The last gay bar in S.F.'s Financial District calls it quits after 47 years
A bartender makes a cocktail at Ginger's in the Financial District after its 2017 reopening. (Leah Millis/The Chronicle)
The following is a list of notable restaurants that closed in October. Click here for a list of restaurants that closed in September.
Just a day after opening its latest project, a cocktail bar with a rotating theme, Future Bars CEO Jason Sheehy told SFGATE that Ginger's is going "on ice for now." The Financial District gay bar had re-opened a little over a year ago. Ginger's dates back to 1978, but had been through multiple expansions, locations, owners and closings over its nearly five-decade history. (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst, but operate independently.)
After 14 years and three locations,the Berkeley restaurant Babette closed on Oct. 31. Owners Joan Ellis and Patrick Hooker posted a goodbye message to Instagram stating that the business was no longer viable.
Wilkommen, a destination for German-style dishes and local craft beers, closed for good on Oct. 3. Owner and founder Jim Furman said in a press release he will focus on his beer operation, Black Hammer Brewing Company, which featured at the restaurant. Black Hammer will continue to operate its SoMa location on Bryant Street.
The end of this year's Mid-Autumn festivities marked the end of Kee Wah Bakery in the Bay Area. The Asian bakery announced via social media that its Cupertino and Dublin locations would close on Oct. 5. It will now focus on the Los Angeles area.
Pours of cider are served at Flora and Ferment in Albany, as seen in 2022. (Brittany Hosea-Small/Brittany Hosea-Small / Special t)
Flora & Ferment in Albany, one of the Bay Area's few taprooms focused on ciders and meads, has closed. The Berkeley Eats newsletter confirmed the closing, with owner Kate Taylor citing a "multitude of factors." It operated for four years on Solano Avenue.
Work on an affordable housing complex next to the 16th Street BART station in the Mission District will demolish the building where Mission Hunan has served Mongolian beef and fried chicken for 40 years. SFGATE reports that the restaurant's last day in service was slated for Oct. 31.
An Antioch restaurant serving sushi and Japanese-style flattop cooking has closed. Samurai announced via Instagram that its final day in business was Oct. 26. Sister restaurant brand Shirasoni, which operates in Alameda and Brentwood, remains open.
The SoMa location of cafeteria chain Lemonade is now closed. (Mario Cortez / S.F. Chronicle)
Lunch cafeteria Lemonade inside San Francisco's Metreon mall has shuttered. A representative for the Los Angeles-based company told the Chronicle that the company is transitioning to a new "digital kitchen" model in the Southern California market.
Noe Valley's Bistro Ember, known for its Mediterranean cooking and wine list, has officially closed. In an Instagram post, restaurant management thanked patrons for their support and announced a pivot into catering and private dining. Newsletter Tablehopper broke news of the imminent closing.
Rotisserie chicken cooks at a Tacolicious restaurant in San Francisco. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle)
Tacolicious has closed its Noe Valley outpost, SF Gazetteer reports. The casual Cal-Mexican spot on 24th offered tacos, tortas salads and rotisserie chicken. The closing leaves the Bay Area mini-chain with three locations.
The Outer Sunset's Damnfine Coffee has closed so owners can focus on sister restaurant Damnfine Pizza. Lattes and cortados ranked high among customers, who sipped on them between slices of avocado and pizza toast.
The Miranda in Oakland closed in October after nine years. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle)
Music lovers visiting the Fox Theater in Uptown Oakland have lost a popular spot for pre- or post-show drinks. The Miranda announced it would pour its last cocktails on the first weekend of October. The theater-adjacent bar operated for nine years and hosted regular DJ sets.
Popular takeout sushi shop Aji Kiji closed its Japantown location in October. The closing at Fillmore Street comes as chef-owner Jin Lim has plans to reopen in San Francisco's Financial District to serve office workers returning to the area.
Downtown Barbecue in Santa Rosa, from area restaurateur Lowell Sheldon, closed on Oct. 31. The operator blamed local media's "blacklisting" of the establishment. The restaurant had an apparently rocky time from the moment it opened, with reports of its pitmaster quitting on opening day, and diners refusing to support the business because of sexual misconduct allegations against Sheldon.
Despite a bounceback in downtown San Jose, Olla Cocina management told the Chronicle that the midweek office worker lunch crowd had not returned to the restaurant in sufficient numbers to sustain it. Olla Cocina served its final plates of chicken mole and Baja-style shrimp tacos on Oct. 19.
The tartare della Rita served at Ciccino in San Francisco. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle)
A standout pasta restaurant closed in San Francisco's Nob Hill. Ciccino owner Gian Marco Cosmi said to the Chronicle that the rising costs of running his upscale regional Italian restaurant had become too high. The restaurant opened in late 2022 to a positive reception from customers and the Chronicle's restaurant critics, who placed it on their Top Italian Restaurants list.
Alameda's Feel Good Bakery has baked its last French-style breads, cookies and cakes. The company closed its two retail bakeries in October. A letter posted at the shops thanked customers for their business over the past 22 years.
Mijo, the wood-fired Spanish-Californian restaurant in Corte Madera closed permanently just a half-year after opening. During its short tenure in Marin County, the restaurant received a nod from the Chronicle's critic and a spot on the Now List. Owner Dustin Sullivan did not disclose any specific reasons behind the closing in a response to the Chronicle.
Columbus Street saw Mona Lisa, a 50-year-old North Beach stalwart that offered views of the Transamerica Pyramid, close near the end of October. Owners Filomena Azzolino Nevigato Florese and Maurizio Florese said that workers will be transferred to the family's other restaurants, which include the nearby Steps of Rome and Mona Lisa Mare e Monti.
