San Francisco Brewing Co. to Open Mission Bay Brewery and Restaurant This Summer

Family-Owned Craft Brewery Expands with Largest Location to Date

On Friday, June 26, San Francisco Brewing Co. (SFBCo.), the family-owned craft brewery established in 2012 by Josh Leavy, will open a new 18,680-square-foot brewery and restaurant in the city’s Mission Bay neighborhood. The new location is SFBCo.’s largest project to date, joining the existing Ghirardelli Square brewery and significantly increasing the company’s production capacity and adding a distilling operation.

THE MISSION BAY BREWERY

The new outpost at 100 Hooper Street operates as a full-service restaurant and production brewery with indoor and outdoor dining, a large mezzanine event space, courtyard, and 26-seat bar. It holds a 2 a.m. liquor license seven nights a week and plans to host outdoor live entertainment under an approved music permit, with DJs and live music on weekends. Guests can drink within sight of the brewing operation, where large beer tanks and a 750-gallon copper pot still imported from Scotland—the largest in California—anchor the production area. An arcade corner with a four-person Pac-Man game, a photo booth, and sports memorabilia round out a relaxed, game-friendly atmosphere, and brewery tours are planned in the months following opening.

Operations are led by Brewmaster Justin Boehle, who joined SFBCo. in 2018 with the opening of Ghirardelli Square after more than 20 years at Gordon Biersch Brewing Company and holds a degree in Viticulture and Enology from California State University, Fresno. The new brewery includes nearly 7,000 square feet of dedicated brewing space, supporting expanded production and rotating seasonal releases alongside the core lineup, including the best-selling Alcatraz Amber Ale, Presidio Pilsner, Fog City Hazy IPA, and Marina Blonde.

“Mission Bay felt like the right next step for us. It gives us the space to grow our production and do what we love on a larger scale, but at the end of the day, it is about having a place where people want to come back—where they can really gather, see what we do, and be a part of it,” said Josh Leavy. “We’re excited to get more of our beer out into the world and build something that becomes a true destination for the Bay Area.”

The location will also be home to Hooper St. Distilling Co., the company's first move into spirits, currently in research and development on two stills for gin, vodka, and whiskey, with launch planned within the year.

ORIGIN AND FAMILY LEGACY

What began as a college research project at a local brewery sparked a lasting fascination with craft beer culture, eventually leading Josh Leavy to leave the Bay Area technology industry and strike out on his own. He launched San Francisco Brewing Co. in 2012 as a small-batch operation, at times delivering kegs to bars and restaurants by Vespa, which he still rides to this day. It was a fitting beginning for someone whose family has been in the business since 1923, when Josh’s great-grandfather helped establish Mexicali Brewery in Baja California.

Joining Josh are his wife, Jennifer Leavy, and brother, Aaron Leavy, who came on with the Ghirardelli Square opening in 2018 and have been instrumental in building SFBCo. into the operation it is today. The expansion into Mission Bay marks the next chapter and a deepened commitment to San Francisco.

CULINARY PROGRAM

The food program is led by Executive Chef Nas (Ignacio) Maldonado, who honed his pizza-making craft at Cellarmaker Brewing Company’s House of Pizza and cut his teeth in fine dining under Chef Traci Des Jardins at Jardinière. The menu draws on San Francisco pub culture with elevated, bar-friendly fare that is equally welcoming to families, developed in collaboration with restaurant consultant Brian Reccow.

Seasonal appetizers and salads include Fried Calamari; House Meatballs; Giant Pretzel served with cheese sauce and stout mustard; Heirloom Tomato and Stone Fruit: stracciatella, grilled nectarines, hot honey (add prosciutto); and Little Gem Caesar with garlic breadcrumbs (add crispy chicken). Tacos include the IPA Pulled Pork and Al Pastor Chicken, served with pickled onion and habanero pineapple salsa.

Burgers and sandos feature the SFBCo. Smash Burger with double smash patty, cheddar, and pickles; Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich with crispy thigh, slaw, and chile honey glaze; and a BLT served on house-made bread with lemon basil aioli. Buffalo Wings and Chili Garlic Wings are served with traditional accoutrements, and fries range from Classic to Garlic to Loaded with cheddar cheese sauce, bacon bits, house burger sauce, and scallions.

Sicilian pizzas include classics like Margherita and Pepperoni, and seasonal pies like Summer Corn Elote with roasted corn, poblano crema, and cotija; and the Meatball and Summer Vegetables with zucchini, basil, and Parmesan.

The skewer program features marinated cuts of Chicken Thigh, Flank Steak, and Pork served with tamari and sesame seeds. Vegetarians will love the Summer Veggies Skewer: summer squash, peppers, mushroom. Each order comes with three sticks, and the Skewer Sampler includes all four.

Desserts include Strawberry Tres Leches and Vanilla Ice Cream with miso caramel and toasted pistachios.

BEVERAGE PROGRAM

The draft cocktail program is overseen by consultant Shane McKnight, the founder of Top Hat Provisions, a local purveyor that began in South San Francisco. McKnight has built craft cocktail programs for festivals including Coachella, BottleRock, and Outside Lands. At the new location, he will introduce three core draft cocktails plus a rotating fourth, including an Espresso Martini with vodka, Single Origin Espresso, SFBCo. Chocolate Stout, and Ghirardelli Chocolate; Strawberry Dream with vodka, strawberry, and lime; Paloma with agave tequila, Aperol, grapefruit, lime, agave nectar, and hibiscus; Margarita; and Spicy Margarita with agave tequila, lime, spicy agave nectar, and a togarashi-chile salt rim. The bar will serve non-alcoholic options such as the Pathfinder Mule, made with Pathfinder NA spirit and Top Hat Craft Ginger Beer, and beer will be available to go. The wine list offers a simple, affordable selection of locally sourced California wines, such as Cultivar.

DESIGN

The space was designed by King O’Kelly Architects, a San Francisco Bay Area architecture practice with extensive experience in hospitality, adaptive reuse, and commercial design. The project brings brewery operations, distillation, dining, retail, and event programming together within a single environment that embraces the building’s raw industrial character. Guests enter through a double-height lobby and lounge defined by a shou sugi ban feature wall and oversized neon signage before moving into a bar and dining hall anchored by a nearly 40-foot-long bar with expansive views into the brewing and distillation areas. The open-air 2,300-square-foot mezzanine level overlooks the dining room and provides a dedicated event space that feels part of the action. Material selections include exposed concrete, blackened steel, and walnut, while visibility into production was treated as a central design driver throughout.

“San Francisco Brewing Co. gave us the opportunity to blur the line between production and hospitality,” said Dennis O’Kelly, Principal of King O’Kelly Architects. “From the moment guests arrive, they can see and feel the brewing process as part of the experience. The design celebrates that connection between craft, community, and place, making the energy of production visible throughout the space.”

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Set in Mission Bay, the new location is positioned as a hospitality anchor for a community framed by Oracle Park, Chase Center, UCSF, and a concentration of technology and biotech companies. The space at 100 Hooper Street is a Kilroy property.

LOCATION AND OPENING

San Francisco Brewing Co.
100 Hooper Street, San Francisco, CA

ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO BREWING CO.

Founded in 2012 by Josh Leavy and rooted in a family brewing legacy dating back to 1923, San Francisco Brewing Co. is the only brewery with end-to-end brewing operations in San Francisco. Its flagship opened at Ghirardelli Square in 2018, followed by the Mission Bay location in 2026.

MEDIA CONTACT

Ashley Hamik Communications
(707) 849-0212

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