Mr. Pollo, presumably some sort of chicken shack, isn’t exactly what it claims to be. No, it used to be a chicken shack, and now it’s something very different.
Mr. Pollo was founded in 2010 by chef Jonathan Becklund and Will McGuire, who took over an old Columbian chicken restaurant and decided to preserve the name and imagery. While the name might lead your assumptions astray, Mr Pollo is actually a tasting menu restaurant that offers continually rotating four-course meals for a flat fee.
While tasting menu restaurants might evoke images of stuffy elites paying hundreds of dollars for tiny French appetizers, Mr. Pollo is intended to be a much more casual tasting experience – one that favors intimacy over exclusivity.
For only $30 a head, Mr. Pollo offers an intimate four-course meal where every aspect of the experiences is operated by the owners. With enough space for up to twelve diners at one time, Mr. Pollo “takes the bull shit out of dining.”
Mr. Pollo was forced to shutter in March of last year due to complications from the global pandemic, and until now it has remained closed with no indication of reopening. According to a license application uncovered by What Now San Francisco though, it appears that Mr. Pollo is gearing up for a grand re-opening, intending to stay at the same location they’ve always occupied – 2823 Mission Street.
Jonathan Becklund has transferred his on-sale beer and wine license to Will, indicating that there will be some kind of shift in ownership when Mr. Pollo opens up. It is unclear at the moment what role Jonathan will play in the reopening, but it is clear that they intend to open in October. For further updates as Mr. Pollo prepares to relaunch, be sure to follow them on Instagram.
