The Van’s restaurant

REaDER NOMINaTION

815 Belmont Ave., Belmont

Thank you to the Van’s on the Hill, for more than 100 years of fun and fantastic views in Belmont, the last 47 owned by the De Martini family. The restaurant served customers in a building constructed for the 1915 PanamaPacific International Exposition and barged over to Belmont, where it was a saloon and illegal gambling hall for years. In more recent decades, Van’s was a warm destination for regulars who enjoyed the comfort food and views of the San Francisco Bay. (The Chronicle’s Dave Murphy reported in 2004 that customers could fill out a football card and get a free dinner if eight games were picked correctly.) On their restaurant website, owners Loring and Adele De Martini called the decision to retire, which was accelerated by the pandemic, “bittersweet.” “The deep gratitude and love we have for all of you for helping to make The Van’s a success over the last 47 years made this one of

the most difficult decisions of our lives.”