Restaurants
The Hountalas family association with the
Cliff House goes back to the 1920s, when
Michael Hountalas operated the Golden Gate
View Coffee Shop next to the Sutro Baths. In
1941, when Dan was six years old, he started
his own business selling peanuts outside of
his father’s shop. In 1958, Dan opened the
Cliff Chalet and, in 1965, it was extensively
remodeled and renamed Danny’s Cliff Chalet. In
June 1966, it burned down in the blaze that
destroyed the Sutro Baths.
In 1977 the Cliff House and surrounding
properties were purchased by the National Park
Service to become part of the Golden Gate
National Recreation Area. Beginning in the early
1980s, the Hountalas family began collaborating
with the National Park Service on launching
a much-need restoration of the Cliff House. The
decision was made to restore the historic Cliff
House to its 1909 neoclassical style and construction
began in 2002.
Famous for its history, location, and
ambiance, the Cliff House renewed 140 years of
dining history with the grand reopening of the
restored 1909 structure in September 2004.
Perched on spectacular cliffs overlooking the
Pacific Ocean, the Cliff House is one of the
crown jewels of San Francisco’s Golden Gate
National Recreation Area.
Architect C. David Robinson of San Francisco
was responsible for the design and renovation.
Spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean are
emphasized in both the neoclassic design of the
restored 1909 structure and the soaring modernist
space of the new wing. Skylights and grand
picture windows accentuate natural light in all
public spaces. Robinson used primarily natural materials—concrete, copper, slate, and glass—to
blend the new building into the scenic coastline.
The Sutro Wing is a blend of contemporary
design and the grand architecture of the historic
Sutro Baths. It houses a two-story restaurant
called Sutro’s at the Cliff House, with stunning
panoramic ocean views. An expanded menu features
a strong emphasis on seafood and organically grown
products. The impressive two-story, floor-to-ceiling
windows reveal views that are beyond compare.
The décor of soft ocean colors and natural wood
creates a feeling of calm while the ocean reminds
you of the power and beauty of nature.
The restored 1909 structure houses The
Bistro Restaurant, the elegant Zinc Bar, and
includes The Terrace Room on the lower level.
Some of the Cliff House history can be seen in
the more than 200 autographed pictures of dignitaries
and movie stars on display for public
viewing in The Bistro. Executive Chef Kevin
Weber, who has been at the Cliff House for 32
years, oversees all food operations. The Cliff
House boasts a dramatic look and expanded
access to the breathtaking views that have been
a magnet for locals and visitors from around the
world since 1863.
VP of Operations Ralph Burgin notes, “The
Cliff House has always been a symbol of historic
San Francisco. In keeping with our tradition, we
have menu offerings for everyone from hamburgers
in The Bistro to filet mignon at Sutro’s.”
The food in both restaurants focuses on local,
and when possible, organic. “If it’s organic but
being shipped from 1,000 miles away, we don’t
want to buy it,” says Burgin. “It just doesn’t
make a lot of sense, environmentally speaking,
to truck products in from far away.”
Burgin, who grows micro-arugula and over
45 varieties of organic heirloom tomatoes on an
acre of land in Sonoma, has run an eco-friendly
establishment for many years. All menus, bottles,
and cans are recycled, paper towels are
unbleached, food waste is composted, and
used oil is picked up for conversion into biofuel.
For a short time, they even used
biodegradable garbage bags, which proved to
be too costly. Now, they do even better: they
use nothing and take the extra effort to rinse
the bins each day.
He credits the owners, Dan and Mary Hountalas,
with giving him the ability to focus on sustainability.
He’s also grateful to his team of managers
who handle the recycling and composting.
“Sometimes doing things this way costs a little
more, but they support all of our efforts and
encourage us to continue,” Burgin says. As a
result of these combined efforts, Cliff House
garbage has been reduced by about 80 percent.
Cliff House has been a San Francisco icon
since 1863 and throughout its long and colorful
history has undergone three rebuilds and four
major renovations. The first Cliff House was a
modest structure built in 1863 by Masters Butler
and Buckley. The guest register bore the
names of three U.S. presidents and prominent
San Francisco families such as the Hearsts,
Stanfords, and Crockers. In 1881, the Cliff
House was sold to Adolph Sutro, a self-made
millionaire, philanthropist, and later a mayor of
San Francisco. On Christmas Day 1894, the
first Cliff House was destroyed by fire. Sutro
spent $75,000 in 1896 to rebuild the Cliff
House in grandiose style. Fashioned after a
French chateau, the second Cliff House boasted
eight stories, spires, and an observation tower
200 feet above sea level. Though never a hotel,
it served as an elegant site for dining, dancing,
and entertainment. This was the most resplendent
and beloved of all the Cliff Houses but it
was short lived. The exquisite building survived
the 1906 earthquake only to succumb to a raging
fire the following year.
A third Cliff House was built in 1909 by
Sutro’s daughter Emma. It was neoclassic in
design and carried on the tradition of sumptuous
dining. The Depression and two world wars took
their toll on the area. The Sutro family then sold
the Cliff House in 1952 to George Whitney. The
Cliff House was remodeled several times before
the National Park Service acquired it in 1977.
This year marks the 100-year anniversary of
the 1909 Cliff House. Exciting festivities are
being planned and will be announced soon.
Although not as impressive in design as the
Victorian Cliff House, the building was designed
and built to last. As Mary Hountalas noted, “the
old girl was falling apart” but with the restoration
and retrofit she should stand for another
hundred years.