If you tried to keep track of every new restaurant and bar in San Francisco, your head might spin. So just read this list instead. These are the openings that seem like they have the most potential. Although, keep in mind, we make no promises about the places we haven't visited yet. Go forth and be a pioneer—or just keep up with our Hit List to see which new restaurants we checked out and loved.
A Hawaiian soft-serve mini-chain has opened their first California location in Noe Valley. Banán serves dairy-free ice cream made with a banana base. The soft serve has no added sugar and comes in rotating flavors like strawberry lilikoi, acai, and chocolate haupia (chocolate topped with coconut). You can also choose from a few preset toppings combinations like the Riss Moore with papaya, pineapple, and puffed quinoa. Xinjiang Stir-Fried Rice Noodle With Hot Level
We’re not the biggest fans of the food at Palm Court, but we do appreciate the sweet digs—and it seems like the same might hold true for the RH Rooftop Restaurant at the top of the new McMansion-sized Restoration Hardware store in Palo Alto. The place looks stunning, with massive chandeliers, trees, firepits, and furniture we could never afford. On the food side of things, expect a menu of American dishes like a burger, a whole branzino, and a caesar salad.
Lunette is a counter-service Cambodian spot inside the Ferry Building from the team behind the now-closed Nyum Bai. The menu is a small collection of noodle and rice dishes, all available for $21, like a kuy teav phnom penh—a rice noodle soup with pork broth—and dry pork and shrimp egg noodles, and there are plenty of tables for dine-in. They’re open on weekdays until 7pm and weekends until 6pm.
Richmond hotspot Pasta Supply Co has launched a big Mission outpost. They’re only serving raw pasta and Italian groceries for now, but they’re expected to open for dine-in soon. The menu will consist of some of the same affordable pasta options as their first location, but will also include a few exclusive pasta dishes, like a “hot mess” spaghetti tossed in garlic butter. Everything is available in an all-inclusive pricing model with no tips or service charges.
Rose La Moon is a casual spot for Thai food and desserts in Berkeley that’s mostly meant for takeout. The menu consists of a few hawker-stall style snacks like a Hat Yai fried chicken, a few noodle dishes like a pad see ew, and desserts like sticky rice in banana leaf with taro.
Berkeley has gained a spot for all-you-can-eat hot pot open for lunch and dinner. Expect the usual wide array of meats, seafood, vegetables, and noodles to fill your bowl, but with a few harder-to-find soup bases like oxtail, beef rib, and pork tripe. Each of the broths are served in individual-sized pots, and with big round tables with space for up to 10, it seems like it could be a great place for a last-minute choose-your-own-adventure dinner.
The Hungry Spot is a casual NoPa restaurant for sandwiches, wings, and what they call “lazy” pizzas, which appear to be individual-sized slices of french bread topped with tomato sauce, cheese, and a few toppings that are then thrown in the oven. You can make your own or choose from one of 11 combinations, like the BBQ chicken with red onion. The place is small, with just a few tables to eat inside, but you should just take your food to Golden Gate Park instead.
In North Oakland, Me Va Con is a Vietnamese spot with phở, bánh mì, and BBQ rice plates. They also have egg coffee, soju cocktails, and fresh smoothies. The inside is casual but spacious, with room for big groups.
On the Berkeley-Oakland border, Roses on Adeline (not to be confused with Rose Pizzeria, also in Berkeley) has opened with a small menu of bar bites and drinks. Expect things like a double smashburger, halibut ceviche, and a katsu-style fried chicken, with a few of the items (like the burger) available until midnight on the weekends (part of the menu stops being served at 9pm).
photo credit: Little Original Joe's
The family behind Original Joe’s and Elena’s has opened another restaurant, this time in the Marina. This is the second Little Original Joe’s location (the other is in West Portal and is takeout-only), but this one isn’t exactly little and is focused on sit-down dinners. This swanky restaurant with green booths and checkered floors features a menu of Italian-American classics like spicy rigatoni vodka pasta and eggplant parmesan.
Bettola in Richmond is an all-day Italian restaurant with rotisserie chicken available by the half or whole. The place is set up as a casual hangout with pizza, oven-baked pasta, and budino available for dine-in or takeaway. There’s also a small market inside to take care of some of your Italian shopping needs.
Relaunching in the Sunset, Lomo Libre is a bright Peruvian restaurant with a ceviche bar, lomo saltado, and pescado a lo macho. They’re only open for dinner and have a green wall for some photo ops that looks like Instagram bait from 2016.
For a fancy Korean-Japanese restaurant, consider Jang. This Hayes Valley spot serves a 12-course tasting menu for $79, including sashimi, kalbi, and injeolmi panna cotta with a toasted sweet soy bean custard. The space leans a bit on the modernist-minimalist side, with a lot of grays and cool tones throughout.
Forma Bakery is a cross between a French and Mexican bakery in Oakland's Temescal neighborhood. Their menu includes five different sourdoughs, conchas, croissants, and more. The space has a few benches outside, but it’s mostly a takeout operation.
Local mini-chain The Port Of Peri Peri has launched their third location in SoMa across from Oracle Park. This fast-casual setup serves South African-style peri peri chicken by the quarter, half, or whole chicken. You can also get chicken sandwiches, cassava fries, and a paneer wrap.
Nippon Curry has a new location right off of the UC Berkeley campus. The menu features Hinoya curry served with chicken karaage, beef, pork katsu, or potato croquettes. They’re takeout-only for now, but they plan to open up the inside for seating soon.
A short walk away from Alta Plaza Park, Pac Heights Deli continues our city-wide love affair for parks and sandwiches. The menu includes 13 sandwiches (plus a create-your-own option), smoothies, coffee, and breakfast sandwiches from 7am-12pm. There are only a few seats at the window, but eating your sandwich in the park is always the better option.
Recently closed seafood restaurant Catch has reopened as Catch French Bistro—with new owners and a completely new menu. The interior of this Castro spot has undergone a makeover into a slightly more formal white-tablecloth hangout serving dishes like beef bourguignon, mushroom ravioli, and seafood chowder.
The Inner Sunset has gained a sushi and sake bar with a cozy all-wooden interior that’s open for lunch and dinner every day of the week. They’re serving a long menu of hot dishes like takoyaki and agedashi tofu, cold dishes like salmon crudo, and sushi served only in a tasting menu format.
Open for breakfast and lunch, Gery’s Deli Cafe is a Peruvian cafe in the Richmond serving beef empanadas, chicken tamales, lomo sandwiches, alfajores, and chicha morada, a purple corn drink. The interior is tiny and also functions as a micro-mart with items like Peruvian coffee bags and imported Peruvian candy for sale.
Richmond taco spot Tacos El Tucan has opened an outpost in the Castro. The casual space is counter-service and includes a spacious front parklet patio, where you can enjoy adobada tacos, quesabirria, burritos, and even keto tacos made on a cheese shell.
Look out, Daeho—there’s a new player coming for the galbi jjim crown. Mashita Galbi Jjim is a Korean restaurant on Polk St. that serves massive bowls of braised beef stew. There’s also Korean fried chicken, beef mandu, and chicken garlic noodles on the menu.
Rosemary & Pine in the Design District has moved around the corner and shifted its focus away from dinner to breakfast and lunch. This smaller version of the American restaurant from the team behind Dumpling Time and Niku Steakhouse has a menu of brunch classics like eggs benedict, brioche french toast, and a fried chicken sandwich with gochujang aioli that you can eat with your friends who like to dress up a bit for brunch.
Umami Sushi is a spot that looks like it could be good for a casual weeknight dinner in Richmond. It offers nigiri, sashimi, rolls in the $15 range, and an eight-piece omakase service for $39, all in a space with a few bar seats and enough tables for a small group.
photo credit: Snow Bliss Cafe
Half-Korean dessert cafe, half-Chinese restaurant, Snow Bliss Cafe is another exciting opening in West Portal—the sleepy neighborhood has seen a surprising number of buzzy openings (like Elena’s) this year. On the dessert side of this cafe, they’re serving sago and six types of bingsu with toppings like mango, coffee, and taro. Meanwhile, their savory options include a beef chow fun, sweet and sour pork, and curry beef stew. The inside is a bit tight, but everything is walk-in only, so you should find a seat eventually.
We’re big fans of Mini Potstickers’ original Sunset location, so we’re excited that there’s now a second outpost in Nob Hill serving the same phenomenal dumplings. The menu is a bit different at this location, with a few more classic dim sum dishes like siu mai and custard buns in addition to the namesake mini potstickers. Plus, they also serve beer, soju, sake, and wine.
We recently checked out Mini Potstickers and added it to our Hit List.
Pochy’s is a choose-your-own-adventure counter-service spot for South Indian street food in Berkeley. You can order a plate or a roll, choose a filling/curry (like egg, chicken, or paneer) and a flavor (either tenali kura, butter masala, or Manchurian), and add some extras like roasted onions, peppers, lime, or even guacamole (for extra, of course). Eat your creation inside, or take it out to their covered front patio.
Eight Katsu plates, three types of udon, and yakitori make up the bulk of the menu at Ganji in Japantown, the sister restaurant of Nara in the Lower Haight. It’s got a slightly fancy interior that looks primed for date night, as well as a long sake, beer, and wine menu.
photo credit: Neetu Laddha Photography
From two brothers who started Rooh in SoMa and ran Indienne in Chicago comes an Indian restaurant in the Marina with a $90 four-course tasting menu. Lots of the dishes, such as lamb keema and gunpowder seabass, are cooked over a big coal grill, and housemade naan is baked in a clay oven. Aside from the tasting menu, there’s also the option to order from an a la carte menu with small plates like a goat ghee roast taco, and bigger plates like a lamb shank roast.
Mumu Hot Pot has opened another location in Emeryville, with stark modernist decor that makes it look more like a restaurant you’d find on a spaceship. This East Bay location serves the same menu as their SF location, with set hot pot courses served in personal-sized pots.
Malatang is a Sichuan street food spot in the Richmond that serves bowls of hot soup by weight. Every step of the process is customizable, with two soup base options, four spice options, and your choice of meat, noodles, and vegetable toppings.
This Oakland bar is home to an unlikely combination of martinis and vegan hot dogs made in collaboration with the chefs from (the now-closed) Lion Dance Cafe. The dogs come with unconventional toppings like artichokes, kimchi, and sambal mayo. They’re also serving jello shots, cocktail shooters, and seven different martinis inside a space filled with green booths, plants, and a wooden bar.
The giant plastic cracked egg is the first thing you’ll notice when you enter Toast N Egg in the Outer Sunset, a Korean street toast shop that looks like it was made for Instagram. The menu consists of 10 egg toasts with ingredients like wagyu, pork, and crunchy chicken, and you also order croissant waffles for dessert. There are just a few seats inside, but there’s also a back patio with some chairs and a lush green wall.
photo credit: The Geez Freeze
Located inside Golden Gate Park, The Geez Freeze is an ice cream truck across from the Conservatory of Flowers with soft serve, frozen daiquiris, and Italian ice. Hours are limited to 12pm-5pm, Thursday to Sunday.
The team behind Hed Very Thai has launched an 11-course Thai tasting menu in Japantown. At the Kimpton Hotel Enso, this dimly lit upscale spot (with just one circular window letting in natural light) serves dishes from across Thailand. Some plates to expect are grilled Hokkaido scallop coconut curry noodles and sour and spicy grouper fish soup.
LA-based mini-chain Sushi Roku has opened in Palo Alto at the Stanford Shopping Center. This giant sushi restaurant looks like it’s straight out of a hotel resort (thanks to all the plants and the nearly monochrome brown interior), and serves sashimi, rolls, meat skewers, and larger entrees like grilled salmon with teriyaki glaze.
Palestinian spot Lulu has reopened in an airy spot in Albany with flowery wallpaper featuring a giant pomegranate. The menu has scones, a mezze sampler, and a mix of Mediterranean-fusion brunch dishes like Turkish eggs, harissa tots, and baklava french toast. There’s also an all-day menu of kebabs, savory pies, and shishbarak soup dumplings.
We recently checked out Lulu and added it to our East Bay Hit List.
Cafe de Casa is a Brazilian brunch spot and lunch cafe with three locations across the Bay. At this plant-filled Fisherman’s Wharf location (which is a relocation from their previous smaller Wharf spot just a block away), they’re serving classic Brazilian items like a misto quente panini, açaí bowls, pastéis, and pão de queijo, plus iced coffee on tap.
Yasijang is a casual Korean restaurant on Van Ness in the Tenderloin. It serves tapas like creamy croquettes, soups like army stew, and bigger plates like bibimbap. On weekends, it’s open until 1am, making it a rare full-service late-night spot.
Right off of Lake Meritt in Oakland is a two-story bar for book lovers. Clio’s is a bookstore-bar hybrid with chess, tea, and lots of corners tucked away for reading (one is even lit by a lava lamp). There’s beer and wine, and eventually, there will be a menu of tapas and souvlaki. They also host readings on a weekly basis, with information available on Eventbrite.
After closing in 2020, historic gay bar The Stud has returned to SoMa. The new location on Folsom St. is their third home in 58 years and will feature a dance floor, Victorian bar fixtures, vintage signage, and colored glass lighting.
photo credit: Go Duck Yourself
The team behind Hing Lung has opened a Cantonese roast duck restaurant in Bernal Heights that, despite the confusing horny name, looks pretty promising. Go Duck Yourself is currently only open for takeout, but soon, you’ll be able to dine in as well. The menu also includes chow mein, fried rice with duck liver sausage, and Teochew dishes like oyster fritters.
Bar 821 closed in 2020 but has returned to NoPa—and you know what that means: fernet lovers (all three of them) are about to get a bar with fernet flights. They’re offering many types of amaro, a classic cocktail list, and a bespoke cocktail option to create a custom drink for $20. This time, it’ll be a bit fancier: there's a doorbell you have to ring to enter, and there’s no standing room (or reservations).
After a fire last fall, Horn Barbecue has relaunched in a new Old Town Oakland space that was previously home to the owner’s other restaurant, Matty’s Old Fashioned. The menu includes items from the previous Horn Barbecue menu—like brisket, ribs, oxtails, and mac and cheese—plus a few things from the Matty’s Old Fashioned menu, like smoked sticky wings and the Matty Burger.
Indonesian spot Nusa has opened a kiosk in the Emeryville Public Market (they also sell at the Ferry Building market on Sundays). Expect pastries like a 1,000-layer pandan chiffon cake and some snacks like beef rendang. They’re currently open for lunch but plan to start serving dinner by mid-May.
Today Food is a casual Chinatown spot with a short menu of handmade dumplings (which you might be able to see them making through the storefront window), potstickers, and some frozen chive pancakes and dumplings to take home. The inside is sparse, with a white ordering counter and a few tables.
The Outer Richmond has gained another spot for dumplings with Fuwa Dumpling. They specialize in Northern Chinese dumplings served either boiled or in soup. The rest of the menu includes two beef noodle soups, pan-fried dumplings, and some appetizers like a wood ear mushroom salad.
photo credit: Kuidaore Handroll Bar
There’s now a handroll bar in Jack London Square in Oakland. Kuidaore Handroll Bar is a fancy waterfront restaurant featuring temaki handrolls, sashimi, crudos, lots of beer, and sake served at sushi bar seating.
photo credit: Melissa de Mata
Filipino fusion restaurant Mestiza has returned in a new casual outdoor-only space in SoMa after shuttering for four years. This time around, they’re serving Filipino dishes with a plant-forward twist like sweet potato lumpia, and a mushroom and tempeh sisig bowl. The entire menu isn’t vegan, so expect some classics like a braised pork adobo wrap and a chicken inisal.
The team behind Kaiyo Rooftop has launched another upscale Japanese-Peruvian restaurant at the Hyatt Place in SoMa, but this time in a ground floor space with a green wall, colorful booths, and dark red lighting. The menu is split into a general dinner section and a sushi section. On the sushi side, look for nigiri sets, sashimi sets, and some specialty rolls. For dinner, they’re serving bigger plates like a lomo saltado, a churrasco bone-in ribeye, and a hamachi tiradito.
Emeryville’s Minnie Bell's has made the jump across the bay with their rosemary-spiced fried chicken, mac and cheese, and cornbread. This Fillmore spot will also feature beer and sparkling wine on tap in their casual, sit-down space.
We recently checked out Minnie Bell's and added it to our Hit List.
You’ll find a big, bright pink patio, a colorful mural, and lots of rotisserie chicken at Todo El Dia, an all-day Mexican restaurant in Noe Valley from the people behind Tacolicious. The menu skews more toward the stewed side of things with dishes like a pork chile colorado and a chile verde de pollo. During the day they’ll also be serving juice, chia pudding, and breakfast tacos.
There’s another takeout spot for bánh mì in Richmond thanks to Phi Long Sandwich. The menu includes coffee, boba, six different bánh mì options, and spring rolls.
There's a new fast-casual spot for Filipino twists on American dishes—like a tamarind hot chicken sandwich and a smashburger with banana ketchup. Izzy & Wooks serves eight different sandwiches, "think leafy" bowls, and sisig fries out of their SoMa outpost for lunch and dinner seven days a week.
The Osha Thai empire continues to expand with their third colorful location. This FiDi location continues their tradition of adorning their entrances in a hot pink arch and serves the same menu of pad see ew, duck curry, and khao soi.
Saluhall is a splashy new food hall in the IKEA building in the Mid-Market area, and they’re going to be serving a lot more than just meatballs. Created by IKEA’s real estate arm, it’s a two-story Scandinavian-inspired space with lots of plant-based options (although it’s not entirely vegan). Vendors are a mix of in-house Swedish restaurants and bars, plus local offerings like Curry Up Now and Taqueria la Venganza. There will also be events and eventually cooking classes.
We recently checked out Saluhall. Read our thoughts here.
photo credit: Out The Road
Out The Road is a casual bar and pizza restaurant in Portola open all day on the weekends and late night (by SF standards) during the week. They’re serving a cross between New York and Neapolitan pizza made with fermented dough, plus sandwiches (like a reuben and a fried chicken sandwich), alongside craft beers and cocktails on tap. Expect giant booths and bar seating.
Located in the old Cafe Flore space, Fisch & Flore is a seafood restaurant and bar with a focus on sustainable fishing. There’s a big front patio with a fire pit, floor-to-ceiling windows, and an airy, tiled interior. Currently only open for dinner (with brunch and daytime service to follow), they’re serving things like oysters, seafood linguine, grilled corvina, and stuffed zucchini blossoms.
Speakeasy Blind Pig has reopened on Polk Street after closing their Chinatown location back in 2023. After you discover the front door that’s hidden behind a snack shop, you’ll need a password (found on their Instagram) to enter the dark space with a screen projecting an Asian grocery store aisle. The walk-in-only bar is serving cocktails with a wide array of East Asian ingredients like red bean, black sesame, and coconut oolong tea.
The reign of the Dumpling + Noun spots in San Francisco continues with the opening of Dumpling Kitchen in Noe Valley. This is the third location of this casual mini-chain (the other two are in Parkside and in the Castro), and you should expect the same menu of boiled dumplings and pan-fried pork buns inside a warm and wooden space.
SHOWA Le Gourmet Tonkatsu is an upscale tonkatsu tasting menu (think 30-day dry-aged pork loin) in SoMa with an equally swanky space. The 12-course, $150 menu is constantly changing, but should feature around five katsu tastings, two starters, four sakizuke, and shave ice for dessert.
The latest spot to join the recent surge of new bagel shops in the Bay is Bageltopia in Berkeley. You’ll be able to get nine different bagels, slathered in one of their 11 cream cheeses (with four vegan options available). Or if a bagel sandwich is more what you’re craving, they have eight standard options like an egg lox and eight vegan options available, like a not-tuna salad.
When the gloomy SF weather is getting you down, head to Little Aloha in Parkside—you’ll be able to mentally escape to Hawaii, if just for the length of a meal. They’re serving shave ice, spam musubi, and loco moco in a counter-service, takeout-only setting. The shave ice comes in 16 different flavors (you can choose up to three), and there’s also the option to add condensed milk or Li Hing powder.
We recently checked out Little Aloha and added it to our Hit List.
Corporate workers near Salesforce Park are finally getting a decent lunch option. SF sweetheart Joyride Pizza has teamed up with Barebottle Brewing Co. to bring their Detroit-style pizza to Salesforce Park. These crispy slices are being served out of the Barebottle outpost, which is a converted shipping container, and have taken the place of Barebottle’s old food menu.
Downtown Berkeley has landed a casual ramen shop open until 10pm with Tsuryua Ramen. The menu is short: they have six bowls on offer—three tonkatsu and three paitan—as well as matcha panna cotta for dessert.
We recently checked out Tsuruya and added it to our East Bay Hit List.
Tanzie’s Cafe is a small Northern Thai brunch spot in Southwest Berkeley. Their menu mostly consists of customizable soft scrambled Lava Egg bowls that are served with Thai beignets, brown or white rice, and proteins like a Chiang Mai sausage and marinated pork jowl. They also serve two fried rice skillets starting at 11am.
We recently checked out Tanzie's and added it to our East Bay Hit List.
Berkeley-based Boichik Bagels has finally expanded its bagel empire to SF with a new location amongst the boutiques of Presidio Heights. This spot is takeout-only, so you can bring the fluffy New York-style bagels and bagel sandwiches home or on a short stroll over to the Presidio.
We recently checked out Boichik Bagels SF. Read our thoughts here.
Dumpling Story, one of our favorite "Dumpling + Noun" restaurants in the city, has launched a new outpost on Valencia St. in the Mission. This version serves the same menu of hits (like the juicy pork bao, chicken wings, and xiao long bao) as their Pacific Heights location, but with a more sultry interior. And unlike their other locations, this spot will soon have a full bar.
We recently checked out Dumpling Story Valencia and added it to our Hit List.
The team behind Palm City has created a casual wine bar in the former Axum Cafe space in the Lower Haight. The wine-by-the-glass menu is long with a few European natural wines alongside classic pinot noirs, chardonnays, and champagnes. Meanwhile, the short food menu is all over the place (in a good way) with small bites like Kumamoto oysters and potato gnocchi, plus larger shareable dishes like braised wagyu beef cheeks with English peas.
We recently checked out Bar Jabroni and added it to our Hit List.
Chinese Rice Noodles photo credit: Three One Four