Rintaro Softly Opens In The Mission

On Monday night, a new tenant quietly opened the doors at the former home of Chez Spencer on 14th Street in the Mission. Chef Sylvan Mishima Brackett, who has spent the past six years building out his Japanese catering business Peko Peko, welcomed his first round of diners in the space since Chez Spencer suffered that unfortunate fire in 2013.

Rintaro boasts 60 seats and a private dining room that will be available for rentals or overflow, and Brackett seems enamored with the space: "The most amazing thing was during the test dinners," he tells Inside Scoop. "When people filled it up, the space totally changed and developed its own personality. It was magical."

In that Chez Panisse tradition, where Brackett worked before Peko Peko, the menu will change regularly and has a keen eye towards local and seasonal produce. In an Izakaya style, the menu also features fried goods and yakitori items. As SFoodie puts it, Brackett "describes it as the food that you'd expect if the Bay Area was a region of Japan."

For now, Rintaro's hours are Monday-Thursday 5:30pm-11pm and until midnight on Friday and Saturdays. Eventually, Brackett plans to roll out a bento box lunch service.