Le Beau Market

How Le Beau Became The Nob Hill Neighborhood’s Favorite Family Market | Eater SF

"Perched atop San Francisco’s Nob Hill, the corner feels like more than just another neighborhood store: Le Beau Market—sandwiched between Tahona Mercado and Hilltop General Store on Leavenworth Street—wears a mural of oceanic and aerial oddities (white dolphins swimming across a blue background alongside a colony of pink insect-people flying above the city skyline) and has offered high-end, seasonally focused produce since it opened in 1984. Owner Joseph Omran’s story—rooted in his father George Omran’s 1951 migration from Buffalo and the family’s earlier Sunrise Grocery venture with help from John Sabatte of Berkeley Farms—gives the shop its sense of history and purpose. It’s a culmination of Omran’s life and risk-taking: I see it as a nexus for Nob Hill residents where you can buy organic cherry tomatoes, fresh breads, meat, fish, dairy, and deli foods, and enjoy rotating lunch specials (Thursdays bring the Cali Cheese Steak sandwich starring grilled tri-tip with grilled onions and guacamole; Tuesdays mean a full-on take-home rib meal). The brothers bought the former Leroy Market in 1984—renaming it in part to honor the original and in part as a nod to Hogan’s Heroes’ Louis LeBeau—and today Joseph runs the shop with his sons (the eldest joined about ten years ago, the younger about a year and a half ago). Despite pressure from delivery apps and chains, Omran prides himself on family-run service and relationships, plans an August barbecue bash to give back to the neighborhood, and remains focused on providing the freshest local produce and as pleasant a grocery shopping experience as can be found in the city." - Paolo Bicchieri