What is going into the old Starbucks at 2222 Fillmore? For most of the past two years, nobody could answer that. The question applied just as well to the former Noosh at the corner of Pine, the dark Clay Theater marquee, and the row of empty shops where A-Pizza and Mio used to be. As of this October, every one of those addresses has a named plan behind it. None of them has opened yet, and the businesses that did open this fall are smaller ones, most of them a few blocks south near Sutter and Post.
Four Addresses, One Owner, No Opening Dates
All of these storefronts belong to the Upper Fillmore Revitalization Project. The group is funded by venture investor Neil Mehta and run by Cody Allen, and its own site says Mehta's entire interest in the project is held by a nonprofit foundation. According to The San Francisco Standard, Mehta has spent tens of millions of dollars from a $100 million fund on Fillmore properties since 2024, including the Clay Theater. Here is the status of each address, based on reporting through mid-October.
- 2001 Fillmore, at Pine. The former Noosh is becoming Monami, a Korean barbecue restaurant from Junsoo and Hyunyoung Bae, the founders of Michelin-starred SSAL on upper Polk. SFist reported in February that the plan includes in-table grills, an à la carte menu and a tasting menu, with no all-you-can-eat format. Junsoo Bae told the San Francisco Chronicle he wanted it to be "a Korean barbecue version of House of Prime Rib." The target was fall 2026. As of mid-October, we have not found an announced opening date.
- 2222 Fillmore, between Clay and Sacramento. Pim Techamuanvivit, the chef behind Kin Khao and Nari, is taking the former Starbucks space. SFist reported the working title as Khao Soi Ya, which points to a permanent version of her 2024 Khao Soi Shop pop-up at Nari. The name may still change, since the kitchen buildout will shape what the menu can be. SFist reported no opening timeframe and expects an update in the new year.
- 2035–2047 Fillmore. This building once held Aquatalia, A-Pizza and Mio and began emptying out in 2022. The group bought it this summer for about $8.6 million, according to The San Francisco Standard. The four vacant storefronts will be combined into one restaurant. No operator has been named.
- 2235 Fillmore. The former Ten-Ichi space was still empty as of August, and SFist reported that the project is working to place a new business there.
Three of the four projects have a chef or a concept attached. None has a confirmed opening date.
What the Project Says It Is Choosing For
Because one owner controls this many storefronts, the tenant lineup reflects that owner's priorities. The group states them plainly. Its site lists the goal of recruiting "a wide variety of local small business tenants and food and beverage operators, rather than introducing chain or formula retail." So far, that has meant chefs with Michelin pedigrees. When the Chef Pim news broke, Allen told SFist that "this restaurant and its chef are exactly what the Upper Fillmore project desired."
The project's biggest commitment to an existing tenant went to La Méditerranée at 2210 Fillmore. In December 2024, the project announced a lease extension through summer 2028. Owner Vanick Der Bedrossian said the agreement brought the restaurant back to Sunday service. The announcement said hours would grow "as evening foot traffic is rebuilt up and down Fillmore." This summer, The San Francisco Standard reported that the restaurant was in talks on a longer-term deal. The paper also reported that the project had kept its promise not to bring in chains.
The merchants on the street have welcomed the new purchase. "The space has been sitting empty, and it will be amazing to have it start to get worked on," Fillmore Merchants Association president Tim Omi told The San Francisco Standard. He added that "the general sentiment is that everyone's very happy about what's going on."
The Clay Is the Anchor the Block Is Waiting On
Most of the group's buildings sit on the 2200 block, and the Clay Theater at 2261 Fillmore is the piece the rest of the block is built around. The New Fillmore described the plan in December. The lobby becomes a café serving concessions, small plates, beer and wine, along with books and merchandise. A small balcony will add about a dozen seats. Page & Turnbull will supervise restoration of the marquee and neon blade sign. The theater's new director and chief creative officer is Ted Gerike. He founded the Los Angeles cinema-bookstore Now Instant and has led digital content for New York's Metrograph, the art-house model the Clay is following.
"They're supportive of the idea that the Clay Theater should be open to all on a daily basis."
That was Allen, speaking to The New Fillmore about neighbors' reaction during tours of the building. The plan cleared its first city review on April 1, when the Historic Preservation Commission endorsed it unanimously. In August, the paper reported that completion is expected sometime next year.
Next door, the former Alice + Olivia storefront is planned as an all-day restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. In December the group said it had a letter of intent with a restaurateur and expected to make an announcement in early 2026. We have not found a named operator in any reporting since. This is the space that would fill the neighborhood's daytime hours, and of all the projects it has said the least in public.
What Opened, and What Signed On, This Fall
While the marquee projects wait, smaller operators have been filling the gaps, mostly away from the 2200 block.
At 2208 Fillmore, Alohas opened in the space Rocksbox had left. Alohas is a Barcelona footwear brand that started online, and it carries ballet flats, loafers, boots and bags. It is the latest brand placed by Leap, a company that supplies the storefront, staff and operations so online labels can try physical retail. Rocksbox had opened its first store there in late 2024 and closed by August. So the space changed hands within a single season.
Several restaurants already on or near the street have expanded or reopened in new forms, as reported in The New Fillmore's October roundup.
- Palmer's now serves lunch Wednesday through Friday starting at noon, adding to its weekend brunch. Its kitchen stays open until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
- Athanor is Chef Mike Lanham's new restaurant at 2600 Sutter Street, in the space where he ran Anomaly. It serves a $175 prix-fixe menu.
- California Kahve is coming to the former She/Her space at 2108 Sutter. It will be the local coffee company's first neighborhood storefront, after its locations in Golden Gate Park and at Presidio Tunnel Tops. No opening date has been announced.
- Yuzu and Avocado Green, Kevin Chen's omakase counter and matcha bar near Fillmore and Sutter, opened quickly in September. Both have since closed temporarily while permitting issues are worked out.
Farther down the street, Super Duper Burgers replaced the Burger King at the corner of Post. Jevikal, a San Jose Korean food truck known for kimbap and Korean fried chicken, is preparing its first restaurant in the former Pride of the Mediterranean space at Fillmore and Sutter. One longtime retailer is gone. Jonathan Adler closed its home furnishings store at 2133 Fillmore.
Each of these came from a retail incubator, a chef already working in the neighborhood, or a small operator near Sutter and Post. The ones that have opened did so quickly, and in Chen's case faster than his permits. The curated restaurants on the project's blocks need kitchen buildouts and city sign-offs before they can serve anyone.
Up the Hill, a Project That Hit Its Date
Two blocks west of Fillmore, Alta Plaza delivered an upgrade on schedule. The resurfaced tennis courts were dedicated on Sunday, September 20, along with a plaque honoring Helen Wills Moody. The Olympic champion played at the park and posed there for newsreel cameras in 1929. San Franciscans for Sports and Recreation helped fund and oversee the work, and the Friends of Alta Plaza Park contributed as well.
Two practical changes came with the courts. Since September 23, the northernmost court can be booked through San Francisco Recreation and Parks; before that, every court was first come, first served. And the playground next to the courts closed on September 28 for new surfacing and play structures, with reopening expected in early January.
This month the park also served as a film set. The noir feature Fog City turned Steiner between Jackson and Clay into 1930s San Francisco, with vintage cars, period costumes and simulated rain, and shot mostly in the evenings.
What to Watch for Next
Based on what has been reported so far, here is roughly the order in which things should happen on the street:
- Monami at 2001 Fillmore has the closest stated target, fall 2026. It is the first of the curated restaurants likely to open, and the first real test of whether the project's choices draw people to the corner of Pine in the evening.
- Chef Pim's restaurant at 2222 depends on the outcome of its kitchen permits. SFist expects an update in the new year.
- The Clay and its all-day neighbor at 2259 are expected sometime in 2027, and the restaurant's operator has not yet been named.
- 2035–2047 Fillmore is the newest purchase and the furthest from opening. Watch for its operator announcement, which will show whether the group signs another chef with a big name.
Until then, the open doors on Upper Fillmore are Palmer's at night, Alohas, and La Méditerranée, which is open on Sundays again under its extended lease.
How a building looks while it waits shapes the block around it, whether that is a restored marquee or windows papered for two years. If you own a home near these blocks and want to understand how the Clay, Monami and the rest of the pipeline could change the way your property is presented and seen, Adelaida Mejia can walk the street with you and share her view. Book an appointment or request a home valuation to start the conversation.
