There hasn’t been a regular line outside 15 Romolo since the North Beach cocktail bar first opened in the late ‘90s. Until recently, owner Jon Gasparini figured the crowds that once spilled into the alley outside the bar were a relic of those early days.
But in the two years since 15 Romolo closed for renovations, new restaurants have bloomed throughout North Beach, a historically bohemian neighborhood that was riddled with commercial vacancies even before the pandemic. On weekend nights, lines now form for new spots and neighborhood institutions alike, outside April Jean on Grant Avenue and Vesuvio Cafe on Columbus Avenue.
And as 15 Romolo prepares to reopen next month, Gasparini said, barhoppers have already started “rattling the gates.”…