Jilli beef tartare. Photo by Virginia Miller. A Vietnamese classic reborn, hip Korean drinking den with food, modern British fare, Japan-worthy takeout-only sushi, healthy delivery and, yes, superb pizza… six standout new eateries plus four new takeout spots. As always, I’ve personally vetted and visited each: Vietnamese Classic Reborn: Crustacean, FiDiOpening in the Financial District in July 2025, Crustacean is… Read more →
SPQR corn panna cotta. Photo by Virginia Miller. With a little under 40,000 Italian population in San Francisco alone, we’re home to one of the stronger Italian demographics in California. Our rich Italian immigrant history since the 1800s (no surprise) has left a permanent mark on our food and drink, from our wine regions and grape varieties, to Italian-immigrant-created local… Read more →
Five are new-er, two are celebrating two or twenty years, from killer Laotian food or Italian comfort to Tatarstan Russian food. These seven are worth visiting. Last month’s standouts here. As always, I’ve personally vetted and visited each: Mattina canederli. Photo by Virginia Miller. Cal-Italian, All-Day Neighborhood Joys: Mattina, Pacific HeightsSince 2007, SPQR is one of the nation’s great pasta… Read more →
Che Fico Pizzeria’s vodka sauce pizza. Photo by Virginia Miller. A tough reservation to snag ever since it opened in 2018 in San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood, Che Fico remains a destination for chef David Nayfeld’s inspired pastas and unique take on pizzas with sourdough crust done in certified Neapolitan style. I wrote of the restaurant being reborn in pandemic, then… Read more →
These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from Peruvian to pizza. Alongside my latest restaurant reviews, these seven are also worth visiting: Read more →
Elena’s Mexican chile con queso. Photo by Virginia Miller. As many in San Francisco struggle with half-empty restaurants and continued post-pandemic fallout of higher costs, staffing issues and the BS, scapegoat “doom loop,” a local restaurant group have recently opened two restaurants packed at an almost rabid level since opening. Are these cutting-edge boundary-pushers? No. They’re traditional American-Mexican and Italian formulas.Third-generation… Read more →
Causwells. Photo by Virginia Miller. These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from classic French to a neighborhood comfort food and cocktail classic that just turned ten. Alongside my latest restaurant reviews — TIYA (modern Indian), Hed11 (Thai), 10 top brunches, KoThai (modern Thai Korean), Alora (Mediterranean) — these five are also worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here. As always, I’ve personally vetted… Read more →
Indonesian, Fried Chicken, Plant-Based Filipino, Pizza & More: 7 SF Restaurants Standouts of the Month Bar Jabroni sesame pancakes. Photo by Virginia Miller. These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from fried chicken to rare Indonesian food, plant-based Filipino eats to pizza. Alongside this month’s full restaurant and bar reviews — Starlite, Stookey’s, 5 fine dining spots, Mother’s Day brunch guide — these seven are… Read more →
Che Fico’s Ode to Judy Rodgers pizza. Photo Virginia Miller. Opening March 2018 and my #3 opening of the year in 2018, Che Fico has been a special pizza, pasta and house charcuterie haven in a city silly with the best in the nation in each of those categories. But despite our plethora of world-class pizza and pasta in San Francisco… Read more →
Flour + Water Pizzeria’s stone fruit fennel salad. Photo by Virginia Miller. COME SEE OUR NEW HOME — The Bold Italic has a new home online, and this story has moved! Read it here: https://www.thebolditalic.com/packed-from-day-one-the-new-flour-water-pizzeria-hits-north-beach 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… Read more →