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Here Are the Bay Area's Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings for Summer 2025
We're halfway through 2025, and the San Francisco Bay Area has seen a parade of exciting restaurant and bar openings spice up the food and beverage scene. But now that summer is here, a new roster of restaurants is readying to join the fray, perfect for sun-filled outings with your besties. Explore Filipino cuisine from a French Laundry alum, or grab some pastries from a new bakery by the Michelin-starred team at Sorrel. Meanwhile, a modern Chinese pop-up is perfecting its new Hayes Valley restaurant space, and a Marina bar flips into a restaurant inspired by New York- and New Jersey-style Jewish delis. There's a lot to explore this summer, and here's your guide to the hottest places opening in the next few months.
Chef Jade Cunningham is a pop-up veteran bringing Filipino food to a new permanent spot in Napa with the opening of Carabao. Cunningham grew up in the Philippines, helping with her aunt's eatery in Bulacan, but when she set out for her culinary internship in the United States, she settled in Napa, landing at the Meritage Resort before later joining three-Michelin-starred The French Laundry. At Carabao, Cunningham promises familiar Filipino flavors, but done up with local produce and techniques from her culinary background. The menu will feature items such as Filipino favorite sisig, as well as squid adobo, lumpia, and more. 145 C Gasser Drive, Napa. .
Opening: Parachute opens in July, Arquet opens in August
The minds behind Michelin-starred Sorrel have doubled down on the Ferry Building, opening not one, but two projects on San Francisco's waterfront. Set to open first is Parachute, a new bakery led by executive pastry chef Nasir Zainulabadinand, highlighting laminated treats. That bakery will be connected to the larger Arquet, a new restaurant from chef Alex Hong that's taken over the former Slanted Door space at the Ferry Building. There, Hong will serve a 'seasonal ingredient menu rooted in the bounty of the California coastline,' per a press release, utilizing wood-fire cooking techniques. 1 Ferry Building, Suite 5, San Francisco. and .
Chef James Yeun Leong Parry has been touring the Happy Crane concept as a pop-up since 2023, showing off his personal style of contemporary Chinese cuisine at Rich Table, Nisei, Pacific Cocktail Haven, and more. But now the chef has finally put down roots in Hayes Valley, taking over the former Monsieur Benjamin space and renovating it for the Happy Crane's summer debut. Diners can expect a menu that is a culmination of Parry's extensive cooking background of working at restaurants in Hong Kong and Tokyo, as well as Benu and Palette Tea House. Think roasted meats such as char siu, noodles made in-house, plus a 'playful selection' of dim sum and small plates, per a press release. 451 Gough Street, San Francisco. .
The Causwells team is close to opening their take on classic New York and New Jersey Jewish delis, plopped into the heart of the Marina. Chef Adam Rosenblum and beverage director Elmer Mejicanos have closed down their low-proof bar Lilah and are set to install Super Mensch in its place, highlighting comfort food deli classics such as house-cured and smoked pastrami, as well as latkes, Reubens on rye, and more. Not to be left out of the equation, Mejicanos is readying a deli-worthy cocktail menu thanks to a new, full liquor license, with flavors such as egg cream and celery soda at the heart of its drinks. 2336 Chestnut Street, San Francisco. .
The new permanent spot for Chicano Nuevo has been in the works for the last two years, but its time to shine is nearly here; chef Abraham Nuñez is close to opening the doors to his Bernal Heights restaurant in late August to early September. It's a happy ending that's been a long time coming, from the restaurant's residency days at Broken Record to Nuñez's stints at Cockscomb and State Bird Provisions. Nuñez's partner, Courtney Fujita, is also an industry pro who is working toward the restaurant's opening at the end of the summer. No menu details yet, but diners can expect the same big flavors the pop-up has touted all these years, such as a tamale negro stunner that landed as a Best Dish in 2024. 3355 Mission Street, San Francisco. .
Chisme is the brainchild of chef Manuel Bonilla, where he's taken dive bar food and amped it up with Filipino and Salvadoran flavors. Chisme took up residency at Oakland's Low Bar last year, but it recently decamped to start over as Bar Chisme, taking on the former Kon-Tiki space at 347 14th Street in Oakland. It's a full-circle moment for Bonilla, who pioneered the popular burger at that beloved tiki bar, but he's reimagining the space as his own with a (likely) playful menu to boot. Expect some of the favorite dishes that built the Chisme name at Low Bar, but with the added bonus of a smash burger, Crunchwrap Tuesdays, and a tight list of cocktails to wash it all down. 347 14th Street, Oakland. . See More: San Francisco Restaurant Openings
