New Restaurants on Upper Fillmore Street: Fall 2026 Guide

Since August, the group behind the Upper Fillmore Revitalization Project bought another building, saw a second Michelin-starred chef announce plans for one of its storefronts, and kept working on the Clay Theater. None of those projects has a firm opening date. The new places on and around Fillmore that you can visit this October came from other sources: a chef who returned to his own address on Sutter, a tavern that keeps adding hours, a storefront that rotates in online brands, and Alta Plaza Park, which finished its tennis courts before any of the restaurants were ready.

This fall's changes on Fillmore come from smaller operators who already had a space or could move into one quickly.

Where the Headline Projects Stand in October

The Standard reports that investor Neil Mehta's group has spent tens of millions of dollars from a $100 million fund on Fillmore properties. Most of those buildings are on the 2200 block, according to SFist. Here is the latest public word on each project as of mid-October 2026:

The Clay timeline has moved a little at a time. When the Historic Preservation Commission endorsed the restoration plan in April, project executive director Cody Allen told The New Fillmore the team hoped to finish "in early '27." The plan keeps the single screen and adds an all-day lobby cafe and a small cinema bookstore. Monami was first announced for fall 2026, according to SFist. No opening has been announced as of this writing. For Pim Techamuanvivit's restaurant in the former Starbucks space, SFist reported that the name and menu depend on what the kitchen build-out allows, and it expected an update sometime in the new year.

On the merchant side, the response has been more patient than it was in 2024. Tim Omi, president of the Fillmore Merchants Association, told The Standard that La Méditerranée has extended its lease to 2028 and that the project has kept its commitment not to bring in chain stores.

"They're showing up and doing what they said they were going to do," Omi said. "The proof is in the pudding."

The new restaurants open this month are a few blocks south of the 2200 block.

The Chef Who Came Back to His Own Address

Chef Mike Lanham closed Anomaly earlier this year and has returned to the same space at 2600 Sutter Street with a new restaurant called Athanor. The New Fillmore reports the name refers to a furnace alchemists used, and Lanham describes the cooking as taking exceptional ingredients to their fullest potential through "technique and transformation." The prix-fixe menu is $175.

Athanor is the most ambitious opening near Pacific Heights this fall. It did not need a building purchase or a landmark review, because the chef already had the kitchen. That is why it is open in October while the 2200 block projects are still in permitting and construction.

A Tavern That Keeps Adding Hours

Palmer's Tavern followed a similar path. Owner Sam Fechheimer bought it from Albert Rainier during the pandemic, then repaired and reopened it as an old-school, meat-forward restaurant and bar with classic cocktails, The Standard reported last October. Soft openings began in early October 2025. The New Fillmore has described Palmer's as outside the Mehta project.

A year in, it is still expanding its schedule. Lunch now runs Wednesday through Friday starting at noon, alongside Saturday and Sunday brunch, and the kitchen stays open until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. In a fall when the 2200 block's restaurants are still in construction or permitting, a weeknight kitchen open until 11 is one of the more useful changes on the street.

A Storefront Built for Testing

The quickest turnover on Fillmore happens at 2208. Rocksbox opened its first brick-and-mortar jewelry shop there in late 2024, first as a pop-up and then as a permanent store, and had closed it by August. By early October the same address had become Alohas, a Barcelona fashion brand that began online and opened its first stores only in 2024. It was brought to Fillmore by Leap, which supplies the storefront, staff and retail operations for online brands trying physical retail. Alohas sells ballet flats, loafers, sneakers, boots, heels and bags, so it carries more than the name's sandals suggest.

Leap's model lets a storefront change hands within a single season. Not every vacancy moves that fast. Jonathan Adler had closed its longtime home furnishings store at 2133 Fillmore by August, and no replacement has been reported.

Two Sutter Street updates round out the list:

• California Kahve is coming to the former She/Her space at 2108 Sutter, across from Sweet Maple and just west of Sweet Lime. The coffee company already runs locations in Golden Gate Park and at Presidio Tunnel Tops, and this will be its first neighborhood storefront. No opening date yet.
• Yuzu and Avocado Green, restaurateur Kevin Chen's speakeasy omakase and his coffee-and-matcha bar at Fillmore and Sutter, are temporarily closed while permitting issues are resolved.

For Halloween, the existing shops have it covered. The New Fillmore points to Mudpie for small children's costumes, Just For Fun for costumes and seasonal toys, Goodwill for new and used adult costumes, and George for dog costumes.

Down the Hill, Openings Without a Waiting Period

Below Sutter, empty spaces have been filling in quickly. Super Duper Burgers has opened at Fillmore and Post in the former Burger King space. Tacos El Patrón is open at 1325 Fillmore, and The Infatuation's October 6 openings guide notes its birria served 15 ways. Owner Alberto Pineda told The New Fillmore this third location, after Pleasant Hill and the Mission, would be his biggest yet at about 50 seats. Jevikal, a San Jose Korean food truck known for kimbap and Korean fried chicken, is preparing its first permanent restaurant in the former Pride of the Mediterranean space at Fillmore and Sutter. No date has been set.

On Halloween night, Livable City lists a free Fillmore After Dark Kids Scream Zone and Night Market, Saturday, Oct. 31, from 4 to 9 p.m., around Fillmore and O'Farrell and the adjacent Safeway plaza. A second night market is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 11, also from 4 to 9 p.m.

Alta Plaza's Courts Reopened First

Alta Plaza Park finished its tennis court work while the restaurants were still in progress. The courts have been resurfaced, and on Sept. 20 the Friends of Alta Plaza dedicated them with a plaque honoring Helen Wills Moody, the Olympic champion who once played there. San Franciscans for Sports and Recreation helped fund the work and oversaw it, and the Friends group contributed to the resurfacing and is still accepting donations.

What's open, closed and scheduled at the park this fall:

• Tennis: All courts have traditionally been first come, first served. Since Sept. 23, the northernmost court can be booked through SF Rec and Park's court reservation page.
• Playground: Closed since Sept. 28 for new surfacing and several new play structures, with reopening expected in early January.
• Volunteer morning: The Pacific Heights Residents Association lists an Alta Plaza Clean and Green session for Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to noon, rain or shine, with tools and gloves provided.

For part of last week, the park also stood in for the 1930s. The feature film Fog City, a noir drama set during construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, filmed on Steiner Street between Jackson and Clay with vintage cars, period costumes and simulated rain, mostly in the evenings. The New Fillmore reported that the production also used the former Fireman's Fund-UCSF campus at 3333 California Street.

The Clay Theater's reopening is still expected next year, and the playground's early January date is the next firm one on the neighborhood calendar.

If you own a home near Fillmore and are wondering how to present a corridor in transition, with some places open now and the Clay and Monami still ahead, Gail and Brad can show you how we would describe your block to buyers. Request a complimentary home valuation, and we'll include what's open and what's coming near your address.