According to an On-Sale General Eating Place permit application that has been pending since October 6th, Elena Duggan, a managing partner at Original Joe’s, plans to open a new restaurant called Casa Elena. She is listed as a co-owner alongside her brother, John Duggan. The address for the eatery is 243-255 W Portal Ave in San Francisco, a spot that was previously home to Orexi, a Mediterranean restaurant.
Restauranteuring has run in Elena and John Duggan’s family since the ’30s. According to the Original Joe’s website, her grandfather, Tony Rodin, was the founder. Tony’s daughter and son-in-law, Marie and John J. Duggan managed the business after him. Then, their first daughter, Elena, and son, John, took over.
What Now San Francisco recently reached out to the Casa Elena Co-Owners to inquire about potential opening dates and pertinent details, but they were not immediately available for comment. Nonetheless, it’s likely that a new Italian restaurant is coming to San Francisco.
While it’s unclear how Casa Elena will relate to Original Joe’s, the primary restaurant’s approach has kept its doors open for nearly a century — serving lunch and dinner, plus brunch on the weekends. Original Joe’s lunch and dinner house specialties include eggplant parmigiana, house-made baked lasagna, roasted prime rib, and Joe’s Special — a “signature scramble of ground beef, spinach, onion, eggs,” with the option to add mushrooms. They offer an extensive wine and spirits menu regularly, in addition to a brunch beverage menu rife with specialty cocktails — The Bloody Joe, a spiced mezcal paloma, and Elena’s espresso martini, to name a few.
With an Original Joe’s in North Beach and another in Westlake, Casa Elena is set to become the family’s third Bay Area eatery.
