Get ready to pour one out — mezcal would be most appropriate, but tequila will do — for La Urbana, which appears to have closed suddenly and, according to Inside Scoop, perhaps permanently on the corner of Grove and Divisadero.
A sign on the door to the restaurant reads that La Urbana "will be closed for small renovations. Thank you for your patience.” But the Scoop elaborates that "A worker standing outside the door, however, said that the restaurant was closed for good — and, given San Francisco’s tight labor force, he had just found a job next door" (Bar Crudo?). A call to La Urbana reveals its phone line, as listed, is out of service, and SFist had reached out to the business via email for further information.
Partners Alessandra Bonisoli, Eduardo Rallo and Juan Garduño opened La Urbana in September 2013 in the former Plant It Earth space for Mexico-City inspired food and a wide selection of mezcal. They quickly expanded with Mercado Urbano next door, a smaller counter-service spot for tacos, micheledas, etc.
In the past, SFist has consulted La Urbana for cocktail recipes like their Oaxacan Old Fashioned and the Mexican Dude, a takeoff on a White Russian. Meanwhile, SFist editor Jay Barmann praised chef Julio Aguilere's arroz con pollo: That dish, Barmann wrote, consisted of "perfectly juicy, crisp-skinned boneless chicken breast over plump, al dente farro cooked in what seemed to be tomato and chiles, and topped with fresh pea shoots and greens, queso fresco, as well as his grandmother's, mildly spicy chicken gravy."
While high-end restaurants compete fiercely in San Francisco for hype and market share especially on gentrifying blocks like many on Divisadero have become, it seems possible that another Mexico City-inspired opening not far off in Hayes Valley — Cala, from decorated chef Gabriela Camara — may have played a role in La Urbana's closure. That's just speculation, of course.
