Happy Crane firecracker shrimp, my favorite dish. Photo by Virginia Miller. Dining at The Happy Crane just one month after it opened on August 8, 2025, it was packed on a weeknight, already booked weeks-ahead. The intimate restaurant glowed, though minimalist, centered by the bar, with glass walls framing a colorful Hayes Valley alley mural outside. What is clear immediately… Read more →
Reviewed in this article:
— Modern Lebanese and Levantine Pop-up at Buddy: Ilna
— New Neighborhood Spot Ideal for Groups & Families: Fifty Vara
— Cocktails & Bites with Seafaring Touch: Bar Maritime
— Persian Mexican Lounge: Movida
— Japanese Hot Pot Lunch Go-To: Potto
— SF Chron’s #3 Keeps On Wow-ing: Rich Table
— Two Top Female Chefs Keep This 32-Year-Old Shining: Boulevard
— Killing It With Bold Veggie Dishes: The Progress
— The Farm-to-Table Legend Since 1971: Chez Panisse Read more →
My article on 10 of Guadalajara’s best bars Read more →
Since Michelin-starred Nisei opened in August 2021 and its neighboring Bar Iris in October the same year, the modern Japanese duo has faced both acclaim and tragedy. Beloved Iris bar manager Ilya Romanov died tragically at the end of 2022, leaving a void in the team. As Nisei evolved, so too has Bar Iris risen from heartbreak, thanks to its strong team and visionary talent of current bar manager Timofei Osipenko. Read more →
Summer is at its apex in August with a wealth of notable new and longtime bars around San Francisco. Here are six under-the-radar bars to visit now, ranging from a reborn dive bar to craft Peruvian cocktails. Read more →
Published in American Whiskey Magazine Spring 2024 in the print issue, a glimpse of the article: Read more →
Since 1928, San Francisco has sparkled and shimmered from the 21st floor of the Beacon Grand, where the iconic Starlite bar was recently reborn this winter. Formerly the historic Sir Francis Drake, the hotel underwent a massive remodel not long ago, then everyone got invited to a big reveal of the new Starlite in late January. Read more →
These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from dim sum to traditional Irish or Russian food. Alongside the latest full restaurant reviews — why SF is the U.S.’ best food city, The Halfway Club, Nick’s Cove, Movida/Bar Gemini/Stoa, Canela, Chotto Matte, 2023’s top new restaurants and bars — these seven are also worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here (as always, I’ve personally vetted and visited each one): Read more →
Many a happy night was spent at Broken Record over a decade ago with my friends and family, playing pool, sipping a dram from their affordable whiskey list, and filling up on excellent bar food. After closing in September 2022, I couldn’t have predicted that friends Ethan Terry and Greg Quinn would end up taking over the space and opening The Halfway Club, their dream long in the making. Read more →
San Francisco has long been rife with world’s best cocktail bars: it was one of three cities, alongside New York and New Orleans, that introduced the world to cocktails in the 1800s, after all. Then SF and NYC led the cocktail renaissance of the past three decades.
Many of these bars also serve killer food. While bars like True Laurel and The Snug are shining examples of this combo, there’s a recent wave of new bars where food and drink shine together, but the vibe is fully bar versus restaurant. Three of the most interesting newcomers? Movida, Bar Gemini, and Stoa. Read more →