Sam Fechheimer, the owner of soon-to-reopen Palmer’s Tavern (opens in new tab) in Pacific Heights, believes San Francisco’s dining rooms have become bland and devoid of personality.
“These new restaurants — it feels like you’re eating in an airport somewhere,” he says. An old-school kind of restaurateur despite being only 42, Fechheimer prefers heavy-hitting institutions like Original Joe’s Westlake, Izzy’s Steaks & Chops, and Finnegans Wake to fussy, star-chasing kitchens. “Everybody’s always like, ‘Oh, have you been to Saison?’ I’d rather do Sotto Mare.”
Fechheimer wants to bring that timeless vibe — mahogany, tufted banquettes, brass foot rails — to Palmer’s when it opens next week. It’s been more than two years since the neighborhood staple closed for repairs that sounded comparatively minor (opens in new tab) at the time but ultimately involved ripping up several layers of flooring after an upstairs pipe burst. Having bought the place from the original owner, Albert Rainier, during the pandemic, Fechheimer wasn’t about to compromise on his vision by installing plastic laminate floors. “I was like, ‘We need real wood,’” he says. “It’s a lot of maintenance, but the patina absorbs the sound.”
Overall, the work was heavy on repair and light on redecoration, making the grand reopening a turn-back-the-clock situation. That includes the return of longtime staffers, like bartender — now bar manager — Doug Bryson, who spent the last couple of years at nearby wine bar Scopo Divino.
When it opened in 2013, Palmer’s was a restaurant with a bar that stocked more than 100 spirits. Over time, it evolved to become something closer to a bar serving the uppermost echelon of pub fare, including steak au poivre, pork shank, and fish and chips. Although incoming chef Matt Woods — also recently of Scopo Divino — is a Louisiana native, Fechheimer stresses that Palmer’s 2.0 won’t be a New Orleans-style restaurant. It will be similar to what it was, so the hefty appetizer section catering to the happy-hour crowd is back. “We want people to stick around for dinner,” he says. “And we have a beautiful parklet with outdoor speakers on a nice sunny corner. Perfect for a booze-filled brunch.”
He’d love for Palmer’s to be a destination for late-night dining — and, in spite of its reputation as an early-to-bed town, there are stirrings that San Francisco might be warming to the idea of dinner at 10 p.m. Fechheimer is noodling on a late-night menu, noting that icons like Sparky’s and Lucky Penny have long since disappeared. “So where do you go when the bars close? Mel’s [Diner] is still around, but I don’t think Orphan Andy’s (opens in new tab) is 24 hours anymore.” (It’s true: The Castro diner closes at 9:45 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday.)
In terms of drinks, the bar menu will resurrect house favorites such as the Sayulita (a margarita with green Chartreuse), alongside barrel-aged Negronis and espresso martinis on tap. Palmer’s is essentially cherry-picking its greatest hits, Fechheimer says. “We’re not pandering to the non-alcoholic crowd. We have plenty of options for them, but we have plenty of booze here. It’s a temple to booze.”
His hedonistic defiance extends even to his refusal to offer a smashburger. Thick, juicy burgers may have fallen out of favor elsewhere, but not at Palmer’s: “We’re doing an 8-ounce patty,” Fechheimer says. “Hockey puck or nothing!”