Celebrity Chef Tyler Florence Is Taking the Reins at SoMa’s Town Hall Restaurant

Celebrity chef and Food Network star Tyler Florence will continue to expand his San Francisco restaurant empire, which already includes downtown’s Wayfare Tavern and Miller & Lux steakhouse, plus two yet-to-open cafes in Union Square. According to an email from Town Hall’s Mitchell Rosenthal on behalf of the restaurant’s ownership team including Steven Rosenthal and Bjorn Kock, Florence will take over the nearly 20-year-old restaurant and “reintroduce a new concept under the existing and beloved Town Hall name” in early 2024.

Town Hall, perched on the corner of Howard and Fremont streets in the long shadow of Salesforce Tower, opened in 2004 and quickly became one of the then-booming neighborhood’s most sought-after reservations. But since the onset of the pandemic, the Southern-leaning restaurant, as with most Bay Area restaurants, has struggled; in September 2020, Mitchell Rosenthal closed sister spots Salt House and Anchor & Hope, and reopened Town Hall as “a full-on tribute to K-Paul’s,” the legendary New Orleans restaurant.

Florence has teamed up with real estate investment company DivcoWest on this latest project. That company also owns the adjacent office building at 199 Fremont. “Town Hall has made a significant culinary contribution to the city of San Francisco and our team is looking forward to carrying on the tradition of this cherished institution,” Florence is quoted as saying in the release.

The chefs behind two Michelin-rated restaurants are joining forces

The Sacramento suburb of Folsom will get a new Mexican restaurant called Pedregal early next year. The cantina comes from a powerhouse duo of chefs: Brad Cecchi of East Sacramento’s Canon and Patricio Wise of Roseville’s Nixtaco. Both Canon and Nixtaco hold Michelin Bib Gourmand status, making the collaboration a hotly anticipated one. Sactown Magazine reports the restaurant will “focus on shareable small plates (“botanas” in cantina parlance) and family-style service.”

The restaurant inside the historic Cathay House might get evicted

SFGATE reports that the owner of the historic building located at 718 California Street has filed a lawsuit against the Cathay House restaurant. Allegedly the restaurant owes more than $220,000 in unpaid rent and could face eviction. The building has been the subject of much speculation over the past few years. In 2019, the team behind the legendary dim sum restaurant Koi Palace explored taking over the space; celeb chef Martin Yan has also been reportedly eying the building.

VeganBurg on Haight has closed

An email tipster tells Eater SF that as of Sunday, October 22 Haight Street’s VeganBurg, the only San Francisco location of the Singapore-based chain, has closed. Per SFGATE, a sign on the restaurant’s door confirmed the closure. “It was with the highest appreciation and knowing that only the greatest achievements and master lessons are gained through temporary setbacks,” the sign read. “We have been honored to serve you for 9 amazing years and we look forward to serving you again in our other locations.”

Napa’s popular gondola winery is finally reopening

Sterling Vineyards, a popular winery with visitors in part because of its on-site gondola, will reopen to the public on Sunday, October 29. The iconic hilltop winery has been closed since the 2020 Glass Fire and now returns following a two-year renovation. Part of the upgrades included building a new gondola, which now offers “larger, fully ADA accessible cabins” and “360-degree views of the northern Napa Valley,” per a press release.