A San Francisco man stands accused of randomly attacking a fellow bar patron last week at a Divisadero bar, and the suspect is himself a bartender who was not working as one at the time.

The attack happened last Tuesday around 1:30 am in the men's restroom at The Fishbowl Bar & Grill at Divisadero and Pine streets. As the SF Standard reports from witness statements, a bartender at The Snug on upper Fillmore, Taylor "TJ" Vindigni, was getting a drink with a friend at the Fishbowl after his shift.

Vindigni had gone to the restroom and was reportedly washing his hands when a random stranger who had been sitting at the other end of the bar from him came close, said "Why are you such a fucking problem?" and allegedly stabbed in the neck with a box-cutter, slashing his throat from ear to ear.

The attacker fled the scene with the knife, but reportedly left behind a pair of brass knuckles — apparently he may have been looking for a fight?

Police later arrested 43-year-old Patrick Hamer for the crime, locating him on Valencia Street. Hamer is apparently also a bartender, and was reportedly an employee at Clooney's Pub — though is no longer — and a LinkedIn profile for someone with that same name shows bartending stints at Town Hall, Oro, and at Oracle Park.

Friends say that Vindigni did not know his attacker in any way.

Records at the San Francisco County Jail show that Hamer is being held on suspicion of attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon, and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury.

It appears he was arrested two days after the alleged attack, on Thursday, and charges have not yet been formally filed.

Fellow Snug employees posted a hospital bed photo of Vindigni, who remains hospitalized in the ICU, on a GoFundMe page. It has raised over $20,000 so far to "help cover medical expenses, time away from work, and whatever support he needs to fully recover."

The Snug also now has a cocktail on the menu, The Big G, with all proceeds going to Vidnigni.

A pedestrian was struck and died from their injuries Friday morning after a collision on Geary Boulevard near Divisadero in San Francisco.

The collision happened around 7:01 am, as Bay City News reports, and the pedestrian who was struck was taken to an area hospital in critical condition. The person was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

The driver of the vehicle involved in the collision reportedly remained on the scene and cooperated with police.

A photo from the scene posted by KRON4 shows a Toyota RAV4 with a damaged headlight, and two Waymo vehicles in the vicinity, which may not have been involved. The area of the accident in the photo appears to be up the block from the intersection with Divisadero, on Geary closer to Broderick Street.

Around this same time, the Citizen app has a report of a 911 call about a collision involving a motorcycle in this same vicinity, at Geary Boulevard and Broderick Street. That report is unconfirmed.

Police continue to investigate and anyone with information can call the SFPD tip line at 415-575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411 with SFPD at the start of the message.

This was the second pedestrian crash in less than a week in San Francisco, and the 21st fatal pedestrian colision in the city so far this year. A man was struck and killed by a dump truck in Parnassus Heights on Tuesday, and he was identified Thursday as 70-year-old Jose Chow of San Francisco.

This story has been updated to show that the pedestrian has died.

A rash of recent sideshows in the tony neighborhood of Pacific Heights has led the city to install speed bumps to prevent the motor mayhem at Divisadero and California streets.

We thought it was unusual last month when a large sideshow broke out at Van Ness Avenue and Pine Street, not far from the exclusive neighborhood of Pacific Heights. Turns out it was not that unusual. SFGate reported there was a March sideshow at Divisadero and California streets, which is well within Pacific Heights, and a Chronicle report says that particular intersection has seen “disruptive car sideshows that have irritated neighbors for more than two years.”  

Van Ness / Pine Sideshow
byu/bbbuongiorno insanfrancisco

That observation comes in a Chronicle report noting that the city has now installed speed bumps in the middle of the intersection at Divisadero and California streets, a report whose accompanying photo shows a hefty volume of donut tire-tracks laid down at that very corner. The speed bumps were apparently installed this past Tuesday morning, and they may not affect regular drivers as they're meant to just keep donut-spinning from being feasible.

“The important thing is that there was action taken,” nearby resident Sally Fay told the Chronicle. “Enough is enough.”

Yet this is not “enough” for mayoral candidate and District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safia, who wrote the 2020 legislation saying SFPD could impound cars that participated in sideshows, and also created an SFPD sideshow abatement unit. Safai’s follow-up request to that legislation found that only the police department had impounded six sideshow participant cars in 2023, and only five thus far in 2024.

“The Police Department has not done enough,” Safai told the Chronicle. “We have a sideshow abatement unit for a reason. It should be a priority. All of these things add up.”

The Chronicle cites SF.gov data showing there were 52 cases of so-called “stunt driving” reported in 2023, 24 so far in 2024, and 11 in June 2024 alone.

Related: There Was a Saturday Sideshow On Van Ness Avenue, In the Middle of SF [SFist]

Image: Quirky-Pangolin-905 via Reddit

The same day that we hear about signs of life at a large residential project at Van Ness and Market, another long-stalled, presumed-dead development project on Divisadero appears to be stirring awake as well.

A project at the former Touchless Car Wash site at 400 Divisadero (at Oak Street), which was abandoned by its previous developer in the fall of 2022, looks to have a replacement project in the works, as the SF Business Times reports.

Something has apparently been taking shape for over six months now, per the Business Times, with Irvine-based 4Terra Investments in talks with property owners Roy and Patricia Shimek since this past fall. 4Terra has now submitted plans to the city for an eight-story, 203-unit apartment building with 23 affordable units on site.

The previous developer, Texas-based Genesis Real Estate Group, received its approvals for a 186-unit apartment building in 2019, only to drop those plans three years later citing a sluggish local rental market and rising costs.

Similarly to the new developer at the One Oak site at Van Ness and Market which we told you about earlier, 4Terra appears to be taking advantage of the temporarily relaxed affordable housing mandate that city supervisors approved last summer, in order to increase the financial feasibility of the project.

The new proposed development has about 10% more units than the previously proposed one at 400 Divis, and about two-thirds as many affordable units, as the Business Times notes. It's also proposed at two stories taller than the previous, six-story project.

Affordable housing advocates will decry this as another example of the city making it too easy for market-rate housing developers, but the fact remains that economic conditions have stalled large residential development all over the city. Developers will argue that under the previous affordable mandates — put in place during a boom time in the city — most rental products don't currently "pencil" due to a soft rental market and high construction costs.

4Terra specializes in student housing and rental apartments, and the new proposed project at 400 Divisadero would be a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments. Also, there would be

4Terra previously built L Seven, a 410-unit apartment project on Harrison Street in SoMa.

The Touchless Car Wash operation on Divisadero, long famous among Burning Man attendees for their post-playa hose-down specials, and for its well-stocked gift shop, closed mid-pandemic in late 2021.

Rendering by BDE Architecture

It's a third pivot for the space downstairs from Che Fico, where Che Fico Alimentari will be calling it quits on May 9 to make way for a more high-volume to-go operation and more private dining space.

Che Fico Alimentari was itself a pivot from the initial concept that occupied the space at 834 Divisadero in 2018, called Theorita. The team announced in mid-2019 that the casual, sit-down Alimentari would be opening, with a small retail market for pantry items, grab-and-go lasagna and other dishes, and a limited sit-down menu of pasta and pizza for casual dining.

Chef-owner David Nayfeld writes in an Instagram post, "Che Fico Alimentari was our most dynamic venue pre-pandemic: spry, vibrant, and thrilling to launch." But, he says, the economics of it have changed. And, as he tells the Chronicle, "Che Fico Alimentari in 2019 did great. In 2024, it doesn’t work. Each year more and more and more business models are becoming extinct."

Whether it was the business model, or people's spending habits, or just the fact that the restaurant had hit the five-year mark and had competition from newer restaurants, the owners have decided to pivot to Che Fico To-Go, unifying the upstairs restaurant with the downstairs space.

Che Fico To-Go will offer a limited takeout menu based on the upstairs offerings, focusing on popular items like pizza, chopped salad, and tiramisu.

Most nights, Che Fico has been too busy to offer anything to go, and Nayfeld says that was starting to become an issue.

"There was a huge demand for it, and then the folks who wanted to order something and realized it wasn’t available were disappointed," he told SFGate. "We realized we were hurting ourselves more."

Utilizing the downstairs space will also offer the team more flexibility when it comes to private dining and hosting larger parties. And Nayfeld tells the Chronicle that he plans to host small, exclusive chef's-counter dinners in the space as well. The Che Fico liquor license will also extend downstairs, allowing for cocktails to be sold.

The closing announcement comes as Che Fico prepares to open a full-time pizzeria at Chase Center (in Thrive City), as well as a second full-service restaurant in SF that will not be Che Fico-branded, sometime next year, in the Mission Rock development. They also recently debuted a second Che Fico in Menlo Park, alongside a splashy deli and retail market.

While the Che Fico restaurant group remains in expansion mode, it's clear that not all things are sunny in the business, even for them. Responding to diner pushback over the last two years, Che Fico announced the end of their 10% "dining in" surcharge last month, and they had also lowered prices at the Alimentari.

"It’s clear the restaurant industry is challenged right now," Nayfeld tells SFGate. “It’s really tough, and it’s not mismanagement. You have restaurant groups all over the country who are recognizing the fact that consumer spending is lower. People are feeling the effects of the economy. They’re spending and going out less."

An opening date for Che Fico To-Go has not been announced.

Previously: Che Fico Has Done Away With 10% 'Dine-In' Surcharge, But Will Add 5% Charge

A small fire at a mixed-use building on Divisadero was quickly contained Tuesday morning, and was kept from spreading to residential units. Meanwhile, a house fire in Portola displaced a family of five.

A fire broke out just before 6 a.m. Tuesday on the 800 block of Divisadero Street, at the corner of Fulton.

According to the San Francisco Fire Department, the blaze appears to have been centered in a street-level laundromat, which sits next door to the diner Eddie's Cafe.

Firefighters arrived on the scene at 5:59 a.m. and "observed heavy smoke" coming from the laundromat. (The SFFD spokesperson refers to a first-floor "laundry room," however photos indicate firefighters working inside the street-level Coin Wash & Dry at 806 Divisadero.)

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the department says in a tweet that it was "quickly extinguished... with no extension to the residential portion of the building with no displacements and no injuries."

"The limited damage and the preservation of life are attributed to the quick response and the actions of the brave, efficient, and professional Firefighters who stretched hand lines to extinguish the fire in the first-floor laundry room," the SFFD says.

Meanwhile, across town in the Portola neighborhood about three hours earlier, fire crews responded to a house fire at 402 Girard Street. A family of five in the home was reportedly saved by their smoke alarms, but the one-alarm fire did enough damage to displace them.

They are being assisted by the Red Cross.

A major apartment building fire on Wednesday at Divisadero and Haight displaced 12 residents, some of them low-income and/or elderly — and a fundraiser has been launched to help them out. Also, the ground-floor restaurant, Phuket Thai, is likely to remain closed for a long while.

The three-alarm fire on Wednesday evening tore through the historic building at 248 Divisadero/871-875 Haight Street, causing significant damage and displacing all 12 residents of the building as well as the restaurant below. Its cause remains under investigation.

This fire came just a week after another fire on the Divisadero corridor, at McAllister, which also did significant damage to a historic apartment building and ground-floor restaurant spaces.

Phuket Thai Restaurant, which reportedly had resided in the space at 248 Divisadero for 35 years, appears to be indefinitely closed.

The building had been on the market in the last year, and a Trulia listing indicates that it sold in June for $2.85 million. The listing indicates that the upper floors had a total of 30 rooms and six bathrooms.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched by a neighbor, in support of the 12 tenants displaced, and it's seeking to raise $60,000.

"Twelve residents were displaced, including artists, immigrants, people with disabilities, and senior citizens who have lived in this rent-controlled building for decades," writes neighbor Jackie Hasa. "Many of them were already living precariously on fixed incomes before this horrible event."

A separate fundraiser has also gone up for disabled artist and building resident Zedekiah Schild, whose friend reports that he was out of state when the fire occurred, but that he lost all of his artwork and belongings.

The Red Cross reportedly provided a few nights' worth of hotel stays for the displaced tenants, and the city was stepping in to provide an additional three weeks of housing support.

The extent of the damage to the building and the restaurant is not yet known.

The time has come, everybody. The Namu Gaji team is officially expanding to Divisadero next week, and praise the lord they're bringing the Gamja Fries. As Tablehopper reports, Namu Stonepot (553 Divisadero at Hayes, the former Jay's Cheesesteak) will be bringing some of the greatest hits from Namu Gaji and the former Namu on Balboa Street in a fast casual environment, and the deliciousness starts on Thursday, July 27.

It's been over a year and a half since Jay's Cheesesteak closed and we first heard word of this project, but such is the way with these things sometimes. In the meantime, they've completely remodeled the space and added some mural art by Victor Reyes — see a photo below — and chef Dennis Lee has hosted several pop-ups to test out some dishes, including a new ramen stonepot, involving Tokyo ramen noodles that get a bit golden from the pot, and a chicken bone broth, and Tablehopper reports that it's a creative and less brothy version of ramen that's pretty delicious.

RTG #getitstoned #sanfrancisco #divisadero #namustonepot #namugang soon to open 🙌

A post shared by Namu Stonepot (@namustonepot) on Jul 18, 2017 at 3:20pm PDT

follow our new baby @namustonepot opening 7/27/17 #preview #sneakpeak #getitstoned #namustonepot #kimchee #galore #divisadero

A post shared by Namu Gaji Restaurant (@namusf) on Jul 18, 2017 at 11:58pm PDT

Coming over from Namu Gaji are the aforementioned, stoner-friendly Gamja Fries (fries done Korean poutine-style, topped with bulgogi beef, gochujang, kewpie mayo, and kimchee relish); the popular kimchee okonomiyaki pancake, this time somehow involving the stonepot; and the stonepot rice dish that can be ordered with bulgogi, organic soy-marinated chicken thigh, or the daily poke. And getting revived from the original Namu are the famed Korean tacos (seaweed "shells" filled with your choice of beef, chicken, or tofu), as well as their Sizzling Sisig done in a stonepot — says Tablehopper, "It comes in a stonepot full of crispy and crackling pork (both ground pork and pork head and jowl, rendered twice!), its richness cut by green cabbage and pickled onions, jalapeños, and celery."

Also exciting sounding is the Kimchee Stew in a stonepot, involving a pork and kimchee broth, with rice cakes, pork belly, and optional ramen noodles.

All this stuff will be available for eat-in or takeout, and for delivery on Caviar and Postmates.

See the draft opening menu below via Tablehopper, which may be subject to change.

(click to enlarge)

Previously: Jay's Cheesesteak Closing On Divis, Namu Gaji Spinoff On Its Way

Downstairs from Che Fico, the big and ambitious Italian spot headed to 838 Divisadero that we first learned about a year and a half ago, there will be a second, casual to-go spot, we now hear via Eater. It's going to be called Theorita, and Che Fico chef David Nayfeld says it's going to be a showcase for his talented pastry chef partner, Angela Pinkerton.

Nayfeld tells Eater, "Angela’s talent was too great to be only utilized on a five item menu," referring apparently to the eventual dessert menu at Che Fico, which is expected to open in September after some predictable delays.

Che Fico, a 115-seat project on which Nayfeld has partnered with Matt Brewer (of L20 in Chicago), will occupy the second-floor space of what was formerly an auto body shop on the same block as Little Star Pizza. Nayfeld, who previously worked at New York spots like Eleven Madison Park, is planning a menu of pizza, handmade pasta, in-house charcuterie, and seasonal dishes.

At Theorita, Nayfeld will contribute some savory dishes, like a pot roast, a patty melt, and a fried chicken sandwich, but Pinkerton will be doing savory and sweet pies, including, she tells Eater, things like roast chicken pot pie with sweet potato and thyme; and a Meyer lemon pie with black sugar meringue. Also, they're planning to feature the DNA burger they served at popular Mission DNA pop-ups last year, but only while tomatoes are in season.

The idea, they say, is a luncheonette with a retro vibe, to be done by former Ken Fulk studio designer Jon de la Cruz, who worked on Leo's Oyster Bar downtown. And the space will have seating for 50, including about a dozen at the counter, and will offer full service at dinner. The plan is to be open seven days a week, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

They're aiming for an end-of-year opening, two to three months after Che Fico debuts.

Theorita - 838 Divisadero Street near McAllister

Local celebrity bread-maker Josey Baker has steadily upped his pizza game at The Mill, the Divisadero toast and locally-roasted coffee destination that's a sort of Four Barrel Coffee north. Baker's pizza, which caters to crust lovers and vegetarians, started as a one-off pop-up, became a weekly BYOB phenom with the NoPa millennial set, and eventually went two nights a week, Monday and Wednesday. Now the team announces they're going 6 nights a week, which is in keeping with a September announcement they'd look into a nightly dinner service, and — bad news for thrifty drinkers — apply for their beer and wine license.

Despite the holiday today, they'll be making pizza tonight — this one with ricotta, mushroom, seeds and herbs — and starting Saturday, expect pizza night every night except Tuesday. Whole pies are $26, slices are $3.50, and seasonal salads are $7. Pizza is a small good thing at a time like this.

✨JBB NEWSFLASH✨ not only do we have pizza tmrw (Presidents' Day [more on that later]) but starting this Saturday we will have pizza EVERY NIGHT OF THE WEEK (except for Tuesdays, even pizza needs a break). yes, we have been working on this for a long time and the day is finally here!! pizza + salads + beer + wine all the frikkin time (6-9pm actually) can you believe it??!? I barely can, but it's true. so come on out and bring your buds and btw how sweet is this pizza patch I just found???

A post shared by josey "frikkin" baker (@joseybakerbread) on Feb 19, 2017 at 3:39pm PST

Previously: The Mill Looks To Add Beer, Wine, Nightly Dinner

Get ready to pour one out — mezcal would be most appropriate, but tequila will do — for La Urbana, which appears to have closed suddenly and, according to Inside Scoop, perhaps permanently on the corner of Grove and Divisadero.

A sign on the door to the restaurant reads that La Urbana "will be closed for small renovations. Thank you for your patience.” But the Scoop elaborates that "A worker standing outside the door, however, said that the restaurant was closed for good — and, given San Francisco’s tight labor force, he had just found a job next door" (Bar Crudo?). A call to La Urbana reveals its phone line, as listed, is out of service, and SFist had reached out to the business via email for further information.

Partners Alessandra Bonisoli, Eduardo Rallo and Juan Garduño opened La Urbana in September 2013 in the former Plant It Earth space for Mexico-City inspired food and a wide selection of mezcal. They quickly expanded with Mercado Urbano next door, a smaller counter-service spot for tacos, micheledas, etc.

In the past, SFist has consulted La Urbana for cocktail recipes like their Oaxacan Old Fashioned and the Mexican Dude, a takeoff on a White Russian. Meanwhile, SFist editor Jay Barmann praised chef Julio Aguilere's arroz con pollo: That dish, Barmann wrote, consisted of "perfectly juicy, crisp-skinned boneless chicken breast over plump, al dente farro cooked in what seemed to be tomato and chiles, and topped with fresh pea shoots and greens, queso fresco, as well as his grandmother's, mildly spicy chicken gravy."

While high-end restaurants compete fiercely in San Francisco for hype and market share especially on gentrifying blocks like many on Divisadero have become, it seems possible that another Mexico City-inspired opening not far off in Hayes Valley — Cala, from decorated chef Gabriela Camara — may have played a role in La Urbana's closure. That's just speculation, of course.

Related: The Mill Looks To Add Beer, Wine, Nightly Dinner

Say it ain't so, Nopa! The acclaimed Divisadero restaurant whose late night service, heretofore until 1 a.m., has been a staple among industry insiders and bourgeoisie burger lovers, is changing it up, cutting back on late night hours according to Inside Scoop.

"It wasn’t an easy decision,” partner Jeff Hanak told the food blog.“We’re just trying to look at the health of the staff and the longevity, just looking at the sustainability of it, making sure staff is not leaving at 3:30 or 4 in the morning.”

The shift, however, is minor: Last call for drinks and food will be 12 a.m. from Sunday through Thursday, and 1 a.m. last call will remain for Friday and Saturday evenings. Yet diehard fans know that everything tastes better after the stroke of midnight: Greet this news in proportion to your position on that.

Fortunately, nearby Horsefeather is picking up a bit of the slack. That bar's kitchen, on the same Divisadero block, is open till 1 a.m. Phew. I mean, even Jay's Cheesesteak across the street on Divis has closed, though I can't say eating there after a night of drinking was ever the wisest choice.

Related: The Best Post-Midnight, Late-Night Eats In San Francisco

The success of The Mill's Monday and Wednesday pizza nights, launched over two years ago, has convinced owner Josie Baker to expand on that, and as Hoodline sees today, he's filed an application to serve beer and wine full time, under the auspices of Four Barrel, his partners in the biz. Baker says the idea is to offer a simple nightly menu along the lines of the pizza nights, likely including pizza and salad, as well as the addition of soup and maybe grilled cheese sandwiches.

Liquor licenses tend to take several months to get approved, so it's unlikely we'll be seeing The Mill open nightly before the end of the year.

It's also unclear how much of a beer and wine selection they're planning to offer, given that their focus up until now has been solely on coffee, or who'll be curating those offerings — though the nearby Bi-Rite location could probably be of some help.

In any event, that pizza is pretty damn good, so watch out, Ragazza.

Related: The 35 Best Pizza Spots In The Inner Bay Area

Shaved snow is in the forecast this week, with the Taiwanese-style treat — somewhere between shaved ice and ice cream — arriving at a permanent spot on the Divisadero corridor this Friday. So far, the proprietors of the coming shop, Powder, have only been sharing their wares with Off The Grid goers. Yesterday, they announced on Facebook that they'll start serving shaved snow — in flavors like horchata, black sesame, Vietnamese coffee, and matcha green tea — at their first brick-and-mortar space on Friday at noon.

This spring, Eater learned that owners David Chung and Mimi Hanley had found their location at Haight and Divis, and yesterday Inside Scoop had details on the opening, as well as Powder's shaved snow-making process. To create delicate ribbons of shaved snow, Powder combines Straus Creamery dairy, flavors, and filtered water, freezing the mixture into blocks and shaving those blocks to order.

San Francisco magazine checked in with Powder as they were making preparations this summer, and Hanley explained that the shop hoped to "bridge the gap between something totally foreign and mainstream America.”

Powder — 260 Divisadero (at Haight), Open Tuesday - Sunday, 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., starting Friday, September 23

A new partnership between Hoodline and a free iPhone dashcam app called Nexar is already yielding some dramatic video content for the neighborhood news network.

The concept, admittedly a bit terrifying, has a noble goal: to "help promote safety awareness on local roads."

Here's our first example, then, of why you shouldn't make an illegal U-turn: You could knock someone off a scooter, break their foot, and end up on a blog (or worse!).

The accident took place on Friday, July 22, at Divisadero and Sacramento. The driver of the dashcam-equipped car says the scooter took a left at the very end of a green light, and, well...

Ouch. And was that a helmet that went flying?

Related: [Update] Mayor Announces 57 (Not So) New 'High Priority' Vision Zero Projects