JouJou, the lavish new French outpost from the team behind two Michelin stars at Lazy Bear, is set to open March 6 at 65 Division Street in SoMa. The roughly 6,500-square-foot space folds together a marble-topped raw bar, a cavernous main dining room and an enclosed patio the owners have dubbed the “menagerie.” The pitch is part big-night glamour, part neighborhood hangout where you can drop in for a glass of wine and a cone of pommes frites.
Opening and bookings
The restaurant’s site lists “Opening March 6” and directs guests to a Tock reservations page, plus an Instagram handle for ongoing updates, according to JouJou's website. The site also includes an events and press contact for anyone looking to book private gatherings.
Menu, bar and price points
JouJou will run an à la carte menu that leans hard into seafood, with crudos, shellfish towers and seasonal crustaceans up front, and entrees priced roughly from $35 to $75 with nothing listed under $17. Early previews include black cod a l’ananas at $43, steak au poivre at $75, pommes frites at $15 and French onion soup at $21, plus desserts such as canelés and baba au rhum, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. “We want to give them a great reason to go out again,” chef owner David Barzelay told the paper.
The team and their track record
JouJou is led by chef-owner David Barzelay and managing partner Colleen Booth, the duo behind Lazy Bear and its related projects. Lazy Bear currently holds two stars from the MICHELIN Guide, and industry coverage has followed Barzelay’s shift from high-concept tasting-menu theatrics to a more accessible brasserie-style format, per Eater San Francisco. The group says JouJou is designed to marry fine-dining execution with a livelier, walk-in-friendly bar scene.
Why it matters for SoMa and S.F.
JouJou lands as one of several high-profile openings trying to bring big, theatrical dining rooms back onto San Francisco’s restaurant map. Hoodline first flagged the concept last year, and other outlets have noted a broader revival of French-leaning projects around the Bay Area. Owners are betting that a mix of dramatic design, a full-on raw bar and relatively approachable price points will help coax diners back into SoMa’s evening economy.
Practical details
The bars will open at 4 p.m. for drinks and a shorter menu, with full dinner service starting at 5 p.m. One third of the seats at the raw bar and in the menagerie will be held for walk-ins. The restaurant occupies roughly 6,500 square feet, will take reservations through Tock and plans a menu that runs from snacks and martinis up to $75 entrees, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. For reservations and updates, visit JouJou's website.
