There were so many ambitious, impressive restaurant debuts this fall that it’s safe to say San Francisco’s dining scene has largely recovered its mojo. But that momentum notwithstanding, 2025 was studded with closures large and small, including 50-year North Beach staple Mona Lisa, the Mission’s El Nuevo Frutilandia, and heavy hitters Luce and Osito.
Not all closures are permanent, however. Red Bay Coffee was forced out of its Ferry Building outpost only to open another stand in the marketplace a month later. Elmer Mejicanos’ low-ABV cocktail bar Lilah re-concepted into a Jewish-Mexican spot called Super Mensch. The 115-year-old Chinatown favorite Sam Wo came back to life. And while we await the fate of Anchor Brewing and the Cliff House, 2026 may bring more good news, like the return of Castagnola’s or downtown’s “most beautiful restaurant,” Jack’s.
But nothing lasts forever. Pour one out for San Francisco’s saddest restaurant goodbyes of 2025.
Lord Stanley
During its decade on Polk and Broadway, Rupert and Carrie Blease’s upscale bistro went through numerous incarnations, but they opted to go out on a high note. In March, the couple announced that the restaurant would close, in part because chef Nathan Matkowsky would be pursuing new projects. Retirement didn’t last long, as the duo teamed up with chef Tommy Halvorson to open Wolfsbane in the fall.
One Market
There was a time when this New American icon on the Embarcadero boasted of serving 1,000 customers a day. But downtown San Francisco’s economic roller coaster took its toll, and One Market’s impressive 32-year tenure came to an end in June.
Ko
Ko’s $25 all-you-can-eat sushi happy hour drew daily lines. | Source: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Standard
It was probably too good to last. The Mission’s quirky, all-you-can-eat-and-drink sushi-and-sake restaurant burst onto the scene in fall 2024 only to flame out within eight months. There’s good news for gluttons, though: Party Pig, on Geary Boulevard, is Ko’s spiritual successor (with hotpot, too).
Outer Orbit
Outer Orbit, the city’s only “hapa Hawaiian” pinball arcade, shuttered early in the year. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
Cult following or not, it was game over for Bernal Heights’ “hapa Hawaiian” pinball arcade. However, its social media accounts have teased a follow-up project in SoMa called Indie Darling (opens in new tab), which is tentatively slated to open in the summer.
Fog City 
The Embarcadero’s Fog City, seen here in its earlier incarnation as Fog City Diner, closed in July after 40 occasionally wild years. | Source: Hoberman Collection
After 40 years on the Embarcadero — the first 30 or so as “Fog City Diner” — this occasionally off-the-wall pioneer of the small-plate movement threw in the towel in the spring.
WesBurger ’N’ More
The kitschy, retro WesBurger may not have invented smashburgers, but it certainly popularized them in San Francisco. Throw in proprietor Wes Rowe’s distaste for lettuce and tomato, and San Francisco will never eat a burger the same way.
Osito
Chef Seth Stowaway in the kitchen at Osito, which closed in May. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
Chef Seth Stowaway’s ambitious, live-fire restaurant earned a Michelin star in its three and a half years, but it wasn’t enough to sustain the business, which closed in May. Months later, Stowaway was back with the more casual Chicken Fried Palace, which took over the former WesBurger space.
Mona Lisa
This Columbus Avenue red-sauce joint, famed for its view of the Transamerica Pyramid and a booth in the shape of a wood-clad Fiat, served its last plate of spaghetti in October after half a century.
Handroll Project
It was a tumultuous year for chef Geoffrey Lee of Michelin-starred sushi counter Ju-Ni, who opened this casual offshoot on Guerrero Street in 2022. In January, Lee stepped back from his businesses after screenshots surfaced of alleged verbal abuse, and a few months later, Handroll Project transformed into a second location of Lee’s burger spot, aptly named Hamburger Project.
Fisch & Flore
Fisch & Flore was the latest successor to long-running Castro brunch-and-cocktails venue Flore, on the prominent corner of Market and Noe. But the wedge-shaped restaurant gave up the ghost over the summer. The space hasn’t been vacant, however; a pop-up called Deck the Halls kept it lively through December.
Tipsy Pig
Bar owner Nate Valentine has been on a tear for two years, partnering with various nightlife vets to open April Jean in North Beach and Bar Darling in the Marina. But his 16-year-old Marina gastropub Tipsy Pig ran its course in May.
Bissap Baobab
Senegalese restaurateur Marco Senghor has done seemingly everything to keep his late-night Mission hangout afloat, including moving it around the corner from its longtime home on 19th Street. Sadly, despite those efforts, its last official day is Tuesday. But the Bissap Baobab team has vowed to find a path forward.
Taqueria La Venganza and Kayma Algerian Eatery
Saluhall, the (mostly) plant-based food hall adjacent to Market Street’s Ikea, has had a difficult time retaining tenants. But the troubles intensified after this vegan taqueria and Algerian stand vacated within weeks of each other. Momo Noodle and Casa Borinqueña followed, and Ikea has since cut ties with the British developer that had been overseeing the struggling food hall.
Sushi Zone
A staple of Mid-Market, 28-year-old Sushi Zone was forced to close in June after the landlord chose not to renew its lease. Entrepreneur and video game creator Dante Buckley plans to combine the space with the adjacent one that formerly housed Curry Hyuga to open a multi-story nightclub called Dante’s Inferno next fall.
21st Amendment Brewery
It was mostly a year of growth for San Francisco’s craft beer scene, but this SoMa taproom was a notable exception. It closed its doors in November when its San Leandro-based parent went belly up after more than 25 years.
Uma Casa
Chef and owner Telmo Faria shuttered Uma Casa in March. | Source: MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images
Led by Portuguese dishes like piri-piri chicken wings and the seafood stew caldeirada, chef Telmo Faria’s Noe Valley restaurant had a strong, eight-run year — right through its final, celebratory dinner service in late March.
Ginger’s
A part of the Future Bars empire and a rare LGBTQ+ space outside SoMa and the Castro, the subterranean hangout Ginger’s went on “indefinite hiatus” in October after the loss of a critical employee.
Kennedy’s Indian Curry House
A dispute with the landlord seems to have finally brought down San Francisco’s only Irish bar/Indian restaurant, which had threatened to close multiple times during its 28-year run. The Columbus Avenue space has been vacant since March.
Memphis Minnie’s
The Lower Haight’s home for ribs, brisket, and other Texas barbecue favorites died with a whimper in September after 25 cornbread-filled years.
El Nuevo Frutilandia
This family-owned Caribbean restaurant, famed for Puerto Rican staples like roja vieja and mofongo, shuttered in the fall after an impressive 59 years. The space is now a coffee shop, something 24th Street already has plenty of.
Ragazza
Sharon Ardiana’s beloved Divisadero Street pizzeria shuttered in March after 15 years as a popular dinner option and community hub. Fans of her thin-crust pies and antipasti still have her original restaurant, Glen Park’s Gialina.
Castro Fountain
This art deco sundae shop, the spinoff to Cole Valley’s popular Ice Cream Bar, shut the lights in March after eight years, citing low foot traffic.
Wilkommen
In October, the owners of Black Hammer Brewing decided to wind down operations at this 6-year-old German-style beer garden in the Castro to focus on their SoMa taproom.
Mr. Digby’s
Famously filled with dogs (and paintings of dogs), this gastropub at the corner of 24th and Noe streets served its last omelets in early July. The owners still have a foothold in the neighborhood, though, as sister restaurant Novy remains open.
Luce
While it held a Michelin star for a decade, this restaurant inside SoMa’s InterContinental Hotel kept a relatively low profile during its 17-year run, which concluded in April.
Kis Cafe
Bosque (“forest” in Spanish) is the revamped name of the ill-fated Kis Cafe. | Source: Thomas Sawano/The Standard
This was one of the year’s most high-profile implosions. Luke Sung’s Hayes Valley wine bar lasted only six weeks before a confrontation with an influencer blew up on social media. Within days, Sung was out, and Kis Cafe was kaput, though partner Eric Lin has successfully reopened it as Bosque Cafe.
Turner’s Kitchen
This tiny, experimental sandwich shop run by former Zuni head chef Ken Turner served Dolores Park-goers for 10 years, until he announced in January that he was moving on.
Edinburgh Castle
Known as much for its indoor smoking room and Scottish paraphernalia as for its appeal to filmmakers shooting on location, this bohemian hangout in the Tenderloin went dark during the summer after a bank foreclosed on the property.
Aslam’s Rasoi
The owners of this Valencia Street Indian-Pakistani staple had long made their struggles known to customers, and in July, Aslam’s Rasoi called it quits. The official word is that it’s returning in November 2026 — and, well, we hope so.