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San Francisco French bistro says adieu to storefront it called home for decades

Clips of old newspaper articles about Curbside Cafe in San Francisco, along with a closure sign, line the windows of the now-closed French restaurant in Pacific Heights. | Courtesy Sebastian Luke

It’s adieu for the Curbside Cafe. The beloved French-style restaurant off Fillmore Street in Pacific Heights announced on Saturday that it had shut its doors for good.  

“Curbside Cafe has closed permanently and we look forward to enjoying much-needed time with friends and family,” a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page reads. “We’re grateful to all of you who have helped to make the restaurant a neighborhood gem, because what would it have been without all of us together? Thank you, merci!”

Screenshot of Curbside Cafe announcing its closure via Facebook | Courtesy Curbside Cafe's Facebook account/The Standard Staff

The restaurant also wrote in the post that its lease had ended and that “we are personally not able to renew it.” 

Since at least 1906, a restaurant has occupied 2417 California St.—the now-former address of Curbside Cafe—according to an article on SFist, which also named Curbside one of its “10 Best Unsung Bistros In San Francisco” in 2017.    

A regular diner stops in front of the now-closed Curbside Cafe on Sunday, July 2, 2023. | Courtesy Sebastian Luke

Curbside Cafe founder Antoine Alliaume sold the restaurant to former Curbside waiter and Lyon native Olivier Perrier and his wife, Gwyneth, in 2010. The couple, coincidentally enough, met at the cafe. Since then, the cafe has become known for its laidback romantic dinner vibes and brunch menu. 

“With a location just off Fillmore, it’s a reminder of what the area was like before it was overrun with high-end chain stores—it’s cosy, intimate, and a little idiosyncratic,” wrote SFist at the time.   

Locals were saddened by the news of the closure shared on Facebook.

“Curbside will always be in our hearts,” one commenter wrote on the Facebook post announcing the restaurant’s closure. “You all were a bright place and refuge during a hard time. We loved the food and the divinely professional service. Thank you and blessings to all.” 

Olivier Perrier could not be immediately reached for comment on Curbside Cafe’s closure.