Here's the latest in SF food news. In this edition, a gastropub will close after a decade of business in the Fillmore District, owners of two popular San Francisco restaurants plan to open a vegetarian restaurant in the Lower Haight, and a new taco eatery opens in FiDi.
Closing
Fillmore District
Fat Angel Food & Libation (1740 O'Farrell St.)
Fat Angel will soon close its doors in the Fillmore District. A recent post on its Facebook page announced that the gastropub at 1740 O'Farrell St. will shutter at the end of this year. Its last day will be December 31st.
The restaurant, which opened a decade ago, was known for its vast beer and wine selection, as well as comfort food-style dishes such as mac and cheese and thin-crust flatbreads.
Its Facebook page says: “After 1,867 kegs of beer, 1,984 different bottle beers, 676 wine producers, 26,150 chicken pot pies & 20,296 kale salads Fat Angel will be closing at year's end. Thank you all for a wonderful 10 years, it's been a great ride and we will miss you all dearly. Please come by in the coming weeks for your last bit of something special before it's gone forever.”
When we interviewed the owners in 2016, they said the restaurant went through various different phases before becoming Fat Angel. The first idea was to make it Asian cuisine-focused, but then opened as a wine bar, offering over 30 wines by the glass, but when its beer offerings began to outsell the wine, the business' focus became became more beer-focused.
The restaurant also posted a statement to its website:
“We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts, and encourage everyone to come before we close and get your chicken pot pie, kale salad, & slider fix before it’s forever.” The announcement asks customers to stay tuned for something extra special on New Year’s Eve, on its final night of business.
You can follow Fat Angel on its Facebook page for updates on its last hurrah on New Year's eve.
Openings
Lower Haight
State Bird Provisions/The Progress (799 Haight St.)
The team behind State Bird Provisions and The Progress will open a new vegetarian restaurant in the Lower Haight. According to Eater SF, the restaurant’s name is still to be determined but one thing is for sure: it’ll serve no meat.
Husband and wife team Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski told Eater that the project has been in the works for about a year at the space that formerly housed San Francyclo, which closed in 2017.
Brioza, who lives in the area, said the neighborhood association first alerted him about the spot at the corner of Haight and Scott Streets, and he and Krasinski have since worked out an agreement with the landlord to create a restaurant concept there.
The process includes a change-of-use permit to turn the former bike shop into a restaurant.
The restaurant's projected debut is in the spring of 2020. Once it's up and running, the restaurant will serve vegetarian fare but will not go entirely vegan — some menu items will involve eggs and dairy. The restaurant will also have a full liquor license.
FiDi
Taco Guapo (126 Sutter St.)
Taco Guapo is now open in FiDi. Tipster Al M. alerted us of its debut at 126 Sutter St. in the space that formerly housed the Meatball Bar.
Taco Guapo sells Mexican staples like tacos ($3.50 each) and burritos or bowls ($10.50), with standard options like carne asada, carnitas and vegetarian. The taqueria also offers salads, including Caesar ($14) or grapefruit ($8).
For drinks, customers have a choice of Mexican sodas, ginger beer, wine, beer, and sangria.
Thanks to tipster Al M. If you've seen something new (or closing) in the neighborhood, text your tips and photos to (415) 200-3233, or email [email protected]. If we use your info in a story, we'll give you credit.
