As the year comes to a close, North Beach Restaurant, a beloved Italian establishment in San Francisco, is set to cease operations after half a century. Renowned for its indulgent melon and prosciutto dishes, the restaurant anticipates closure at December's end. It's been a hub for San Francisco's residents, attracting politicians, professionals, and families across generations, according to SF Eater.
Owner Leo Petroni, the son of original founder Lorenzo Petroni, is selling the 6,400-square-foot property and its assets for $4.5 million. The dip in customer visits and tourism and convention decrease contributed to Petroni's decision to close the business.
Over the years, numerous politicians have frequented the restaurant, including Senator Nancy Pelosi and former mayors George Moscone and Willie Brown. However, the restaurant struggled to recover from the pandemic-triggered closure combined with Lorenzo Petroni's death in 2014, initiating its downturn. The pandemic led to the restaurant's 18-month shutdown which reopened in 2021, only to face new challenges with the Omicron COVID variant's surge in January.
General Manager Maureen Donegan was brought in to revamp the menu and oversee renovations in an effort to rejuvenate the restaurant. Despite her optimism for the post-pandemic updates, the declining San Francisco tourism industry proved to be a major hurdle. Donegan acknowledged that this summer season was the quietest in her 35-year career according to the Chronicle.
While North Beach Restaurant's closure will significantly impact the local dining scene, the neighborhood embraces a period of rejuvenation. New entrants like Wine and poetry bar Golden Sardine have emerged, and the Flour+Water Pizzeria opened an expansive new locale in June. Yet, replicating the diplomatic spirit of the basement-level prosciutto room, where political agreements defined San Francisco's landscape, might be a tough act for future occupants to follow.
Despite closing his storied establishment, Leo Petroni stays hopeful about the future. He verbalized to the San Francisco Chronicle that he still sees potential in the iconic North Beach neighborhood, an inviting opportunity for a new generation of restaurateurs to make a mark in a world-class city and contribute to a vibrant, evolving food scene.
