The former, defunct Jelly's (295 Terry Francois Boulevard), which closed four years ago following a shooting, has been up for grabs from the Port of San Francisco for quite a while, and now Inside Scoop brings word that the team behind the Hi Dive which lives on another Port property not far away has inked a deal to take over and renovate the space as an upscale bar and grill.
This part of town, which has historically been home to several big outdoor bars and restaurants due to its waterfront location and often warmer temperatures, was once far more desolate, but is a prime location with AT&T Park and the proposed Warriors development in the area. Mission Rock Resort and The Ramp nonetheless does good business just a few piers down, albeit often during daylight hours, but the entire area is set for major changes in the next few years.
The unnamed new project will a 150-200 seat bar and grill, featuring Santa Maria-style barbecue and S.F. favorites like cioppino, crab, etc. The consulting chef from the Hi Dive will be helping out, so you can assume this will be nothing fancy, and there will be plenty of outdoor areas as shown in the rendering above, and these here. They're aiming for a Summer 2015 opening.
And as the Scoop explains, the property went out to bid 18 months ago, and Hi Dive owner John Caine's proposal was actually the Port's second choice after Lafayette-based Bo's BBQ failed to come up with adequate funding. In April, Bo's announced it was closing at the end of July. Longtime pitmaster William "Bo" McSwine lost his lease, and hinted at the time that he wanted to move his operation to China Basin in S.F. Maybe he will continue to try.
