Izzy Gomez (restaurateur)
Encyclopedia
Izzy Gomez was a Portuguese
immigrant, chef and restaurateur in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California
, USA. In 1943, he was recognized by LIFE Magazine as one of San Francisco’s most colorful characters. His birthday was February 9.
Gomez left his home in Portugal when he was eighteen and made his way to San Francisco. He landed his first job as a “swamper” in a local gin-joint on the infamous Barbary Coast
. After saving his money he soon had enough to buy a small bar at 848 Pacific Avenue.
One of Gomez’s great fans was William Saroyan
, the celebrated California
n/Armenia
n writer of the 1930s and 1940s. His famous play, The Time of Your Life
, is about Gomez and is set at Izzy’s saloon, called the San Francisco Dive. Saroyan wrote in his journals that Gomez's place was downtown, "not far from the old Montgomery block, across from the firehouse at First and Pacific". He goes on to say, "Izzy Gomez's was something else. Unique. Sui generis. It really was as portrayed in The Time of Your Life, except that it was also a hangout for hard-boiled, sophisticated newspapermen. ... They gave the place a rowdy, slightly underworld character of half-suppressed brawl. ... For meals, Izzy served thick, luscious steaks, french fries, and salads. He gave a considerable number of meals and liquor out free, not just to starving artists, but to people he liked."
While Izzy's saloon was demolished in 1952, a new restaurant named Izzy's Steaks and Chops was opened on his birthday in 1987. It is located at 3345 Steiner (at Chestnut). A restaurant chain has been built around the brand.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
immigrant, chef and restaurateur in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, USA. In 1943, he was recognized by LIFE Magazine as one of San Francisco’s most colorful characters. His birthday was February 9.
Gomez left his home in Portugal when he was eighteen and made his way to San Francisco. He landed his first job as a “swamper” in a local gin-joint on the infamous Barbary Coast
Barbary Coast
The Barbary Coast, or Barbary, was the term used by Europeans from the 16th until the 19th century to refer to much of the collective land of the Berber people. Today, the terms Maghreb and "Tamazgha" correspond roughly to "Barbary"...
. After saving his money he soon had enough to buy a small bar at 848 Pacific Avenue.
One of Gomez’s great fans was William Saroyan
William Saroyan
William Saroyan was an Armenian American dramatist and author. The setting of many of his stories and plays is the center of Armenian-American life in California in his native Fresno.-Early years:...
, the celebrated California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
n/Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n writer of the 1930s and 1940s. His famous play, The Time of Your Life
The Time of Your Life
The Time of Your Life is a 1939 five-act play by American playwright William Saroyan. The play is the first drama to win both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. The play opened 25 October 1939 at the Booth Theatre in New York City...
, is about Gomez and is set at Izzy’s saloon, called the San Francisco Dive. Saroyan wrote in his journals that Gomez's place was downtown, "not far from the old Montgomery block, across from the firehouse at First and Pacific". He goes on to say, "Izzy Gomez's was something else. Unique. Sui generis. It really was as portrayed in The Time of Your Life, except that it was also a hangout for hard-boiled, sophisticated newspapermen. ... They gave the place a rowdy, slightly underworld character of half-suppressed brawl. ... For meals, Izzy served thick, luscious steaks, french fries, and salads. He gave a considerable number of meals and liquor out free, not just to starving artists, but to people he liked."
While Izzy's saloon was demolished in 1952, a new restaurant named Izzy's Steaks and Chops was opened on his birthday in 1987. It is located at 3345 Steiner (at Chestnut). A restaurant chain has been built around the brand.