New Orleans-Inspired Eatery Gentilly To End 5-Year Run

One of the Excelsior’s well-loved restaurants is set to close this month after five years of business.

The owners of New Orleans-inspired cocktail and cajun food restaurant Gentilly announced on Jan. 10 that they will call it quits on Jan. 31.

“Getting a chance to be a part of the Excelsior community and to provide a warm place of meeting for all of you has been hugely rewarding and gratifying and we will be forever honored that you let us be a part of your lives,” the owners posted on social media.

Gentilly co-owner Alexis Hyatt told The Ingleside Light they had no further comment.

What started in 2019, just months before the pandemic hit, was a passion project by Hyatt and chef Sarah Duncan. The duo wanted to bring their love for New Orleans food, drinks and culture to San Francisco.

It quickly became a neighborhood favorite with beignets, Maw Maw’s gumbo, po’ boys and creamy cajun pasta and specialty cocktails like “Gentilly’s Arguably Well-known Margaritas” and “Second Line Daiquiris.”

“It was our go-to place for a nice dinner out,” said Lorraine Albert, who lives a few blocks away from Gentilly. “The food is delicious. The cocktails are unique and also delicious. The staff is always super friendly. We became regulars over the years and always felt super welcome. It was a warm, fun place to go.”

Gentilly became the home to many musicians looking for a start in the live performance scene. Saxophonist for the jazz duo Sushi & Cheeseburger Jason Blasingame, a.k.a Mr. Cheeseburger, said his band would play monthly at the restaurant and was “just floored” over the closure news.

“Gentilly has always embraced its community and has been super supportive in embracing the local music scene by providing each of SF's musicians with a welcoming space,” Blasingame said. “Great music fans in the crowd too. Honestly the best.”

Other small business owners have felt the pressure of keeping their doors open like event planning and hospitality agency Make It Mariko owner and Excelsior resident Gina Mariko Rosales, who has seen her favorite small businesses and past clients close on a weekly basis.

“It’s such a bummer, especially a woman-owned business like theirs and just really have such high hopes,” Rosales said. “I know the feeling of the dreams and so much beauty created. It’s not the end. I know they will always come back in another place, hopefully. In the meantime, the district suffers and the local residents don’t have this space anymore.”

Jerry Day Committee co-founder Tom Murphy, who coordinates with many of the Excelsior’s stores for their yearly Jerry Day celebrations, urges the city to prioritize small businesses and said the formation of the community benefit district should help the district bring in proper talent and resources that are much needed for promotion, business recruitment and commercial revitalization of the corridor.

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Despite the closure, they plan to operate through pop-ups and events with the eventual goal of reopening a physical location in the area.

The Ingleside LightAnne Marie Kristoff

"In my opinion, the city needs to do a better job of empowering individuals, groups and various entities that simply have a track record of success, can be held accountable and bring in results,” Murphy said. “I'm looking forward to these developments and thank Gentilly for bringing something special and unique to the neighborhood."

While the closure of Gentilly is bittersweet, the team behind it wants to share as many laughs and smiles as they can with its patrons until they close and urges customers to use their gift cards, if they have any.