Park Tavern on Washington Square

SF Staple Park Tavern in North Beach Reopens With a Freshly Renovated Restaurant Space | Eater SF

"Reopening on Friday, November 22 with decorated chef Jonathan Waxman in charge of the food, this North Beach restaurant reunites owner James Nicholas (of Marlowe and the Cavalier) with Waxman, a Chez Panisse alum and Beard Award winner he’s known for 20 years; the spot was a 2012 James Beard Award finalist for Best New Restaurant, lived up to the hype for nearly a decade, suffered an embattled post-pandemic reopening and then closed last December, and now returns with Waxman splitting time between SF and NY. Diners can expect a riff on the roasted chicken with salsa verde that Waxman serves at his celebrated New York restaurant, Barbuto: “We have a new open fire broiler that makes the skin even crispier,” Waxman tells Eater, and he adds, “And it will always be on the menu.” Other staples include Liberty Duck served with both a breast and confit leg alongside roasted apples with chiles and seasonal vegetables; comfort fish offerings such as sand dabs or petrale sole; and in-season Steelhead as an early fixture. Waxman’s decadent porchetta recipe is stuffed with prosciutto ends, a carbonara will feature savory guanciale along with a pasta recipe from the Amalfi Coast that he says fellow celebrity chef Bobby Flay introduced him to, and there’s a vegetarian Bolognese made with parsnip, turnip, rutabaga, garlic, onion, and portobello mushroom as well as a raw shaved vegetable salad — with Waxman clear “that the menu will change with the seasons.” The physical space at 1652 Stockton Street retains its location but has significant design updates: the old two-inch hexagonal white tiles have given way to pistachio green, cream, and black hexagons; black subway tile columns have been replaced by shiny Dorian Gray tile that brightens the room into an open kitchen with a 12-seat chef’s counter; and, as owner James Nicholas notes, “We used over 12,000 pounds of tiles in this revitalization.” Designer Jon de la Cruz contributed to a redesign that includes six custom Italian sable brown-leather banquettes (each able to seat up to a dozen people), 11 new wooden corner tables in the main dining room, bar and cafe seating, outdoor tables with park views, close to 180 seats in total, and a 65-person private dining room. Third Rail’s Jeff Lyon has revamped the bar program with approachable classics and creative deviations — The Last Leaf is a riff on a brandy Manhattan with pear liqueur and cinnamon bitters, while the Penicillin #2 marries blended scotch with fresh ginger juice, honey, lemon, and a spray of smoky Laphroaig scotch. The reopening also acknowledges the restaurant’s history and neighborhood heritage: a central wagon-wheel chandelier is now wrapped in deer antlers, and the famed moose antlers that once belonged to North Beach staple Ed Moose have been set into a mirror to symbolize the neighborhood’s eras. Service will begin November 22 with hours of 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays (bar opens at 4 p.m. daily); weekend brunch service begins Saturday, December 7, and reservations are available via OpenTable." - Adrian Spinelli