Alexander’s Steakhouse Plans Casual SoMa Spinoff

High-end beef powerhouse Alexander’s Steakhouse will break new ground with a casual restaurant called ALX Gastropub opening sometime this summer. The offshoot will be located South of Market, where vowel-free company names carry a certain cache, at 680 Folsom Street, between Third and Hawthorne in the ground-floor retail space of a large office building.

Since opening in Cupertino in 2005 with an emphasis on dry-aged domestic and Japanese beef, Alexander’s has expanded steadily. It opened in San Francisco in 2010 and Pasadena in 2015 while reaching out in new directions with Alexander’s Patisserie locations in Mountain View and Cupertino and a seafood restaurant, The Sea, in Palo Alto.

ALX Gastropub

For its part ALX Gastropub is likely to be the least formal of the bunch, combining “the warmth of your neighborhood dive with the style of a sophisticated lounge” according to promotional materials. Private dining will be available, and a bar will serve local beer, wine, and cocktails.

Jessie Lugo (Alexander’s SF) will be executive chef: She’s a Texas native who came to SF for culinary school and credits Suzette Gresham at Acquerello as a major influence on her career. Emily Lim appears to be executive sous chef for ALX Gastropub.

Eater has reached out to Alexander’s for further details on the new project, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, Alexander’s Steakhouse is at work on another major project — or several: The restaurant group is building out four food concepts for James Beard Award-winning chef Claude Le Tohic at 165 O’Farrell, to be called ONE65.