Dairy-and-Gluten-Free Restaurant Makes Play for the Cow Hollow Crowd

Following the success of its flagship Hayes Valley location, Little Gem will take its gluten-, dairy- and refined sugar-free food to Cow Hollow. Owner Eric Lilavois (former COO at the Thomas Keller Group) confirms that the restaurant will open in the former location of Umami Burger (2184 Union St.) in spring of 2019.

Now the company, which was built to scale, is officially in expansion-mode — Lilivois promises that more locations are on the horizon. Though details are scarce on what might be different at the new spot, Lilivois promises some exciting location-specific offerings down the line, plus the same beer and wine offerings as the original restaurant.

“We had been — and still are — canvassing the Bay Area for great locations,” Lilivois told Eater SF. “This one made a lot of sense for a multitude of reasons: first, we love the neighborhood. the idea that we can be flanked by Pac Heights and the Marina and located in Cow Hollow really positions us to be surround by a lot of our existing clientele.”

Plus, Lilivois notes, his neighbors are of high-caliber too, including the likes of Soul Cycle, Wrecking Ball Coffee, Bar Crenn, and the soon-to-open Cow Marlowe from the Big Night Restaurant Group. “Union Street has some lovely retail, too,” says Lilivois. “It’s been challenged, but it’s primed for a reemergence.”

Lilivois opened Little Gem three years ago with chef Dave Cruz (Ad Hoc) with the desire to feed everyone, regardless of dietary restrictions. The counter service restaurant offers dishes like hangar steak with sunchoke puree, Jimmy Nardello peppers, and grilled scallion vinaigrette, pastas made with corn instead of wheat, and toasts with gluten-free bread.

Stay tuned for more details closer to opening.

• Inside Little Gem in Hayes Valley [ESF]
• Where to Eat and Drink in Cow Hollow [ESF]
• Little Gem to Open Second Location [SF Chron]