San Francisco’s Squat and Gobble in West Portal will close January 25, ending 33-year run

A longtime West Portal breakfast address is preparing to shut its doors

Squat and Gobble, a San Francisco cafe known for its all-day breakfast and crepes, is set to close its West Portal location on Sunday, January 25, 2026. The West Portal dining room is the business’ final remaining outpost after earlier closures across the city, ending a run that began in 1993.

The closure was announced publicly by the owners in a social media message that framed the decision as difficult and thanked customers for supporting the restaurant through multiple eras of the neighborhood’s commercial life.

From single cafe to small chain — and back to one neighborhood room

Over more than three decades, Squat and Gobble operated as a small San Francisco-based chain with multiple locations at its peak, including sites in the Marina and Castro districts. The West Portal restaurant—located at 1 West Portal Avenue near the Muni station—became the last location still operating.

The restaurant built a following around a broad menu that blended diner-style breakfast staples with sweet and savory crepes, alongside burgers and other lunch-and-dinner options. That format—breakfast-forward but not breakfast-only—helped it function as both a neighborhood routine and a casual meeting spot throughout the day.

A 2012 four-alarm fire tested the business and disrupted the neighborhood

The West Portal storefront had already faced a major disruption in October 2012, when a pre-dawn four-alarm fire started at the restaurant’s address and spread to adjacent buildings. Fire officials reported the incident caused millions of dollars in total damage across impacted properties and disrupted nearby Muni Metro service during the morning commute. Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries at the time.

The owners have referenced rebuilding after that fire as one of the defining challenges in the cafe’s later history, underscoring the restaurant’s long relationship with the immediate community.

What the closure means for West Portal’s commercial corridor

While no replacement tenant or reuse plan for the space has been publicly confirmed, the loss of a long-running breakfast destination removes a familiar anchor from West Portal Avenue’s retail mix. For many neighborhood business districts, long-tenured cafes serve an outsize role: they draw morning foot traffic, create routine local activity, and support adjacent small businesses through steady, predictable visits.

• Last day of service: Sunday, January 25, 2026
• Location: 1 West Portal Avenue, San Francisco
• Founded: 1993

Squat and Gobble’s West Portal dining room, once one of several across San Francisco, will close at the end of January, concluding more than three decades of operation.

The final week is expected to draw longtime regulars and former customers returning for a last visit, marking the end of a business that has been part of West Portal’s breakfast landscape for a generation.