A high-profile San Francisco restaurant with a celebrated chef of Chez Panisse fame is preparing to close its doors for good.
Park Tavern, a longtime North Beach gathering place that in recent years struggled with legal disputes and repeated temporary closures, will end its run on Washington Square on June 21, according to a Tuesday post on the restaurant’s Instagram page.
Restaurateur James Nicholas, who reopened the restaurant in November 2024 with chef-partner Jonathan Waxman, called Park Tavern an important part of San Francisco’s dining community. He said he was grateful to the guests, employees and neighbors who have made it such a special place over the years.
“As a fifth-generation San Franciscan, I have always believed in investing in this city’s future while honoring its rich history, and it has been a privilege to steward this iconic restaurant on Washington Square,” he wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post. Neither post stated a reason for the closure at 1652 Stockton St.
Nicholas and Waxman reopened Park Tavern with a splash after a significant remodel and yearlong closure. Waxman was bicoastal from the start, operating his two New York City restaurants, and the duo brought on a chef de cuisine to oversee day-to-day operations. The restaurant received negative reviews, both from restaurant critics and from customers, who found the food uneven and service spotty.
“Get rid of Waxman and start with a new chef and partner,” commenter Greg Giachino posted to the Instagram announcement. “Get some neighborhood-facing dishes, don’t try to be too precious, and you’ll have a different crowd.”
Nicholas, then-wife Anna Weinberg and chef Jennifer Puccio first opened Park Tavern in 2011. The following year, the restaurant received a James Beard Award nomination for best new restaurant. It enjoyed years of success as a go-to for everything from brunch to business dinners.
Following Nicholas and Weinberg’s divorce in 2017, the restaurant fell on hard times and closed during the pandemic. Weinberg reopened Park Tavern in May 2023 but closed it again that December after receiving an eviction notice for unpaid rent, SFGATE previously reported.
In the deleted Instagram post, Nicholas invited the community to come in for one last toast.
“While it’s never easy to close a chapter like this, I am immensely proud of what Park Tavern has meant to so many people,” he wrote. “Over the next two weeks, we look forward to welcoming our community back one last time to raise a glass, share a meal, and celebrate the memories we’ve created together.”
SFGATE reached out to Park Tavern but did not hear back in time for publication.