The third and biggest location of high-end grocer Bi-Rite will be opening by the last weekend in August, nearly two years after we first learned it was coming to the Russian Hill neighborhood.
The new Bi-Rite at 2140 Polk Street has been under renovation for a while now, and as the Chronicle reports, excitement in the neighborhood is palpable. The store takes over the former Real Foods Co. space — it was the last location of what was, dating back to 1976, another beloved legacy grocer that touted "natural" foods and local produce. Longtime owners Kimball and Jane Allen decided to sell in 2022, and Bi-Rite owner Sam Mogannam was a natural fit.
The new store will become a new anchor for this part of Polk Street, and it becomes Bi-Rite's biggest location to date — about twice as big as the original store on 18th Street, and 50% larger than the 11-year-old Divisadero location.
It's now set to open for business on August 29.
The renovation has taken a while — neighbors will note that the window signage used to say "Opening Spring 2024" — because it involved both the removal of a staircase that used to bisect the space, and the incorporation of a next-door former hair salon, which is now the store's kitchen. The space also got updated electrical and plumbing, and a newly poured concrete floor, as Mogannam tells the Chronicle.
The 4,000-square-foot store will include familiar features from other Bi-Rites, like the meat and fish counter, and a sandwich counter, as well as a baked goods section. And you can expect an even broader assortment of pantry items, prepared foods, local produce, wine, coffee, artisanal chocolate, and everything else that makes Bi-Rite a draw — even if it has been recently confirmed to be the most expensive grocer in the city.
The former yellow exterior has been painted a baby blue, and some vintage black tile along the base of the building has been cleaned and buffed.
"I never wanted to be a grocery guy, but here I am," Mogannam says in the intro to the Bi-Rite cookbook.
Mogannam took over the 18th Street store from his father and uncle in 1997 after a number of years in the restaurant business, and he says he toyed with the idea of turning it into a restaurant. For years it had been just a reliable neighborhood grocer, and Mogannam turned it into the small institution it became, a go-to spot for both high-quality meat and vegetables as well as pre-made meals.
"In the beginning, we had no idea what we were doing," Mogannam writes. "We made it up as we went along, running it like a restaurant, which turned out to be a huge advantage. And, it turns out, we reinvented the grocery store in the process."
He writes of wanting to make the place inviting and entertaining, hiring "front-of-house" people from the restaurant world to run the front of the house, playing upbeat music, making everything flatteringly lit, and making sure the store had a "fun vibe."
Bi-Rite ended up being one of multiple bellwethers in the ever-gentrifying Mission District from the late 1990s, including Delfina, Tartine Bakery, and restaurants like Slanted Door and Range (r.i.p.). And the rest is history.
Bi-Rite Polk - 2140 Polk Street - Opening August 29
Previously: Bi-Rite to Open Third Location On Polk Street, Taking Over Real Food Co. In Russian Hill
Top image: Photo by Marcele Moran/X
