Most Anticipated Restaurant and Bar Openings in the San Francisco Bay Area, Fall 2022

Like it or not, we’re officially hurtling toward the end of the year as a fleeting burst of warm weather sets in across the Bay Area and pumpkin spice everything rears its head. But regardless of whether you love or hate the holiday season, it’s undeniable that food and drink fanatics in the San Francisco Bay Area have a lot to look forward to in the next few months. There are exciting new restaurants and bars on track to open their doors from Oakland to Napa to the Monterey Bay coast.

We’re eagerly awaiting the third new restaurant from acclaimed pitmaster Matt Horn, a proper slice shop from a San Francisco rising star and Mister Jiu’s alum, and a long-awaited bakery from a pandemic-born breakout bagel star. In addition to these new businesses, we’re also tracking a couple of long-awaited reopenings, including chef Ravi Kapur’s Liholiho Yacht Club, slated to move back into its Lower Nob Hill home for the first time in more than two years this fall.

Read on for fall 2022’s most anticipated restaurant and bar openings in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Outta Sight

Opening: Mid September

Chef Eric Ehler’s longrunning pizza pop-up Outta Sight will settle into its permanent home in the Tenderloin middle of the month, the chef confirms. It’s a charming and cozy counter service spot with a handful of tables for dine-in and a menu of pizza by both the pie and big floppy slice. The Orchard is already a fan favorite thanks to many months of service out of Fig & Thistle wine bar in Hayes Valley – but it’s all but inevitable Ehler will come up with fun and funky specials (see: Taco Pizza) once open in the dedicated space.

Outta Sight

Yonsei Handrolls

Opening: Late September

Kyle Itani, the fourth-generation Japanese American chef behind Itani Ramen, Nikkei Sushi, and Hopscotch, will expand his growing empire this month with Yonsei Handrolls, a dedicated handroll bar set to open in Uptown Oakland at 1738 Telegraph Avenue. Diners can look forward to menu of about 16 different handrolls, plus the option to order one of “omaka-sets,” a combo of five handrolls chosen by the chef. Small plates, sake flights, and Japanese cocktails will round out the menu. 1738 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland.

Ed Anderson

Chez Noir

Opening: Late September

Chef Jonny Black and his wife and co-owner Monique will welcome diners into their hotly anticipated Carmel-by-the-Sea restaurant by the end of this month. Chez Noir will be Black’s first debut project; the menu will showcase ingredients sourced from around the Central Coast – expect sustainable caviar from California Caviar, abalone sausage, guinea hen served alongside Sacramento crayfish. The intimate restaurant, which shares space with the Black’s family home upstairs, will seat about 70 diners between the dining room, bar, and courtyard. 5th Avenue, between Dolores and San Carlos Streets, Carmel.

Joseph Weaver

Rosemary & Pine

Opening: Late September

This Design District restaurant from the Omakase Restaurant Group is an ode to executive chef Dustin Falcon’s childhood and will serve as the more casual answer to Niku Steakhouse. Dustin will remain at Niku, while lending his expertise to the development of Rosemary & Pine where the menu will riff on his Italian American heritage with dishes like housemade focaccia and slow-braised and oven-cooked meats. Cocktails will highlight gin and tequila, with plans for a pine-centric signature drink.

Tenderheart and Rise Over Run

Opening: September 30

The LINE hotel begins welcoming guests on September 30 and there’s a handful of food and beverage outlets accompanying the luxe boutique hotel’s debut. Tenderheart will be a groundfloor all-day restaurant headed up by executive chef Joe Hou, while the rooftop restaurant and bar Rise Over Run seems guaranteed to enthrall San Francisco residents and visitors alike. In addition to a terrace and solarium with panoramic views of San Francisco, the full-service restaurant will serve shareable plates and canapes to pair with cocktails from well-known local talent Danny Louie of Chinese-American cocktail company Gāmsāān. 33 Turk Street, San Francisco.

Chase Daniel

Matty’s Old Fashioned

Opening: October

James Beard award-nominated West Oakland pitmaster already has two hits on his hands — his eponymous Horn BBQ and the most recently opened Kowbird — but he’s also got another restaurant up his sleeve. This fall the chef and restauranteur will open his burger-focused spot called Matty’s Old Fashioned in Old Oakland. On the menu expect single and double stacks of patties made with Horn’s proprietary beef blend plus caramelized onions, cheese, and a “top-secret” sauce, according to a spokesperson. Other options will include hot dogs, corn dogs, milkshakes, and a full bar. 464 8th Street, Oakland.

Cassava North Beach

Opening: Mid-October

Following a full decade bringing contemporary New American dining to the foggy Outer Richmond, Cassava will move into its new home in North Beach this October. The restaurant’s high-profile space on Colombus Avenue and Vallejo Street will have an expanded bar and outdoor seating plus a menu that retains fan favorites including the affordable 3-course option. New additions will include a snack section for dinner and griddled dishes for brunch. 401 Columbus Ave, San Francisco.

Bar Sprezzatura

Opening: November

There’s a cicchetti renaissance underway in San Francisco. In addition to Sorrella’s menu of Roman bar snacks, the forthcoming Bar Sprezzatura aims to channel the relaxed elegance of coastal Italy with its aperitivo menu and small plates. A new project from TableOne Hospitality and longtime Mina Group mixologist Carlo Splendorini, the bar will bring shellfish, crudo, tins, fritti, and focaccia to the Financal District at One Maritime Plaza. One Maritime Plaza, Suite #100, San Francisco.

©️ 2022 Galdones Photography

Moro Napa

Opening: Late fall

Star Moroccan chef Mourad Lahlou heads to wine country for the opening of his latest restaurant Moro at the Oxbow Public Market. The chef told the San Francisco Chronicle earlier this year that he plans to draw inspiration from the food stalls at Jemaa el-Fnaa, a night market in Marrakesh, where he grew up. He plans to grill meats to serve with flatbreads, salads, wraps, and spreads — not unlike the food served at his more casual Richmond restaurant Aziza. 601 1st Street, Napa.

Poppy Bagels

Opening: Late Fall

The Bay Area bagel boom continues with the long-awaited opening of Poppy Bagel’s first permanent outpost. Owner Reesa Kashuk is a former home cook who started her bagel business during the pandemic and now draws long lines and the Grand Lake farmers market every Saturday. At the new shop, there will be some seating and an expanded menu of bagel sandwiches — like an egg and cheese plus whitefish salad — to explore. 5004 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland.

Poppy Bagels

Reopenings

Marlena

Reopening: Mid-September

After an extended six-month closure (and a summer camp-themed pop-up at a Union Square hotel) chefs Serena Chow Fisher and David Fisher will unveil the renovated interior of their Michelin-starred Bernal Heights restaurant Marlena this fall. AMLGM studios handled the major redesign, which preserved the exterior of the Edwardian building while introducing new woodwork by Oakland’s Skiff, a fresh color scheme, a new floor plan and banquettes, and more. 300 Precita Avenue, San Francisco.

Liholiho Yacht Club

Reopening: October

Liholiho Yacht Club’s pandemic-era pop-up at the Mission Dolores location that’s now home to Good Good Culture Club ended back in December, which means it’s already been more than half a year since fans have had their fix. The restaurant has been renovating during these intervening months, but as of July, the team was targeting an October opening. Once reinstalled in its Lower Nob Hill home, the restaurant will bring back chef Ravi Kapur’s hit menu of Hawaiian-inspired food including housemade Spam, kimchi fried rice, and more. 871 Sutter Street, San Francisco.