Iconic San Francisco Brunch Spot Closes After 27 Years
By Rebekah Gonzalez
December 21, 2021
A brunch staple in the Mission District has closed after 27 years.
Universal Cafe on 19th Street served its final meal on Sunday, December 19.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the restaurant's lease expired and the owners were unable to renegotiate a new one.
In addition to an expiring lease, they were also burdened by pandemic-related financial losses, staffing shortages, and other economic pressures.
“It’s not financially worth it. You have to make a hard choice, and we did,” chef and co-owner Leslie Carr-Avalos told the Chronicle.
Universal Cafe first opened in 1994 and was known for serving casual but quality California meals like soft scrambled eggs and fresh-roasted coffee for brunch and handmade pastas for dinner.
The original owners, Gail Defferari and Bob Vorhees, sold the restaurant to longtime employees Carr-Avalos, Wendy St. John, and Jennifer Biesty in 2003.