Historic SF Music Venue Cafe Du Nord To Re-Open This Week As Cocktail Bar And Jazz Club

Cafe du Nord, a historic former speakeasy boasting over 100 years in existence, broke hearts last year when its owners announced the club would be closing. Eventually, news emerged that they would be handing over the keys to the Ne Timeas Restaurant Group (flour + water).

However, it appears that the company, which has partnered with The Bon Vivants (Trick Dog) for the project, will also be bringing back live music, although not in its original capacity. The Cafe du Nord of yore hosted up-and-coming acts and established acts of all genres, including notable names like Neil Young, Spoon, Sara Bareilles, Blink-182, but when it reopens, the club will "highlight local artists playing a range of styles including jazz, blues and cocktail piano, as a complement to guests' drinking and dining experiences."

Another big change coming is that the new club will focus more on the food and drink at the forefront, with seated tables throughout. The cocktail list will be created by the exceptional minds at The Bon Vivants, will special wine curating and a top notch cocktail menu representing a "spin on over a hundred years of drinking history, using new ingredients to create cocktails reminiscent of classics."

"This has been one of our most exciting projects to date, and to work alongside The Bon Vivants to revitalize Café du Nord has been an incredible experience," says chef Thomas McNaughton. "Such a storied space offers the extraordinary opportunity to create a menu that speaks to this 100 year history of the building and pay tribute to its legacy."

Music will take place in the Viking Room, a room in back with a name that is a nod to the roots of the building as the Swedish American Music Hall. Some original accents of the former Cafe du Nord remain, including the wood waitscoting on the walls as well as the 107-year-old back bar, but du Nord's original bar has since found a new home upstairs in the renovated Swedish American Music Hall, a venue now booked by Noise Pop.

The club will officially open to the public June 17, 2015.