Lord Stanley was a restaurant in the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California, serving European cuisine with a later emphasis on French cuisine. Opened in 2015 by the husband and wife chef team of Rupert and Carrie Blease, it held a Michelin star from 2015 until 2021, when it closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The premises then hosted a series of chef pop-ups, Turntable by Lord Stanley. Lord Stanley reopened in 2023 after 2 years, it closed permanently on May 31, 2025.
Lord Stanley opened on June 11, 2015,[1] the first ownership venture by Rupert and Carrie Blease, a married couple of chefs.[2] It was awarded a Michelin star that October,[3] and in August 2016 Bon Appétit magazine named it that year's third-best new restaurant.[4][5][6]
The restaurant retained its Michelin star for the next four years.[7][8][9][10] In response to the limitations on restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bleases and chef Brandon Jew jointly opened a take-out restaurant, Lord Jiu's, and Lord Stanley sold take-out meal kits and wine. In early September 2021, Lord Stanley was closed and reopened as Turntable at Lord Stanley, hosting visiting and up-and-coming chefs for a few months each, the first being Argentinian chef Narda Lepes[es].[7][11]
Lord Stanley reopened in October 2023, with Nathan Matkowsky, the chef de cuisine, becoming chef,[10][12][13] and the Turntable at Lord Stanley pop-ups continuing elsewhere.[13] In early March 2025, the owners announced that Matkowsky was resigning to relocate to the East Coast and Lord Stanley would close permanently after May 31, 2025.[8][9][10]
Restaurant
Located in a former Thai restaurant in Polk Gulch in the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco and named for the owners' local London pub,[2] Lord Stanley was designed by Boor Bridges Architecture and Upcycle Builders and is predominantly steel and concrete, with floor-to-ceiling windows and wooden tables.[1] The walls are painted white and grey; in 2015 a San Francisco Chronicle review described the restaurant's look as "modern and minimal, but with a finished edge."[14] The main dining area seats 40, with a communal table seating 12 in an overlooking mezzanine.[1]
The cuisine was initially modern European[12][15] with California accents.[9] Its entry in the Michelin Guide described Lord Stanley as "half European and half Californian", with "approachable yet refined" cooking.[16] The restaurant offers a tasting and an à la carte menu,[12][14] with gratuities included in the price on the European model.[1] When it reopened in 2023, the menu focused on French cuisine with Asian touches;[10][12][13] the Chronicle later described it as a "modern bistro".[17][18]
Reviewers praised the creative use of vegetables.[5][15][19] In 2016, the Chronicle's restaurant critic, Michael Bauer, judged Lord Stanley "a very good restaurant [that] has evolved into one of the most interesting restaurants in the city."[20] In 2020, the newspaper described it as one of the more modestly priced Michelin-starred restaurants in the city.[21]
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