Downtown San Francisco’s shuttered Mikkeller gastropub will become a new beer hall this fall, according to the new venture’s owners, Jennifer and Drew Hall.
The Halls already own The Beer Hall on 1 Polk St., just a stone’s throw away from the Mikkeller’s former 34 Mason St. location on the edge of the Tenderloin. The bar will be The Beer Hall’s second location when it opens this fall, the Halls announced in an Instagram post.
“The news will tell you businesses are leaving SF, but we are doubling down,” the post read. “We are committed to keeping the SF restaurant and bar scene alive & thriving.”
Drew Hall said he hopes the new location will open in October, but there is no firm date yet.
Hall said the new beer hall will keep the bar layout of the former Mikkeller bar and the tap system, but the new spot will have a full-service restaurant, unlike the current spot, which offers smaller bites. The menu will feature a burger, fish and chips, and hearty salads.
“Just anything that goes well with a pint of beer,” Hall said. “Fried good stuff.”
The Beer Hall’s current location offers more than 20 craft beers, cider, wine and more than 200 bottled beer varieties, along with appetizers, according to its website.
Co-owner Jennifer Hall said the new location will offer a few kinds of Mikkeller beer, along with low-alcohol cocktails and non-alcoholic beers, but couldn't be specific as they are still planning it out and would change their selection often. Their new planned location has double the number of taps as their Polk Street spot, Hall said.
"We would be constantly rotating," Hall said.
Hall said they decided to open the new location because of the impacts of the pandemic, saying that foot traffic hasn’t recovered near the current beer hall in Mid-Market like it has in Union Square, close to where the new beer hall will be.
“There’s just a lot more going on,” Hall said. “Union Square still has tourists, hotels, theaters.”
The location, when it opens, will have a bar and tables on the bottom and top floors, and beer, cider and wine will be on tap with a selection similar to the current location, along with an assortment of beer bottles, Hall said.
Like at The Beer Hall's current location, take-out food and drink will be an option for those on-the-go.
The new space will be a lot bigger, and Hall said he envisions offering seasonal beer selections and more brewery events including Oktoberfest, as well as hosting large parties for conferences like Dreamforce.
Hall also plans to install 10 TVs to bring a “sports bar vibe” to the space.
In their Instagram post, the owners tied the announcement to The Beer Hall’s 10-year anniversary. For Drew Hall, the last decade has gone by quickly.
“It’s shocking. When you look back, it’s like, ‘Wow, how has it been so long?’” Hall said.