Closure of iconic Cliff House ends a remarkable era of San Francisco's history

The 157-year-old restaurant with breathtaking ocean views was known for its location on Lands End as the place that draws you'

At the place where San Francisco drops into the ocean, a door is shutting on a vibrant chapter of the city's history.

The longtime proprietors of the Cliff House, a 157-year-old iconic San Francisco restaurant with breathtaking ocean views once enjoyed by Mark Twain, announced this week that they would be forced to close by the end of the year. They cited both coronavirus restrictions and their landlord, the federal government, stalling on a long-term lease, as factors in their decision.