Gay4U Opens in a New Oakland Space, and More Bay Area Restaurant Openings

This is a curated list of the Bay Area’s most notable restaurant and bar openings, with new updates published once a week. See an opening we missed? Then drop us a line.

Seeking the Bay Area’s spring and summer restaurant openings? Look no further.

December 28

OAKLAND — Wildly popular pop-up Gay4U Vegan Eats (formerly Hella Vegan Eats) is open for takeout inside the former Fat Bottom Bakery space at 1327 Peralta Street, Berkeleyside reports. Its policy of offering free meals to trans people of color continues, the restaurant says via Instagram, which is the best place to find its current menu and operating hours.

LOS ALTOS — The modern Indian dishes at Aurum, a new restaurant from August 1 Five chef Manish Tyagi, are now available for takeout. Read the full story here.

BERKELEY — Las Delicias Salvadoran Restaurant is serving up Salvadoran specialties like pupusas and empanadas, Berkeleyside reports, as well as Mexican standbys like tacos and burritos.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Saison Hospitality Group, which owns 2-Michelin-starred fine dining spot Saison and seafood spin-off Angler, has launched a to-go operation called Saison Provisions, the SF Chronicle reports. Its menu includes baked goods from pastry chef Michelle Fried like a $32 miso chocolate babka, as well as meats, butters, and other pantry supplies. There’s also a short list of to-go cocktails and a longer list of “specially selected” wines.

BERKELEY — Artisan chocolate shop Chocolaterie has opened with a menu of house-made treats, Berkeleyside reports. According to its website, the business isn’t taking online orders for now, so walking up is your best bon bon bet.

SAN FRANCISCO — El Rinconcito Restaurant has opened inside the space most recently occupied by Venezuelan tasting menu spot Francisca’s, which closed earlier this fall. (Longstanding San Franciscans likely still think of the venue as the longstanding Palace Family Steakhouse, however.) Specializing in Honduran food, El Rinconcito has an expansive menu of baleadas, chicken dishes, and soups, and is open to walk-up or phone (415-341-0013) orders only.

OAKLAND — SoMa restaurant Square Pie Guys is opening a second location in Oakland, the SF Chronicle reports, inside the former Benchmark Pizzeria space in Old Oakland. The Detroit-style pizzeria hoped to open in February with outdoor seating and a full alcohol license, in addition to its seasonally-rotating list of pies.

December 21

SAN FRANCISCO — SF-based food empire-builder Michael Mina has launched two ghostly takeout and delivery spots, the SF Business Times reports. Bourbon Burger Bar serves items familiar to fans of his Bourbon Steak restaurant from inside Pabu Izakaya’s FiDi location. There’s also Mac ‘N Cue, a collaboration with International Smoke’s Ayesha Curry. It’s dishing out macs from the 252 California Street kitchen of Michael Mina. Both offer delivery and takeout.

OAKLAND — After a year out of the game, gordita specialist Cecilia Chairez is back in business at Mi Zacatecas. Her new spot at 6633 Bancroft Avenue should open within the next two weeks with a lineup of Zacatecas-style stews and gorditas, with an eventual plan for breakfast service and a sideline in house-made cheeses. Read the full story here.

SAN FRANCISCO — Little Original Joe’s, a pizza-and-pasta-focused spin-off of North Beach and Westlake’s iconic Original Joe’s restaurants, is open in West Portal with a menu of parms and something called pizza salad. Get all the details here.

BENECIA — The East Bay Times reports that Amore Bistrot owners Massimo Biatta and Sonia Giovanazzi immigrated to Benicia from Milan right at the pandemic kicked in, and opened up inside the Inn at Benicia Bay months into the shutdown. Expect handmade pastas and pastries, as well as sandwiches and desserts.

ALAMEDA — The SF Chronicle reports that Alley & Vine has opened with a “classic California, seasonal ingredients-focused approach to American food.” Its owners Francisco Bazo, Casey Hunt and Jason Ryczek met while working at SF seafood spot Waterbar, but don’t expect a fish-heavy menu: the spot is serving dishes like duck confit salad and truffle toast.

OAKLAND — Asian fusion mini-chain Monkey King will open a location on Piedmont Avenue by the end of January, Oaklandside reports. It’s their first spot outside Alameda, they noted on Instagram, saying “if we don’t do it now, we might never expand.”

SAN FRANCISCO — El Capitan Taqueria is open in the space last occupied by Mission Beach Cafe, Mission Local reports. This is the fifth location of the chain, which is owned by Jennifer and Nimer Massis, the latter of whom, the publication notes, was convicted of various financial crimes in 2014, for which he served eight months in prison.

SAN FRANCISCO — Tablehopper reports that Destapas, a Spanish-style restaurant from an East Bay catering company, is open in the Mission with three types of paella, as well as some sandwiches, soups, and salads.

December 14

SAN FRANCISCO — After months of delays, Billingsgate, a seafood market and oyster bar from seafood company Four Star Seafood and Provisions, has at long last opened in Noe Valley, the SF Chronicle reports. Owners Ismael Macias and Adrian Hoffman initially planned to open inside a former laundromat on 24th Street back in the summer of 2019, and promised crab melts to Eater readers back in October. Their doors officially opened for takeout on December 10, a move that happened so suddenly that the restaurant has yet to update its website, which still reads “coming August 2020 for reals.” It doesn’t look like the venue has any posted menus or operating hours, so calling 415-379-0936 appears to be the best way to confirm that they’re open when you’re planning a visit.

OAKLAND — La Guerrera’s Kitchen is slated to open on December 15 inside the former Tamarindo Antojeria space at 468 8th Street in Old Oakland, with a menu of tamales, barbacoa, and Guerrero-style green pozole. Read the full story on their grand opening plans here.

OAKLAND — Tribune, a restaurant inside the former Tribune Tavern spot on the ground floor of the historic Tribune Tower, will open in “early spring 2021,” Oaklandside reports. The new spot is from the same team that’s opening Town Revival in downtown Oakland in the summer of 2021, and is expected to be “a New American brasserie with French influence.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Sunset Squares, a cult favorite pizza spot that launched via Instagram during the pandemic, has revealed that its founder is a prominent SF chef: Dennis Lee, the co-founder of the Namu mini-empire of restaurants. Lee’s “proprietary” square, wild-yeast pizzas are now available for pickup in SoMa, from the doorway of the former Perennial, which Namu took over last year. Learn more about Sunset Squares here.

SAN FRANCISCO — Tripleta, a Puerto Rican takeout spot from Al’s Deli general manager José Rigau, his brother Juan Felipe (a sous chef at Spruce and Sons & Daughters), and chef Aaron London, is open inside the former Al’s Deli spot on Valencia Street with a menu of tripleta sandwiches and traditional Puerto Rican sides. Read all about Tripleta here.

SAN FRANCISCO — Los Angeles deli Heroic Italian has opened an outpost inside the Castro’s Swirl wine shop, with a tightly-edited menu of sandwiches and sides made with a combination of local and imported-from-Italy ingredients. Here’s everything you need to know about Heroic Italian.

December 7

OAKLAND — Shawarmaji, the permanent location of chef Mohammad Abutaha’s crowd-attracting pop-up, is open for lunch and dinner, Berkeleyside reports. Expect a menu of halal meat-packed wraps, loaded fries, and salads.

SAN FRANCISCO — Rene Denis, the SF restauranteur known for his participation in a lawsuit intended to evict homeless people from Tenderloin sidewalks, has opened a new restaurant in the area, Hoodline reports. Denis apparently closed his Soluna Cafe & Lounge and has replaced it with Chao Pescao, a Cuban-Colombian spot with a menu of under-$20 dishes like tajin fried chicken and cocktails to-go.

EMERYVILLE — Jayna Gyro, a kiosk from Napa restaurateur Yusuf Topal (Tarla Mediterranean Grill), is open in the Public Market with a selection of gyros, salads, and dips, Berkeleyside reports.

SAN FRANCISCO — Tablehopper reports that Red Window and Little Red Window, a Spanish-influenced cocktail and small-plates bar, is just an inspection from opening in North Beach. Both windows are inside the former Caffe Delucchi space, and will be serving empanadas, salads, and drinks to go.

CAMPBELL — Fast-casual chain chicken Starbird continues to set up coops in the Bay Area, with a location in the Pruneyard the former Coffee Society space, the Bay Area News Group reports. There’s also a plan to take over a former Taco Bell in Walnut Creek, and a ghost kitchen location in Oakland.

BERKELEY — Picnic, a grab-and-go business serving whole roasted chickens, salad, and charcuterie, is open on Solano Avenue, Berkeleyside reports. For now, orders must be placed in advance, and picked up during designated slots.

December 1

OAKLAND — Hoodline reports that the long-awaited Shake Shack planned for Uptown Station is expected to open “mid-December,” after “a city inspection, and the completion of training for the employees.” This will be the first outpost of the East Coast smashburger chain in the East Bay, following a slew of openings in the past year across the South Bay and in San Francisco.

OAKLAND — Berkeleyside reports that Vietnamese pop-up Moi Eat has opened inside Nikko’s Family Restaurant, with a fast-casual menu of spring rolls, banh mi, and pho.

SAN JOSE — Petiscos, a small plate spin-off of Michelin-starred Portuguese restaurant Adega, is open for outdoor dining and takeout, the Bay Area News Group reports. Expect a seafood-heavy menu served on traditional clay dinnerware, and weekday breakfast service in the coming months.

OAKLAND — Tipunan, a Filipino comfort spot, has opened for takeout and delivery with an all-day breakfast menu and a lineup of barbecue, noodles, and stews, Berkeleyside reports.

November 24

SAN FRANCISCO — Sunset Slurps, a Vietnamese noodle soup spot operating out of a SoMa commissary kitchen, is open for delivery and pickup. The restaurant is the brainchild of SF natives Adam Li, James Wong, Alberto Wong, and Andrew Lum, some of whom who grew up in the Sunset (hence the name) but discovered the joys of bun bo Hue and bun rieu while attending school at UC Davis.

OAKLAND — State Coffee is open in the former Subrosa cafe space, Berkeleyside reports. Right now, the menu is limited to coffee drinks and pastries, but plans are in the works for a toast menu from sister bread bakery Farm & Flour.

SAN MATEO — Blue Bottle Coffee has opened a new cafe in downtown San Mateo, a company spokesperson tells Eater SF. The 201 South B Street spot offers contactless ordering for a menu of coffee drinks, sandwiches, and toasts.

TIBURON — Bungalow Kitchen, chef/entrepreneur Michael Mina’s new collaboration with LA nightlife name Brent Bolthouse, is set to open in spring of 2021 with a roster of shellfish, shooters, and pizza.

SAN MATEO — Winner Winner Hot Chicken, a Hillsdale Shopping Center restaurant from veteran chefs Jeremy Cheng and Randy Magpantay, is serving up Nashville style hot chicken, Barry’s Bootcamp-inspired bowls, and house-made desserts, the Bay Area News Group reports.

SAN FRANCISCO — Hoodline reports that Santeria, a Mexican restaurant from Tacorgasmico owner Eduardo Sandoval, is gearing up to open in the oft-turned-over space at 2251 Market Street (last tenant: Finn Town). Expect frozen and classic margaritas from the front and back bars and a “speakeasy garden bar in the back patio.” Renovations are underway, with a final opening date that’s yet to be determined.

SAN FRANCISCO — Shuggie’s Trash Pie & Natural Wine, a wood-fired pizza spot that plans to use food waste as ingredients, is planning a spring 2021 opening on Grant Avenue, the SF Chronicle reports. Expect two types of pizza when the spot opens for outdoor dining and takeout: neo-Neapolitan and New-York-style grandma pizza (which is thin-crust and square).

SAN JOSE — Scott’s Chowder House, a casual spinoff of local institution Scott’s Seafood, is open on First Street with a takeout menu of grab-and-go soups, sandwiches, and salads, the Bay Area News Group reports.

OAKLAND — Xochi the Dog Cafe, which is named after a dog named Xochi and is not expressly a “dog cafe,” is open for business, Berkeleyside reports.

OAKLAND — Vegan food truck Malibu’s Burgers has gone brick-and-mortar with a Piedmont Avenue restaurant set to open on December 5, the SF Chronicle reports. Expect smashburgers made with Beyond or Impossible meat, faux pork ribs, and mock-chicken patties.

BERKELEY — The Smokehouse, a 69-year-old burger shack at Telegraph and Woolsey, was shuttered by a fire in early 2019, but it’s roared back to life, Berkeleyside reports, and will reopen for business on November 27.

November 16

SAN FRANCISCO — Torraku Ramen started its life as a food truck, then went permanent at 300 De Haro back in 2017. Now its opening a second location in SoMa, Hoodline reports, serving up SoCal-made noodles in tonkatsu and shoyu broths.

SAN FRANCISCO — North Beach institution Tosca Cafe has reopened with a fixed-price menu and outdoor seating. Its new owners — chef Nancy Oakes (Boulevard), restaurateur Anna Weinburg (Marlowe), and designer Ken Fulk — confirm that the century-old restaurant’s cappuccino cocktails will keep flowing, served to 28 tables that will enjoy two seatings a night.

SAN FRANCISCO — The SF Chronicle reports that Po’boys Kitchen, a “San Francisco-style Southern restaurant,” is open at 317 Connecticut Street in Potrero Hill. Owner Metin Yalcin says his po’ boy sandwiches will be served on classic SF Dutch crunch, and his gumbo is milder than other places’ at his diners’ request. Outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery are all available.

SAN FRANCISCO — Tablehopper reports that the owners of beloved Mission restaurant Old Jerusalem have opened Abu Salim Middle Eastern Grill in the Upper Haight, with a menu of classics, special Palestinian dishes, and loaded shawarma fries. Outdoor dining, delivery, and takeout are all options.

SAN FRANCISCO — As announced back in June, chain ice cream shop Double Rainbow has returned to the Castro District, with a shop that opened for business on November 12, Hoodline reports. Expect all the usual shakes, cups, pints, and cones, from the 44-year-old brand’s classic roster of ice creams.

November 9

SAN FRANCISCO — Hoodline was first to report on the revival of Aquitaine, a French restaurant and wine bar that closed in the Financial District at the end of 2019. Owners Laurent Manrique and Andrew Fidelman reopened in a new spot at 216 Church Street on November 3, with an all-day menu of dishes like a 24 oz ribeye to share, a burger, and a duck reuben, as well as a $6 happy hour menu of beer and snacks.

SAN FRANCISCO — Flywheel Coffee Roasters has expanded Stanyan Street into Golden Gate Park, with a new kiosk inside a 1930s-era building that was once used as gardening storage, a San Francisco Recreation and Park Department spokesperson says. The venue near Page and Stanyan offers patio seating, baked goods, and coffee drinks, and is open now.

CROCKETT — The Oaklandside reports that husband and wife co-owners Randy Valdez and Faith Harrison have opened Lucia’s Craft Sandwich, with a menu that includes multiple grilled cheeses, vegan and gluten-free options, salads, and focaccia pizzas.

SAN JOSE — Palo Alto’s Taro San Japanese Noodle Bar has opened a second, “Semi-permanent” location inside the Go Fish Poke Bar at 670 River Oaks. Its udon bowls, izakaya dishes, and mochi donuts are available for online ordering here.

CAMPBELL — The Bay Area News Group reports that cult-fave California coffee and tea chain 7 Leaves Cafe will open a new location on Hamilton Avenue near Highway 17, its third in the Bay Area. No opening date has been set as of yet.

OAKLAND — Donut Savant, a seven-year-old doughnut shot that drew crowds to its location at 1934 Broadway, closed in September of 2019. Owner Laurel Davis has revived the popular spot in Allendale, in a spot that was the longtime home of the King’s Coffee Shop. Its official opening date is Thursday, November 12.

FOSTER CITY — A second location of Millbrae’s Wonderful Hunan restaurant is open at 000 Metro Center Boulevard, the Mountain View Voice reports, with indoor and outdoor dining available, as well as takeout.

SAN FRANCISCO — Señor Sisig, the Filipino-Mexican street food truck turned restaurant, has a new a different truck on Valencia Street these days. This one’s called Señor Sisig Vegano, abd every offering, from its burritos to its loaded fries, is plant-based.

November 2

OAKLAND — Buck Wild Taproom, which the Oaklandside reports is California’s first gluten-free beer brewery, is set to open its taproom and beer garden on November 7. At launch, the spot will have eight gf beers on tap and food from San Francisco’s (similarly gluten-free) Kitava.

LAFAYETTE — NorCal brewery Headlands Brewing Company will open a Contra Costa County beer garden at 3420 Mt. Diablo Boulevard, the East Bay Times reports. Expect small-batch ales that won’t be available anywhere else amd a “light food program.” At present, an opening date is TBD.

OAKLAND — Berkeleyside reports that Ain’t Normal Cafe has opened in Rockridge with a rotating menu of drinks from local specialty coffee makers, and a roster of breakfast pastries.

SAN FRANCISCO — Tablehopper reports that Akna, a pop-up inside the former Barcino space, is open with a menu of Mexican and Mayan/Yucatecan dishes including ceviche. handmade blue corn tortillas, and those now-ubiquitous quesabirria tacos.

CAMPBELL — La Pizzeria is opening a second location at the location that last housed Doppio Zero, the Bay Area News Group reports, with an expanded menu of pastas as well as the wood fired pizzas alluded to in its name.

LOS ALTOS — House on First has opened in the city’s downtown area for breakfast and dinner, the Mountain View Voice reports, with a massive and heated back patio well-suited to outdoor dining.

OAKLAND — Chuan Yu, a Szechuan and Hunan spot from the folks behind SF’s popular General Tso Kitchen, has opened inside the same space that houses Sakura Bistro, Berkeleyside reports.

HAYWARD — Bay Area mini-chain Kansai has opened its third location, the Bay Area News Group reports, with a lengthy menu that includes rolls like the “Tiger Woods” (spicy tuna and cucumber topped with seaweed salad and a spicy mayo sauce).

OAKLAND — Layalina Restaurant, a Middle Eastern halal spot specializing in kebab and shawarma plates and wraps, is open for takeout, outdoor, and limited indoor dining, Berkeleyside reports.

SAN JOSE — The Bay Area News Group reports that chef Tony Santos, who runs the cafe at the city’s Tech Interactive museum, has turned his commissary kitchen into a smokes meat destination called Tony’s Patio BBQ. In addition to the house-smoked meats, you’ll find the usual sides, house made sauces, and Texas toast.

SAN FRANCISCO — Maison Nico, a French-style deli from Nico chef-owner Nicolas Delaroque and The Morris’s Paul Einbund, is open in Jackson Square with a selection of pastries, grab-and-go prepared foods, and inventive coffee drinks like a chartreuse cappuccino.

MOUNTAIN VIEW — T Bread, a foot-long banh mi chain founded in Saigon in 1990, is open on El Camino Real with an eight-sandwich menu, the Mountain View Voice reports.

OAKLAND — Chef Leilani Baugh has expanded her Cajun/Asian style of cuisine from catering business Roux and Vine to open Magnolia Street Wine Lounge & Kitchen, Berkeleyside reports. The San Pablo Avenue restaurant offers takeout, outdoor, and limited indoor dining, with a menu of salads, grits, and deep-fried seafood or chicken.

October 26

SAN FRANCISCO — Pop-up Hedge Coffee has opened a window at a Mission District “social experiment in activating space” called Front (498 Alabama Street). The menu includes baked goods and waffles they make on the spot, house-roasted coffee, and drinks like an espresso and tonic, which sounds strange but really, really works.

TRUCKEE — Great Gold, the Mission District Italian spot that shuttered in August after a year in the game, has risen again at the Pioneer Commerce Center, the Sierra Sun reports. Owner David Steele says that “We had a landlord in San Francisco who was absolutely unwilling to give us any flexibility,” so he decided “We’re going to move up to Tahoe.” He hopes to start serving up house made pasta and Roman-style pizza as soon as November 6.

SAN FRANCISCO — Le Dix-Sept Patisserie has opened in the Mission district with a menu of technical French pastries, influenced by founder Michelle Hernandez’s Guamanian and Mexican heritage.

REDWOOD CITY — San Francisco Japantown favorite Marufuku Ramen expanded to Oakland in 2018, and on Tuesday, October 27, it’ll open a new location at 65 Middlefield Road. The mini-chain is known for its Hakata-style ramen, with 20-hour Tonkotsu broth and ultra-thin noodles.

OAKLAND — Plant-based ice cream shop Mr. Dewie’s Cashew Creamery has opened its third location at 4184 Piedmont Avenue, the East Bay Times reports. Brothers Ari and Andrew Cohen founded the cashew milk ice cream company in 2011, selling pints at retailers across the West as well as scoops and ice cream sandwiches at locations in Emeryville and Albany.

OAKLAND — Seabreeze on the Dock is open in Jack London Square, Berkeleyside reports, a seafood spot that sources its wares “from wild-caught fisheries and fish farms to ensure its seafood meets environmental sustainability standards.”

BERKELEY — Ono Bakehouse, the East Bay’s first bakery dedicated to Hawaiian treats, is expected to open mid-November at 1922 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The business began as a pop-up called Ono Snax, but owner Desiree Valencia says she’s been busy enough to open a permanent location to sell her butter mochi, chocolate haupia pie, and Queen Emma layer cake.

EAST PALO ALTO — The Mountain View Voice reports that Tokemoana Foods, a frozen food company specializing in Polynesian dishes, is now serving hot meals for pickup on Saturdays and Sundays. Expect dishes like sapasui, palusami, and feke.

SAN MATEO — Florida-based chain Dahlia Mexican Grill has opened a location in the Crocker National Building, serving up traditional Mexican dishes and craft cocktails.

OAKLAND — Berkeleyside reports that Izza, an Izakaya-style restaurant with a menu of small plates and yakitori, is open for outdoor dining and takeout on nue.

OAKLAND — San Francisco’s popular Mochill Mochidonut, a Japan Center doughnut window known for its wildly flavored (think black sesame or Fruity Pebbles) doughnuts, has opened a delivery-only operation in Jingletown, with 16 flavors of rings available online.

SAN FRANCISCO — Market Street’s Proper Hotel has launched a “permanent” outdoor dining situation called the Proper Patio, Tablehopper reports. Chef Jason Fox “has been reunited with his former team who all worked together at Commonwealth for over a decade,” and the group will serve “an all-new, Mediterranean menu” for lunch and dinner.

SANTA CLARA — 70-year-old SoCal chain King’s Fish House has opened its first Bay Area restaurant in Valley Fair, the Bay Area News Group reports. The restaurant’s rotating menu includes wild California spiny lobster, wild Columbia River salmon, and live king crabs.

OAKLAND — Mujiri, a sushi spot from first-time restaurateur Jane Sun, is now serving sashimi and maki rolls on San Pablo Avenue, Berkeleyside reports.

SAN JOSE — The East Bay Times reports that District 7 Kitchen, a pan-Asian spot from Three Seasons chef/owner John Le, is open for lunch and dinner outdoors, but “When it gets colder we probably will open up indoors,” he says.

October 13

SAN FRANCISCO — One Market, the tony restaurant at Market Street’s eastern end, has launched a New York- style deli inside its walls. It’s called Mark ‘n Mike’s, and is intended to offer a curated version of the classic Jewish sandwich-and-sides experience well-known to those from SoCal or the East Coast. Expect gigantic pastrami sandwiches, Boichik bagels piled with smoked salmon, and — of course — matzoh ball soup.

SANTA CLARA — Two new restaurants have opened inside the Valley Fair shopping center: A new location of SF-based Thai chicken mini-chain Rooster & Rice, and another outpost of Portland-based sustainable sushi restaurant Bamboo Sushi, the Bay Area News Group reports. Both are open daily for outdoor dining and takeout.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Anchovy Bar, a tiny seafood-centric spot from State Bird Provisions/The Progress team Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, is open for indoor and outdoor dining (no takeout or delivery is available). The spot’s menu includes imported and local anchovies, oysters, smoked liverwurst, and other sweet and savory treats.

REDWOOD CITY — Zareen’s, an Indian-Pakistani fast-casual mini-chain with locations in Palo Alto and Mountain View, has opened a third location at 2039 Broadway. The Bay Area News Group notes that the restaurant is known for its Memoni chicken samosas (from “a secret recipe known only to 35 Memoni grandmothers worldwide”) and complimentary masala chai.

SAN RAMON — Ramen Hiroshi, which made waves five years ago when it launched as Walnut Creek’s first and only ramen spot, has opened a second location in City Center Bishop Ranch, the Bay Area News Group reports. Co-owner Hiroshi Tun says the restaurant will only use local produce and organic, free-range chicken in its dishes, and the pork belly on its signature tonkotsu comes from Berkshire pigs.

October 5

OAKLAND — Berkeleyside was first to report that Daughter’s Diner, chef Keven Wilson’s (RN74, Perbacco) take on a modern diner-style spot, has opened its doors. Tablehopper has menu details like a sandwich called “ham on the run” (chopped ham salad, egg patty, arugula in a gougère) and a sweet breakfast item called “princess pancakes” (marzipan-coated, with jam inside).

SAN FRANCISCO — The Dogpatch location of Pim Techamuanvivit’s Michelin-starred Thai restaurant Kin Khao is open with a menu of greatest hits like Sriracha-glazed hot wings and new, fun offerings like fresh fruit popsicles and Riesling slushies.

SAN FRANCISCO — Tanglad, a Vietnamese sandwich and noodle spot, has opened in the Castro, Hoodline reports.

SAN FRANCISCO — Buena Vida Cafe has opened in the SoMa space last occupied by Oola, Tablehopper reports. Chef Eric Hopfinger’s behind the menu of tacos and burritos, and there’s a full bar, outdoor seating, and delivery available.

MENLO PARK — Palo Alto Online reports that the latest location of Thai mini-chain Farmhouse Kitchen has opened inside a 4,000-square-foot space across the street from Caltrain. Its dining room boasts “handmade gold Thai chandeliers and flower wall,” all visible to those ready to enjoy indoor, sit-down service.

SAN FRANCISCO — Hoodline reports that Sushi Urashima has opened its doors in the Duboce-Triangle-area spot occupied by Amasia Hide’s Sushi Bar for the last 18 years.

SAN FRANCISCO — Lily To Go, the nascent Clement Street upscale Vietnamese restaurant turned pandemic takeout spot, is open for business, Tablehopper reports, with three bánh mi and a forbidden rice soigné cha. The Chron terms the restaurant “thrilling” and “most promising,” and says it “could change the game” within its first three paragraphs of its coverage.

SAN FRANCISCO — East Bay fish taco fave Cholita Linda is coming to SF, the Chron reports. The Baja-style taco shop has locations in Temescal and Alameda, with a Ferry Building (inside the former Mijita space) debut planned for this winter.

SAN FRANCISCO — Tablehopper reports that a Korean-Mexican spot has moved into the Mission District space once occupied by Buttermilk Kitchen. El Coreano is its name, but plot twist: in addition to its menu of bento and bulgogi, it’s apparently serving dishes from Buttermilk’s menu.

LOS GATOS — The Bay Area News Group reports that veteran Bay Area chef Suhail Karimi (Johnston’s Salt Box, British Bankers Club) is heading up the kitchen of Eleven College Ave, a (per its website) “California bistro” at the former Nick’s Next Door. Expect Bodega Bay salmon, Mary’s chicken, and big cheese plates from Cypress Grove.

September 28

OAKLAND — Horn BBQ, the much-anticipated restaurant from beloved pitmaster Matt Horn, was expected to open on September 26. The day before opening, Horn announced that an issue with its smoker has further delayed its launch. Until then, here are some pretty photos of the restaurant and its dishes, and you can follow Horn’s Instagram for the latest on when the spot might actually open up.

SAN FRANCISCO — Nashville hot chicken truck Hotbird’s been planning a permanent location for a bit — but construction delays brought on by the pandemic slowed that plan down. Co-owners Aaron Nam and Caleb Longacre have decided on a compromise, selling a bare-bones menu of sandwiches via pre-order, with pickup from the ground floor of the Twitter building.

SAN JOSE — San Jose’s first Black-owned coffee house opened on September 26, the Bay Area News Group reports. The spot’s called Nirvana Soul and offers single-origin beans and a menu of sweet and savory waffles.

LOS GATOS — J Weekly reports that local Israeli-style chain Oren’s Hummus has opened a fifth location, with counter service and outdoor dining allowed now — and a full dining room available when indoor dining resumes.

CONCORD — Neapolitan pizza chain Doppo Zero has opened a location in the Veranda, complete with a 900-degree, wood-burning oven, the Bay Area News Group reports. Expect pies like their pistachio (with mortadella and pistachio cream) as well as house-made pastas

September 22

ALAMEDA — The Preachers Daughter, a wine bar, coffee, shop, and cafe, has opened on Park Street, Tablehopper reports. Its menu of sandwiches and salads is by chef Casey Rebecca Nunes (of Media Noche and Smitten), and patio dining is available outside its historic building.

SAN FRANCISCO — Iranian pop-up Komaaj has launched an ongoing residency at the cafe of Mission District art gallery the Laundry, the SF Chronicle reports. The spot specializes in food from the Northern part of the country, like frittata and smoked rice, as well as to-go sauces and dips.

SANTA CLARA — Shake Shack’s first South Bay location is slated to open on Tuesday, September 22, the Bay Area News Group reports. In addition to its menu of smash burgers and crinkle-cut fries, this spot will serve a cage-free “Hot Chick’n” sandwich, as well as “Hot Spicy Cheese Fries.” Outdoor dining and takeout are both available.

OAKLAND — Hofküche, a biergarten partnership between the founders of Forage Kitchen and the folks behind Suppenküche, has opened for outdoor drinking and dining, Berkeleyside reports. Its owners say that it differs from other local beer spots as it’s Bavarian-style, with the standard brats and beer, as well as pasta dishes like käsespätzle and sauerbraten.

OAKLAND — Wise Sons has opened a counter-service spot at 1700 Franklin Street in downtown Oakland, the company’s first East Bay location. There’s a menu of “greatest hits from all of the different Wise Sons restaurants,” like pastrami and corned beef sandwiches or matzoh ball soup. New items include a smash burger and a slate of breakfast sandwiches.

OAKLAND — A supergroup of local restaurant luminaries, including Wayfare Tavern and Mourad vet Omri Aflalo; Prospect and Pabu Izakaya’s John Cahill; and Darrin Ballon of Gary Danko, State Bird Provisions, and the Progress have banded together to open a new “contemporary California cuisine” restaurant called Town Revival, the SF Chronicle reports. The group had planned to open this year, but now they say they will wait the pandemic out and open in the summer of 2021. Until then, the spot will hold pop-ups at locations they’ll announce via Instagram.

OAKLAND — Port Kitchens Marketplace was originally planned as an events space, but its owners made a pre-open pivot to grab-and-go market, cafe, and cocktail spot, Tablehopper reports. Food is from vendors like 3-19 Roasters and Fowl + Fare, drinks are from Nico and Battery vet Simone Mims.

NAPA — Ferry Building farmers market standby El Porteño Empanadas is set to open a permanent location at Oxbow Public Market, the Napa Valley Register reports. If all goes well, its menu of Argentinian street food will be available to customers by Friday, September 25.

SAN FRANCISCO — Tablehopper reports that Tarragon Cafe, the restaurant in the former Cafe du Soleil spot in the Lower Haight, is open for breakfast through (very early) dinner with a menu of sandwiches, salads, and shared plates.

OAKLAND — Keep your eye on the Atlas apartment complex, as that’s where, in early 2021, wine bar CoCo Noir is slated to open, the SF Chronicle reports. Founders Alicia Kidd and Mari Kemp plan on devoting 50 to 80 percent of its stock to wines from women and BIPOC people, and a “small food menu” is also in the works.

September 14

SAN FRANCISCO — A city mourned when Clement Street’s 38-year-old ice cream institution Toy Boat Dessert Cafe permanently closed, its owners placing the spot on the market and heading off into retirement. Amanda Michael, the owner of SF mini-chain Jane The Bakery, launched an effort to purchase the spot, and it was apparently successful: according to its website, Toy Boat by Jane will open on September 17 with Jane the Bakery breads, cookies, and pastries, salads and sandwiches, and Double Rainbow Ice Cream.

DUBLIN — Kanpai Sushi has opened for outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery, the Bay Area News Group reports. This is the restaurant’s second location (the first is in Antioch); both have a menu of over 30 specialty rolls with names like “Sugar Mama,” “Who’s Your Daddy,” and “Sex on the Beach.”

CUPERTINO — Taiwan-based boba chain Tiger Sugar is planning a fall opening on Stevens Creek Blvd. The company is known for its brown sugar boba milk, a concoction of tapioca balls cooked in syrup then added to cold milk — and in the process, creating a stripe-y look reminiscent of a tiger’s coat.

OAKLAND — CocoBreeze, a Trinidadian restaurant from chef Annabelle Goodridge, is open for business in Oakland. Expect jerk chicken, roti wraps, and house-brewed ginger beer.

SAN JOSE — Pan-Asian chicken wing chain Fire Wings has opened its first South Bay location, the Bay Area news Group reports. The company is known for its menu of seven Thai, Korean, and Vietnamese flavors, seven dry rubs, seven “fusion” flavors.

OAKLAND — Hoodline reports that 700-location tableside grill chain Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ is plotting its first East Bay location in Old Oakland, with renovations nearly complete and an active website with job openings available.

BAY AREA — Fast casual chicken chain Starbird has announced plans to expand into Campbell (in the Pruneyard Shopping Center) in November and Walnut Creek in January, the East Bay Times reports.

September 8

MOUNTAIN VIEW — Udon Mugizo has long been a San Francisco restaurant standby, serving hand-pulled noodles from its Japantown udon shop to crowds of tourists and locals. Palo Alto Online reports that its second location is now open for outdoor dining and takeout at 180 Castro St.

OAKLAND — After months of delays, much-anticipated Central Texas-style Horn BBQ will open at 2534 Mandela Parkway in West Oakland on Saturday, September 26. All the dishes that put pitmaster Matt Horn on the map will be available at open, he says, including lamb shoulder, house-made sausages, brisket, and pulled pork. Outdoor seating will be available, as will takeout.

BERKELEY — Bunz, a fast-casual burger spot that, per its website, “is for everyone who doesn’t mind getting messy,” has opened at 2518 Durant Avenue, the Daily Californian reports. In addition to burgers, they offer Philly cheese steaks, hot dogs, hot sandwiches, and shakes.

WALNUT CREEK — The East Bay Times reports that plant-based cafe, bar, and coffee shop Tellus Coffee has opened with fair trade and organic coffee that’s roasted on site, small plates, and beer and wine.

OAKLAND — Lion Dance Cafe was once a pop-up known as S+M Vegan, but as of September 12 it will officially have a permanent home at 380 17th Street. Preorders for their menu, which will include their legendary shaobing sandwich, will open on September 10 at their website, with evening takeout kicking off on Friday and Saturday evenings. Eventually, hours will expand to Thursday, and a Sunday brunch is also in the works, launch date TBD.

BERKELEY — Mise en Place, a French-inspired bakery, salad, and crepe spot, is open at 2020 Kittredge Street, Berkeleyside reports.

SONOMA — SF-based chef-entrepreneur Michael Mina has restaurants around the globe, but he’s never opened a spot in wine country. That changes this month, as Mina is bringing his Wit & Wisdom Tavern to the former Carneros Bistro space in Sonoma’s the Lodge, the Bay Area News Group reports. Expect a long local wine list, hearth-oven cooking, and dishes composed of ingredients from nearby farms.

RICHMOND — Berkeleyside reports that the Factory Bar, a beer and cocktail spot, has opened with outdoor seating and food from a rotating list of partners.

SAN FRANCISCO — Cult-fave Northern Vietnamese spot Bodega Bistro closed its Tenderloin doors in 2017, but owner Matt Ho has brought its favorites to the Castro with Bodega SF, a long-term pop-up inside the 18th Street location of local Thai chicken mini-chain Rooster & Rice. Hoodline reports that the restaurants will share space “for an indefinite period.”

FAIRFAX — Amelie, a wine bar mini-chain with two locations in New York and one in SF, has opened a fourth location with Moschetti coffee and pastries from pastry chef is Yannick Dumonceau, a Quince vet who also works at ONE65, the Marin Independent Journal reports. There’s also a lunch and dinner menu of sandwiches, salads, and a house burger. The wines are mostly French, with some small, local bottles also on the menu. Outdoor dining and takeout are both available.

SANTA CLARA — Middle Eastern street food chain the Halal Guys will open its first Santa Clara location on Friday, September 11, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The 90 (or so) location chain began as a Manhattan food cart in 1990, and is known for its falafel platters and its white sauce.

NOVATO — Jerry’s Delicatessen & BBQ has opened with all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner, most items with meats pulled from chef Aaron Hothem’s combination barrel and smoker box, the Marin Independent Journal reports.

BERKELEY — A&W, the fast food chain differentiated by its proprietary brand of root beer, has arrived in Berkeley, Berkeleyside reports, with outdoor dining and — of course — takeout.

August 31

SAN FRANCISCO — Nardello’s Fresh Pasta, a pandemic-driven pasta pop-up from former Lazy Bear chefs Joe Nardo and Will Treff, is opening a “pasta workshop” in the Mission District’’s ActivSpace building. It’ll serve as a production space and pick-up spot for the company’s handmade pastas and sauces, migrating the business from an Instagram DM and text model to an online ordering platform for its home cooking staples and prepared meals.

SAN FRANCISCO — Cult-fave Cajun chicken chain Krispy Krunchy is relocating its Tenderloin operations, Hoodline reports. The chain, which which was founded in 1989 and now sports about 2,500 locations across the U.S., is typically found in gas stations and liquor stores, but its Tenderloin spot has always served the spot’s wings, tenders, waffle fries, and honey-butter biscuits from a standalone location. It was in a teeny-tiny location at 93 Eddy Street , but now it’s moved into a palatial 2,000-square-foot pad at 177 Eddy Street, with a new menu that “will include healthier options and more variety.”

SAN JOSE — Back in 2014, pastry-and-coffee chain Dunkin’ Donuts announced an ambitious plan to enter the Bay Area market, with 26 stores planned for the San Francisco area and 13 more expected in San Jose. It took two years for its first Bay Area spot to open, and though it’s made moves like a Concord “store of the future” that opened in 2018, it’s very very far from that 2014 goal, its location finder reveals. In fact, it’s just opened its second location in San Jose at 844 S. Winchester Boulevard, the Bay Area News Group reports, with a (shuttered for now) dining room with a fireplace and TV, and drive-thru that’s opened from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.

NAPA — Faust Haus, a winery and tasting room, will celebrate its grand opening on September 4, KQED reports. The St. Helena spot is located inside an 1878-era Victorian home that took four years to renovate, with an outdoor tasting deck as well as indoor tasting rooms, which as of August 31 are allowed to operate in Napa as 25 percent capacity, which means you’ll have two zones in which to show off your college lit course knowledge with “so where’s Mephistopheles?” jokes.

??? — Carb-centric chain I Heart Mac & Cheese has 11 locations across the U.S., but so far, it’s never headed further west than Texas. According to a press release sent by the company, that’s all set to change by spring of 2021, when it will open a spot “in the greater San Francisco Bay area.” Eater SF has contacted the company to see if they could be a little more specific on where diners can IHM&C’s menu of macs enhanced with pepperoni, Philly cheese steak, and slow=cooked short ribs, but has not received a response as of publication time.