Michael Mina steps away from Tiburon's Bungalow Kitchen; Arizona-based group takes over June 1
- Francisco Martinez
- May 8
- 3 min read
Restaurateur Michael Mina is handing off the Bungalow Kitchen, his downtown Tiburon restaurant, to an Arizona-based hospitality group beginning June 1.
Scottsdale-based Clive Collective will keep the name and remain open during the transition, marking the company’s first venture outside Arizona, according to a May 8 news release.
“The Bungalow Kitchen has built something rare on this waterfront, with real soul, a loyal local following and a team that cares deeply about hospitality,” said Justin Massei, a San Francisco resident and Bay Area native who co-founded and operates Clive Collective. “We are not coming in to reinvent the place. Our priority is to listen, protect what makes it special and thoughtfully add the energy and craft that define our group.”
Details on the “programming and menu enhancements” will be shared by Clive Collective following the June 1 transition.
Clive Collective's portfolio includes Cala, a modern Mediterranean restaurant; The Americano, an Italian-inspired steakhouse; and Tell Your Friends, an underground cocktail- and live-music lounge, all in Scottsdale, Arizona. Tell Your Friends was named bar of the year at the 2025 Bar & Restaurant Expo Industry Excellence Awards.
Clive Collective also has three concepts planned for downtown Phoenix: a coastal American restaurant, a cocktail bar and a Japanese street-food venue inspired by Tokyo’s yokocho — the narrow alleyways filled with bars and small restaurants.
"As we look to the future, I have incredible confidence in Clive Collective," said SG Ellison, the president and CEO of downtown property owner A&C Ventures, which owns the building as ACV Argo Tiburon LP. "Justin and his award-winning team bring a sophisticated energy and a proven track record of operational excellence that aligns perfectly with our vision for this location. We are excited to see them build upon the restaurant's success and lead this beloved community staple into its next great era."
Mina and his hospitality group, the Mina Group, announced plans in 2018 to open a restaurant at 5 Main St. that was once occupied by Guaymas Mexican restaurant.
The restaurant opened in November 2021 in a collaboration with Hollywood nightclub mogul and reality-TV star Brent Bolthouse, CEO of the Bungalow Hospitality Group. Bolthouse conceived the Bungalow Kitchen as an upscale counterpart to the Bungalow brand, which operates locations in Santa Monica, Huntington Beach and Long Beach.
“Watching Clive Collective step in to write the next chapter is truly exciting,” Bolthouse said in the news release. “Justin Massei gets it. He’s a Bay Area guy, he understands what this community means and I can’t wait to see what they do with it.”
Mina Group representatives would not say why the group was stepping back but confirmed in a May 8 email that it and Clive Collective “are working together on this transition.”
“Chef Michael Mina and the Mina Group are incredibly proud of what the team built there over the past four years and are grateful to the community who has supported this restaurant,” the group said.
Mina is a Cairo-born chef who has won multiple James Beard Awards and Michelin stars. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and first gained recognition working alongside executive chef George Morrone at the Bel Air Hotel in Los Angeles, then followed Morrone to San Francisco’s Aqua. He took over as executive chef when Morrone retired, earning numerous awards including the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef of the Year in 1997.
Mina partnered with tennis star and former Tiburon resident Andre Agassi in 2002 to form the Mina Group. His San Francisco flagship, Michael Mina, earned two Michelin stars in 2006; the 252 California St. location closed in 2021. The group has since expanded to restaurants and bars across 10 states and two countries, with partnerships including one with Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry — with whom the Mina Group operates Eighth Rule inside The Westin St. Francis in San Francisco.
Both Ellison and Bolthouse thanked Mina and the Mina Group in the news release.
“They were instrumental in establishing this property as a crown jewel of the Tiburon waterfront and a marquee destination within the A&C portfolio,” Ellison said.
Bolthouse said when he sat on Tiburon’s docks, “I knew this place was something rare.”
“We set out to create a community clubhouse, somewhere that felt like an extension of people’s living rooms, and I’m deeply grateful to Michael Mina and our incredible teams for helping bring that to life,” Bolthouse said. “The Bungalow Kitchen has always been my love letter to Tiburon.”