"When?"
That was the one question Commissioner Robert Vergara asked on April 1, after the Historic Preservation Commission had unanimously endorsed the plan to restore the Clay Theater. Project director Cody Allen said his team was "eager to get going," would apply for building permits soon, and hoped to finish "in early '27."
Six months later, Vergara's question covers most of the block. Upper Fillmore has a new Spanish shoe store, a new market on Buchanan, a Michelin-starred chef planning a restaurant in the old Starbucks, and a Korean barbecue project behind construction fencing at Pine Street. Fall 2026 shows a clear split. Shops that only need shelves and a new sign have reopened within weeks. Restaurants and the theater need roofs, kitchens, permits, and in one case landmark review. Most of those slower spaces belong to the same owner group.
Shelves Turn Over in Weeks
Rocksbox opened on Fillmore in late 2024 as a pop-up and later made the store permanent. By the New Fillmore's August 11 roundup, it had closed at 2208 Fillmore. By September 17, the Spanish footwear brand Alohas, founded by Alejandro Porras, had opened its first San Francisco store in that space. It sits next door to D&M Liquor. So one retailer replaced another in about a month of reporting.
Hello Mart moved just as fast. The New Fillmore listed it on September 8 as opening September 12 at 2135 Buchanan, with groceries, takeout bento boxes and a coffee bar on an otherwise residential block. By late September, The Infatuation had reviewed it as an operating market with ready-to-eat food.
Some spaces simply emptied. Jonathan Adler closed his longtime home furnishings store at 2133 Fillmore this summer, and the August report gave no date or reason. Still, the pattern holds: a space that needs no kitchen can change hands in a single season.
Kitchens Take Seasons
The corner of Fillmore and Pine shows the other speed. The ground floor at 2001 Fillmore was once Pacific Heights Bar & Grill, then Thai Stick, then Noosh. Investor Neil Mehta's group bought the building during its 2024 buying spree, and the ground floor has sat empty for years. The next tenant is Monami, a Korean barbecue restaurant from Junsoo and Hyunyoung Bae, the team behind SSAL. Junsoo Bae told the Chronicle he wants it to be "a Korean barbecue version of House of Prime Rib."
The buildout reaches well past the dining room. On April 24, the upstairs office tenants got letters saying they had to leave by the end of May so construction could start June 1. Those tenants included Laura Brown's Radiant Moon Medicine, the Robert Anthony Salon, and psychologist Ellen Klutznick. The letter from JJD Property Management said work would also cover the second floor and a full roof replacement. It said "major construction works are expected to continue through at least early November, and possibly into 2027." Monami's public target has been fall 2026 since early in the year. As of this writing, local coverage had not reported an opening date or a delay.
Three blocks north, 2222 Fillmore is earlier in the same process. Starbucks left in 2024 after more than 30 years on the street. Chef Pim Techamuanvivit, the chef behind Michelin-starred Kin Khao and Nari in the Kabuki Hotel, is planning a restaurant there. SFist reported the name "Khao Soi Ya" as a working title, with the menu likely built around khao soi and no opening timeframe. According to the New Fillmore, the team is still working through city permitting, which will decide what kitchen equipment can go in and therefore what the restaurant can serve.
Most of the Slow Spaces Have One Owner
Monami and the 2222 project share more than a long timeline. Both buildings belong to the Upper Fillmore Revitalization Project. Neil Mehta, the Greenoaks Capital founder who grew up in the neighborhood, backs the project, and Allen runs it. The SF Standard reports the group has spent tens of millions of dollars from a $100 million commitment on seven properties before its latest purchase, the Clay among them. Here is where the vacancies stand, using the most recent public reporting on each.
| Address | Most recent tenant | What's planned | Latest public timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 Fillmore | Noosh | Monami, Korean barbecue | Fall 2026 target; construction possibly into 2027 |
| 2222 Fillmore | Starbucks | Chef Pim restaurant, working title only | No timeframe; permits pending |
| 2235 Fillmore | Ten-Ichi | No tenant named | Still empty as of August |
| 2259 Fillmore | Alice + Olivia | All-day restaurant beside the Clay | No operator publicly named |
| 2261 Fillmore | Clay Theater | Restored single-screen cinema | Early 2027 estimate |
| 2035–2047 Fillmore | Aquatalia, A-Pizza, Mio | Four storefronts combined into one restaurant | No operator or date |
All six of these spaces are waiting on food service or a theater, and both need far more work than a boutique does. One of the most recent tenant changes went in the opposite direction. La Méditerranée, which seemed at risk when the group bought its building, extended its lease to 2028. Tim Omi, president of the Fillmore Merchants Association, says the restaurant is in talks on a longer deal. Omi also says the project has kept its promise not to bring in chain stores.
The Newest Purchase Has to Clear Landmark Review
The group's August purchase adds one more step. A group tied to Mehta and Allen bought 2035–2047 Fillmore for about $8.6 million. The building held Aquatalia, A-Pizza and Mio, and it started emptying out in 2022. "The space has been sitting empty, and it will be amazing to have it start to get worked on," Omi told the Standard. The plan is to combine all four vacant storefronts into a single restaurant.
That building was already under city review before the sale. The Board of Supervisors started the landmark designation process on March 24, 2026. In June it gave the Historic Preservation Commission until October 6, 2026 to respond. For the commission's August 5 hearing, staff recommended designation as an individual landmark. The city packet describes a 1926 Mediterranean Revival commercial building, still intact, with leaded-glass transoms and Corinthian columns. The draft Board ordinance in that packet records that the commission recommended designation on August 5, with the resolution number still left blank. The Standard has noted that landmark status could make changes to the building difficult. For a project that plans to merge four storefronts into one dining room, that review comes before any construction schedule.
The Clay Will Be Last
The Clay shows how far restoration on this street can stretch. It was built in 1913 as a nickelodeon and designated City Landmark No. 302 in 2022. The plan keeps its marquee, interior moldings and other character-defining features. Restrooms move upstairs to make room for an all-day cafe and a small cinema bookstore in the lobby, and Page & Turnbull's preservation architects are overseeing the work. Seating drops from 260 to about 185, plus a new balcony with roughly a dozen more seats. Allen says the theater will run seven days a week with more than 500 screenings a year. Ted Gerike is set to run it, with first-run and repertory films on both 35mm and 4K.
The seats were removed in early 2020. The early-2027 date is Allen's estimate from April, and no reporting since then has said whether permits were issued or construction has started. The corner restaurant next door is tied to the theater's reopening. In December, the group said it had a letter of intent with a restaurateur for "an elevated all-day dining concept." It expected a lease by year's end and an announcement in early 2026. Reporting since then has not named the operator.
What October Looks Like While the Fences Stay Up
In the meantime, the businesses that are open run the fall calendar. At 3290 Sacramento, the Vogue is showing The Mad Magician in 3-D on October 6 at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. October has more:
- October 7 to 15: Verity screenings at the Vogue on scattered dates through mid-month.
- October 12, 7 p.m.: National Theatre Live's The Misanthrope.
- October 20, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.: The Nightmare Before Christmas in Dolby 3-D.
Browser Books at 2195 Fillmore is going through a smaller change. Manager Hana Metzger is starting a librarian job in North Beach but will keep working at the shop one or two days a week. As of September 23, Green Apple Books was still working out who the next manager should be.
The next real date to watch is the Monami opening at Fillmore and Pine. The construction letter's "early November" is the earliest the corner could be finished.
If you own a home within a few blocks of the Clay and want to know how these openings could affect when to list or how to present your home, Suzy Reily follows these timelines block by block and will give you a candid read. Let's Connect.
