You can still see the sign if you drive far enough down Seawall Drive. It’s faded, whipped by years of salty San Francisco Bay wind, but it’s there. For fifty years, HS Lordship Berkeley CA was the place you went when you wanted to feel like a big deal. Whether it was a high school prom, a 50th wedding anniversary, or just a Sunday morning spent face-deep in a legendary brunch buffet, this spot at the southern tip of the Berkeley Marina was a local institution.
Then, in 2018, the doors locked for good.
Honestly, it wasn't a quiet exit. There was a walkout. There were empty plates. There was a lot of confusion about why a restaurant with a "million-dollar view" couldn't keep the lights on. Today, the building at 199 Seawall Drive is a bit of a ghost ship, sitting on the edge of the water while the city of Berkeley tries to figure out if it's worth saving or if the whole thing just needs to be scraped.
The Day the Music (and the Omelette Station) Died
The end of HS Lordship wasn't some long, drawn-out decline into irrelevance. It was sudden. The restaurant officially closed on July 1, 2018, but the drama started a week earlier. Picture this: a packed Sunday brunch, families celebrating, and suddenly the staff just... walks out.
Workers were protesting what they called low severance pay and a lack of transparency from the owners, Specialty Restaurants Corporation (SRC).
It was total chaos. Customers reported people helping themselves to the buffet because there was nobody left to clear the tables. One guy told local news he was there to celebrate his cousin’s 15th anniversary—the same place she’d been married—only to find the staff gone and the dream dying in real-time.
Basically, the lease was ending. SRC had a 50-year ground lease with the City of Berkeley that was set to expire in 2019. Instead of sticking it out, they bailed 13 months early. Why? Because the building was falling apart. Fifty years of San Francisco Bay weather isn't kind to wood and concrete. The city wanted massive renovations that the operators didn't want to pay for.
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Why HS Lordship Berkeley CA Still Matters
You might wonder why people are still talking about a closed restaurant in 2026. It’s because the location is literally irreplaceable. You have a 270-degree view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco skyline, and the Bay Bridge. You're sitting on a sliver of land surrounded by water on three sides.
For decades, this was the "everything" venue:
- The Brunch: It was $17 back in the day (eventually more, obviously), and it had everything from prime rib to house-made cheesecake.
- The Proms: If you grew up in the East Bay, there’s a 40% chance you took an awkward photo in front of those windows wearing a corsage.
- The Scale: We're talking 25,000 square feet. You don’t find restaurant spaces that big anymore. It could hold hundreds of people without breaking a sweat.
But that size is now its biggest curse. Who wants to pay to heat, cool, and staff a 25,000-square-foot building that needs millions in structural repairs?
What’s Actually Happening at 199 Seawall Drive?
If you walk by there right now, it looks rough. The parking lot has seen better days, and the building has dealt with break-ins, vandalism, and even a few fires since 2018. But there is a plan. There’s always a plan in Berkeley.
As of late 2024 and moving into 2026, the City of Berkeley has been in "Exclusive Negotiating Agreements" (ENA) with developers. The latest big name on the table is TSA Holdings. They aren't just looking to flip the kitchen; they’re talking about a "comprehensive renovation."
The city did a structural assessment in late 2023. The verdict? The building is in "Fair" condition. That sounds okay until you realize "Fair" in engineering terms means the piles holding the building up over the water need serious work. We’re talking about sagging concrete slabs and failing beam supports.
The Ferry Factor
The future of the HS Lordship site is tied to the Berkeley Pier. The pier has been closed since 2015 because it's literally crumbling into the Bay. But there’s a massive project in the works—about $120 million worth—to rebuild the pier and add a ferry terminal.
If a ferry starts running from the Berkeley Marina to San Francisco, suddenly 199 Seawall Drive isn't just a remote restaurant at the end of a long road. It’s a prime transit hub. That’s the "actionable" part of this story. Developers are betting that the ferry will bring the foot traffic needed to sustain a massive event space again.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Closure
People love to blame "the economy" or "Berkeley politics" for the death of HS Lordship. While those played a role, the truth is more boring: Deferred Maintenance.
When you lease land from a city for 50 years, there's often a game of "chicken" at the end. The tenant doesn't want to spend $5 million on a roof for a building they won't own in two years. The city doesn't have the cash to fix it themselves. So, the building just rots.
Also, the "RV situation." Before the closure, the parking lot became a flashpoint for Berkeley’s homelessness crisis, with dozens of RVs moving onto the property. It created a weird tension between the high-end wedding vibe inside and the reality of the streets outside.
What You Should Do If You Visit
Don't expect to get a meal. But if you’re a fan of mid-century maritime architecture or just want a quiet place to look at the city, it’s still worth the drive.
- Park at the Marina: Use the public lots near the Shorebird Park.
- Walk the Perimeter: You can walk right up to the edge of the old HS Lordship property. The views are still free.
- Check the Waterfront Specific Plan: If you’re a local, keep an eye on the City Council agendas for "199 Seawall Drive." The TSA Holdings deal is the closest we’ve come to a real reopening in six years.
The era of the "Grand Buffet" might be over, but the site itself is too valuable to stay empty forever. Whether it becomes a sleek new fusion spot or a ferry-adjacent event center, the ghost of HS Lordship is finally starting to see some movement.
Stay updated on the Berkeley Waterfront Specific Plan through the city’s official portal. If the TSA Holdings lease moves forward, we could see construction crews on-site by the end of the year, signaling the first real change since that chaotic Sunday in 2018.