Nico Madrigal-Yankowski
July 14, 2022
Gourmet Carousel, at the corner of Franklin and Pine, is under new management.
Andrew D./YelpGourmet Carousel, a fixture in San Francisco’s Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood since 1984, is currently closed. But the question is: for how long? First spotted by Marcia Gagliardi, aka The Tablehoppernew management has yet to take over.
The nearly 40-year-old restaurant on the corner of Pine and Franklin Streets, with its navy blue awning that at one point was a distinct shade of San Francisco street sign green, has been serving Chinese food to local residents and restaurant critics alike over the years. In 1994, former San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer reviewed Gourmet Carousel and wrote, “It has been one of the nicest surprises I can remember: three-star food at prices that rival any in the city.” (SFGATE and the Chronicle are both owned by Hearst but operate independently of one another.)
Some sleuthing by the Tablehopper, though, has confirmed that the restaurant is currently not open for business. The restaurant’s phone line rang around 20 times when SFGATE tried to call, delivery orders are no longer available on GrubHub and its reservation system has been removed from OpenTable. It is unclear when the restaurant closed this year.
What also remains unclear is whether it will reopen under new management or become a completely new restaurant. According to an alcoholic beverage control license, which was also first spotted by the Tablehopper, the transfer of ownership process began on June 18. Former owner Guo M Zhang transferred the license to Rui Sen Zhou and as of July 14, the license transfer is still pending. The restaurant’s website is also still active as of Thursday afternoon.
Hung tao yee foo (fried wonton soup) at Gourmet Carousel in San Francisco.
From the business owner/YelpPopular dishes at Gourmet Carousel included hung tao yee (fried wonton soup), Chinese fried chicken served with crackly shrimp chips and Peking duck. Only time will tell if these dishes, and their affordable prices, will make an appearance on the menu when it reopens.
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