John's Grill, Historic restaurant in Union Square, San Francisco, United States.
John's Grill is a restaurant near Union Square in San Francisco that has been serving food for over a century. Inside, dark wood panels line the walls alongside old photographs, and the dining room is set with white tablecloths under warm period-style lighting.
The restaurant opened in 1908, just two years after the earthquake that destroyed much of San Francisco. It survived the rebuilding of the city and kept going through the following decades without losing its original look.
John's Grill appears in Dashiell Hammett's novel The Maltese Falcon, where detective Sam Spade stops here for lunch. Readers of the book often feel they are stepping directly into the story when they walk through the door.
The restaurant is a short walk from Union Square and fits easily into a stroll through downtown San Francisco. Booking a table in advance is a good idea, especially at lunchtime when the place tends to fill up.
On the second floor, a replica of the Maltese Falcon statue sits among a collection of memorabilia tied to the novel and its film adaptations. The statue has been stolen at least once, which itself became a small local story.
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