This is always a part of my job that I hate writing about: closures. Sadly, the lovely Jordan Keao and his wife and co-owner Cheryl Liew have decided to close their beloved Dogpatch restaurant, AINA, which was such an innovative and inspiring representation of Hawaiian cuisine. In a post on Instagram, they shared, “Personal and family reasons have made a relocation to Singapore the next step for us. It is a very tough and heartwrenching decision to let go of a business that we have been building from our hearts since 2013, from our days as a tiny popup in Bernal Heights, to hectic street food festivals and then eventually a beautiful brick and mortar space in the lovely Dogpatch neighborhood.” They will be so missed! SF was lucky to have you. Mahalo. 900 22nd St. at Minnesota.
We also have a trio of closures, all happening in the Mission. On Sunday June 30th, after eight years in business of serving up barbecue and whiskey and house-brewed beers and Southern hospitality, SOUTHPAW is closing. Founder Elizabeth Wells says, ” We have come to a crossroad in our personal lives where it’s time to move onto other goals and dreams. We are starting families, growing other businesses, and moving to other parts of the Bay Area.” They hope you’ll come in for a final plate of BBQ (that smoked pulled goat!) and beer; and if you were a fan of their BBQ, you can still order it for delivery through Sneaky’s BBQ (their sister company). Best wishes to the entire team. 2170 Mission St. at 18th St.
This was a long time coming: ~MISSION BEACH CAFE~ has closed due to a health department shutdown (not the first time they’ve had issues with and in that department) and eviction proceedings. You can read more in this post from SFist, as well as a note from owner Bill Clarke about the entire shituation. It’s a shame their tasty pies are going away, and the brunch hordes now need to find a new roost.
The third closure will be MISSION PIE, but fortunately we have until September 1st to have a long goodbye (especially with their summer fruit pies). It’s a damn shame, owners Krystin Rubin and Karen Heisler have been trying to make it work, but as Mission Local says, “the duo has decided that their long-running business, which has 25 employees, isn’t financially sustainable.” We’re not just losing a pie shop—they have been an important part of the community (since 2007!), with strong values, and they will be missed. 2901 Mission St. at 25th St.
The spectacular poke at Aina, part of their new tasting menu. Photo: Eric Wolfinger.
