Take a Sneak Peek at the Filipino Food and Cocktails at Abacá, Opening Mid-July

Summer is proving to be San Francisco’s season of rebirth in the restaurant scene, as Abacá, the hotly anticipated Filipino restaurant from the chef behind pop-up Pinoy Heritage prepares to open mid-July.

Chef Francis Ang announced the location of the restaurant in the Kimpton Alton Hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf in April, as the brick-and-mortar evolution of his longtime roving pop-up that offered his versions of classic Filipino dishes. The menu at Abacá will follow suit, with favorites like sisig fried rice, lumpia, smoked chicken palabok, and a selection of skewers.

Cocktail star Kevin Diedrich (Pacific Cocktail Haven, Kona’s Street Market) has joined the team in a collaboration with Justin Goo, Abacá’s general manager, to craft a cocktail list to complement the menu. Filipino-inspired drinks will star alongside classic cocktails, but will certainly be the headliners. Think drinks like the King Bird, a bourbon cocktail with jackfruit, tamarind, pineapple, citrus, and Campari, and the Ube-Colada, made with rum, pineapple, and ube coconut cream. And perhaps most important of all, as San Francisco temps slowly rise toward whatever we recognize as summertime: slushies, frozen drinks spiked with booze, like the Saging Con Yelo with vodka, banana, burnt sugar, vanilla, and tapioca.

Melissa de Mata

In addition to Diedrich, Ang’s team is shaping up with a roster of industry pros, including wife Dian Ang, whose front-of-house background includes Fifth Floor, Alexander’s Steakhouse, and more. Aforementioned general manager Justin Goo, has spent time at Restaurant Gary Danko, the Progress, and beyond.

Before it opens (exact date TBD), here’s a sneak peek at some of the gorgeous dishes on the menu at Abacá:

Melissa de Mata

Melissa de Mata

Melissa de Mata

Melissa de Mata

Melissa de Mata

Melissa de Mata

Melissa de Mata

Melissa de Mata

Melissa de Mata

In addition to the restaurant’s full-service offerings, a panaderia case will be available in the mornings, seven days a week. There, Ang can flex his pastry skills with breads and pastries like a calamansi meringue tart, coconut lychee cream puffs, plus savory breakfast sandwiches with Longanisa sausage, and more.

Weekend mornings will be all about brunch, truly a meal in which Filipino cuisine shines. It will be a mix of Filipino and classic American breakfast items, like Mochiko pancakes with coconut milk sauce, strawberries, and cashew crumble.

When it debuts, Abacá will serve breakfast Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and dinner Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and brunch (launching later in the summer) on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The panaderia will be open every day from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.