231 Franklin at the corner of Hayes (www.SocketSite.com)
As the scaffolding is stripped from the mixed-use development at the corner of Franklin and Hayes (231 Franklin), a plugged-in reader delivers the scoop on what’s heading into that corner retail space: “The Grove” (currently of Chestnut and Fillmore fame).
231 Franklin Starts To Strip Its Scaffolding [SocketSite]

22 thoughts on “The Grove Heading To Hayes Valley”
  1. Next up… Polk/Green, Cole Valley, Noe Valley, everywhere there’s a Boulange? (not meant as criticism, necessarily. I like both places).
    The Grove on Chestnut had been around forever before they started expanding. Is it under new ownership?

  2. Is this in Daly’s district, I was thinking it might be because about 2 months ago I had to walk across the street since I saw a (sorry I assume homeless) guy moving is bowels in the temporary pedestrian walkway. Hoping this guy doesn’t make it a normal pit stop…sorry couldn’t resist.

  3. The food at The Grove has actually improved. I stopped going there years ago, only to finally wander back in a few weeks ago. I was surprised that the chicken pot pie didn’t taste like cardboard and sawdust and that my latte didn’t taste like dirt.

  4. If the new Grove tries to put in the same folksy, old-West-y decor, can we fight it as “blight”?
    That faux miner/cowboy/lumberjack theme always makes me feel like I’m sitting down to brunch with the Donner Party.

  5. They might as well rename Hayes Valley “Cow Hollow South”. I know we’re supposed to look at this as “progress” but I still think the charm of Hayes Valley lies in its older establishments, from Absinthe to Marlena’s, Flippers to Nabila’s Market and Moishe’s Pippic. And let’s be honest, how many cafes does a 3-block stretch of retail actually need? I can count 9 places off the top of my head where you can get a latte in the general 3 block Hayes Street vicinity from Franklin to Laguna.

  6. I was surprised that the chicken pot pie didn’t taste like cardboard and sawdust and that my latte didn’t taste like dirt
    Exactly.
    So you’re telling me to stop saying, when asked, “How’s the food at the Grove?”
    “The food there is at a pretty good location” ?
    (That goes for Boogaloo’s on 22nd and Valencia too. I don’t get it. Not in this town.)

  7. Hmmm. Perhaps another place for me to get my lunch salad. Would have been more convenient if they moved into the now defunct Kebob/Essencia/Breezy’s corner at Hayes & Gough.
    Perahps it will also shorten the damn line at BlueBottle.

  8. Anonn- spot on, the food at boogaloos is so frickin’ NASTY! Yet dumb-ass hipsters religiously que up like zombies on the weekend. Same thing with St. Francis fountain on 24th st/York- Loads of hipsters, bad food. (If you want a decent ‘real diner experience’ try the red cafe on mission st/25). God, what’s wrong with these people?

  9. Huh. We’ve gotten burgers from St. Francis twice and they were OK. Not great or anything. Boogaloos, on the other hand, is nauseating. The coffee even tastes like they put pepper in it.

  10. red cafe has great egg/brunch food,so-so burgers. mission kitchen (mish/23-24) has so-so egg/brunch thingies, but quite good,juicy burgers.
    have you tried any other diner places in the area? (there’s that really funky, old-ass jim’s diner ~ mission/19th? it looks a bit scary though, IMO.)
    and what about al’s place on upper mission/29 st? went there years ago and did not like the burger, but the decore is really interesting. have u been?

  11. In defense of Boogaloos, at least they’re cheap and fast. And you gotta respect a place that has “Temple O’ Spuds” on the menu. I wonder if the boys from Akron stopped by for a meal last weekend as they stopped in SF on their tour.

  12. 45yo,
    I like Al’s for breakfast and Jim’s too, over Red Cafe and Mission kitchen. Haven’t had a burger in any of them.

  13. I’ve been to all those places, yeah. Red’s many times but not recently. Jim’s, Al’s, even that hole in the wall “Breakfast All Day” joint on the east side of Mission just south of 22nd. Al’s is a funny place for sure. They might just forget about you in there and you’ll wind up having an hour-plus two eggs over easy.

  14. milkshake- ru talking about devo? where did they play? devo is awesome!
    sparky- i’ll give al’s a shout out for breakfast…i kinda miss all that funkyness anyways.
    anonn- damn, you don’t hold back…so which are your fave’s?
    IMO, non of these places are really great food-wise. it’s just that they have so much damn character that the experience of eating there (usually) balances out the average food. for consistently great, reasonable priced breakie, i like slow club and chloe’s in noe (about the only restaurant in noe that i care for.) ’tis my 2 cents…

  15. Huh. Well, to be honest with you the older I get/ the earlier I get up/ the lesser a part brunch plays in my life. There was also an awesome one on Excelsior called Angela’s. Angela was actually the owner’s daughter. She used to have her toys all over the floor. The whole place was blue too. Booths, walls, counters, everything. Steak, eggs and a milkshake for like 7 bucks. Truth be told I probably used to like to like Hungry Joe’s in Noe the best out of that ilk. Now that place is Toast, and it’s making money hand over fist with two locations.

  16. Hungry Joe’s actually was pretty good. The Toasts are just awful. I’ll never understand why young white people love standing around in line for mediocre food. It just boggles the mind.
    I still go to Chloe’s, but good brunch places are a dying breed. The late 90s are a long time gone aren’t they! lol..

  17. Yup, Devo. Or perhaps I should say Oh no ! Its Devo !” They played the Regency Ballroom : a place I didn’t even know existed. Friday they played the “Q: Are We Not Men ?” album in its entirety.
    I went Saturday night when they played “Freedom of Choice” in its entirety. A great show, but too short since they simply acted like a live CD player covering a single disk. The show had a bizarre ending when Boojie Boy grabbed handfuls of little super balls out of his jock strap and ricocheted them off of the stage and into the audience. I’ve got one in my pocket right now. A low budget effect, but big points in the weird factor.

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