The ex-husband of Park Tavern owner Anna Weinberg, James Nicholas, has signed a lease to take over the restaurant's space in North Beach, and it will be reborn as Park Tavern this fall.

The latest twist in the saga of Park Tavern and embattled local restaurateur Anna Weinberg is that her ex-husband, who had been a partner in Park Tavern and its former restaurant group Big Night before the couple split their restaurant assets, has reportedly signed a lease to retake the restaurant. The SF Business Times caught the news after seeing a liquor license application going in under Nicholas's name.

Now, Nicholas has confirmed to the Chronicle that he is retaking the space and will reopen under the Park Tavern name. Original executive chef Jennifer Puccio, who remains the executive chef at Nicholas's other restaurants Marlowe and The Cavalier, will return with a refreshed menu — and she will be collaborating with New York celebrity chef Jonathan Waxman on the refresh.

Nicholas says only that Park Tavern was "always the anti-red sauce restaurant in North Beach," and if there is pasta on the menu, he tells the Chronicle, it will be more like "uni, brown butter and breadcrumbs."

Following a renovation, which will include a refresh of the bar area and the return of a communal table, the team is aiming for an October reopening.

12-year-old Park Tavern closed inauspiciously last fall after an eviction notice was served at the restaurant. The space at 1652 Stockton Street, on Washington Square Park, spent much of the last decade as a bustling brasserie and mainstay of the North Beach neighborhood — taking over a storied space that for many years was home to Moose's. Following a pandemic closure and a brief reopening in 2021, Park Tavern reopened in the spring of 2023 only to close less than six months later.

Park Tavern and its 2021 transfer of ownership to Weinberg is the subject of a still unresolved lawsuit by former business partner Dave Stanton — with whom Weinberg made a buyout agreement following her divorce from Nicholas and the division of their other restaurants Marlowe, The Cavalier, and Leo's Oyster Bar. Weinberg continues to operate Leo's and Tosca Cafe, while Nicholas retained ownership of Marlowe, The Cavalier, and the Cavalier's attached lounge Marianne's.

The Business Times reports that the lawsuit now has a trial date set for March 2025.

Previously: It Now Looks Like North Beach's Park Tavern Is Gone For Good

*This post has been updated throughout following Nicholas's confirmation of the news to the Chronicle.