Woodwards Garden Reborn as Gardenias, Former Space Transformed Into Crafty Fox Ale House

When Woodwards Gardens closed its doors in the Mission last year, hearts were broken across the city. Sadly, the beloved 22-year-old fine-dining mainstay lost its lease after the landlord decided not to renew. However, chef-owners Margie Conard and Dana Tommasino saw the change as positive, saying that they were "thrilled at the possibility of a new restaurant/project."

Since then they've been on the hunt for a new space, hosting a few pop-ups around town and staying out of the limelight. Now, as Tablehopper reported earlier in June, the duo has officially found their "forever home" in the former Roostertail space in Lower Pacific Heights. The new concept will be called Gardenias, in keeping with their garden theme, and offer a "spacious kitchen" and back patio (complete with some gardenia bushes for good measure). They're hoping for an early July opening, but stay tuned for more details on that front.

In the meantime, Woodward's Gardens' old Mission home has taken on a new tenant, in the form of Crafty Fox Ale House. SF Weekly reports that the main attraction will be 36 rotating draft beers (along the lines of Fieldwork Brewing, Firestone, Henhouse and Almanac) with an outdoor beer garden. Chef Pedro Villegas (Park Tavern, Campton Place) has plans for a menu of bar food and shared plates that veer toward the hearty side, like beef cheek poutine and fried pig tails. There'll also be some crowd-pleasing wieners on hand, from Peter Tempkin (Show Dogs), served on a French roll. And according to their Facebook, they've got an opening date planned for Wednesday, July 8.

So, it appears that in San Francisco's ever-changing landscape of crushingly high rents and resulting closures has worked out for once, with the addition of more pleasant patios and delicious food for all. We'll keep you updated on opening dates, menus and more.