SF Favorite Original Joe's Reopens In North Beach
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – Four years after a fire burned down the Original Joe's restaurant in San Francisco's Tenderloin, the owners have reopened in a new location in the city's North Beach neighborhood. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Thursday at the San Francisco institution that opened the same year as the Golden Gate Bridge.
Mayor Ed Lee proclaimed it Original Joe's Day at the ribbon cutting in front of the new Union Street restaurant right on the corner of Washington Square Park in North Beach.
"They are a historic institution for our city, and such a welcoming, vital aspect of our San Francisco family," said Lee.
Owner Marie Duggan said that they saved as much as they could after the fire at the Taylor street location. The counter seats at the new restaurant were brought over and re-covered in the well-known red fabric, wood paneling and bricks were also brought over from the old bar.
KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:
"Just a reminder of where we've come from," said Duggan. "We had a rich history there for 70 years, and we're looking forward to making new history here."
Duggan said that her father worked in North Beach restaurants after first immigrating from Croatia, so the new location brings the family full circle.
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