We now have confirmation from chef Michael Mina and his restaurant group that Bourbon Steak will indeed be returning to the space off the lobby at the Westin St. Francis, which has been undergoing renovations for the last year. And where a wine bar used to be will be a fancy new cocktail spot from Steph Curry.

Back in March we surmised that Michael Mina was definitely headed back into the Union Square restaurant scene, but there was little to no confirmation from the Westin St. Francis Hotel or the Mina Group about what, exactly, would be opening there once the hotel's renovations were complete.

Michael Mina had opened his eponymous fine dining restaurant in the high-ceilinged area off the lobby in 2004, only to close it and pivot to the more casual Bourbon Steak in 2010. Bourbon Steak closed well before the pandemic began, but the steakhouse restaurant brand remains, with locations in Las Vegas and 10 other US cities. And the well-regarded Clock Bar across the lobby was also under the aegis of the Mina Group, until it closed as well.

Now, as the group tells us in a release and as the Chronicle reports, Mina and his team have confirmed the return of Bourbon Steak to the St. Francis in October, though it sounds like the shape and footprint of the restaurant will be much different than when it closed six years ago. The entire lobby area was reportedly gutted and reconfigured, to Mina's specifications, with a grand new bar situated in the center of the main room off of Powell Street — it sounds like the hotel entrance has shifted over to Geary Street, with the restaurant and bars getting to use the Powell Street doors.

The rendering above, originally obtained last year by the SF Business Times, shows the new central bar, as well as the steps leading off to the right where the original restaurant space was. It's unclear if this is the final design.

Bourbon Steak, which is familiar to many, will feature the trappings of some other locations but will clearly be a bit fancier, with a fish cart roving the room and able to grill six types of fish daily, with three optional sauces. Other tableside theatrics will include Wagyu beef torched tableside for the steak tartare, and other signature dishes, like Mina's lobster pot pie and crab "pop tart" will be on the menu as well. The burger at the former Bourbon Steak in this location was always pretty goddamned good as well.

In addition to Bourbon Steak Mina is opening Bourbon Lounge, with a casual menu of bar food offered centered around the main bar, and there will be a small stage featuring live music — a nod to the former Compass Rose which occupied the space decades ago. In the former Clock Bar space will be a new private dining room. And in a former wine bar will be a new hospitality venture from Steph Curry called The Eighth Rule — a play on the seven rules of bourbon production. It will reportedly be a 40-seat, reservation-only cocktail bar, open until 2 am, like the lounge.

In a statement, Curry says, "To me, there’s nothing better than getting together with those you love over a glass of bourbon... I’ve always dreamt of creating my own little haven to bring people together, and now we have the perfect location."

And Mina calls the new Bourbon Steak and Bourbon Lounge "one of the most beautiful restaurants I’ve ever built."

"I’ll never forget the first time I came to San Francisco as a child," Mina says in a statement. "It was the first time I saw diversity and numerous cultures coming together in one vibrant setting. I dreamt of living here one day, and I am beyond blessed to have defined my career as a chef and launched my company in the city that means so much to me. The Westin St. Francis especially holds significance as my first restaurant to receive Michelin Stars, Michael Mina, was here."

Curry and Mina met when Mina partnered with Curry's wife Ayesha on International Smoke, back in 2018, and have been reportedly discussing partnering up for a while.

This will be a first-time hospitality venture for Curry, who has his hand in a number of pots as he prepares for retirement from the NBA, including a media production company that put out its first live-action, scripted TV show Mr. Throwback, earlier this year. The new cocktail spot arrives two years after the launch of Curry's bourbon brand, Gentleman’s Cut.

Steph's retirement plans could also include a move into another sport, golf, which he is already very good at.

Previously: Soleil Ho Asks 'Who Is Michael Mina and Why Is His Name Treated Like Gold In This Town'?