The small, family-run café at 3354 Hancock Street shared the news in a heartfelt message posted to social media, thanking the community that supported the restaurant since it first opened its doors in 2002.
“After 24 incredible years, it’s time to say goodbye,” the message read. “We opened the doors of Hancock St. Cafe with a simple dream: to create a warm, welcoming place for our San Diego community to gather over good food and good company.”
Over the years, that modest vision evolved into something far larger for regulars who discovered the tucked-away café in the industrial stretch of Hancock Street near the Midway District behind Sports Arena.
Founded by Polish immigrant Alexander “Mario” Waclawski, Hancock Street Café became known as much for its colorful personality as for its food. Waclawski moved to San Diego with his children in the early 2000s after the death of his wife, determined to start a new life and open a restaurant that reflected his eclectic passions for music, food, and community.
The café itself was famously unconventional. Inside, walls were covered with dollar bills left by customers, vinyl records, and hand-painted menus. Outside, a small patio became an unlikely gathering place for musicians and neighborhood regulars.
Waclawski, a multi-instrument musician who once walked across the United States to raise awareness for cervical cancer in honor of his late wife, envisioned the café as a casual hub where musicians and locals could mingle. The restaurant even kept a piano on-site in hopes that legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, the café’s namesake inspiration, might someday stop in to play.
Over time the restaurant developed a reputation as a quirky gathering place for artists, musicians, and late-night crowds from nearby venues like the San Diego Sports Arena.
The menu was equally eclectic. Over the years Hancock Street Café served everything from pizzas and pastrami sandwiches to Polish specialties like kielbasa and potato pancakes. More recently, under the leadership of Waclawski’s daughter Alexandra, the café leaned further into the family’s Polish heritage, offering handmade pierogis and hearty sandwiches that became favorites among longtime customers.
Following Mario Waclawski’s death in 2018 after a battle with cancer, Alexandra Waclawski stepped in to continue operating the restaurant her father had built. Despite the loss, the café remained open through the challenges of the pandemic and shifting economic conditions in San Diego’s restaurant industry.
In their closing announcement, the family cited rising operational costs and the broader economic climate as key factors behind the decision to shut down.
“The reality of today’s economy and the continued rise in operational costs have made it impossible for us to continue in a sustainable way,” the statement explained.
For many longtime patrons, Hancock Street Café represented something increasingly rare in San Diego, an independent neighborhood gathering place that felt more like a living room than a restaurant.
The café’s announcement reflected that sentiment, thanking the generations of regulars who made the restaurant part of their routines.
“This little café became part of so many lives - first dates, weekly rituals, post-work decompressions, family traditions, celebrations, and even quiet moments alone with a glass of wine or cold beer,” the message read.
The restaurant will remain open for several more weeks before its planned closure in May, giving fans one last chance to stop by the off-the-beaten-path spot and say goodbye. For now, the family is encouraging customers to visit while they still can.
“Come get your pierogi before they’re gone,” the café added in its post.
Hancock Street Café is located at 3354 Hancock Street in San Diego’s Midway District. For more information, follow @hancockstreetcafe on Instagram.
Originally published on March 7, 2026.
