AQ Folks to Open Bon Marché in Twitter Building

The Market Square development at 10th and Market. [Photo: Troy Holden/Flickr]

The western SOMA land grab is here, folks: hot on the heels of Daniel Patterson's announcement that he's snapping up the old Iron Wok space at 10th and Market, the AQ duo of Matt Semmelhack and Mark Liberman have confirmed to Inside Scoop that they'll be the first tenant in the commercial section of the nearby Market Square development, otherwise known as Twitter HQ. Their new restaurant will be dubbed Bon Marché (French for "good market," a play on the space's Market Street location and its former life as the SF Furniture Mart), and it'll be a French-inspired brasserie and bar.

The sizable space (125 seats) will be open all day long, with coffee and simple breakfast fare in the morning, a large menu and raw bar in the afternoon and evening, and the "modern twists on classics" for which AQ has become famous. (Bon marché is also the French term for a good deal, and the price point will be lower than AQ's.) Plans call for a full liquor license, cocktails, and a bar menu, and there will be bubbles: wine director Kristen Capella has expressed interest in curating the largest sparkling wine menu in the country. This is now the fourth project in Team AQ's portfolio and their third in western SOMA, with next-door TBD and Melange in the ODC space in the Mission both planned for later in 2013.

With a full build-out required and construction still months away, Bon Marché won't be a reality for another 18 months to 2 years, by which time mid-Market will be aflame, with Square moving into the old Bank of America building, the CityPlace mall going up at 6th and Market, and God knows what other gentrification. We'll keep you posted as the other spots in the Market Square space get snapped up.

· AQ's Matt Semmelhack and Mark Liberman to open Bon Marché in Market Square [Inside Scoop]
· Daniel Patterson to Open Casual Spot at 10th and Market [~ ESF ~]
· All AQ coverage [~ ESF ~]