San Francisco’s South of Market district, known as SOMA, has long mixed warehouses, offices, tech firms and new housing. For residents and workers there, one recurring wish in the late 2000s was for a relaxed place that sat between fast food and a fine-dining dinner. Ironside was the answer from the team behind the restaurant District, and this site collects what the archive records about it.
The idea
Ironside followed what its backers called a high-low model: quality, house-made food at friendly prices in a comfortable room. It opened in autumn 2009 as an all-day eatery, with coffee and light bites in the morning, takeaway or sit-down lunch, an afternoon break, and dinner with beer and wine on tap.
What the archive covers
- A look at the breakfast offering, built around locally roasted coffee and freshly baked buns.
- The lunch approach: made-to-order sandwiches, salads and pizza.
- The dinner menu of American comfort food.
- A weekend brunch with a bottomless format.
- The happy hour concept.
- How the restaurant approached takeout and delivery and office catering.
- The press coverage and the original launch announcement.
The setting
The restaurant occupied a renovated two-level loft in a historic building on the border of South Beach and SOMA. The site once housed a shipbuilding company’s machine shop, and the interior borrowed from that past with rugged wood tables and an industrial staircase.
About this page
This is an informational profile based on archived material. It is not the restaurant’s own website and takes no reservations, orders or enquiries. Menus, hours and details changed over time and should not be relied on today.