Two of San Francisco's oldest restaurants, Fisherman's Grotto No. 9 and Tarantino's on Fisherman's Wharf, are at risk of eviction due to unpaid rent. According to Eater, the Port of San Francisco, which serves as the landlord for properties in that area, initiated eviction proceedings against both restaurants after serving them with three-day notices earlier this month.
The eviction lawsuit focuses on the unpaid rent for the last year, where Fisherman's Grotto, also known as the Grotto, owes $332,642 in rent, while Tarantino's owes $147,436, dating back to October 2022. However, both businesses together owe a combined $1.4 million in unpaid rent dating back to March 2020, as reported by the San Francisco Business Times.
These restaurants have a long and rich history as tenants of Fisherman's Wharf. The Grotto was established in 1935, and Tarantino's in 1946. Both were on year 53 of a 66-year lease established in 1970 at their current location. Chris Henry, who also owns Tommy's Joynt on Geary Boulevard and Sausalito's Barrel House Tavern, recently took over the two fisherman's wharf restaurants as owner of Herringbone Tavern Inc.
Despite the recent turmoil, the Port of San Francisco has expressed its willingness to find a solution. Port representative Boris Delepine told the San Francisco Business Times, "We remain open and willing to explore short- and long-term strategies to keep both restaurants open and active."
Tarantino's has been closed since the pandemic outbreak in early 2020, while there appears to be some dispute about the status of the Fisherman's Grotto. San Francisco Chronicle reports that Fisherman's Grotto No. 9 has been closed since 2020, yet KTVU claims that the restaurant is still taking reservations online. Furthermore, Fisherman's Grotto's Yelp page displays recent reviews from this month, but both the website listed on its Instagram and the website shown on its Yelp page seem to be out of order.
The potential closure of these two historic restaurants adds to the growing list of vacancies in the Fisherman's Wharf area. Pompei's Grotto and Lou's Fish Shack abandoned their leases in July 2023, having remained closed since March 2020. Alioto's, a nearly 100-year-old establishment, also closed its doors for good in April 2022 after being shuttered for the duration of the pandemic.
