SSP Beer Corridor Opens with Sq. Pizza and Dank IPA in San Francisco

A new beer hall opens today, June 23rd, as one of the biggest projects by Dennis, David and Daniel Lee, the brothers behind the now closed Namu Gaji, the still popular Namu Stonepot and Sunset Squares Pizza. It’s a very different vision than what the Lees originally planned for the former Perennial Space when they took it over in 2019 to create a new home for Namu Gaji. However, after having shifted heavily into the fast-casual sector during the pandemic, the brothers decided to relocate their Sunset Squares pizza operation to the empty room and are now opening it up completely as a beer hall with several food concepts and an NFT gallery later more).

Dennis Lee says that while they never had big ambitions to open a beer hall, it was a way to thrive and survive during the pandemic, especially for a chef who has always been nimble with deliveries and social media knowledge was. And now that it’s reopening, it’s giving guests a chance to gather together in a cool space while still providing take-out and convenience. “I see a relapse or regression towards more comfort foods,” says Lee. “I think everyone is a bit traumatized and is also looking for less challenging experiences.”

Patricia Chang

Patricia Chang

Patricia Chang

Patricia Chang

Patricia Chang

In essence, they keep it gentle but extremely creative, a signature of the Lee’s projects over the years. Three to four different menus are offered at the same time in the Food Hall, including the Lees’ own fast-casual restaurants, Sunset Squares and Namu Stonepot. Uncle Titos will also offer his Filipino-American comfort as a permanent partner, and another will serve as a rotating guest spot with a lineup TBD.

Sunset Squares serves its signature sourdough pizza – but don’t call it Detroit, it’s all San Francisco – with unexpected toppings like mapo tofu, bulgogi beef, and deconstructed clam soup. Namu Stonepot shines with kali-Korean sizzling rice and vegetables, wavy okonomiyaki with bonito flakes and street dogs with sisig or kimchee. And Uncle Tito, the long-running pandemic pop-up, serves up its popular boan boxes, silog specials, wontons and ube buns that bleed purple for dessert.

Patricia Chang

As the title suggests, there will be strong beer, offering local craft brews with lots of hops and a great weed taste. Sean O’Leary, who comes from Seven Stills, curates the beer list with Cellarmaker, Harmonic, Far West Cider and more. They have about 10 beers on tap and a cold carton full of cans. And while SSP Beer Hall won’t be trading cannabis, they are working with some local pharmacies and creating special pizzas for the nearby Moe Greens and Vapor Room.

Fans of the perennial may recall that it was an impressive 5,000 square feet divided into several different rooms, with a lounge, bar, and dining room. The SSP Beer Hall has definitely rearranged itself: the original bar room is being used as seating, with space for around 50 people at a communal table, seating at the bar and seating at a new window counter. In this new era of QR codes, customers can step in, grab a seat and order directly from their devices.

Patricia Chang

Patricia Chang

Patricia Chang

Patricia Chang

With so many different menus, the kitchen took over the former dining room to expand the business. And the Lees hope to turn the former cafe into an art gallery that has not yet been revealed. They hold the warm and zen redwood slabs that are grooved with Japanese carpentry. But they added the tech with seven screens in the room, all of which are dedicated to displaying digital art.

The Lee brothers fiercely claim that the SSP Beer Hall is “the first physical NFT gallery in San Francisco” and the first combined “beer hall and NFT gallery in the world”. NFT stands for non-fungible token and is a way for artists to authenticate digital art using the same technologies as cryptocurrencies, as our friends at the Verge explain so much better than we ever could. The SSP Beer Hall plans to host monthly exhibitions showcasing artists such as Robness, Fewocious, Hackatao, Xcopy, and Beeple, and “foster a community around cryptocurrencies.” So yeah, this is literally a crypto bro party. But hey, the menus look stupid.

The SSP Beer Hall opens Wednesday June 23 for indoor, takeaway and delivery dining. Opening times are Wednesday to Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.