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Julius' Castle was a premiere San Francisco restaurant that opened in the 1920s but has been mainly closed since 2008. It was operated by an Italian immigrant, Julius Roz, from its opening to his death in 1947. The wood shingled building featured two turrets and balconies. The building still retains its beautiful views from Telegraph Hill of Alcatraz, San Francisco Bay, and the Bay Bridge. A Hollywood movie (The House on Telegraph Hill) was filmed here in the early 1950s. In 1980, Julius' Castle was designated San Francisco Landmark #121. A local attorney purchased the property in 2012 and has been gradually working toward renovating and reopening the restaurant. The long-awaited reopening may finally happen in 2025.


View of Julius' Castle in 2023 (CommonUploaderBot)

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Detail from cover of circa 1930s menu with photos of Julius & his dogs (left) & the restaurant (right)

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Julius' Castle viewed from its parking lot in 2015 (Dennis G. Jarvis)

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Julius' Castle is a very well-known landmark located on the northeast cliff of Telegraph Hill below Coit Tower. It was the vision of Italian architect Luigi Mastropasqua, modeled after the Gothic Revival and Arts and Crafts architectural styles. It was also inspired by another castle-style building elsewhere on Telegraph Hill (Telegraph Hill Observatory) that was destroyed in a fire in 1903. Construction began in 1923 and ended in 1928. The wood-shingled building featured two turrets and balconies. The wood was reportedly salvaged from the structures temporarily built in town for the Pan-Pacific Exposition. The original address was 302 Greenwich St., but it also occupies a second lot on Montgomery St. that gives it its current address (1541).

Julius Roz, who came to the U.S. from Italy in 1898, operated the new restaurant until his death in 1947. He and his wife and daughter lived on the upper story. In 1925, luncheon could be eaten at the restaurant for $1.50 and dinner for $2.00. Sandy, a resident collie, loved to greet diners and visit them at their table, and probably enjoyed the trickling water fountain in the center of the dining room. Sandy was probably not a fan of the restaurant's famous banana fritters, served with whipped cream. The Italian flag's colors or red, white, and green were incorporated into a dish of colored fine noodles (tagliarini).

Some exterior scenes from a Hollywood movie (The House on Telegraph Hill) were filmed here in the early 1950s. The exterior was temporarily modified to resemble a house for the filming. Jeffrey Pollack purchased the restaurant in 1960, operating it for twenty-six years until he sold it in 2006. In May 2007, Julius' Castle was renovated, repainted pink on the outside, and reopened, but closed eight months later. A local attorney, Paul Scott, purchased the property in 2012.

There were plans to reopen the restaurant in 2017 that fell through after neighbors sued, saying the restaurant would cause noise, traffic problems, and pedestrian safety issues. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2019, and Scott expected to hire a manager who would be involved in needed remodeling of the interior. The covid pandemic delayed the plans for a few more years. By the summer of 2024, a manager was in place, but a chef was being sought. Hopefully, 2025 will be the year that many locals have long waited for.

Batey, Eve. NIMBY Battles Won, Telegraph Hill Restaurant Julius' Castle Is Set to Reopen, Eater. December 29th, 2019. Accessed June 10th, 2025. https://sf.eater.com/2019/12/19/21030558/julius-castle-telegraph-hill-nimby-sf-reopening.

Cerny, Susan Dinkelspiel. Armstrong, Beth A. An Architectural Guidebook to San Francisco and the Bay Area. Salt Lake City, UT. Gibbs Smith, 2007.

Dodd, Jack L. Dodd, Hazel Blair. Bohemian-eats of San Francisco. San Francisco, CA. Jack L. and Hazel Blair Dodd, 1925.

Jones, Justine. Julius' Castle in San Francisco Wants to Hire You (If You Can Cook), Eater. August 23rd, 2024. Accessed June 10th, 2025. https://sf.eater.com/2024/8/23/24227056/julius-castle-restaurant-san-francisco-reopening-hiring-chef.

Julius Castle Redux - Old School San Francisco Restaurant is Coming Back to Life. Performed by Paul Scott, Ron Young. U.S. St. Francis Yacht Club, 2020. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dMBLCPOsG8.

Noe Hill. San Francisco Landmark #121: Julius' Castle. Accessed circa 2017. http://noehill.com/sf/landmarks/sf121.asp

Image Sources(Click to expand)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius%27_Castle#/media/File:Julius'_Castle_San_Francisco.jpg

California Historical Society Digital Object ID CHS2013: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius%27_Castle#/media/File:Menu,_Julius%E2%80%99_Castle,_San_Francisco_(12001224385).jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius%27_Castle#/media/File:California-05836_-_Julius'_Castle_(20015100964).jpg