Julius' Castle, the turreted Telegraph Hill restaurant that once drew generations of San Franciscans and a steady stream of Hollywood regulars, is finally set to reopen this September after sitting dark for nearly two decades. Owner Paul Scott says dinner service will return to the storied dining room, capping a long and often bruising restoration and permitting saga.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Scott, an attorney who bought the property in 2012, has now secured most of the building permits, hired a chef, and overseen a major refurbishment. Crews rebuilt a fire-damaged turret, stabilized a sliding hillside, and repainted the exterior in tan, dark green, and gold. Inside, workers restored original wood paneling believed to date back to the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition.
Why It Took Years
The city's Planning Commission gave conditional approval to reopen Julius' Castle in 2017 after a heated public hearing, as reported by Eater SF. That was only the start. Neighbors then sued to block the project, and a judge dismissed that complaint in 2019, clearing a key legal roadblock, according to a judge tossing the neighbors' lawsuit.
Restoration and Design
To bring the interior back to life, Scott tapped designer Jon de la Cruz, known for work on Wayfare Tavern and Che Fico, to revive the restaurant's moody bar and fireplace. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the project also involved straightening out a quirk of history: a portion of the building that had been constructed over the property line. At the same time, the team stabilized the hillside and added a terraced edible garden alongside a public stairway.
What To Expect
SFGATE reports that the kitchen is already equipped and that Scott has hired a chef, though he is not yet revealing who will lead the back of house. The plan is to reopen with dinner service and to reinstall Julius' Castle's oversized lettering and awnings as some of the last visual touches before guests walk back through the doors.
Neighbors and Rules
Scott says he has worked with neighborhood groups to keep impacts in check and follow conditions tied to the 2017 approval, including restrictions on trash and delivery hours. That approval limited trash pickup to after 6:30 AM and deliveries to daytime windows to help address parking and noise issues, according to CT Insider.
