More Details on Cala, Gabriela Cámara's Mid-Market Restaurant

Mexico City food titan Gabriela Cámara (Contramar, Merotoro) is nearing her U.S. debut, and her mid-Market restaurant now officially has a name: Cala. (That's Spanish for "cove" or "creek," intended to symbolize the meeting of sea and land on SF's shores.) According to Inside Scoop, the space at 149 Fell Street (right next to Rickshaw Stop) will boast 85-95 seats, and will focus on seafood, which Cámara says has been a challenge to source locally and sustainably. Cala will nixtamalize its own corn and make its own tortillas, and a full bar will emphasize mezcal and tequila.

But area workers might be even more pumped about the side project Cala will offer in its back alley on Hickory Street: a taco stand. There, Cámara and co. will serve Mexico City-style tacos de guisado, featuring stewed meats (like tinga, adobo, and mole) on those homemade tortillas. It'll be a bare-bones, weekday lunch-only operation with no seating: grab a taco or two and an agua fresca, and take it with you on the go. Cámara is targeting a July debut for Cala, which will join a host of mid-Market projects in opening this summer, including Cadence & Mr. Tipple's Recording Studio, the three restaurants at the Twitter building, The Perennial, American Masala, and new cocktail bar Forgery.