Dobbs Ferry Permanently Closes After Nearly a Decade in Hayes Valley

Dobbs Ferry is closing permanently in Hayes Valley, after nine years of serving no-nonsense drinks to the neighborhood, Hoodline reports. The restaurant and bar has been closed for several months, since shelter in place began, only attempting a takeout window for a couple of weeks. Husband-and-wife owners Steve Izzo and Lee Ann Frahm Izzo, who bought the bar two years ago, said they received a small loan, but ultimately couldn’t make rent. “We worked with our landlord to renegotiate the lease,” Lee Ann told Hoodline. “But we were unsuccessful with that.”

Dobbs Ferry originally opened in 2011, as a kind of no-nonsense, New England-inspired neighborhood bar. It had an unusual layout, bouncing between the bar on Hayes and a dining room on Gough, with a connecting hallway that cut through the block. Longtime bartender Evans Horn, who departed a few years back, originally came over from Spruce, but promised drinks that “don’t take 25 minutes to make.” It’s always been a spot to grab a beer and nuggets and watch the game, and maybe one of the last affordable bars in the neighborhood. On Saturday nights, it was the industry hangout, collecting line cooks from neighboring restaurants.

Twitter moved into its huge headquarters a year later, and with tech professionals spilling over into Hayes, the neighborhood upscaled as a dining destination. But now, Twitter employees also aren’t coming back to work anytime soon, if ever. And those neighborhood restaurants and bars might still be stuck paying high rents.

• After 9 years, Dobbs Ferry departs Hayes Valley permanently [Hoodline]
• Where to Eat and Drink in Hayes Valley