A New Bakery and Wine Bar Moves into the 20th Century Cafe Space

20th Century Cafe announced plans to permanently close earlier this spring, and is finally winding down operations. Star pastry chef Michelle Polzine recently raised a coupe of Champagne and confirmed that her final day of service will be July 10. It’s been a bittersweet and fond farewell for regulars of the rare cafe, who loved the burnt honey cake on fine china, served at this location for a good eight years (although it may live on in pop-up form).

But now, as Polzine promised, she’s handing over the last year of the lease to another local team, who not only plan to keep it as a bakery, but may have even been lucky enough to inherit some of the good china and silver. Early word is that Tal Mor and Jodi Geren, owners of the Mill and Four Barrel Coffee, are planning to open Loquat, a new daytime bakery and evening wine bar. They’re getting the keys to the sweet corner cafe at 198 Gough and Oak, near the Opera House in Hayes Valley, with fall 2021 as a targeted opening.

Tal Mor and Jodi Geren are the co-owners of Four Barrel Coffee, who took over when Jeremey Tooker stepped down as CEO in 2018, following allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Mor and Geren issued a statement saying that Tooker divested from the company at that time, and they also promised to shift ownership to employees; that transition has not happened. Mor and Geren were not immediately available to comment on their plans for this new bakery and cafe. We will update this story, as details become available.