There's been some financial drama at one of North Beach's biggest restaurants in recent weeks, and only five months into a long-awaited reopening, the restaurant was served an eviction notice this week.
As far as we know, 12-year-old Park Tavern (1652 Stockton Street) was open last night and will be open again tonight. But as the Chronicle reports, an eviction notice was served to the restaurant by its landlord on Wednesday, and the property was "restored to the landlord," with the locks apparently changed — and restaurant owner Anna Weinberg having to get new keys, or something.
While both Weinberg and the landlord's attorney confirmed the eviction, what happens next is unclear. As the Chronicle reports, the eviction notice came after a September lawsuit was filed by the landlord seeking $460,000 in rent. Negotiations appear to be ongoing and Weinberg told the paper that the landlord has been "amazing," and they are trying to hammer out the details of a new lease.
Park Tavern underwent a significant renovation over the last year, softly reopening in May and fully reopening in June.
The restaurant had previously been part of a restaurant group co-owned by Weinberg and ex-husband James Nicholas, along with chef-partner Jennifer Puccio and another partner. Puccio had opened Marlowe with Weinberg in 2009, and Park Tavern soon followed in 2011.
Weinberg retained ownership of Park Tavern, Leo's Oyster Bar, and Tosca, while Nicholas retained Marlowe, The Cavalier, and the Cavalier's backroom space Marianne's.
A brief reopening of Park Tavern occurred in early 2021, under a previous partner's management — and the last use of the restaurant's Instagram account was in February 2021. Significant repairs were needed in the building, including a new roof, Weinberg said at the time, and the renovation process extended across two years.
When the restaurant made its re-debut this spring, it was with chef Marco Cerruti in charge — a chef who most recently worked at The Ellwood in Santa Barbara, and previously in the kitchens of Charter Oak in St. Helena and Saison here in SF.
Currently, Park Tavern's Tock-based reservation system is not accepting any reservation.
Stay tuned as we learn more about the situation.