San Francisco Food Blog

Andy G./Yelp

Blame the locavores?

​We report September's many restaurant closures with mixed emotions. We'd be sadder about Schnitzelhaus if we didn't prefer the schnitzels at Schmidt's. We liked the idea of the Palace Steak House and the sweet couple who ran it more than the reality of the place (must have been quite the joint 30 or more years ago). We once slyly named Baghdad Nights the best Iraqi restaurant in S.F. merely because it was the only Iraqi restaurant in S.F. (and, hey, the food was good). El Raigon, the grass-fed Argentinean-style steakhouse in North Beach, will be missed (a new Mexican place called Don Pisto's is reportedly moving in). Eliza's has shuttered its 16-year-old Potrero Hill stand; the California Street outpost lives on, offering sweet, pricey Chinese fare. Potrero Hill also lost Jay's Deli. Noe Valley lost Andiamo Deli and Mi Lindo Yucatan (but the Mission Mi Lindo Yucatan, no relation, better represents its region). And we hope Tajine resurfaces once again, although we liked its first teensy Tenderloin incarnation more than the second and third (both now closed). We're excited that the Marina Fuzio space will house the third effort from Beretta owners Blum and Paganini, but we wish it'd be more Starbellyish than Berettaesque. Behold September's fallen:

• Schnitzelhaus 294 Ninth St. (at Folsom)
• Palace Steak House 3047 Mission (at 26th St.)
• Andiamo Gourmet Deli 649 Diamond (at Elizabeth)
• Baghdad Nights 682 Haight (at Pierce)
• Café Neon 1801 McAllister (at Baker)
• Chile Lindo Empanadas and Esperpento Wine Bar 3283 22nd St. (at Valencia)
• Eliza's 1457 18th St. (at Connecticut)
• El Raigon 501 Union (at Grant)
• Essencia 401 Gough (at Hayes)
• Fuzio 2175 Chestnut (at Pierce)
• Jay's Deli 501 Connecticut (at 20th St.)
• Made in Japan Teriyaki Experience 536 Kearny (at Sacramento)
• Mi Lindo Yucatan 4042 24th St. (at Noe)
• North Point Café Ghirardelli Square 900 North Point (at Larkin)
• Tajine 2080 Van Ness (at Pacific)