San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Most anticipated openings in the Bay Area.
Spring brings a burst of options from splashy fine dining to a new S.F. food hall
Many of the most exciting eats to emerge during the pandemic have been casual, takeoutoriented affairs, including popups, ghost kitchens and home operations. But a rush of fine dining is on its way, with several of spring’s most anticipated openings leaning highend and coming from chefs who used to work in Michelinstarred kitchens.
The recent lull in splashy, threedollarsign restaurant debuts makes sense with the pandemic, but now chefs are getting vaccinated and indoor dining is reopening across the Bay Area. Finally able to envision a future where their dining rooms can be full, these chefs have decided to open their doors this spring — and many more are likely to follow this summer and fall. Imminent arrivals include the longawaited Cantonese restaurant Empress by Boon in Chinatown, as well as Ernest, an exRich Table chef ’s venture.
That’s not to say all of the most buzzy upcoming restaurants fall into the specialoccasion category. Beloved nonprofit La Cocina’s food hall is like seven restaurant openings in one, with accessibility built into its mission. Other spots will specialize in takeoutready eats like sweet Japanese fruit sandwiches and cheesy quesabirria tacos.
Here are nine Bay Area restaurants opening this spring you should definitely keep an eye on.
Bungalow Kitchen
The vibe promises to be paramount at this upcoming waterfront restaurant in Tiburon from famed chef Michael Mina and reality TV personality Brent Bolthouse of “The Hills” fame. The two recently opened the first location of the Bungalow Kitchen in Long Beach, channeling a luxurious clubhouse environment with an extensive menu of American comfort food. If the Bay Area edition’s menu lines up with the Long Beach restaurant, expect to see playful dishes like lobster pot pie with truffled lobster bisque, a short rib “poptart” with classic steak accompaniment sauce au poivre and carbonara pizza finished with a poached egg.
Opening this spring. 5 Main St., Tiburon. bungalowkitchen.com
Californios
Not exactly a brandnew restaurant, twoMichelinstarred restaurant Californios is gearing up to open in the former Bar Agricole space after roughly a year of being temporarily closed. While chef Val M. Cantu promises a similar contemporary Mexican tasting menu, everything else will be different. The space has been completely redone, with a custombuilt wine cellar, cozy bar area, multiple skylights in the dining room and lots of possibilities for the future. Consider how the original Californios in the Mission seated 24 people. The new SoMa restaurant can seat 24 socially distanced on the patio alone. Projected opening: midMarch. 355 11th St., San Francisco. californiossf.com
Dela Curo and Sundo
East Bay restaurateur Chikara Ono, a force behind Japanese spots Utzutzu, Delage and Masabaga, is transforming his Oakland izakaya inside Swan’s Market into two sidebyside operations. Dela Curo will specialize in Japanese black curry, a deeply savory version not previously seen in the Bay Area. Sundo will serve Japanese convenience storestyle sandwiches, such as fresh fruit and whipped cream or egg salad between two slices of fluffy, crustless milk bread. On Instagram, Ono has been teasing potential curry toppings such as mackerel, vegan Impossible Burger and grilled eggplant encased in crispy cheese.
Projected opening: April. 907 Washington St., Oakland. instagram.com/dela.curo.curry
Empress by Boon
Empress by Boon promises dazzling atmosphere paired with former Hakkasan executive chef Ho Chee Boon’s light, seasonal approach to Cantonese cooking — all with sweeping views of San Francisco in the heart of Chinatown. The upscale restaurant takes over the former Empress of China banquet hall space, bringing up some community concerns about gentrification and the loss of community spaces. While the prices might make the restaurant inaccessible to many Chinatown residents, even critics agree that the food will probably be great. Projected opening: May. 838 Grant Ave., San Francisco. instagram.com/empressbyboon
Ernest
This buzzy Mission spot comes from Brandon Rice, who was most recently chef de cuisine at Michelinstarred favorite Rich Table for five years. Over the course of the pandemic, he’s been growing his following with occasional takeout meals, which allowed him to tinker with dishes such as beautifully burnt Basque cheesecakes and makeyourown hand rolls with beef tartare, ikura and sushi rice. When it opens, the restaurant will
also offer a multicourse familystyle feast for groups in lieu of a traditional tasting menu, speaking to Rice’s goal of creating a space that’s more casual and fun.
Projected opening: midMarch. 1890 Bryant St., San Francisco. ernestsf.com
La Cocina Municipal Marketplace
Perhaps the most highly anticipated opening on this list, La Cocina Municipal Marketplace is set to be the country’s first womenled food hall as well as an accessible place for Tenderloin residents with meals as low as $5. The lineup includes firsttime restaurants for Creole spot Boug Cali, pupusa specialist Estrellita’s Snacks, Algerian hub Kayma, guisadosfocused Mi Morena and panAfrican spot Teranga. Berkeley Mexican restaurant Los Cilantros will also have a kiosk, and there will be a cocktail bar operated by La Cocina, a San Francisco nonprofit and restaurant incubator focused on lowincome women of color. While there is a lot of space for indoor dining, the food hall will start out with just takeout and delivery. Projected opening: early spring. 101 Hyde St., San Francisco. lacocinasf.org
La Santa Torta
This popular food truck, a Bay Area pioneer in the current quesabirria trend, is bringing its Jaliscostyle birria to a new brickandmortar restaurant in West Oakland. Taking over the former Old Kan Beer & Co. space, La Santa Torta will have spacious digs, outdoor seating and easy beer access, since Old Kan’s brewery remains next door. For many, the main draw will likely be La Santa Torta’s extra crispy quesabirria tacos, though the chefs also put beef birria into tortas and noodles — and will likely expand their menu in the new space. Projected opening: spring. 95 Linden St., Oakland. lasantatorta.com
Otra
The team behind eclectic Mission District favorite Son’s Addition is gearing up for a new restaurant in the Lower Haight. Called Otra, this spot will present modern Mexican cooking with fresh masa as the driving force. The menu is still in the works, but chef and coowner Nick Cobarruvias said it will highlight more vegetables and less meat than Son’s Addition as a reflection of his own shifting diet. With a full liquor license, the restaurant also plans to deliver a cocktail menu heavy on Tequila and mezcal.
Projected opening: April. 628 Haight St., San Francisco. otrasf.com
Truss Restaurant and Bar
The Four Seasons Napa Valley is getting a fine dining restaurant from an allstar team hailing from Michelinstarred spots like the Restaurant at Meadowood and Commis. At the helm is executive chef Erik Anderson, most recently of Coi, whose plans for merging local ingredients, French techniques and a 250label wine list sounds very Wine Country. The scale of Truss sounds remarkably ambitious, with an upscale dining room and a separate space for more casual, allday dining. Also on deck: a fireside lounge, bar, terrace and multiple private dining areas. Projected opening: spring. 400 Silverado Trail N., Calistoga. fourseasons.com/napa valley/dining/restaurants/truss/