Pull to refresh
Logo
What Changed
Following Why Sign Up
Cotogna to close for three-month kitchen renovation

Cotogna to close for three-month kitchen renovation

Built World San Francisco, CA local

Jackson Square power-lunch spot will shut Jan. 15 while kitchen expands to match parklet seating.

Yesterday: Cotogna confirms renovation closure

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Cotogna, the Jackson Square restaurant where San Francisco's mayor and tech billionaires take lunch, will close on Jan. 15 for a kitchen renovation expected to last three months. The kitchen was built for a 36-seat indoor dining room; the restaurant now seats about 100 after adding a pandemic-era parklet.

The project will double cooking and prep space and replace the pizza oven. The closure removes a regular lunch venue for Mayor Daniel Lurie, Laurene Powell Jobs, Jony Ive, and event producer Stanlee Gatti. Sister restaurant Quince serves lunch only Friday and Saturday, and Verjus opens at 4 p.m. on weekdays.

Why it matters

If the three-month estimate slips, one of San Francisco's most visible lunchrooms stays dark into spring 2027.

Last Monday's email for San Francisco, CA

Sent Nov 2. It carried:

Get next Monday's: one short email a week. Free. Unsubscribe in one click.

Questions about this story

Free account needed to ask — your question is kept and asked for you right after sign-up. Answers are public.

No questions yet — be the first to ask.

Key Indicators

36
Indoor seats before parklet
The kitchen was designed for the original indoor dining room.
100
Seats with parklet
Outdoor seating expanded the restaurant's total capacity to about 100.
3
Expected renovation months
Owners say construction could finish sooner.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Sign up to generate historical perspectives on this story.

Log in Sign Up

People Involved

MT
Michael Tusk
Chef and co-owner of Cotogna, Quince, and Verjus
Overseeing Cotogna's kitchen renovation and Bar Coto build-out
LT
Lindsay Tusk
Co-owner of Cotogna, Quince, and Verjus
Overseeing Cotogna's kitchen renovation and Bar Coto build-out

Organizations Involved

Cotogna
Cotogna
Restaurant
Closing Jan. 15 for a three-month kitchen renovation

California-Italian restaurant in San Francisco's Jackson Square known for pasta and wood-fired pizza.

Timeline

2023 January 2027

4 events Latest: Yesterday
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Cotogna scheduled to close

    Upcoming Closure

    The restaurant is set to shut for construction that will double cooking and prep space.

  2. Cotogna confirms renovation closure

    Latest Announcement

    A spokesperson says Cotogna will close Jan. 15 for a kitchen renovation expected to last three months.

  3. Verjus reopens

    Business

    The Tusks' wine bar reopens in fall 2024 after four years dark.

  4. Bar Coto announced

    Business

    The Tusks announce an all-day cafe at 596 Pacific Ave. It has not opened.

Scenarios

1

Cotogna reopens by mid-April 2027

Likely Resolves by Apr 15, 2027

Discussed by: Owners Michael and Lindsay Tusk, who expect construction to take three months

The Tusks have said the renovation is planned for three months and they hope it will be shorter. If construction stays on schedule, Cotogna resumes lunch and dinner service in Jackson Square in April 2027, with a larger kitchen and a new pizza oven.

2

Renovation slips past April 2027

Possible Resolves by Apr 15, 2027

Discussed by: The owners' caveat that they hope construction is shorter, and the Tusks' recent experience with Verjus staying dark for four years

Restaurant construction can slip because of permits, equipment delivery, or discoveries behind walls. A delay would keep Cotogna closed past its three-month target and into spring or summer 2027.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2020–2024

Verjus closure and reopening (2020–2024)

Verjus, the Tusks' wine bar, closed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and stayed dark for four years. It reopened in fall 2024 after Lindsay Tusk said they had waited for the neighborhood to bounce back.

Then

The long vacancy left a Tusk-run space inactive in Jackson Square.

Now

It showed the Tusks were willing to keep a closed property rather than reopen before they judged demand had returned.

Why this matters now

Cotogna's planned three-month closure is far shorter, but Verjus is the Tusks' own recent example of a temporary shutdown stretching years.

2020–2026

Cotogna's pandemic parklet (2020–2026)

Cotogna built a parklet on Pacific Avenue during the pandemic to add outdoor seating. Over time it added a canopy, potted olive trees, standing heaters, and blankets, expanding the restaurant from 36 indoor seats to about 100 total.

Then

The extra seats made Cotogna a larger lunch destination.

Now

The kitchen never expanded with the dining room, creating the tight cooking and prep space the renovation is meant to fix.

Why this matters now

The renovation is the physical correction to a pandemic-era seating expansion that outgrew the original kitchen.

Sources

(1)
The San Francisco Standard