If you tried to keep track of every brand new restaurant in San Francisco, your head might spin. So just read this list instead. This guide tracks new eating and drinking experiences in SF, Oakland, Berkeley, and beyond. If you know of a new spot that’s not on this list, tell us about it by emailing sanfrancisco@theinfatuation.com.
JANUARY
You order in sets at this Thai spot in Union Square spot. And each one includes a main and a couple of sides. A few to choose from are the Isan set with papaya salad, chicken satay, and duck larb, and the Northern set with stewed beef khao soi plus a soup of the day.
photo credit: Joseph Weaver
Akikos
Anyone who loves Akikos’ iconic shokupan topped with toro and caviar will be happy to know that the Japanese restaurant has reopened in a shiny new space in SoMa. They're still doing omakase for both lunch and dinner, and showcasing dry-aged sashimi, wagyu dumplings, and more.
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Anomaly is a pop-up-turned-restaurant in Lower Pacific Heights with an 11-course menu ($121 per person). The seasonal tasting menu features things like fennel prepared four ways and filet mignon with beet millefeuille.
SF’s newest spot for Moroccan food is L’Mida in the Marina. Za’atar manakish, beef tagine, and plates of grilled chicken, kafta, and lamb chops are all on deck, along with wine and beer.
Kitava has officially crossed the Bay Bridge and opened a second location in Oakland’s Temescal (the original is in the Mission). Expect to see the same healthy-ish rice and grain bowls, small plates like fried plantains and hummus, plus new additions like green smoothies and vegan soft serve.
photo credit: Inle Burmese Cuisine
Inle Burmese Cuisine
Inle Burmese Cuisine just moved from Noe Valley to a larger space in the Inner Sunset. The menu has since expanded to include Thai dishes like pad kee mao and Thai green curry. You can still order Burmese mainstays like tea leaf salad, fish noodle soup, and samosa soup.
Tons of hotel restaurants have been opening up in SF lately, and the latest to debut is Beacon Lounge inside the Beacon Grand in Union Square. The menu of seasonal American dishes covers everything from a grilled New York strip to crab louie and olive oil cake with roasted figs.
photo credit: Carly Hackbarth
Peaches Patties
The former SF-based catering company just hit a new milestone—it’s now a brick-and-mortar stall in the Ferry Building. Head over for Jamaican patties, grilled jerk chicken plates, and vegan stews.
Uchiwa Ramen
Noodle soup fans will probably appreciate Uchiwa Ramen in Emeryville. You can choose from four different kinds of broth for the ramen: tonkotsu, miso, shio, or shoyu. They also serve pan-fried ramen, rice bowls, and chashu tacos.
The people behind pop-ups El Chino Grande and Hén-zhì just opened a restaurant in the Mission inspired by Taiwanese night markets. They serve family-style dishes, which includes things like mala BBQ pork ribs and honey walnut shrimp and pork toast. In the future, they’ll offer brunch.
DECEMBER
This spot in the Inner Sunset serves dishes that mash up Thai and Korean flavors—think fried kimchi rice balls with bacon and mozzarella, beef noodle soup with chicharrones, and Thai-marinated pork jowl over rice.
Unagi Shop
This new Japanese tasting menu spot in Lower Nob Hill revolves entirely around charcoal-grilled eel. For $125 per person, you’ll get nine courses of dishes like chawanmushi, unagi shioyaki, and unagi tamagoyaki.
At Yoma Cafe in the Inner Sunset, they serve Japanese curry, unagi donburi, katsu sandwiches, popcorn chicken, and more. Boba tea is available.
This Korean fine dining restaurant in the Tenderloin draws on ancient Korean cooking techniques dating back to 1450. The 12-course menu ($135) will change occasionally, but expect to see dishes like oysters in an “edible shell,” cod-skin broth, and 48-hour braised short ribs.
Lower Nob Hill is now home to a cat-themed cocktail bar and restaurant, complete with a photo of the Mona Lisa snuggling up with one. In addition to cocktails, wine, and local beers on tap, they also have shareable plates like pulled pork sliders and waffles with ice cream.
The Coffee Movement
You can get The Coffee Movement’s coffee tasting flights and seasonally changing lattes in the Richmond. This new outpost is bigger than the original location in Nob Hill, and has indoor seating if you want to grab a croissant and stay a while.
O'Brien's Irish Pub
The Sunset now has an Irish pub called O’Brien’s. You can head over to catch a game on one of the TVs, or settle in for fish and chips, bangers and mash, and a pint.
Shake Shack - Stonestown
SF’s third Shake Shack just landed at Stonestown Galleria. It’s got all the classic burgers and crinkle-cut fries you could ever want, plus hot fried chicken sandwiches and double cheeseburgers with garlic aioli.
Acre
Acre is a Californian and Mediterranean restaurant that just took over the old Oliveto space in Oakland’s Market Hall. The Rockridge spot serves things like pork roast hash, ricotta toast, and a “rotisserie of the day” for brunch, lunch, and dinner.
Diamond Coffee N’ Pastry
Another cafe that just opened a second location is Diamond Coffee N’Pastry. Originally located in the Richmond, it’s now also in the Sunset. They have everything from coconut frappuccinos and Ferrero mochas to strawberry cream cheese croffles.
Calabash
Calabash is an Afro-Caribbean and Northern Iranian restaurant-slash-market near Lake Merritt in Oakland. One of the chefs is behind the pop-up Komaaj and the other is from Kingston 11—so expect to see Persian mazze alongside dishes like roasted lamb leg salad and grilled whole fish with lemongrass.
We checked out Calabash and added it to The Hit List, our guide to the best new restaurants in the East Bay.
Gao Viet Kitchen
This is the first SF location of Gao Viet Kitchen (its original location is in San Mateo). The Vietnamese restaurant serves everything from five-spice pork belly and shaking beef over garlic noodles to the $95 “Phozilla,” which comes with filet mignon, 1.5 pounds of lobster, and butter brisket.
Salmon Bar
As the name suggests, there’s a lot of salmon and fish on the menu at this Japanese spot in the Mission. But in addition to nigiri, sashimi, and sushi rolls, they also have oysters, chicken teriyaki bowls, and udon.
Another new place has hit SF’s pizza scene: Angie’s Pizza in the Mission. This one focuses on thin crust wood-fired pies topped with everything from pepperoni to dates with goat cheese and bacon. On top of mostly Italian wines to drink, they also serve housemade ice cream for dessert.
We checked out Angie's Pizza and added it to The Hit List, our guide to the best new restaurants in SF.
Crumble & Whisk
You may recognize Crumble & Whisk’s cheesecakes from farmers markets across the Bay Area. You can now get the desserts at their brick-and-mortar in Oakland’s Laurel District. The cafe also has breakfast and lunch options like cinnamon rolls and quiche.
NOVEMBER
Bacogai is a Vietnamese hot pot restaurant in Alameda. The types of soups you can choose from range from bean curd broth with oxtail to vegan mushroom with tofu—add-ons include catfish, glass noodles, and wagyu beef.
The spot previously known as The Korner Store in the Mission is now Bobop. Swing by the grab-and-go snack bar for boba drinks and yubu chobop topped with everything from bulgogi to stir-fried kimchi.
SoMa’s newest spot for dumplings is Village Tea House, a Chinese restaurant near the Yerba Buena Gardens. The menu includes everything from pan-fried shengjianbao and wontons in chili oil to heartier dishes like BBQ pork fried rice and dan dan noodles.
photo credit: Chelsea Young
Olfactory Brewing
A new spot to kick it with a pint is Olfactory Brewing, a brewery in the Dogpatch. The casual, dog-friendly spot also hosts rotating food pop-ups, like Guajillo Kitchen and Pizza Squared.
photo credit: Albert Law
Montesacro
San Francisco’s Montesacro officially crossed the bridge and opened another outpost in Walnut Creek. You can get the same Roman-style flatbreads, or pinsas, that their SoMa and Marina locations are known for, plus brunch on weekends.
Andytown’s expansion continues, this time with a new coffee shop in the Outer Richmond. It serves the same drinks you can find at their other SF outposts, like the Snowy Plover and espresso con panna. The Richmond-exclusive menu item is the espresso-drenched It’s-It affogato.
This counter-service spot in SoMa is from the people behind Boochman Kombucha in Berkeley. Everything on the menu involves something fermented, from the lentil miso burger to the quinoa and bulgur bowls. There’s, of course, kombucha on tap.
Tacos N Tikkas
Tacos N Tikkas is a casual spot in the Tenderloin for halal burritos, tacos, and quesadillas. And as you might have guessed from the name, the protein fillings also include things like chicken tikka and paneer tikka.
Simurgh Bakery
For Turkish baked goods, like pide bread, simit, and baklava, head to Simurgh Bakery & Cafe in Emeryville. The counter-service cafe is their first brick-and-mortar spot—they also have a kiosk in the Ferry Building, cater, and sell their goods at local farmers markets.
Best Kept Secret is a Parkside cocktail bar with shareable plates like kimchi paella, spicy wontons, and pappardelle with chicken and mushrooms. There are big couches, if you want to watch a game in front of a TV.
This Arab bakery is one of our favorite spots for mezze and mana’eesh—and they just opened a second SF location inside the Ferry Building. Expect to see a similar menu to the Mission spot, like the Pali Cali wrap with sumac chicken, hummus, and chocolate chip halawa cookies, all available for takeout (there are also a few seats at the bar).
The Laundromat
The Laundromat in the Richmond isn’t a laundromat—it’s actually an all-day spot where you can get morning bagels and coffee. At night, they serve pizza topped with things like pepperoni or mushrooms, plus beer and natural wine.
We checked out The Laundromat and added it to The Hit List, our guide to the best new restaurants in SF.
The Russian Hill spot formerly known as Saru Sushi Bar has now reopened as Saru Handroll Bar (the Noe Valley location is still around). The walk-in only restaurant focuses on temaki filled with fatty tuna, crab, and more.
We checked out Saru Handroll Bar and added it to The Hit List, our guide to the best new restaurants in SF.
photo credit: Sam Elbandak
Town's End Brunch
Town’s End Brunch is a South Beach spot that used to be called Town’s End Restaurant, before shutting down at the start of the pandemic. Now, it’s open again with new owners and a menu of breakfast, brunch, and lunch dishes like benedicts, waffles, and burgers. They also have a juice bar, espresso drinks, and cocktails like mimosas and Bloody Marys.
Marigold, a flower shop in the Mission, just opened a coffee shop next door. They have espresso drinks and seasonal specials like ginger or rose vanilla bean lattes, plus pastries by Black Jet Baking Co. and Le Dix-Sept Pâtisserie.
photo credit: Galdones Photography
Bar Sprezzatura
At Bar Sprezzatura in the Financial District, you can come in for a mortadella pizza al taglio at lunch or swing by in the evening for cocktails and cicchetti (Italian savory bar snacks). The cicchetti menu includes things like guanciale meatballs, whipped duck liver, and charcuterie.
photo credit: Chika Ohata
Chika & Sake
At this cozy sake bar and restaurant in Japantown, you can snack on small plates like iburrigako (smoked pickles) with cream cheese, scallop or bluefin sashimi, and grilled white fish with mushroom dashi. And, of course, there’s sake to pair with it all.
photo credit: What's The Scoop
What's The Scoop
When it’s time for a sweet treat, a new ice cream option is What’s The Scoop in Bayview. The music-themed dessert spot has sandwiches with combinations like marshmallow ice cream and red velvet cookies, plus scoops of flavors ranging from grasshopper pie and banana to Thai tea.
Convivium Enoteca
POWERED BY
The newest Italian restaurant to open in North Beach is Convivium Enoteca. Here, you can tackle a spread of dishes like risotto topped with shrimp carpaccio, beef tartare with caviar, and trofie alla catanese. They also offer private wine tastings.
There’s a new spot for Roman-style pizzas, also known as pinsas. At Pinsa Rossa in Lower Pacific Heights, you can get them topped with everything from truffle oil and pork cheek to broccolini and sausage. They also have a couple of pastas, appetizers like cheese plates and crudos, and plenty of wine.
photo credit: Champion's Curry
Champion's Curry
Champion’s Curry in Berkeley is the first Northern California outpost of the Japanese curry chain. The fast-casual spot has curry plates with chicken and pork katsu, grilled salmon, and vegetables, along with sandwiches and salads.
We checked out Champion's Curry and added it to The Hit List, our guide to the best new restaurants in the East Bay.
Rise Over Run is a restaurant and bar at The Line Hotel in the Tenderloin, complete with fire pits and rooftop views. The menu includes things like king crab salad and fried chicken with date molasses and szechuan sauce, plus cocktails, beer, and wine.
Kinfolx
Uptown Oakland’s newest coffee shop is Kinfolx, serving coffee and pastries in the morning and natural wine at night. The cafe doubles as a welcoming community space with plenty of couches if you want to stay a while or get work done. The food menu focuses on dishes found throughout the African diaspora, and they'll host pop-ups and chef residencies in the future.
Keys Jazz Bistro
North Beach has a new spot for live music called Keys Jazz Bistro. The club hosts local jazz musicians four nights a week, and serves food and drinks. There aren’t any menus online, but check back on their website for updates.
Lyon & Swan is a supper club-inspired restaurant located under Eco Terreno's Urban Tasting Room, a new wine tasting spot in North Beach. At the underground restaurant, you can have things like braised short rib, ricotta and herb gnudi, and poached pears with prosciutto. They also have cocktails and lots of wine.
OCTOBER
Princess Bakery
This is the second location of Princess Bakery (the first is in Excelsior). The Inner Richmond outpost of the Chinese bakery has the same pastries, ranging from pineapple buns and egg tarts to sponge rolls and fruit tarts.
The team behind the omakase restaurant Akiko’s just opened another omakase spot in Nob Hill. It’s currently, as the name suggests, invite-only. At the time of writing, the Instagram for Friends Only is mysteriously blank, but keep an eye on their profile for any updates in case you’re interested in an exclusive night filled with dry-aged tuna nigiri ($300 per person).
photo credit: Johnny Doughnuts
Johnny Doughnuts
This spot for donuts recently closed their location in Hayes Valley, and just opened a new one in Pacific Heights. Head over for lime mascarpone bismarks, old fashioneds, and apple fritters, plus espresso drinks and tea.
Earth Tone Cafe
There’s homemade banana bread, vegan cookies, and coffee at this new cafe in the Inner Sunset. Earth Tone Cafe also serves non-caffeinated drinks, like mango lassis, strawberry milk, and iced honey lemon tea.
Elena Mediterranean
Elena Mediterranean Cuisine is a North Beach restaurant serving dishes like hummus and baba ghanoush, roasted racks of lamb with couscous, and grilled chicken with roasted tomato and farro.
Former pop-up Damansara just landed a brick-and-mortar in Noe Valley. The Malaysian spot serves small plates, like cereal and salted egg fried chicken and achar awak with tofu, plus larger dishes like laksa and nasi lemak.
Salted chocolate babka, bourekas with eggplant and feta or ricotta and sage, and labne cheesecake are all on deck at this Hayes Valley cafe and bakery (it’s in the old 20th Century Cafe space). In addition to Jewish and Levantine inspired pastries, Loquat also serves espresso drinks and tea, and will add sabich nights in the future.
We checked out Loquat and added it to The Hit List, our guide to the best new restaurants in SF.
At this new hand roll bar in Oakland, temaki are filled with things like spicy scallop, seared albacore with black garlic, and spam, egg, and kimchi fried rice. You can order in hand rolls in sets of five or a la carte, plus starters like hamachi carpaccio and hiyashi tofu.
We checked out Yonsei Handrolls and added it to The Hit List, our guide to the best new restaurants in the East Bay.
Al Carajo used to be a food truck, and now you can find the Mayan spot in a permanent place in the Mission. Expect to see the same dishes, like panuchos, chicken tinga quesadillas, and ceviche yucateco, plus new items like breakfast burritos.
Nob Hill’s newest spot for pasta and wine is Ciccino. The upscale Italian restaurant serves things like ravioli carbonara, passatelli with porcini mushrooms, squid skewers grilled over binchotan, and pork cotoletta.
Another new Italian spot in Nob Hill is Back to Back. They focus on wood-fired pizzas topped with everything from mushroom purée and brie to salami and hot honey. To drink, there's lots of natural wine. Get into it all while listening to house, disco, and jazz records.
photo credit: Pasakorn Sangsak
Zajang Grill
The Richmond is home to SF’s newest all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue spot. At Zajang Grill, you’ll have tons of meat and seafood options ranging from bulgogi and spicy pork belly to baby octopus and scallops.
Cassava just reopened in a new location with the same reasonably priced prix fixe menu ($48 for three courses). Their new North Beach spot serves dishes like grilled octopus with roasted brussels sprouts, pan-seared scallops, and slow-braised lamb belly.
photo credit: Mateen Karimy
Blind Pig Speakeasy Lounge
Blind Pig is a Chinatown speakeasy on the second floor of the old Cathay House. Here, you can sip on cocktails made with ingredients like bitter melon and oak chip smoke. They also do tasting flights of Japanese whiskey and baijiu.
Tacos El Último Baile
One of our favorite taco trucks in Oakland just landed a brick-and-mortar in Fruitvale, in the old Nyum Bai space. The menu includes al pastor and ribeye tacos on corn and flour tortillas, and local beer.
We checked out Tacos El Último Baile and added it to The Hit List, our guide to the best new restaurants in the East Bay.
Hinodeya Union Square
The dashi ramen spot has opened a third location for noodle soup topped with things like garlicky clams and chashu. The new Union Square outpost is open until 2am every day, for your late-night needs.
photo credit: Joseph Weaver
Rosemary & Pine
Rosemary & Pine is a new American lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch spot from the people behind Niku Steakhouse and Dumpling Time. This Design District place serves a few pastas, like squid ink tonnarelli with clams and cavatelli with calabrian chili sausage, and entrées like veal chops and grilled ribeye.
The Vault Steakhouse in the Financial District just opened a cocktail and live music spot called The Piano Bar. It’s located inside of the restaurant. Expect small plates like prime rib sliders and potato pave tots, and a Happy Hour with $10 cocktails.
