Indigo, a restaurant serving creative new American cuisine on 687 McAllister Street (and Gough) in Hayes Valley, has now closed permanently.

"[I]t appears they were evicted," said tipster Deborah, who first alerted us to the closure. An eviction notice, dated May 17th, was posted in the windows of the restaurant.

We were not able to find out if a rent hike or something else was the reason for the closure.

Some might remember Indigo from KQED's restaurant review show Check Please! Bay Area, where it was featured a couple of years ago. In the show, owner Michael Whang says that he has been chef at Indigo since 2005.

"If your needs are to get to a show on time, we will take care of you," he said back then.

We called the phone number provided on Indigo's website, but it is out of service. We also tried to contact Whang through a previously active email address, but it bounced back.

Many the tables and chairs appeared to still be in the space, and in the last couple of days, a new "for lease" sign went up.

According to city documents Russell B. and Lee M. Flynn are listed as the property owners, but the documents did not include contact details. So far, no permit applications for a new business have been filed.

A website created in August last year advertised Indigo restaurant together with Crimson Lounge for a "quick sale." Both spaces are listed with 2,000 square feet each. The listing also asks for a $12,500 monthly rent.

Crimson Lounge, which was part of Indigo and a bar located downstairs available for parties or events, has shuttered as well. 

An employee of a nearby business told us that Indigo closed one-and-a-half months ago, but was not able to provide further details. However, recent Yelp reviews confirmed the closure.

"We made a reservation for a large group, then tried to reconfirm many times, for many days prior, but no one answered," Lita S. wrote at the end of April. 

"All of a sudden I get a cancel notice via OpenTable e-mail," wrote another Yelper, Cleo W. "I tried to call but no one answered. Left a message and it hasn't been returned."  

The liquor license for 687 McAllister Street is still active and will expire on July 31st. It was filed by Indigo Pie LLC, the company behind Indigo, and chef Whang's name appears on the license as well.

According to the sign on the window, anyone who is interested in the space can reach out to [email protected] for further details.

Update, 6/22: 

Asset manager Mr. Stewart, who asked us not to mention his first name, has contacted us through the [email protected] email and sent us the following statement:

"The commercial operator stopped paying rent for both spaces and we tried repeatedly to assist him. Unfortunately, it has resulted in a settlement agreement last year with a promise to pay that never occurred. We made a last ditch effort and set up a meeting to help the operator save his tenancy before the Sheriff was actually scheduled. He failed to [...] show up to this meeting which led to an eviction for breach of the settlement agreement. [...] It is two spaces at this location and both were leased under market because they were in the space for many years."

Stewart added that they are now listing the space and entertaining offers and business plans. "Ideally we would like someone who wants to make the spaces better for the neighborhood and has a good business concept," he said.

See something interesting while you’re out and about? Text Hoodline and we’ll see what we can find: (415) 200-3233.