After more than three decades in business, Muddy Waters Coffee House on Valencia Street near 16th Street is in the process of selling its business to Bissap Baobab’s owner.
Though no lease has been signed yet, Marcos Senghor, the owner of Bissap Baobab, expects to bring live entertainment, beer, wine and longer hours to the business, he said.
If the sale goes through, it will be the first time since opening that Hisham and Elham Massarweh are not the owners of the beloved Mission District cafe. The couple is currently in negotiations with Senghor, who owns the African restaurant, bar and club at 2243 Mission St., and another partner.
The relationship between Senghor and the Massarwehs goes back years.
The owners became Senghor’s mentors when he met them at the Muddy Waters location on Valencia Street, just south of 24th Street (which closed in 2021). He had just arrived in the country and happened to live upstairs from the cafe.
Senghor said the negotiations began after he heard the cafe was about to shut down. The possibility of saving the business felt like saving a little piece of the Mission District, he said.
“It’s almost like we’re coming back to the beginning,” said Senghor. “We want to try to make sure his legacy doesn’t shut down, stay and try to grow, hopefully.”
Senghor’s Bissap Baobab, which opened in 1998, is a registered legacy business with the city. Muddy Waters is not, despite having opened eight years earlier.
Muddy Waters’ owners first tried to sell the business in January 2024 and posted it for sale on Craigslist for $75,000. At the time, the post read, “Lots of potential, popular cafe with locals and tourists … business owners ready to retire.”
Senghor did not specify the cafe’s price tag, and the owners did not reply to a request for comment.
Eileen Rinaldi, founder of Ritual Coffee and president of Valencia Merchants Association, said the group welcomes the new ownership and its plans for the corridor as well as their continuation of Hisham’s legacy.
Under Senghor, Muddy Waters will become “Muddy Waters & Lounge,” and Senghor plans to add live entertainment as well as beer and wine.
“We respect the legacy of what Hisham did. We love the fact it’s a great coffee place, what it’s done for the community, and we respect that,” said Senghor. “So, if we keep it, we’ll keep it the same.”
A permit for live entertainment was awarded to “Muddy Waters Coffee & Lounge” on July 3. The application states that the business hopes to open at 6 a.m. daily, closing at 10 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on the weekends.
A beer and wine permit is still processing, as the business is required to have a kitchen that allows the sale of food along with alcohol.
Muddy Waters’ current permit is for limited restaurant use.
Manny Yekutiel, former president of the Valencia Merchants Association and owner of Manny’s, said Senghor’s addition to the corridor is exciting.
“I’m just really excited to see a business that’s as beloved as Bissap Baobap have a presence on Valencia Street, if it should all work out. Marco is a beloved small-business owner in the community,” said Yekutiel. “I think it would be beautiful if it happens, and I’m really excited to have him as a neighbor.”
Senghor said that if everything goes well, the sale could be completed next month. As for when customers could start seeing the new touches, that depends on how fast the city moves with the permitting, he added.
“Come and support, and hopefully all together we can make something fantastic,” Senghor said. “I would not like to see this place going down, changing and becoming a totally different store.”
This is a bad business decision coming from Marco. As much as he whines, cries and begs for the Mission community to bail him out of tough situations, he’s not in any financial position to be taking over another business. Bissap Baobab is 90% empty most nights, even after his success against the neighbor who complained about noise. He’s not running a successful business, and the space is too big for what he’s trying to accomplish. It’s good to have dreams, but at some point, you have to be realistic: he doesn’t own the building, and the foot traffic isn’t there.
Muddy Waters used to symbolize the old tradition of beatniks, but now that may be passé, so if it goes out of business there may not be much nostalgia about it. Nowadays, most people prefer modern cafés over old fashioned ones.
Great – Muddy Water’s is a great cafe. I would be happy to see it stay open. Especially with local owners. Care to re-open Valencia and 24th Street Cafe?
The cafe at 15th & Church was also a Muddy Waters. Hasn’t changed much since then aside from the name.