Who's Actually Opening on Fillmore This Fall, and Why the Biggest Names Are Still Under Construction

The four most talked-about addresses on Upper Fillmore are 2001, 2035–2047, 2222 and 2261. They have the same owner, and as of early October 2026 none of them is serving customers. Each belongs to the Upper Fillmore Revitalization Project, the group backed by investor Neil Mehta and run day to day by Cody Allen. All four are moving at the speed of permits, historic review and construction. The new places you can actually walk into this fall are smaller. Most are a few blocks south of Bush or tucked onto residential side streets, run by operators who took whatever space was open.

That split shapes Fillmore for the rest of the year. The famous names are a 2027 story. The openings you can use are a story about the edges of the corridor.

One Owner, Four Addresses, One Pace

Mehta's buying started in 2024. By August 2026 the Standard reported the group had spent tens of millions of dollars from a $100 million fund on seven properties before its latest purchase. Allen told The New Fillmore in 2025 that the project was not working with chains and had set up lease structures meant to help small businesses stay for the long term. On the business side that has meant a curated, chef-driven lineup. On the construction side it has meant waiting.

Here is where each project stands, walking north from Pine:

1. 2001 Fillmore at Pine, Monami. This is a high-end Korean barbecue restaurant from Junsoo and Hyunyoung Bae, the team behind SSAL. It takes over the corner that was Noosh, and before that Thai Stick and Pacific Heights Bar & Grill. In January the Chronicle described premium beef, tabletop grills, and both à la carte and tasting menus, with an opening planned for "this fall." A management letter covered by The New Fillmore in April put the construction start at June 1, with work running through at least early November and possibly into 2027. We could not find an announced opening date as of this writing.
2. 2035–2047 Fillmore, a restaurant with no name yet. The group bought this building for about $8.6 million in August. It was once home to Aquatalia, A-Pizza and Mio, and it began emptying out in 2022. All four vacant storefronts will be combined into one restaurant. The Mediterranean Revival building is also going through landmark designation, and the Historic Preservation Commission took it up on August 5. That could make changes to the facade harder. No chef, concept or timeline has been announced.
3. 2222 Fillmore, Chef Pim's restaurant. Pim Techamuanvivit runs Michelin-starred Kin Khao downtown and Nari in the Kabuki Hotel. She is planning a restaurant in the former Starbucks space, which Starbucks left in 2024 after more than 30 years on the street. The team is still going through city permitting, and that process will decide what kitchen equipment can go in and what the menu can be. SFist reported "Khao Soi Ya" as a working title only. "This restaurant and its chef are exactly what the Upper Fillmore project desired," Allen said in a statement.
4. 2261 Fillmore, the Clay Theater. The Clay has been closed since early 2020. The Historic Preservation Commission unanimously endorsed the restoration plan on April 1. The plan keeps a single screen and the marquee and adds a café and a small cinema bookstore, with more than 500 screenings a year once it opens. In August, The New Fillmore said completion was expected "sometime next year."

All four projects involve heavy build-outs, historic buildings or both, and all four answer to the same owner. That is why no single one should be expected to open far ahead of the others.

The Corridor Has Mostly Come Around, With Some Holdouts

Reaction on the street has softened since 2024. In August, Tim Omi, president of the Fillmore Merchants Association, told the Standard that La Méditerranée, which once looked at risk, had extended its lease to 2028. He also said the project had kept its promise to stay away from chain stores.

"They're showing up and doing what they said they were going to do. The proof is in the pudding." — Tim Omi, Fillmore Merchants Association, to the SF Standard

The same article quoted Isabella Uperesa, who works at the footwear boutique Freda Salvador on the block of the latest purchase. She said watching one person from tech gain so much influence over the corridor "feels icky." The construction has also displaced people. In April, those affected by it told The New Fillmore they were surprised by move-out notices and unsure whether they could return, or at what rent.

Retail Turnover Is Moving Faster Than the Restaurants

Shops can change hands in weeks, and that part of the street has been busy. Jonathan Adler closed its longtime home furnishings store at 2133 Fillmore. Rocksbox closed its jewelry shop at 2208 Fillmore. It had opened there in late 2024, first as a pop-up and then as a permanent store. By September 8, The New Fillmore was reporting that the Spanish footwear brand Alohas is taking over the 2208 space, next door to D&M Liquor. The 2208 storefront had a new tenant lined up within about a month of Rocksbox's closure being reported, which is much faster than any restaurant build-out on the street.

Browser Books at 2195 Fillmore is staying put. In September, The New Fillmore reported that manager Hana Metzger is leaving the role for a library job but will keep working at the store one or two days a week.

Where the New Food Actually Landed

The openings you can use this fall came from operators who moved fast into spaces outside the project's portfolio.

On Buchanan. Hello Mart was set to open September 12 at 2135 Buchanan, with groceries, takeout bento boxes and a coffee bar on a block that is otherwise residential. It is the closest new opening to Upper Fillmore that is actually open. It also arrives while grocery options in the area are shrinking. The Webster Street Safeway is gone, the Lucky on Fulton is preparing to close, and about 75 people met at the African American Art & Culture Complex to talk about starting a community-owned grocery co-op.

At Sutter. Restaurateur Kevin Chen keeps adding storefronts. Yuzu, on Sutter near Fillmore and painted citrus yellow, works as a takeout counter and grocery during the day. In the evening, a door behind a refrigerator opens to a 10-seat counter serving a 12-course omakase for $65. Most omakase in San Francisco is priced for special occasions, and Chen says his seafood buying power lets him keep this one low. His Avocado Green, a tea and coffee counter in the windows of the Nono Baru space at 1800 Fillmore, was soft-opening in September with matcha lattes, housemade pastries and takeout food. It joins his other local spots, Don Don, Ninniku and Nono Baru.

Matdol Tofu is coming to the same intersection, in the former Pride of the Mediterranean space. It comes from Jiman Jang, whose team started the San Jose food truck Jevikal earlier this year. The menu centers on handmade tofu, including sundubu jjigae, L.A. galbi and deulgireum makguksu, and the team is working on allergy-friendly and vegan options. Jang points to the history a few blocks away: in 1908 the Gongnip Association for newly arrived Koreans moved its headquarters to 1944 Buchanan Street. The target is "December or January."

Farther south. Super Duper Burgers is open at Fillmore and Post in the former Burger King. Yoeechee serves takeout sushi at 1552 Fillmore, from founder Tony Chong and executive chef Jihwan Wang. Tacos El Patrón has opened at 1325 Fillmore, the old Black Bark BBQ and Scott's Chowder House space. It is owner Alberto Pineda's third location after Pleasant Hill and the Mission, and his largest, with about 50 seats and guisados as a house specialty. "There are no tacos around," Pineda told The New Fillmore.

What's Open and What's Still Coming, as of Early October 2026

One more update off the main street: Alta Plaza Park celebrated its new tennis courts on September 20. The playground nearby closed September 28 and is scheduled to stay closed through early January.

Thinking about how the Clay's reopening and a new set of chef-driven restaurants could change your block? Susanne Alexander follows Upper Fillmore address by address and can walk you through what these projects mean for a Pacific Heights home you own or are thinking about buying. Let's Connect.