Bourdain-loved SF burger spot taking over restaurant next door

The late-night burger joint in North Beach plans to debut a new fast-casual restaurant called Sam’s East, which will focus on Middle Eastern dishes. Sam’s East will take over the former space of Tacorea located at 620 Broadway St. and is expected to open by the end of November, co-owner Emad ElShawa told SFGATE.

“This opportunity came to us about four to five months ago — it was a no-brainer,” ElShawa said. “We know the area very well and we think we can duplicate what we’ve done at Sam’s Burgers. People feel like Sam’s is a second home. What excites me more is continuing that to a second location.”

ElShawa, who co-owns Sam’s Burgers with his brothers and mom, described the forthcoming menu at Sam’s East as “small but mighty,” where customers can expect a selection of falafel, rib-eye and chicken shawarma served in a pita or a bowl. A selection of Middle Eastern beers and wines will also be featured on the drink menu.

Sam’s East comes as a full circle moment for ElShawa, who said he hopes to honor his late father, Mike ElShawa. Mike was the longtime owner of Sam’s Burgers but back in the early 1970s, he used to also run the kitchen inside San Francisco’s long-gone Keystone Korner jazz club where he prepared flavorful falafels and chicken shawarma wraps.

When the concept for Sam’s East was underway, ElShawa and his brothers knew that they wanted to celebrate their father’s brief stint at Keystone Korner by offering Middle Eastern dishes at Sam’s East.

“Everything we do at Sam’s Burgers and Sam’s East is to honor my dad’s memory,” ElShawa said.