The filet mignon, escargot, and live violin music are no longer a fixture at the Jeanne D’Arc restaurant beneath Union Square’s Cornell Hotel de France, as the restaurant has permanently shuttered, and will serve exclusively as an event space.
It was a huge deal for enthusiasts of French cuisine when the decades-old French restaurant Jeanne d'Arc at Union Square/Nob Hill’s Cornell Hotel de France reopened in late 2023 after a long COVID-era closure. It did not close because of COVID, both the hotel and the restaurant closed a week before shelter-in-place was declared in 2020, as then-owners Claude and Micheline Lambert retired. Yet San Diego restaurateur Manoj Chawla and Oceanic Properties brought back both the hotel and the restaurant named for the patron saint of France in December 2023, with all of the medieval art, stained glass windows, and live violin-playing for which the place was renowned.
But Tablehopper briefly mentioned last week that Jeanne D’Arc had closed permanently, barely a year after its much-heralded reopening. And SFGate confirmed the news Wednesday, adding that the space had actually quietly closed this past September. That outlet noted that the restaurant’s dining area would still be available as an event space rental, though the kitchen would be no more.
“The decision was made in response to shifting demand, with a growing interest in private event spaces in San Francisco,” Oceanic Properties’ marketing director Priscila Damasceno told SFGate.
Jeanne D’Arc originally opened in 1972 under the Lamberts, and when it reopened in 2023, they brought the restaurant’s longtime chef Bernard Moutal out of retirement. His staples of a filet mignon with French wild mushroom sauce, escargot, and braised rabbit were standouts, but the highlight of a visit was always the collection of Medieval French art that made one feel like one was dining in another century.
That art is still there, but can only be enjoyed by those who rent the space for events, parties, and receptions. The event space can accommodate up to 80 guests, but outside catering is required, though the old kitchen is available for caterers’ use.
Images: Joe Kukura, SFist
