1300 on Fillmore Is Now Closed [Updated]

1300 on Fillmore, chef David Lawrence’s fine-dining flagship in the Fillmore District, has closed. The restaurant’s last service was Sunday, reports the Chronicle. It will serve as an event space through the end of the year.

It’s a large closure for the neighborhood, which was once a hub for black-owned businesses. Since it opened in 2007, the restaurant has been serving a popular menu of “southern inspired American cuisine,” like barbecue shrimp and grits, fried chicken, and pan-fried catfish with jambalaya for lunch, dinner, and a gospel brunch. It was a popular gathering place for brunch (appearing on Eater’s list of essential brunches), mardi gras, Easter, and other lively special occasions.

Lawrence told the Chron that the closure is largely the result of the closure of Yoshi’s, the massive jazz club, in 2014. The revitalization of the neighborhood by the city largely relied on the success of the complex housing both Yoshi’s and 1300 on Fillmore. After it initially closed, a second project called The Addition attempted to fill the space but folded after only six months. Since then the vast space has sat empty, taking at least 35 percent of his business with it, according to Lawrence.

Lucky for fans of Lawrence’s southern style, his casual barbecue restaurant down the street, Black Bark BBQ, will remain open. It opened in 2016, bringing barbecue back to a neighborhood that was once home to some of the city’s best; at the time, Lawrence told Eater SF there hadn’t been barbecue on Fillmore since the ‘90s. Lawrence’s SFO outpost of 1300 on Fillmore will remain open as well, for those travelers looking for a bittersweet taste of some of the city’s best southern food.

Eater has reached out for comment, stay tuned for the future of the space and the restaurant — apparently the restaurant’s lease ends this month with options for extension, and the opportunity for a new proprietor to keep it alive.

Update, 10/19/17: Co-owner Monetta White sent out a statement via email, with information for a “Last Call” party at 1300 on Fillmore, which will take place Wednesday, October 25 from 5:30 p.m. til close. White also says that she and Lawrence hope to revamp and reopen in 2018, pending the sale of the building.

• 1300 on Fillmore Shuts Down [SF Chronicle]
• 1300 on Fillmore To Expand to SFO [ESF]
• Check out the Meaty Menu at Black Bark BBQ, Igniting a Barbecue Revival in the Fillmore [ESF]