The Maltese Falcon Finds Its Wings: John’s Grill, San Francisco

John’s Grill is an old-fashioned, 99-year-old San Francisco restaurant where I’ve dined over the years on steaks, chops, fried potatoes and sliced tomatoes.

Nestled on Ellis Street near Stockton, Powell and Market, a few blocks from the fashionable Union Square shopping mecca and around the corner from the new Westfield San Francisco Shopping Centre, it’s a living shrine to author Dashiell Hammett, his character — private detective Sam Spade (played by Humphrey Bogart) and the 1941 thriller, “The Maltese Falcon” . The restaurant features dark oak paneled walls, photos of locals who’ve dined here, and the type of service the city is famous for.

A plaster replica of the falcon statue was showcased in the restaurant for 40 years. But yesterday, it was stolen. The statue in the movie, as you may remember, was gold and encrusted with jewels, then painted black to disguise its value.

John’s Grill owner, John Konstin, is offering a $25,000 reward for the stolen statue. Read the story at SFGate.com.

W: www.JohnsGrill.com.
A: 63 Ellis Street, between Stockton and Powell, San Francisco, CA 94103.
T: 415-986-3274.
Open daily.