Castro’s 22-Year-Old Firewood Cafe Closes Sunday

The original location of Firewood Cafe will close in the Castro after dinner this Sunday, March 31. Hoodline first learned of the closure, which Eater SF confirmed with a manager of the restaurant at 4248 18th Street.

Brothers Garrett and Glenn Meyers opened Firewood Cafe in 1997 — the same year as also recently closed Chow on Church. They’ve served a menu of pizzas, pastas, salads, and wood-oven roasted meats ever since, expanding to more locations including two airport outposts that remain: One at OAK and one at SFO.

Firewood’s closure means another vacancy in the Castro, where something of a changing of the guard is taking place, and where many retail vacancies have remained unfilled. Fortunately for fans of Chow, at least, that vacancy will be filled in short order: The folks busy opening a restaurant across the street called Gramercy Park have signed onto the Chow on Church space. They’ll reopen under the name Cook Shoppe, hopefully with much of the same staff. What’s next for Firewood Cafe’s space, however, remains to be seen.

• Castro’s Firewood Cafe closing this weekend after 22 years [Hoodline]
• Firewood Cafe [Official]