Surprising Italian restaurant arrives in Union Square, plus more S.F. openings
Those included the Nopa team's fish market at the Ferry Building, a sports bar solely dedicated to women's sports, and a sourdough bagel specialist. New restaurants include a Korean bar serving makgeolli with fried chicken and a hotspot for soup dumplings inside a mall.
Italy meets Japan in Union Square
The team behind downtown San Francisco's ' spooky ' Italian restaurant has launched its newest culinary remix. Ciaorigato combines Italian and Japanese cuisine inside an art-deco dining room at the Hotel Bijou. Chef Marco Avila, an executive chef at Aqualina, offers a menu that melds both cuisines with dishes like rigatoni in a Wagyu ragu, bucatini and tsukune meatballs and a four-cheese pizza with okonomiyaki sauce.
111 Mason St., San Francisco. ciaorigato.com
Anticipated seafood spot docks
The collaboration between Nopa chef Laurence Jossel and fishmonger to star chefs Joe Conte is now live at the Ferry Building. Nopa Fish opened with offerings like chirashi bowls with prime crudo cuts, fried rockfish sandwiches and salads with bay shrimp and egg. The space also serves as a fish market stocking a wide range of California seafood, from Tomales Bay oysters to fish caught off of Southern California's Channel Islands.
1 Ferry Building, Suite 31, San Francisco. nopafish.com
Taqueria makes S.F. debut
The popular wandering taqueria Tacos El Ultimo Baile served its first customers inside the IKEA-adjacent Saluhall food hall over Pride weekend, with regular hours coming soon. Chef-owner Dominic Prado previously told the Chronicle he plans to alternate taco fillings during the week between his smoky meats, like carne asada and brisket, and a variety of homestyle guisados, such as birria, chile colorado and steak ranchero. The new kiosk vendor takes as the food hall is refreshing its roster of vendors and is adapting after a year in business.
Rikki's is shaping up to be the spot in San Francisco to cheer on the Golden State Valkyries, Bay FC, and more local women's teams. The venue opened in early June, serving bar food like burgers, wings and vegetarian options, along with cocktails and beer. Owners Danielle Thoe and Sara Yergovich hope the Castro District venue can celebrate women's sports year-round, not just on gameday.
2223 Market St., San Francisco. rikkisbarsf.com
Buzzy South Korean wines arrive in the Mission
San Francisco now has a bar dedicated to makgeolli, Korea's funky, rustic style of rice wine. Jilli opened in the Mission District with a lineup of bottles from some of the most lauded makgeolli makers from the U.S., such as Brooklyn's Hana Makgeolli and Nomi Doga of Southern California. Pours of makgeolli come by the glass, in flights or as cocktails with fruit. Chimmelier, the L.A. Korean fried chicken sensation which arrived in the Bay Area last year, runs the kitchen. Korean tapas like shrimp toast and popcorn chicken are available at night during bar hours, with a midday lunch menu starring hot chicken sandwiches and kimchi fried rice.
Jilli. 1503 15th St. San Francisco.
Hot brewery pouring cold brews in new space
Top brewery Standard Deviant is now pouring inside its new production facility and taproom at Pier 70 in Dogpatch. The new location, inside a refurbished shipbuilding facility, is decked out with a 30-foot-long bar and a tap system pouring more than 20 beers, from Belgian blondes and Kolsches to more modern IPAs and nitro cream ales. The open space allows customers to take in the beermaking process, with a 20-barrel system at its core.
1070 Maryland St., Suite 195, San Francisco. standarddeviantbrewing.com
Acclaimed bakery settles on the waterfront
Asian-American bakery Breadbelly, the No. 8 spot in the Chronicle's Top 100 restaurants list, has also arrived at Pier 70. Bright green kaya toast, flaky croissants and breakfast sandwiches are all available. Seating is currently limited, but there are plans to expand indoor seating and to build an outdoor patio area.
Sourdough bagel popup graduates
Sourdough bagels have a new home in Noe Valley. Bones Bagels is now serving steaming hot bagels in flavors like Asiago black pepper and salted rosemary, as well as bialys topped with jalapeños or an onion-seed mix. These are slit open and topped with fresh tomato with herbs, smoked fish, or your choice of schmears. Owner and baker Noah Orloff, who began his business as a pop-up and delivery service, will also be rolling out cookies, scones and bagel dogs, with his fermented dough wrapped around a hot link.
Sought-after dumplings arrive
The influx of Asian food continues at the Stonestown galleria. Supreme Dumplings, of Washington state, is the latest restaurant entrancing shoppers with xiao long bao, pan-fried dumplings, mushroom fried rice and several noodle plates. Norman Lu, a former chef at dumpling hotspot Din Tai Fung's original central kitchen, is in charge of the food. The location is thebrand's California debut, and its third location overall.
Downtown welcomes taco specialist
Al Pastor Papi chef-owner Miguel Escobedo is now shaving spit-roasted pork into Mexico City-style tacos in Union Square. The fixed location opened in June, with tacos, burritos and tortas stuffed with grilled meats or nopales, marking his return after shutting down his roaming pink truck back in January. The location arrives as part of the latest cohort of Vacant to Vibrant popups, a city-sponsored program connecting small businesses to downtown vacancies.
232 O'Farrell St., San Francisco. instagram.com/alpastorpapi415
Burger pros start baking
Gott's Roadside, best known for its juicy burger outposts throughout the Bay Area, has entered the baked goods game. Its new cookie counter launched at the Ferry Building with options that include ginger snap, double chocolate peanut butter and sprinkle cookies. The chocolate chip cookie, a permanent fixture, uses two types of chocolate from Bay Area manufacturer Guittard. To drink and dunk, there's whole milk and flavors like chocolate and strawberry.
1 Ferry Building, San Francisco. gotts.com
Bingo Street Cafe is now slinging South Indian-style coffee in the Financial District, the San Francisco Business Times reported. Drinks include single origin brews flavored with chicory and turmeric lattes. There are also sandwiches and pastries to take on the go, or in a small outdoor seating area with highlighter green tables. It took over a space where a Bluestone Lane coffee shop operated until 2022.
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