two decades."

The listing puts the approximately 1,000-square-foot, 49-seat restaurant at $199,000, including the beer and wine license. When Hoodline spoke with listing agent Victor Amporndanai, he was unable to disclose any information, due to the sensitivity of the sale.

While the listing doesn't specifically name the restaurant for sale, photos of the restaurant's kitchen and tile floors, as well as information about how long the restaurant has been in the neighborhood, point towards Osaka Sushi (460 Castro St.) as the probable business on the market. (Update: a source at the restaurant says that Osaka is not the business listed, so stay tuned as we find out more.)

The Rainbow Market & Deli (4401 18th St.)


The Rainbow Market & Deli, at 18th Street and Eureka, has recently undergone a change of ownership. The corner market has been open since 2012; it was previously Adorabella's.

Employee Leo Jada told Hoodline that the new owners will be taking over in the next couple weeks. When we asked what the new owners' plans were for the market, Jada told us that they planned to change the name and provide better options.

Did we miss any business updates? If so, let us know in the comments or send us a tip