Most Recently: Shanghai Restaurant
Previously: Gingerfruit; Mecca
2029 Market Street
San Francisco, California
Status: Vacant
History
Summary
| Name | Dates of Operation |
| Gingerfruit | 2011 |
| Mecca | 1996 – 2009 |
Details
Mecca, which opened in 1996, was a large, upscale restaurant with a 130-seat dining room but also had a sizable bar that was a destination and party spot in its own right. They described themselves as the “birthplace of San Francisco’s cocktail culture.”
A kitchen fire in June of 2007 forced the restaurant/bar to close for expensive repairs and remodeling. They reopened in late October that same year.
LGBT-related events included Betty Sullivan’s Ladies Night on Thursdays, which lasted six years, and towards the end, a Saturday night gay men’s party called Swank, periodical dinner shows by drag legend Donna Sachet, Sunday brunch drag shows by Mercedez Munro, and a variety of one-off fundraisers and special events like gay men’s singles mixers.
But Mecca’s business never fully recovered from being closed for five months in 2007, and the global financial meltdown in late 2008 was the final nail when suddenly-cash conscious patrons chose cheaper options. They closed in January of 2009.
The spot briefly reopened in early 2011 as Pudong, a fine dining Chinese restaurant owned by octogenarian Hong Kong restaurateur Francis Tsai that failed after three months. Tsai then reopened it in July of 2011 as Gingerfruit, an Asian-fusion tapas restaurant. They brought back Betty Sullivan’s Thursday Ladies Night events and sought to have drag shows as well. (Because of this, Gingerfruit is the only other incarnation that we’re considering to include a gay bar.)
But Gingerfruit struggled to find a crowd, and by September it had a new general manager, a new chef, and a new menu that now focused on more traditional salads and entrees. It wasn’t enough: Gingerfruit abruptly closed in October.
In August of 2012, Tsai reopened it as Shanghai with more authentic Chinese cuisine. But attendance was low and it closed five months later in January of 2013. The space has been vacant ever since.
Sources
Bajko, Matthew S., “New year brings Castro bar changes,” Bay Area Reporter, January 8, 2009.
Casell, Heather, “Breaking news: Mecca shuts its doors,” Bay Area Reporter, January 29, 2009.
Flournoy, Roy, “Business Briefs: Castro businesses put on their holiday finery,” Bay Area Reporter, November 10, 2011.
Flournoy, Roy, “Business Briefs: Changes for Castro’s cuisine scene,” Bay Area Reporter, August 16, 2012.
Flournoy, Roy, “Castro Food trucks serve up controversy,” Bay Area Reporter, September 8, 2011.
Flournoy, Roy, “Gingerfruit jungle,” Bay Area Reporter, July 14, 2011.
Flournoy, Roy, “Parklet controversy comes amidst spate of Castro closures,” Bay Area Reporter, April 14, 2011.
Laird, Cynthia, “News in brief: Mecca reopens Saturday,” Bay Area Reporter, October 25, 2007.
Lorenzi, Sophia, “The Early Word on Shanghai Restaurant,” San Francisco Eater, October 18, 2012.
Provenzano, Jim, “Prop Ed,” Bay Area Reporter, November 13, 2008.
“Shanghai Suddenly Shutters on Market Street,” San Francisco Eater, January 22, 2013.
Location
2029 Market Street, San Francisco
