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The longtime proprietors of the Cliff House, a 157-year-old iconic San Francisco restaurant with breathtaking ocean views once enjoyed by Mark Twain, announced this week that they would be forced to close by the end of the year. They cited both coronavirus restrictions and their landlord, the federal government, stalling on a long-term lease, as factors in their decision. The National Park Service said in a letter obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle that it was re-evaluating “the feasibility of anyone operating” the scenic waterfront space as a restaurant in the near future, given the state of the hospitality industry. “We, too, are disappointed about this temporary suspension of services. However, we remain committed to providing an exceptional experience for residents and visitors to the Bay Area and look forward to welcoming the public back in the future,” he said.
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It was around this time that the most recent Cliff House proprietors – and the family of Tom Hontalas, the owner of Louis’ – entered the scene. Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group—the local mini-chain that owns “fine-casual” San Francisco restaurants like the Madrigal and Trestle, as well as Mama Oakland and the considerably more upscale Vault—will consult on the famed seaside operation’s revival as well. The Cliff House, the world-famous restaurant at the western edge of San Francisco, has been vacant since 2020, and for months, the National Park Service has kept mum on the identity of the business that would replace it. At La Quinta Cliffhouse, it's all about good food paired with great company. The secretive, patio-focused hideaway right on Sunset Boulevard has been handed over to the Bacari team, with plans to open wide once again this summer, per co-owner Danny Kronfli.
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Espinoza did not say whether a restaurant would continue to be housed in the Cliff House building. “It costs tens of thousands of dollars every month to maintain and guard the massive Cliff House building,” the Hountalases wrote. Built in 1863, the seaside restaurant has been a San Francisco institution and a top tourist attraction. The first modest, wood-frame structure was destroyed in a fire in 1894. Rebuilt and fashioned after a French chateau, it survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake but burned down the following year.
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The current building was originally constructed in 1909 and had a major addition completed in 2006. "Now it's a matter of waiting and seeing how they honor the history they are stepping into," LaBounty said. The project's executive director, Nicole Meldahl, said she would be happy to loan its memorabilia to the new vendor to honor the memory of the longtime restaurant. LaBounty co-founded the Western Neighborhoods Project, which purchased a large amount of Cliff House memorabilia during an auction in 2021. The organization also ran an exhibition of such memorabilia out of the Cliff House's former building last year. "Following the evaluation process, the most qualified respondent with the best proposal has been selected for lease negotiations with an anticipated lease start date later this year," said NPS spokesperson Julian Espinoza.
Cliff House of Folsom restaurant is closed permanently - ABC10.com KXTV
Cliff House of Folsom restaurant is closed permanently.
Posted: Tue, 20 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
With a name that pays homage to the long-defunct Sutro Baths nearby—San Francisco Mayor Adolph Sutro founded both operations in the late 1800s—Sutro Lands End Partners is clearly aiming to reinvigorate one of the city’s unique cultural entities. In spite of appearing in The Princess Diaries, the Cliff House had largely become incidental to San Francisco’s dining scene—the kind of place where locals would bring out-of-town relatives. The Den is a full service bar located inside of the Mansfield Base Lodge. As local travel experts, we know what travelers are looking for when it comes to finding the perfect accommodations for their next trip. To compile our lists, we scour the internet to find properties with excellent ratings and reviews, desirable amenities, nearby attractions, and that something special that makes a destination worthy of traveling for.
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Eventually, a horse-drawn stagecoach made the trip every Sunday from downtown San Francisco out to Lands End. Because only wealthy citizens could afford to travel all the way out to the remote resort, the Cliff House was considered a very exclusive place. For many years, the guest register bore the names of three U.S. presidents as well as prominent San Fran¬cisco families such as the Hearsts, the Stanfords and the Crockers. However, by the late1870s the Cliff House had declined in popularity. He had plans to re-establish the restaurant as a wholesome, family-friendly venue and for next few years, he remodeled rooms, hired new management and lured families back to the restaurant. Sutro also began construction on a railroad that would transport more people to this seaside attraction.
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It’s been called ‘San Francisco’s Brooklyn’ and San Francisco’s sister city, just across the water in the East Bay region, has the same kind of... From a pastel coloured pastry shop to Michelin-starred dining rooms, top restaurants run by celebrity chefs dot the Golden State. A crimson bridge, cable cars, a sparkling bay, and streets lined with elegant Victorian homes—San Francisco is undeniably one of the world’s great cities. Located along the Northern California at the state’s distinctive bend in the coast, the region has an alluring magic that stretches beyond the bay to diverse cities with nightlife and trend-setting cuisine. As Mark Twain pointed out, it’s cold out there – and with cars more readily available and roads better after the war, San Franciscans found other beaches to go to instead of the cliff.
S.F.'s iconic Cliff House finally announces new restaurant reopening - San Francisco Chronicle
S.F.'s iconic Cliff House finally announces new restaurant reopening.
Posted: Thu, 14 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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Unfortunately, a very tragic event happened on Christmas Day, 1894 when fire destroyed the original wood-frame Cliff House. Anecdotal stories claim that in 1858 Samuel Brannan paid $1,500 for lumber salvaged from a ship that foundered on the rocky shore's basalt cliffs near Seal Rocks[5] and built the first Cliff House. While Brannan may have constructed a building there, no historical evidence of this building exists and its role in the origin of the Cliff House remains apocryphal.[6]The Cliff House was built by Senator John Buckley and C. C. Butler, opened in 1863 and leased to Captain Junius G. Foster.[7][8][9] It was a long trek on foot from the city and the restaurant hosted mostly horseback riders, small-game hunters or picnickers on day outings. With the opening of the privately built Point Lobos toll road a year later, the Cliff House became a Sunday destination among the carriage trade.
The operators said they attempted to try takeout-only service in early June, but after 10 weeks of that, closed down completely in mid-July, saying the restaurant was losing too much money as a takeout-only operation. This often-overlooked wine country - roughly 1-hour drive east of San Francisco, is one of those places that make you feel like you’ve (... At the place where San Francisco drops into the ocean, a door is shutting on a vibrant chapter of the city’s history. San Francisco’s iconic Cliff House restaurant, which has served residents and tourists for more than a century from atop a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, is closing its doors at the end of the year.
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The former 16-year tenant leaves behind one of LA’s best patios, a leafy oasis with shabby-chic Mediterranean vibes and a dimly lit indoor bar area. For years the restaurant was a staple for Silver Lake diners and drinkers, even helping to sow the rise of star chefs like Vartan Abgaryan, but recent pre-pandemic times had been rough for the property. Owner Dana Hollister fought to hold onto the building even through bankruptcy proceedings brought on by a lawsuit against none other than singer Katy Perry that dates back to 2017. Ultimately the building was put on the market just before the pandemic, and the restaurant itself announced its formal closure last October. The Cliff House ended in-house dining in March, owing to the pandemic.
The last long-term contract between the Cliff House and the National Park Service expired in June 2018, and the restaurant had been operating since then under a series of short-term contracts, the current one set to expire on Dec. 31. A bidding process by the service to find a willing business to take over the space to operate a restaurant began in January 2022, more than a year after the restaurant shuttered in 2020. The park service said that due to a combination of leasing terms and the historic nature of the building, the overall look and layout will remain the same. The Cliff House is a neo-classical style building perched on the headland above the cliffs just north of Ocean Beach, in the Outer Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco, California.
The National Park Service rehabilitated the historic Cliff House in 2005 to return it to its original neoclassical design. Architects added an adjacent Sutro Wing to improve access to ocean views, allowing diners and visitors alike to continue the long tradition of enjoying the magnificent Pacific from the Cliff House high above Seal Rocks. Within six months of the devastating fire, Sutro had plans for a new Cliff House and after spending $75,000, he proudly opened the second Cliff House in 1896. The new building was a grand, eight-story tall castle-like structure with turrets, decorative spires, fanciful roof dormers and an observation tower. The new resort, designed specifically for dining, dancing and entertainment, had several private dining rooms, parlors, bars, and kitchens at the ground level.
As you’ve just learned, there are plenty of unique places to dine in Southern California. Of course, you can find all sorts of waterfront restaurants in SoCal… or you can dine on the water. The RMS Queen Mary is a retired passenger vessel that first set sail in 1936. Today, it is a tourist destination renowned for its beautiful architecture and spooky ghost stories… and, of course, it also features an on-site (on deck?) restaurant.
More often than not, people called for leaving the ruins as is, Martini said. The Cliff House was not the first of the city’s beloved restaurants to close. In fact, it follows their neighbor, Louis’ Restaurant, the only other independent restaurant remaining on that oceanfront stretch of road, in shuttering for good during the pandemic. You can get more details about La Quinta Cliffhouse, including current hours and menu offerings, by heading to its official website right over here. Now the Bacari team is on the scene, with hopes of reviving the hangout and making it a staple destination once again.
After 10 weeks of offering only takeout service, the restaurant shut down to diners as the pandemic struck. San Francisco historian Woody LaBounty said that he is curious how much of the former Cliff House will remain intact when the new owners take over, including whether the new restaurant will be called Cliff House. The former operators, Dan and Mary Hountalas, still own the rights to the Cliff House name, according to LaBounty.
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