Overview
- Owner Paul Scott confirmed the turreted Telegraph Hill restaurant will reopen in September 2026 and says a chef has been hired though the operator and menu remain undisclosed.
- Scott says most building permits have been issued, the kitchen equipment is installed, and only final exterior and finishing touches remain before a soft relaunch for neighborhood contributors followed by public service.
- The renovation overcame major structural and permitting hurdles including discovery that parts of the original building sat over a property line, a sliding hillside that required stabilization, and a renovation fire that destroyed a turret which had to be rebuilt.
- Neighbors sued to block the project over noise and traffic concerns after the San Francisco Planning Commission approved the restoration in 2017, but a judge dismissed that complaint in 2019, clearing the legal path forward.
- Julius' Castle, landmarked in 1980 and closed since 2008, is returning as a public restaurant rather than condos, a move that restores a longtime cultural venue while reviving local debates over parking, traffic and tourist impacts.