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Fog City restaurant permanently closes after four decades on the Embarcadero

No explanation accompanied the abrupt announcement, leaving the landmark’s waterfront space vacant.

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Chef Bruce Hill led Fog City’s revamped kitchen in 2013. The landmark restaurant, which helped launch San Francisco’s small plates movement and once defined the modern American diner, closed its doors Friday after four decades in operation.
Chef Bruce Hill cooks wood-oven roasted chicken, one of his signature dishes, at Fog City in September 2013. The diner’s neon signs and bold, globally inspired menu helped cement its place in San Francisco’s culinary lore.
 

Overview

  • The restaurant abruptly closed on May 30 with a social media post offering thanks but no reason.
  • Fog City began as Fog City Diner in 1985, created by Bill Higgins and Bill Upson with chef Cindy Pawlcyn shaping its eclectic small plates menu.
  • In 2013 the venue was redesigned by Michael Guthrie and renamed Fog City, with chef Bruce Hill revamping dishes like wood-oven roasted chicken with kimchi butter.
  • Located at 1300 Battery Street, the building served as a train roundhouse, a World War II cafeteria and a gathering place for longshoremen.
  • Despite four decades of pop culture appearances in Visa commercials, comic strips and the film 'So I Married an Axe Murderer', the site now stands vacant with no announced plans.