Michael Mina Snags Waterfront Space in Tiburon

The hot waterfront property that once housed lackluster Mexican restaurant Guaymas will soon get a major upgrade from SF’s premier empire-builder Michael Mina. Mina Group has confirmed that it will take over the Tiburon space, with plans to open there by summer of 2019.

Representatives declined to comment on the cuisine or concept that could occupy Guaymas, which closed after Labor Day. Given Mina’s extensive stable of restaurants, there’s plenty to choose from, though there’s always the possibility of dropping in an entirely new concept — perhaps even one that’s been tested in the group’s Mina Test Kitchen. Past concepts like Mi Almita, a Mexican collaboration with Houston chef Hugo Ortega, or Postcards from La Costiera, the Italian coastal pop-up from chef Adam Sobel, would certainly be comfortable additions to the sleepy dining scene in Tiburon.

Guaymas lingered there for over thirty years; it most recently served mediocre Mexican food at the hands of Specialty Restaurants Corporation, which purchased it in 2008. Former SF Chronicle critic Michael Bauer skewered it with a one-star review in 2016 that declared the complimentary tortilla chips to be the best part of the meal there.

Onward and upward; stay tuned for more details on exactly what Mina Group plans for the space.

• Tiburon Loses Its Major Waterfront Dining Destination [ESF]
• One Star for Guaymas in Scathing Review [ESF]
• Michelin-Starred Celeb Chef Michael Mina Taking Over Guaymas Space in Tiburon [The Ark]