San Francisco may be in the spotlight for its future-facing innovations, like artificial intelligence and driverless cars, but in the shadow of the city’s latest tech boom, a piece of its more eccentric and enchanting history is being unearthed and restored.
For more than 100 years, a captivating castle has clung to the eastern slope of Telegraph Hill. Julius’ Castle opened in 1922 and was a beloved restaurant and social hub, its distinctive parapet and regal turret—and dizzying views—a draw for celebrities, artists, and politicians of the day.
But it shuttered in 2007 when a previous owner tried (and failed) to skirt the city’s notorious permitting process, and it has been dark ever since. For more than 10 years now, one man has been toiling inside, painstakingly restoring the restaurant to its former glory.
On November 12, Julius’ Castle will finally reopen to the public. Afar got a first look inside as the building prepares to mark a moment that undeniably represents the rebirth of a San Francisco icon: We took in views of the bay, Alcatraz, and the illuminated Bay Bridge from within the elegantly reimagined dining rooms stacked on two stories; sampled the distinctly Northern California cuisine that will be served; and sidled up to the moody ground-floor bar.
Julius’ Castle is situated in one of San Francisco’s most storied residential neighborhoods, Telegraph Hill, in the northeast corner of the city, where shingled cottages line a hill so steep that most of the residences can be reached only by a winding stairway. Climbing (or descending) that stairway—the fabled Filbert Street Steps—is the ideal way to arrive at the restaurant, which is set at the end of a narrow, dead-end street. The steps are part of the wildly popular crosstown walking route the Double Cross Trail.
A distinctive black-and-white striped awning and a flag emblazoned with a lime-green wild parrot—the city’s official bird—will let you know that you’ve arrived.
Julius’ Castle’s resurrection
Starting November 12, the restaurant Julius’ Castle will once again welcome diners.
Photo by Maren Caruso
Owner Paul Scott is the type of idiosyncratic character that has defined San Francisco for centuries. A principled lawyer representing corporate whistleblowers and an erstwhile youth hockey coach, he decided to purchase the abandoned castle in 2012 when his young son made an offhand comment as they were passing by: “Hey, Dad, wouldn’t it be cool . . . ?” Paul lived with his family in one of the hillside cottages and knew that the neighbors dearly missed the local gathering spot. But he never expected to spend a decade resurrecting the quirky citadel.
“When we first got at it, the place was in severe disrepair. There were holes in the ceiling with water pouring through and wild animals living inside—it was crazy,” says Scott, who exudes a monk-like patience. “It was in bad shape. So it took a little doing.”
A “little doing” is the type of euphemistic understatement that the affable native Canadian is known for. Over the next decade, his castle would endure sieges including bungled inherited permitting, protestations from neighbors worried about crowds and parking, a fire, landslides, and a global pandemic that hobbled the hospitality industry.
Through it all, he fiercely protected the building’s legacy, restoring all the walnut woodwork, the dozens of original wood-framed windows, and the shingled arts and crafts exterior that had been dreamed up by Julius Roz, the original owner, and Louis Mastropasqua, his eccentric architect.
New restaurant and bar concepts
New culinary and cocktail talents are bringing fresh energy to the historic space.
Photos by Maren Caruso
But Scott wasn’t looking for a carbon copy of what existed 100 or even 50 years ago. He would pass on the forgettable Italian staples served by previous proprietors. He hired chef Christopher Santopinto, formerly of Park Tavern, State Bird Provisions and Delfina, to head the kitchen and create an aggressively local, deeply sustainable menu of distinctly San Francisco dishes.
Santopinto is developing menu items like Dungeness crab cakes and buttery garlic noodles; pillowy mushroom ravioli dotted with chanterelles and maitakes and topped with a golden-yellow egg yolk to be served at Julius’ Castle, along with salt-roasted parsnips with a plantain-inspired puree, salsa verde, and seared octopus. An aromatic fall salad of roasted romesco, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, persimmons, and a quince vinaigrette will also be on offer when the restaurant opens.
“We won’t be serving any flying cows here,” says Scott, referencing the craze for imported Wagyu beef. All the meat, fish, and produce will be sourced from farms in the area.
The menus for both the kitchen and the bar pull from the terraced garden next to the restaurant. Artichokes, peas, purple basil, and a riot of rosemary grow from the sun-soaked hillside sliced by a zigzagging staircase that leads up to the nearby Coit Tower.
The bar is overseen by Max Monroe, coming off time at San Francisco bars Holy Water, Stoa, and ABV. His drink program hews to heavily local drinks as well, with classic Bay Area cocktails, such as the Black Manhattan, a nod to San Francisco’s Bourbon & Branch, and the Pisco Punch, invented in the 1850s by Duncan Nicol at San Francisco’s Bank Exchange Saloon. Monroe’s version is shaken up with house-made pineapple gum and lemon juice and zest from the trees on the neighboring hillside. The Raging Tide—named on the spot while Monroe was mixing our drink—is a twist on an icebox martini, with clippings from the thriving rosemary bush.
Interiors that meld old and new
The new owner Paul Scott shares an uncanny resemblance to the original owner, Julius Roz, whose portrait hangs in the dining room.
Photos by Maren Caruso
Designer Jon de la Cruz, who is behind some of San Francisco’s most sought-after dining spaces such as Wayfare Tavern and Che Fico, took on the interiors. He coated the walls with textured lime paint in atmospheric blues, amplifying the feeling of dining in a tree house in the clouds. All the original Queen Anne–style dining chairs—sourced by Roz from San Francisco’s 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition—were restored and reupholstered with either caramel leather with pops of plaid or gothic black leather punctuated by brass nailheads.
Richly patterned rugs, in motifs ranging from classic floral to saucy spotted leopard print, demarcate the various spaces. In the second-floor dining room, exclusive, elevated platforms lined with mirrors and wrapped in tufted leather booths will surely be sought after by VIPs and politicos looking to be seen or guests looking to spend an evening playing at local royalty.
The top-floor dining room is housed in what was once Roz’s personal residence. The dedicated proprietor lived above the restaurant with his wife, daughter, and two beloved dogs. Today, a gold plaque near the entrance reads “Roz’s Living Room.” Above an ornate fireplace and carved wood hearth at the room’s center hangs a regal portrait of Roz, his distinguished bald head uncannily identical to that of the castle’s newest caretaker, Scott. French doors open onto the spacious roof deck, where visitors can experience the squawk and swoop of wild parrots at all hours.
Getting there and reservations
Because of limited parking on the narrow, residential street (valet will be on offer), Scott hopes that many visitors will make the pilgrimage to the castle by foot or bike, hiking the winding stone steps up from the bay or pedaling up the arduous inclines. The strenuous climb is an appropriate homage to the castle’s long, rambling odyssey.
Julius’ Castle will be accepting reservations via OpenTable.
