A new California-Mediterranean restaurant called Parasol at Flore will be opening this spring in the space formerly occupied by historic neighborhood restaurant Cafe Flore (2298 Market Street).
Last summer, seafood restaurant Fisch & Flore closed after one year. And the space has briefly reopened for pop-up concepts in recent months, Fat Cat Wine Club and Deck The Halls.
The SF Standard was the first to report that local restaurateur Jacob Paronyan will be taking over the space. Currently, Paronyan is manager and general partner at Boulevard and owns Union Street wine bar Roaming Goat.
"Parasol will serve approachable, California cuisine with Mediterranean flair,” Paronyan told the SF Standard. “[S]o it’s kind of the reverse of Roaming Goat, which is Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors with California ingredients.”
Parasol will open at 2298 Market St. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline
Paronyan says he plans to offer a casual counter-service concept during the day, full-service dinner at night, and brunch on weekends.
Paronyan says Parasol will be open in time for Pride Month in June. "I have to be open by June because Pride is going to be a marathon," said Paronyan.
For those concerned Parasol will fall victim to similar mistakes that Fisch & Flore fell victim to, Paronyan said, “We’ll definitely not be leaning into a fine-dining aspect." “But I hope it will be somewhere in the realm of Starbelly across the street, which has been there for 15 years, or maybe a step or two below Zuni.”
Parasol will open directly across the street from SF Legacy Business and longtime Mediterranean restaurant La Mediterranee.
On the patio at Fat Cat Wine Club. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline
Previous owner Serhat Zorlu took over the space in 2022 with plans of opening it by year's end; however, those plans were quickly delayed multiple times due to construction and permitting issues. Cafe Flore closed in December 2019 after 47 years in the neighborhood.
Zorlu opened the restaurant to much fanfare in April 2024 after overhauling the interior and exterior patio spaces, expanding the kitchen, remodeling the indoor and outdoor dining area, adding an ADA bathroom, repairing the restaurant's fence, installing a fire suppression system, pouring a new concrete slab for the patio, and adding two fire pits.
Public records indicate Zorly spent a considerable amount on the remodel; construction costs were estimated at $471,000.
A liquor license notice posted last week indicates a 'change in stock ownership'. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline
Last year, Zorlu listed the restaurant for sale at $795,000 and quickly dropped the price to $349,000. "I'm looking for an investor," Zorlu told Hoodline at the time.
Last week, a liquor license change was posted on the restaurant, but public records indicate it has not been transferred to Paronyan at this time, and it's unclear what the ownership structure will be.
According to SF Gay History, Cafe Flore opened in 1973 and was purchased by Mahmood and Ahmad Ghazi in 1977. The brothers ran the restaurant for the next 25 years before selling it to JD Petras in 2002. Petras brought on Stu Gerry and others as managing partners in 2014.
View of Cafe Flore from Market St (June 1985), notice the Pride Flags on the Path of Gold light standards. | Photo: Max Kirkeberg/SFSU
An off-site prep kitchen behind what is now Flore Dispensary was approved in 2013 with the help of former District 8 Supervisor, State Senator Scott Wiener.
In 2017, Terrance Alan and Aaron Silverman purchased the restaurant while Petras and Stu Gerry remained as minority owners. Alan, who passed away last year, eventually closed the restaurant in December 2019, shifting to private events, but that concept never materialized with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stay tuned for more details about Parasol as it gets closer to opening.
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