Ristobar, the longtime Italian restaurant and wine bar on Chestnut Street in San Francisco’s Marina District, is slated to close after more than two decades in business.
The restaurant’s final service will be Memorial Day, May 25, owner Gary Rulli said in a social media post on Wednesday. The announcement did not give a reason for the closure, but a new tenant is already slated to take over the spot.
“After 22 unforgettable years in San Francisco’s Marina District, Memorial Day will mark the final service of Ristobar,” the post said.
The restaurant, located at 2300 Chestnut St., has long been part of the neighborhood’s dining scene, known for handmade pastas, cocktails and a polished Italian menu. The closure marks the end of a long run for a prominent corner that Rulli has operated in different forms over the years.
Emporio Rulli owners Gary and Jeannie Rulli photographed in Fairfax, California, on March 17, 2023. (Lauren Segal/Special to The Chronicle)
Before becoming Ristobar, the space was Emporio Rulli Gran Caffè. Rulli later remodeled it into a full-service restaurant and wine bar, building on the reputation of his Emporio Rulli bakery and cafe in Larkspur.
The closure comes one year after the San Francisco Standard reported that the city attorney had filed a lawsuit alleging Rulli owes more than $150,000 in unpaid taxes, penalties and interest connected to Ristobar.
It also further reduces Rulli’s San Francisco footprint, following the closure of Emporio Rulli’s Union Square cafe in 2022. Rulli attributed that closure to years of Central Subway construction, deteriorating downtown conditions and steep pandemic losses.
The Chestnut Street space is not expected to sit empty. In its announcement, Ristobar said the address will “continue in a new direction through a partnership with Eria Events.”
Ristobar, Gary Rulli’s longtime Italian restaurant and wine bar on Chestnut Street in San Francisco’s Marina District, will close after final service on Memorial Day. (Lance Iversen/The Chronicle)
The promotion company is already advertising Eria Marina at 2300 Chestnut St. as a 5,300-square-foot indoor-outdoor events and hospitality venue for weddings, private celebrations, corporate gatherings and community events. A launch party is listed for June 13.
Ristobar’s closure comes as Chestnut Street remains a competitive corridor for Italian dining, with A16, Napizza and Delarosa Marina nearby.
Little Original Joe’s, from the family behind Original Joe’s, opened directly across the street at 2301 Chestnut St. in May 2024, bringing a full-service Italian American restaurant with about 100 seats to the corner of Chestnut and Scott streets.
Emporio Rulli, the Italian bakery, cafe and wine shop Rulli created with his wife, Jeannie Rulli, remains open in downtown Larkspur.
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This article originally published at Longtime San Francisco Italian restaurant Ristobar to close in the Marina.