San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Buzzy new restaurants open for business.
Right after the state’s June 15 reopening, dozens of new restaurants opened in the Bay Area — ready to finally welcome diners indoors without any safety restrictions. Here are six new additions from the past month or so that are worthy of a visit for specialties like woodfired Mexican meats, adorable dim sum and comforting Italian prixfixe menus. For the buzziest spots, make reservations early — and expect July to be even busier for exciting new dining options.
Bao
The Mission has a new dumpling destination: Bao, a Valencia Street restaurant with a sleek dining room where diners can watch employees shape fresh dumplings by hand through an open window into the kitchen. The baked barbecue pork version is delicate and crunchy, made snowcapstyle. And dumpling samplers enable smaller groups to try more of the menu, from steamed scallopshrimp dumplings to extra cute red bean dessert baos decorated to look pandas. Plus, it's a rare place to get vegetarian xiao long bao. 590 Valencia St., San Francisco. Indoor dining, takeout and delivery. 4156587453
Bombera
From the outside, Bombera still looks like a construction zone, but the interior is beautifully airy and the Mexico Cityinspired food is all you’d expect from Dominica RiceCisneros of Cosecha fame. After closing her longtime Old Oakland restaurant earlier this year, RiceCisneros is back with a bigger, snazzier followup focused on woodfired cooking in the Dimond District. For now, hours are extremely limited and there’s still no liquor license as the restaurant slowly gears up. Early offerings include some Cosecha favorites like verdant pozole as well as new specialties, such as smoked trout tostadas and achiotestained chicken with crackling skin. 3459 Champion St., Oakland. Indoor dining and takeout. www.bomberaoakland.com
Empress by Boon
The Bay Area’s toughest reservation to snag right now is Empress by Boon, the stunning Chinese restaurant that took over the historic Empress of China space in Chinatown. Helmed by Ho Chee Boon, known for his time at upscale chain Hakkasan, the new Empress offers sweeping views of San Francisco and creative fare using organic produce from the restaurant’s own farm in Gilroy. The restaurant is booked solid through July, around when Boon will transition from a special opening prix fixe to an a la carte menu of dishes like caviartopped shrimp dumplings, Peking duck and South Asianinspired chicken with curry. 838 Grant Ave., San Francisco. Indoor dining. theempresssf.com
La Fonda de los Carnalitos
At the newly open La Fonda de los Carnalitos in Redwood City, the brothers behind the Los Carnalitos food truck and Hayward eatery are flexing their Mexico City culinary muscles. Beyond the family’s already popular tacos and tortas are new dishes like panuchos, two delicately fried tortillas stuffed with black beans and heaped with spicy cochinita pibil and pickled red onions, and albondigas, or Mexican meatballs drenched in a chipotle sauce. Get the taco trio so you can sample any of the entrees in taco form on fresh tortillas; the rich mole poblano and super flavorful albondigas with rice are in particular not to be missed. Everything is served on handmade ceramic plates from Puebla in a cheery, colorful dining room often filled with families and local workers. 820 Veterans Blvd., Redwood City. Indoor dining, takeout and delivery. loscarnalitos.com
Mama
Fans of San Francisco’s Trestle, home to a $39 threecourse New American dinner, can now enjoy an Italian version in Oakland. Mama, which opened in 2019 just north of Lake Merritt and temporarily shut down during the pandemic, is back with new owners and $35 threecourse menus from Trestle’s own
Jason Halverson. The original team, also owner of beloved Oakland wine bar the Bay Grape, is still on board alongside HiNeighbor Hospitality, the group behind Trestle, the Vault and other popular San Francisco restaurants. That is all to say the charming, seafoam greenandpink restaurant devoted to affordable, homey Italian fare with great wine has some brand new energy. Expect the offerings to change weekly but the meatballs and tomatorich pork sugo to be mainstays. 388 Grand Ave., Oakland. Indoor and outdoor dining. mamaoakland.com
SSP Beer Hall
Over the past several months, this SoMa location has functioned as the delivery hub for Namu Stonepot team’s hit Detroitstyle pizza popup Sunset Squares as well as Filipino American popup Uncle Tito. Now, it’s open as a fullon beer hall, with food from all three aforementioned outfits. Expect beerfriendly fare like bibimbapinspired rice bowls, mapo tofutopped pizzas and fries covered in sizzling sisig, all served in an industrial space decked out with local art. 59 Ninth St., San Francisco. Indoor dining, takeout and delivery. sunsetsquares.com/beerhall