This San Francisco Restaurant Opens for Thanksgiving for the First Time in 116 Years

San Francisco’s downtown has been a steady curve toward recovery, and it’s about to get a surprising stimulus shot. John’s Grill, the Ellis Street restaurant serving big steaks and cold martinis for 116 years, is opening for Thanksgiving for the first time. There is a special Thanksgiving menu, and the restaurant will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Owner John Konstin says he hopes this opening can contribute to downtown San Francisco’s revitalization.

In an email, Konstin pointed to “wonderful Union Square” and all the merriment to be found in the area through the next few months. That’d be the giant Christmas tree, the ice rink, and shopping at all the stores in the neighborhood. Headed to his restaurant for the $95 prix fixe menu — lobster bisque, filet mignon, Maine lobster tail, and choice of chocolate torte or New York cheesecake — before strolling the scene might be the boost that can get San Franciscans downtown once again.

Much has been made of San Francisco’s downtown decline; most recently the Contemporary Jewish Museum, located in the greater downtown area, reported a lack of attendees and announced its indefinite closure. But if any outfit is up to the task, it could very well be John’s Grill. The restaurant has held it down through the years, reportedly doing some 500 covers a night in 2015. The business’s website lists Marlon Brando, Sophia Loren, and Al Gore amongst its star-studded patrons. It’s been listed as Esquire’s top 10 restaurants in the country. A little doom loop hysteria is nothing to a restaurant that swung open its doors two years after the 1906 earthquake that leveled most of San Francisco.

John’s Grill will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on November 28, 2024. You can book reservations right here.