{"id":316842,"date":"2026-05-15T07:11:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T07:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/316842\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T07:11:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T07:11:13","slug":"longtime-san-francisco-italian-restaurant-ristobar-to-close-in-the-marina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/316842\/","title":{"rendered":"Longtime San Francisco Italian restaurant Ristobar to close in the Marina"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ristobar<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

The restaurant’s final service will be Memorial Day, May 25, owner Gary Rulli<\/a> said in a social media post<\/a> on Wednesday. The announcement did not give a reason for the closure, but a new tenant is already slated to take over the spot.<\/p>\n

“After 22 unforgettable years in San Francisco’s Marina District, Memorial Day will mark the final service of Ristobar,” the post said.<\/p>\n

The restaurant, located at 2300 Chestnut St., has long been part of the neighborhood’s dining scene, known for handmade pastas<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

\"Emporio<\/p>\n

Emporio Rulli owners Gary and Jeannie Rulli photographed in Fairfax, California, on March 17, 2023. (Lauren Segal\/Special to The Chronicle)<\/p>\n

Before becoming Ristobar, the space was Emporio Rulli Gran Caff\u00e8. Rulli later remodeled it into a full-service restaurant and wine bar<\/a>, building on the reputation of his Emporio Rulli bakery and cafe in Larkspur.<\/p>\n

The closure comes one year after the San Francisco Standard reported<\/a> that the city attorney had filed a lawsuit alleging Rulli owes more than $150,000 in unpaid taxes, penalties and interest connected to Ristobar.<\/p>\n

It also further reduces Rulli’s San Francisco footprint, following the closure of Emporio Rulli’s Union Square cafe<\/a> in 2022. Rulli attributed that closure<\/a> to years of Central Subway construction, deteriorating downtown conditions and steep pandemic losses.<\/p>\n

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.”<\/p>\n

\"Ristobar,<\/p>\n

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)<\/p>\n

The promotion company is already advertising Eria Marina<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Ristobar’s closure comes as Chestnut Street remains a competitive corridor for Italian dining, with A16, Napizza and Delarosa Marina nearby.<\/p>\n

Little Original Joe’s<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

Emporio Rulli, the Italian bakery, cafe and wine shop Rulli created with his wife, Jeannie Rulli, remains open in downtown Larkspur.<\/p>\n

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This article originally published at Longtime San Francisco Italian restaurant Ristobar to close in the Marina<\/a>.<\/p>\n