Julius’ Castle Reopens November 12 on Telegraph Hill With Chef Christopher Santopinto

Julius’ Castle, the turreted restaurant on the east slope of Telegraph Hill that has been closed for nearly two decades, will reopen to the public on Thursday, November 12, 2026. Owner Paul Scott announced the date this week, and the restaurant will take reservations through OpenTable, according to SFist and a first look published by Afar.

The site reported in July that a September reopening was planned. That date slipped, and in mid-October Scott told KTVU he was aiming for early November.

Who Is Cooking and Pouring

The chef is Christopher Santopinto, whose resume includes State Bird Provisions, Delfina and Park Tavern. Afar describes a locally sourced Northern California menu with dishes in development such as Dungeness crab cakes, garlic noodles, mushroom ravioli with chanterelles and maitakes, and seared octopus with salt-roasted parsnips. Produce for the kitchen and the bar comes partly from the terraced garden beside the building.

The ground-floor bar is run by Max Monroe, who has worked at Holy Water, Stoa and ABV. His list leans on Bay Area classics, including a Pisco Punch, the drink created at San Francisco’s Bank Exchange Saloon in the 1850s.

Inside the Castle

Designer Jon de la Cruz, known for Wayfare Tavern and Che Fico, did the interiors. Dining rooms fill two floors, and the top floor, once the apartment of founder Julius Roz, now holds a room called “Roz’s Living Room” with French doors to a roof deck. The original dining chairs, which Afar reports Roz bought from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, were restored and reupholstered. Views from the rooms take in the bay, Alcatraz and the Bay Bridge.

A Landmark Back in Use

Julius’ Castle sits at 1541 Montgomery Street, below Coit Tower. Roz built it in the 1920s with architect Louis Mastropasqua, and the city designated it a San Francisco landmark in 1980. Scott, an attorney who lived in a cottage on the hill, bought the property in 2012. KTVU reports that the Planning Commission approved his plans with conditions in 2017 and that a neighborhood group’s lawsuit against the reopening was denied in 2019. The renovation also dealt with a fire, hillside landslides and the pandemic.

Getting There

The restaurant is at the end of a narrow dead-end block with very little parking. Valet will be available, but Scott is encouraging guests to arrive on foot or by bike, and the Filbert Street Steps run beside the restaurant up toward Coit Tower. A visit pairs easily with an afternoon in North Beach or a walk up to Coit Tower before dinner. Reservations had not opened as of October 30; watch the restaurant’s OpenTable page. For other November openings and events, see things to do in San Francisco in November 2026.

Sources: SFist (opening date, chef, October 30); Afar (menu, bar, design, reservations, October 30); KTVU (permits, lawsuit, landmark history, October 15).

Photo: CommonUploaderBot, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.