Historic John's Grill

The John’s Grill Family is excited to announce our re-open! We will be accepting reservations starting March 3rd. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

HAPPY NEW YEAR from the John’s Grill family to yours! May 2021 bring you all an abundance of love and good food. We can’t wait to see you all again. Stay safe!

"There's no easy way to look at this or put it, you know," John Konstin Jr. said. "But we did it once, and it looks like here we go again. We just have to keep staying optimistic and positive, and keep looking at things in an extremely entrepreneurial mindset where, once we do close, we've got to start planning on how we're going to reopen and how that's going to look. It's tiring, the whole start and stop, but if the world, or California, just wore a mask or took this more s...eriously, then we would not have to deal with this anymore but unfortunately that's not the case." It seems like a matter of when, not if, the new shelter-in-place order will be enacted in the Bay Area, and the next steps for restaurants and bars have become a personal one, balancing on each individual business' precarious position. Konstin, for his part, is working to ensure that John's Grill survives. "The fact that we're, eight months later, doing it all over again is frustrating," Konstin said. "And it has nothing to do with politicians, it has nothing to do with their plans or what they're enacting. It has to do with us as people, as a community, that we need to all take this seriously. And that it is a serious threat to our economy, to our health, to our everything. It's been crazy, but in terms of [us], John's Grill has been through two pandemics in one lifetime. We've been around since 1908. And so we've made it through the Spanish flu, and we have plans to persevere and pivot, and make it through COVID-19." - Dianne de Guzman https://www.sfgate.com//San-Francisco-restaurants-bars-sta

This afternoon John Konstin of John’s Grill restaurant partnered with philanthropist Farah Makras and clothing designer Sonya Molodetskaya to present the first runway show in San Francisco since March.

BREAKING SAN FRANCISCO ELECTION NEWS FROM WILLIE BROWN'S SUNDAY CHRONICLE COLUMN: "No free lunch: The traditional election day lunch at John’s Grill is off because of the pandemic. So, no free lunch for the people who typically fill Ellis Street for it. That makes owner John Konstin, who foots the bill, the one sure winner in this election."

Two of the things that make San Francisco special historic restaurants and world-class performing arts joined Sunday to offer a hint of normalcy in the coronavirus pandemic. John’s Grill set up tables on the sidewalk and raised a stage in the middle of Ellis Street for the Smuin Ballet company to perform three shows that sold out almost immediately. Smuin Ballet's artistic director Celia Fushille asked John’s Grill owner John Konstin about combining on outdoor performance.... A board member at Smuin, Konstin went right to work to get the street closed and secure permits. His son, John Konstin Jr., said it took dozens of people to pull off the quick turnaround at the restaurant decimated during the pandemic. Shuttered for five months, the landmark established in 1908 has reduced staff from about 60 to about 20. We’ve been adapting since 1908, so 2020 isn’t going to stop us from bringing some happiness into people’s lives and a little bit of normalcy into the world, Konstin Jr. said. Look around. People are wearing masks, but you can tell they’re smiling. I know my father is smiling from under his mask, and I know my grandfather is smiling from up above. This means the world to all of us. See more

It’s no mystery why John’s Grill has remained a family business since 1908 (originally Gerard’s), but there’s a mystery within the legacy of this family-owned restaurant. A family that works together through the thick of things is sure to thrive in successeven if it’s in the tenuous business of owning a restaurant. Just ask third-generation co-owner John Konstin, Jr., who spent his youth in the family business before honing his hospitality chops at the Culinary Institute of ...Continue reading

Thanksgiving is more than the festivities, it gives us time to ponder upon what lessons we learnt and how we can spread happiness around, to look back at all the great memories and good people who came into our lives. We appreciate you so much. Happy Thanksgiving Day to you and your loved ones. #thanksgiving #happythanksgivng #appreciation #johnsgrillsf

Rain or shine, we’ve got you covered! #wearherproof #heater #outdoordining #sf #sanfrancisco #fightcovid19 #supportlocalbusiness @eater_sf @ggrasf @sfgate

John’s Grill, a celebrated seafood and steak restaurant in downtown San Francisco, previously survived the 1918 flu epidemic, owner John Konstin Jr. noted as he prepared an outdoor space with heat lamps, roof and plexiglass. He said he feels for fellow owners but plans to persevere. We’ve been through two pandemics in one lifetime of a restaurant. We plan to push through this one," he said.... https://www.thetelegraph.com//Experts-owners-question-Cali

Things got difficult at John’s Grill after the San Francisco institution closed for five months while it figured out a reopening plan. John Konstin Jr., co-owner of John’s Grill, shares that it was the first time in the restaurant's 112-year-old history that a single event forced the business into a prolonged closure. The closure meant that many staff members at John’s Grill would part ways or need to be let go, which was one of the toughest things Konstin's had to do in his ...professional career, he said. One of the hardest things for me [was seeing] my extended family at John's Grill suffering through those five months, Konstin said and after a brief pause added, Sorry, it gets me a little choked up. I'm not going to lie. It's been tough. John’s Grill did eventually reopen once it could set up its own parklet for outdoor dining. A lack of city conventions and less tourism have slowed foot traffic at John’s Grill, but one way Konstin has tried to offset that is by hosting weekly fashion shows with local designers. He said that the past two shows sold out. https://www.sfgate.com//No-event-has-compared-to-running-a

We are excited to announce that we have added a lobster tail to the menu. You can order this as an addition to any entree for $17.50!

For restaurant owners, it’s a chance to show guests how far we’re going to put people’s safety first, said John Konstin JR, owner of the century-old downtown restaurant John’s Grill, which resumed indoor service on Wednesday. More important, it’s a chance to show the city that we can do this. But we all have to work together on it. https://www.sfchronicle.com//Indoor-dining-brings-hope-to-

Willie Brown’s Sunday Chronicle Column: Dancing in the streets: John’s Grill has taken outside dining to a new level. Carlos Reyes, the violinist with the enhanced sound system, turned Ellis Street between Stockton and Powell into a dance hall last Sunday, with everybody in masks and 6 feet apart, shaking it like it was the Summer of Love on Haight Street.’

Carlos Reyes will be back to perform two more live sets this Sunday, Sep 27th, from 12pm to 3pm and 5pm to 8pm at John's Grill "Oasis on Ellis." Book your lunch or dinner reservations for this event in advance! As Mayor Brown said..."Dancing in the streets: John’s Grill has taken outside dining to a new level. Carlos Reyes, the violinist with the enhanced sound system, turned Ellis Street between Stockton and Powell into a dance hall last Sunday, with everybody in masks and 6... feet apart, shaking it like it was the Summer of Love on Haight Street." https://www.sfchronicle.com//Willie-Brown-Democrats-need-t

Hiz Honor Willie Brown dancing to San Francisco’s legendary Carlos Reyes at John’s Grill’s kickoff of its Sunday Oasis On Ellis Street music series ...

Musical wizard, Carlos Reyes, will be performing two live sets this Sunday, Sep 20th, from 12pm to 3pm and 5pm to 8pm at John's Grill "Oasis on Ellis." Book your lunch or dinner reservations for this event in advance! https://youtu.be/72r8KJhpmiQ

Good news! "San Francisco will move forward with indoor dining at 25% capacity, up to 100 people, once classified as 'orange' on the State’s tiered system, which will occur no sooner than the end of the month." https://www.sfgate.com//San-Francisco-indoor-dining-when-t

We are excited to announce Carlos Reyes live. Reyes, a virtuoso electric violinist and harpist, (Times-Herald) will be performing this Sunday(20th) and next Sunday (27th). He will have two live sets from 12 to 3 and another from 5 to 8! San Francisco Chronicle Columnist Leah Garchik called Carlos Reyes Master of the Paraguayan harp Book your lunch or dinner reservations for this event in advance. It will sell out!

[UPDATE] We wanted to post this to let everyone know that we have decided to CLOSE for dinner service. We will be open tomorrow. But more importantly we wanted this picture to permanently live on our page to remind us all that life is fragile, the earth is fragile, to be grateful, to remember to stay positive and optimistic. Keep all the people defending us from these wild fires in your prayers. Stay safe Bay Area! We love you here at John’s Grill and hope to see you soon.

Owner, John Konstin, enjoying lunch at the Oasis on Ellis with Supervisor Aaron Peskin and Karin Flood. #johnsgrillSF #oasisonellis #sanfrancisco

San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Native Son columnist Carl Nolte wrote; I started with John’s Grill, an old downtown favorite. I’ve been going there for years, but always in the dark, woodpaneled dining room. The shutdown ended that. Now we had lunch outside on Ellis Street, in booths set up in what used to be parking spots. John’s had a staff of 60 people only a few months ago. Now we have about 15, said Johnny Konstin, who is the third generation of the Konstin family to... run the place. It’s not bad, he said. It gives us a chance to keep some of our staff and to keep open, he said. Look, we have white tablecloths, we have palm trees on the street. It’s an oasis on Ellis Street. That was fine with Victor Makras, a real estate man and former port commissioner who was having lunch at the next table. You can feel the neighborhood outside, he said. You can see the city. https://www.sfchronicle.com//SF-restaurants-taking-it-to-t"

Come warm up with us and enjoy the Oasis on Ellis.