SFReview
photo credit: Erin Ng
Abacá
Included In
When Abacá opened its doors in summer 2021, titas, lolas, and your kuya’s tita’s tita rushed to the lobby of a Fisherman’s Wharf hotel like there was an everything-must-go sale at a Bed Bath & Beyond. After all, this is the first Filipino fine dining spot to ever touch down in the city. And it’s the permanent iteration of the Pinoy Heritage pop-up.
Abacá lives up to the hype. But don’t come here just because you enjoy the “next big thing” as much as you do weekend sleep. Come to taste traditional Filipino flavors that have been amped up and remixed with ingredient combinations that we’ve yet to encounter elsewhere. Out of the many restaurants in San Francisco that surpass expectations, Abacá is the most refreshing.
To eat here, you’ll have to make your way to the waterfront tourist zone, but it’s several blocks from the High! From SF shot glasses and cable car magnets. Once you reach the lobby of the Kimpton Alton Hotel, a host will greet you at the entrance of the semi-closed-in dining room. The space is bright and enticing, mainly from the warm glow of a huge skylight. Hopefully, when you settle into your chair under some hanging faux tropical plants, you’ll already feel like the hard-fought battle with your dining app for a reservation was worth it.
photo credit: Erin Ng
At first glance, the menu has dishes typically found at other Bay Area Filipino restaurants—pancit, lumpia, BBQ skewers, and fried rice. But this is where the comparison stops. Abacá’s dishes, all intended for sharing, employ seasonings and sauces from regions across the Philippines and fuse them with California signatures. These familiar dishes are made to feel new.
The okoy fritters are lighter than an air balloon and topped with pinakurat and more herbs than you’ll find at the Ferry Building farmers market. The bowl of smoked chicken palabok isn’t simply the saucy, comforting noodle dish you might find served buffet-style at a family get-together. Soft boiled quail eggs, flat green beans, and crunchy rice noodles level it all up. One of the most unexpected dishes is a plate of butternut squash dumplings surrounded by a pond of creamy coconut milk and topped with romanesco, zucchini, and palapa condiment. It’s reminiscent of a bountiful summer salad, and you wouldn’t be the first to gasp when this dish hits the table.
photo credit: Erin Ng
Presentation is also part of the show here, but form is always at play with function. In the seafood chowder, for example, mussels jut out dramatically like volcanoes rising from a creamy coconut milk ocean. Dig your spoon in deeper and uncover what could likely be every type of seafood at the fish market, yellow potatoes that glisten like gold, and, the ultimate nod to the restaurant’s Fisherman’s Wharf location, chunks of sourdough.
If you’ve been using the same three restaurants over and over again for everything from date night to birthdays to family reunions, mix it up. If you work Abacá into the rotation, you’ll never feel restaurant fatigue again.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Erin Ng
Sisig Fried Rice
photo credit: Erin Ng
Abacá’s Seafood Chowder
photo credit: Erin Ng
Squash Okoy Fritter With Pinakurat Sauce
photo credit: Erin Ng
Smoked Chicken Palabok
Squid Relleno
Pork Steamed Bun
photo credit: Erin Ng