Farallon/Owners Mark Franz & Pat Kuleto
Designer / Owner
Owners Mark Franz & Pat Kuleto
An underwater fantasy built into a 1925 swimming pool, as the setting for a coastal cuisine menu.
The collaboration
A chef and a designer, in one building
Opened in 1997, Farallon is the acclaimed collaboration between Chef Mark Franz and restaurateur/designer Pat Kuleto. Located in San Francisco's popular Union Square area, Kuleto has designed a restaurant resembling a beautiful underwater fantasy that has proven to be the ideal setting for the sophisticated "coastal cuisine" menu created by Chef Franz.
What Kuleto built
The design vocabulary is consistent from the door to the top floor. Jellyfish chandeliers, hand-blown glass sea urchins, octopus stools, glowing columns of kelp, a "sandy ocean floor" underfoot in the lounge and a caviar staircase covered with 50,000 iridescent indigo-blue marbles sweeping up to the balcony.
What he left alone
The most important decision was subtractive. The hand-painted ceramic ceiling that arched over the Elks Lodge swimming pool, dedicated in 1925, stayed exactly where it was — and the room beneath it became the Pool Room, Farallon's main dining room.
Upstairs
Recognizing the demand for large parties, Franz and Kuleto created three private dining rooms above the restaurant in the same historic Elks' building. The design of the private dining rooms is a continuation of the underwater theme in the restaurant and creates a unique company party space.
The design
Kuleto's underwater fantasy
Frequently asked questions
About the design and the owners
When did Farallon open?
1997, as the collaboration between Chef Mark Franz and restaurateur/designer Pat Kuleto.
What is the design concept?
Kuleto designed a restaurant resembling a beautiful underwater fantasy — the ideal setting for Chef Franz's sophisticated coastal cuisine menu.
Is the building historic?
Yes. Farallon sits in the historic Elks' building on Post Street, which also houses the Kensington Park Hotel and the Post Street Theater. The Pool Room ceiling was dedicated in 1925.
Are the private rooms part of the same design?
Yes — the design of the private dining rooms is a continuation of the underwater theme in the restaurant.
Reservations
A table on Post Street
Make a reservation online, or call us at (415) 956-6969. Our full menu is served at the bar, and limited valet parking is available.