Michelin-Starred San Francisco Restaurant Avery Will Close After November 4

After seven years as a San Francisco fine dining institution, chef Rodney Wages’s Fillmore Street restaurant Avery will close on November 4, according to an email from the restaurant. The restaurant made the announcement on October 11 letting fans know that the good times have come to an end, pointing toward the restaurant’s expansion to Edinburgh as the next major event on the horizon.

The head chef will oversee the final dinner on Saturday before heading to Europe, possibly for good. “While we will miss the restaurant in San Francisco and are proud of what we have accomplished here,” the farewell note reads, “we are excited for the next evolution of Avery opening this winter in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh.”

In 2018, Avery started as a humble pop-up known as RTB Fillmore, back when Wages was known for his time as a chef de cuisine at Atelier Crenn. It was quite the buzzy debut when Avery opened as a two-story, sleek restaurant, co-owned by partner Matthew Mako who also cooked at Saison and Benu. The staff was filled out by a blockbuster cast of fine dining workers coming from True Sake, Atelier Crenn, Plum, and more.

The entire operation was an homage to painter Milton Avery who himself was known for bizarre landscapes; it wasn’t long until the restaurant gained clout all on its own, earning a Michelin star and gracing the San Francisco Chronicle’s lists for best fine dining restaurants in San Francisco. In August the restaurant took to Instagram to announce Avery Edinburg, since Wages “fell in love with Edinburgh on holiday last year.” That business, aptly named Avery Edinburgh, is set to open in 2024.

It’s been a tumultuous few weeks for the Bay Area bars and restaurants. Earlier this week Oakland’s Palmetto and adjacent bar the Kon-Tiki Room announced their upcoming closures at the end of the month, and in the Mission District, Tex-Mex restaurant and bar West of Pecos shared that its last day in business will be October 28. September also saw a slew of high-profile closures including FiDi Italian restaurant Barbacco, which closed its doors after 13 years; Afici, a fine dining restaurant from the Alexander’s Steakhouse team; and Dumpling Club, which shuttered after less than a year.

Eater SF has reached out to the Avery team for comment and will update this story if and when we hear back.