These Five San Francisco Restaurants Just Became Legacy Businesses

R&G Lounge, one of the city’s finest destinations for Dungness crab, was added to San Francisco’s Legacy Business Registry.

A dozen long-stranding San Francisco businesses have been recognized for their contributions to the city’s diverse tapestry. In a press release on Tuesday, March 26, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development announced the addition of 12 new businesses to San Francisco’s Legacy Business Registry since the beginning of 2024. The roster includes five restaurants: Chinatown’s R&G Lounge, known for its salt and pepper crab; On The Bridge restaurant in Japantown; North Beach focaccia-specialist Liguria Bakery; Greens Restaurant, the legendary vegetarian restaurant located at Fort Mason; and Ristorante Ideale, the Italian restaurant praised in 2015 by then-Chronicle food critic Michael Bauer for being “a blast from the past.”

The last also earns the distinction of being the 400th business to be added to the registry. Once designated as Legacy Businesses — which requires a business has been in operation for at least 30 years and “contribute to the neighborhood’s history and/or the identity of a particular neighborhood or community” — owners gain access to support such as rent stabilization grants for both businesses and landlords who sign long-term leases.

Michelin-listed noodles head to Sacramento

Per the Bee, a Michelin Guide-recognized ramen shop will open a new location outside Sacramento. Kajiken, which opened in San Mateo and was added to the California Michelin Guide in 2023, will open its newest location at the Ridge plaza in Elk Grove, at 7470 Elk Grove Boulevard, Suite 120. The business specializes in abura soba, sometimes referred to as soup-less or dry ramen.

Wine collectors fight to get bottles back

It’s been about a year since San Francisco tech company Underground Cellar shuttered abruptly leaving users confused about how and where they could retrieve bottles the company had allegedly been storing for them. Now, the North Bay Business Journal reports a group of former customers has been in a legal battle to get back their wine. The final phase of the process is happening now, which means nearly 90,000 remaining bottles of wine can be purchased online.

Downtown Los Gatos restaurant closes

The Mercury News reports that Sidecar Modern Tavern, which opened in downtown Los Gatos in 2019, has closed. “We were in business five years, and the scars of COVID remained,” co-owner Adam Chick told the paper. “We hoped our debt would be forgiven by the landlord.” The restaurant’s last day in business was Sunday, March 17.