Restaurants/bars reviewed:
— Cozy Italian Comfort: Che Fico Alimentari
— Georgian Food Rarity: Georgian Cheese Boat, North Beach
— Fillmore Seafood House Gets a Remodel: Woodhouse Fish Co., Pacific Heights
— Tiny Thai Hit: Prik Hom, Laurel Heights
— SJ Cocktail Pioneer: Paper Plane, San Jose
Food Recommends:
— Jack and Remi Chef-Crafted Ice Cream
— Van Van Vietnamese Ingredients Read more →
Yokai is an ode to jazz with quality 1970s JBL Pro Series studio speakers and sound-proofing, making music the soul of the lofty space that was home to Salt House for years. The steel, brick and wood-lined bar and restaurant on Mission Street opened just last month, adding a feather in the caps of Marc Zimmerman, Ben Jorgensen and team behind Gozu, one of the great modern Japanese restaurants in the nation since 2019: Read more →
Turkish food is having a moment locally, thank goodness. And from some masterful chefs. Fresh off the heels of my review of new Turkish restaurant, Meyhouse in Palo Alto, chef duo Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz opened Dalida in San Francisco on June 30, 2023, in one of the Presidio’s striking brick buildings lining the Main Parade Lawn, within eyesight of the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge, surrounded by forests. Read more →
Locals don’t exactly flock to downtown San Francisco in regular times, and certainly not post-pandemic as Union Square and neighboring Tenderloin are hit the hardest. But numerous changes have been bringing downtown (slowly) back. The newest is Corzetti, just opened in the new Hotel G off Union Square on August 14, 2023. Read more →
These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from a new pie shop to a seductive Venetian Italian destination. Alongside my full restaurant reviews this month, these five spots are also worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here (as always, I’ve personally vetted and visited each one):
—Seductive Venetian-SF Summer: Bar Sprezzatura
—Savory & Sweet Seasonal Pies: Edith’s Pie, Oakland
—Made from Scratch Thai: Funky Elephant
—Taiwan-Style Sticky Rice Rolls: Taiwanese Eats, Redwood City
—Zanze’s Cheesecake at Little Original Joe’s Read more →
El Mil Amores in Mission pays tribute to owner Andrea Becerra’s grandma and Mexico City roots… Read more →
San Francisco is blessed with iconic oyster bars, from the one, the only Swan Oyster Depot for over a century, to the Castro’s great Anchor Oyster Bar since the 1970s. As the city that gave birth to the likes of cioppino and Crab Louie salad, these oyster houses are decidedly West Coast, often showcasing our glorious local oysters and dungeness crab. But we don’t have one like brand new Little Shucker, opening August 9, 2023, on bustling Fillmore Street. Read more →
In this article:
—Sleek New Neighborhood Sushi & Sake Stop: Kuma on Valencia
—Daily Fresh Pasta for Home Cooking: Pasta Supply Co
—Sicilian Gelato & Sweets Haven: Hila Gelato
—Massive Portions of Heartwarming Mexican Fare in Inner Richmond: Caliente Bistro
… and more
Read more →
When international fellow dining judge friends are asking me about tiny Noodle In A Haystack in my city of San Francisco, I pay attention. I was already curious but skeptical about the pricey ($185 extended menu, $130 weeknight menu) cult ramen pop-up, opened by husband-wife duo Yoko and Clint Tan in spring 2022 as their first brick-and-mortar. It’s looks abandoned: an unmarked corner space with covered-up windows and a 10-seat counter in the Inner Richmond… Read more →
Truth be told, I’ve always been about chefs Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow’s Italy-worthy pastas at Flour + Water even more than the pizza at Flour + Water Pizzeria, which closed in the Mission last summer 2022. I still am most devoted to that original 2009 spot that started it all as a pasta-pizza combo restaurant, reborn early 2022, better-than-ever as a pasta haven deserving of a Michelin star. But Flour + Water Hospitality Group’s new Flour + Water Pizzeria just opened June 28, 2023, in North Beach in the former Rose Pistola space, an Italian favorite since I moved here in 2001, and of so many San Francisco longtimers. It’s heartwarming to see life in the 4,000 square foot space again after six years… Read more →