Hi Lo BBQ. Photo: John Storey/The Chronicle
Big news from the Mission District: Hi Lo BBQ is slated to be sold after roughly a year of business on 19th Street.
The buyer is a group led by David Barzelay, who runs Lazy Bear, an underground pop-up that offers $95 tasting menus (15-17 courses, BYOB) three nights a week.
“The Lazy Bear guys came to us unsolicited with a real generous offer for the space,” says Hi Lo BBQ’s Dave Esler, who also owns the building with several partners. He adds that Hi Lo BBQ has been profitable for them, especially given the recent changes to the bar; he’ll now be Barzelay’s landlord.
Hi Lo BBQ partner Scott Youkilis concurs, saying that they weren’t looking to sell but decided to take the offer: “Unfortunately it’s one of those things we had to make a decision, and it’s what we decided was best for the group. We have a list of new projects and concepts we’ve been working on, and this gives us more time to work on them.”
Youkilis, Esler and company still own Hog & Rocks across the street, where rising star chef Robin Song will continue to cook. Hi Lo BBQ will remain open until the liquor license transfer is complete, a process that usually takes around 90 days. So get in while you can.
“We want to finish strong,” says Youkilis. “Robin has done a great job of getting that place in a sweet spot. We’re at a high point and want to go out with a bang.”
A dish from one of the Lazy Bear dinners: A Cheeseburger Chip
Looking ahead to the next regime at 3416 19th Street, Barzelay is not a trained chef, but rather a trained lawyer. After passing the bar exam, he worked as a lawyer for eight months in 2009 before getting laid off. Then he staged at a bunch of restaurants (the culinary equivalent of internships) and eventually started doing his Lazy Bear dinners.
In this new Mission venture, Barzelay has some partners: John Litz and several other people who he says he cannot name.
Barzelay says he cannot say whether or not his upcoming restaurant will be Lazy Bear, or Anagram (the name he gave his brick-and-mortar restaurant a year ago when looking for investors), or something entirely different; nor can he say whether his new restaurant will follow the same tasting menu format. For what it’s worth, Litz’s About Me bio says he is working on an “innovative fine dining restaurant” in the Mission named Anagram. Stay tuned.
Hi Lo BBQ: 3416 19th Street, between Mission and Valencia, San Francisco. (415) 874-9921 or hilobbqsf.com. Dinner nightly.