InsideScoopSF broke the news today that popular restaurant Namu (439 Balboa) will be closing for good on December 24th.
Namu is owned by the three Lee brothers, who will be opening up a new spot, Namu Gaji, at 499 Dolores at 18th Street:
It’s no secret that the Lee Brothers have been ramping up their new Mission restaurant, Namu Gaji, for much of 2011. They’re still eying an early 2012 debut for their izakaya-esque restaurant. More new details on Namu Gaji will be shared in tomorrow’s column, including the reservation-only chef’s counter.
Their current location on Balboa near 4th Avenue is popular and often crowded. So why close? Dennis Lee says it has to do with failed lease negotiations.
“Given that we’re investing so much in the new restaurant and we’re really excited about that, and that we couldn’t come close to an agreement with the Balboa landlord, we decided to close,” Lee says.
Namu has been open for 5 years, so it’s a shame to see them close their doors here in the neighborhood. Will you miss it? Leave a comment to let us know.
Sarah B.
Soap Box next door to Namu is leaving December 5, going to Geary & Palm.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was the best restaurant near my house. Now I’ll have to walk over to Inner Sunset for good food. Hmph. Bad Namu.
Makes ya wonder what owner of the building is hoping for by not negotiating current lease rates in a down economy.
I am very sad. The food was delicious. That was one of the gems of Balboa St.
Between Sushi Bistro and Javaholics will be three blighted storefronts. I guess Namu is worthy of being hipsterized at its new diggs. What can be more raz than 18th&Dolores? Certainly can’t do that in the Avenues.
On a positive note, maybe we’ll get a decent taqueria in the vacant space… doubtful, but hope springs eternal!
Will definitely miss them! A lovely space for a great bite to eat. I wish them well in La Mission!
love the way you think nancydrew99. they relocated to a magical block. they should do well. geez, it is so sad how oppressive it seems to be to want to open a business in the richmond. the area they are moving to has been a hot spot for violence, yet it is more exciting and positive feeling, ya know what i mean?
I was rather hoping that with Namu and Sushi Bistro on that end of Balboa that maybe a good bar would also move in. I’d like to be able to entice my friends to actually leave the Mission/Marina/Hayes Valley area and come share an after-work pint or something. I’d love a small gastro pub, but I’d settle for a BurgerMeister or a small taco shop. ANYthing… there go my dreams of Inner Richmond/Balboa gentrification. 😉
Nancy, at least there is The Richmond a few blocks west on Balboa. Not a gastro pub, but tasty.
Another greedy landlord! OK, let’s see how long that space stays vacant. I would LOVE to see code brought forward that forces landlords to rent vacant space within a year, or be forced to pay the city the equivalent rent every month, until the place is rented. Bottom line: the majority commercial landlords around here are, in my opinion, parasites. They really don’t care about neighborhoods.
Just look at the Alexandria Theatre building and the old Walgreens location. They are disgraceful, unsightly, and embarrassing. Why aren’t the landlords required to keep those spaces up?
I hope Supervisor Mar is looking at this, and introduces legislation to get commercial landlords to clean up their act!
I am personally going to start advocating for the above at City Hall, next week, and I plan to stay engaged until I see some action taken. Enough, is enough.
Phil, I doubt that it’s possible. If it’s my property, it’s up to me to decide what I want to do with it. And there is always an easy way around it: “vacant? what do you mean vacant? I have a photo studio behind these boarded up windows”
But if this penalty somehow works, that would increase the long-term cost of doing business for the commercial landlords. That means that over a long term we’ll see conversion of some of the commercial real estate to residential.
This is not necessarily a bad thing; I’m starting to think that we may have excess commercial real estate in the Richmond.