After 10 days of being closed for remodeling, my neighborhood brewpub, Magnolia, reopened yesterday (22 May). Sarah & I dropped in at 6pm to check out the makeover.

The interior is much-changed, and gone is the signature Grateful Dead-inspired mural, replaced by a gold paint effect that mimics water leakage and damage. It’s a little stark (our waiter said they do plan on putting up some art), but nice. The new tables, made of wood salvaged from the old Levi’s building, are very nice, ditto the dark-paneled and black-upholstered booths. The bar’s kick-out is gone, and the west side of the dining room has a long communal table, one of the new’ish restaurant trends, and one that I rather like.

Menu-wise, the focus has landed squarely on their house-made charcruterie and sausages, with the former available, along with a selection of 5 cheeses, a la carte, and the sausages, 6 of them, are $12 which includes your choice of two sides. Local catch & chips, a $14 burger (ouch!), and various specials round out the menu. The new format encourages getting a bunch of smaller plates and sharing.

Before they closed we’d had the new burger a few times, and although $14 is a lot of money for a burger, it is very good, in my opinion the best one Magnolia’s served in the 5+ years I’ve been going there. Still, Nopa, Zazie, and The Richmond all have at least equally good burgers for less money.

This time we started with their brewer’s yeast pizza ($11) with cheese, mushrooms and watercress. The new chef previously worked at Pizzetta 211, one of our favorite SF pizza joints, and this pizza was worthy of that heritage, although not a thin or crispy-crusted a 211’s pies.

For entrees, Sarah had the local catch & chips (a ling cod), $14, and I had the lamb sausage w/sides ($12). I got the wrong sides, lentils and chard, but they were delicious, so I didn’t mind at all. The lentils were perfectly cooked, with some tooth in them, and the chard was sauteed with rather a lot of garlic. Presented in a spiral shape, the lamb sausage was very flavorful, if a touch dry. Even Sarah liked it, and she’s not a big fan of lamb generally. The F&C were good, with neatly-stacked fries and 3 fillets of moist cod. As has always been the case at Magnolia, however, the breading was a little doughy and not as crispy as would be preferable.

Service can be hit & miss, but opening day with a new menu isn’t the time to be critical, and they generously comped our sausage dish for having gotten the sides wrong.

All told, I’m pretty happy with the new Magnolia – although the prices make it one of the most expensive brewpubs around, the food has improved greatly, and their focus on local and house-made ingredients is welcome.