Change Is Good. Except When It’s Not: Washbag Vs. Metreon

While one restaurant re-opened last week after more than a year’s hiatus with not a napkin out of place, another dining space will get a complete makeover to avoid closing forever.

The Washington Square Bar & Grill, which closed in late 2007, is back open for business, and word is the new owners haven’t changed a thing. Meanwhile, the new(ish) owners of the Metreon, at Fourth and Mission streets, plan to change just about everything about that retail/dining complex in order to keep it afloat.

The Westfield Group, which owns the nearby Westfield Center, partnered with Forest City Enterprises to buy the Metreon from Sony in 2006. Now, according to an article in today’s San Francisco Chronicle, they’re planning to renovate just about every part of it, including opening a new location of New York’s Tavern on the Green restaurant.

Meanwhile, the good old Washbag seems to be newly flourishing thanks to the opposite tack of keeping things just as they were. A Yelper who visited over the weekend claims it was crowded, but service, food, and music were on point.

Metreon overhaul will embrace its surroundings [SF Chronicle]
Opening: Washington Square Bar & Grill [SF Chronicle]
Tavern on the Green [MenuPages]
Tavern on the Green [Official Site]
Washington Square Bar & Grill [MenuPages]
Washington Square Bar & Grill [Official Site]

[Photo: Via Chia-Ling/flickr]

Change Is Good. Except When It’s Not: Washbag Vs. Metreon