At this San Francisco Spanish restaurant, you need to pawn something to get in.
Most small items will do (a hair clip, ring or eraser work just fine), but if you come empty handed to The Pawn Shop, you might just have to learn to juggle or perform a dance for the Pawn Master to gain entry permission.
“We’re gonna let people in (if they don’t bring an item to pawn), but if you don’t want to be pushed a little bit or embarrassed, you might want to bring something or at least see what you have in your pocket,” said executive chef Jonny Meinke.
When most people think speakeasy, they often imagine a cocktail bar, managing partner Michael Anthony said, but The Pawn Shop isn’t your typical speakeasy — it’s a Spanish tapas restaurant rooted in California sensibility, with a focus on seasonal, local produce.
The experience starts in the front facade of the restaurant, a treasure trove cluttered with random items. Give an item you’re willing to part with to The Pawn Master, who will in turn give you a trinket back. After a theatrical secret code, a trick door opens to reveal the restaurant.
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The ambiance is far from uptight or stuffy. Upon entering the restaurant, guests are greeted with a shower of bubbles from a bubble gun and cheers from those already seated inside the restaurant. Dine a bit later in the evening, and you might get swept up in a conga line led by a drag queen. If it’s your birthday, staff will pour housemade sangria directly into your mouth.
“We try to strike a nice balance between going out for a nice dinner and feeling sometimes maybe uncomfortable because it’s a little too nice, but also going out to a place that’s a little too casual and maybe the focus isn’t quite there in terms of food and service,” Meinke said.
An Oakland native, Meinke’s culinary perspective is rooted in seasonality and highlighting the fresh and abundant produce and seafood in California. One seasonal dish Meinke is particularly excited about is the poached green almonds with marinated manchego and olives ($10).
“It’s these immature almonds that have the husk and all, but because they’re so young, they’re tender,” he said.
While dishes are available only for a limited time, others reliably stay on the menu, including the pork rillette and Spanish octopus, although the side dishes plated with it change seasonally ($20-$32). For example, the pork rillette is currently served with honey mustard, rhubarb relish and caramelized apple, but has previously been served with pomegranate puree, pickled rhubarb, fig and candied coriander.
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One of Meinke’s favorite dishes is the duck liver mousse, with brandy gelee, pickled green strawberries, red mustard frill and toast ($22).
“It’s not everyone’s cup of tea,” he said. “I know it’s a little bit out there, but I think it’s pretty delicious.”
The beverage list features a variety of French and Spanish wines by the glass and bottle, as well as beer, low-ABV cocktails and mocktails.
For dessert, don’t skip on the churros, which are small, tender and crispy, served with a rich dark chocolate sauce ($14). If you don’t have a sweet tooth, Meinke recommends the triple cream cheese with tart cherry conserva, honeycomb and bread ($18).
After finishing your meal, the server will ask if you’d like to go to the next adventure. Say yes, and they’ll guide you through a secret door to the cocktail bar and nightclub Monarch. Go through yet another secret door in Monarch and you’ll enter 200 Channels, an event venue featuring live shows and cocktails (you’ll need to purchase a ticket to enter). The Pawn Shop also features a secret small karaoke room, available to book up to 10 people.
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The Monarch Management Group, consisting of Tadd Cortell, Manny Alferez, Micah Byrnes and Chris Smith, opened Monarch in November of 2011, quickly realizing they needed to expand to accommodate guests asking for food and corporate events. When the lease for next-door pawn shop Money Loaned was up, they jumped on the opportunity to turn the space into a restaurant.
The original vision for the space was a restaurant decorated with pawned items that guests could buy, with proceeds benefiting a cause of the month. But the team hit a snag: Permitting issues prevented these items from being in the restaurant without being sealed or wrapped. So they pivoted, instead going for a 1920s Havana- style courtyard-inspired ambiance with exposed brick walls, hardwood floors and steelwork.
“What’s interesting about it now is that it’s such a juxtaposition from the funky pawn shop through that door, that you’re just transported into another land,” Anthony said.
When next-door adult bookstore Liberty Books closed, the team decided to also take it over, transforming it into 200 Channels.
“We’re basically doing homages to everything that was here before in the city with different spins on it,” Anthony said. “So the pawn shop is still called The Pawn Shop, but it’s a restaurant now. Liberty Bookstore is now a crazy-ass edgy theater that features high-end neo-burlesque, which is an homage to the ‘60s and ‘70s pin-up girls and strip club stuff that you’d see there, but done in a very elevated modern fashion.”
Now with three distinct spaces all interconnected, Anthony envisions a night out in San Francisco like this: Start with dinner at The Pawn Shop, enjoy a cocktail while watching the show at 200 Channels, then end the evening with DJ and dancing at Monarch.
“Come to dinner at 6, go to a show at 7:30, go dancing from 9:30 to 2 in the morning,” Anthony said.
The Pawn Shop, 993 Mission St., San Francisco; 415-874-8041, Instagram: @thepawnshopsf. Open Tuesday to Thursday from 5-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5-10 p.m.
