23 Most-Anticipated Bay Area Restaurant Openings of 2023

With one month already under our belts — shocking, we know — it’s obvious 2023 intends to bring even more excellent food and drink to the Bay Area. This year has already seen the opening of a Jamaican food destination at the Ferry Building, a long-awaited home for a beloved dumpling pop-up, and a rooftop bar channeling all the vibrancy of Latin American culture. And there’s plenty more to look forward to. Here are 23 upcoming Bay Area restaurants, bars, and bakeries we can’t wait to try in 2023.

Copra

Opening: Mid-February

Most recently known for his stunning Palo Alto restaurant Ettan, acclaimed chef Srijith Gopinathan also earned two Michelin stars for his work at San Francisco’s Campton Place. Next up, he and business partner Ayesha Thapar will take over the former Dosa space to open Copra, a new restaurant focused on “food from the southern coast of India, where Gopinathan grew up,” the Chronicle reports. 1700 Fillmore Street, San Francisco.

Pizzeria da Laura

Opening: Late February

If you don’t already know chef Laura Meyer, you should. She’s not only a World Pizza Champion but also an alum of Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, and after nearly two decades working alongside Tony Gemignani, she’s breaking out on her own. Meyer will open Pizzeria da Laura in Berkeley this winter, serving several styles of pies. 2049 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley.

Matty’s Old Fashioned

Opening: Late February/early March

It’s been a long time coming, but James Beard Award-nominated chef Matt Horn will finally give his burger pop-up a brick-and-mortar platform early this year. The restaurant will specialize in “dry-aged double-patty burgers made from Horn’s proprietary blend as well as craft-made hot dogs and artisanal milk shakes,” per the Mercury News. 464 Eighth Street, Oakland.

Heartwood

Opening: Late February/early March

Details are sparse, but what’s for sure: There’s a new cocktail bar called Heartwood coming to the Financial District, and it’s connected to the folks behind Valencia Street beverage destination the Beehive and FiDi’s the Treasury. 531 Commercial Street, San Francisco.

Les Elements

Opening: March

Pastry chef Luis Villavelazquez has earned a robust fan base over his decade-plus career in San Francisco working with some of the city’s finest restaurants including La Folie and Citizen Cake. For his next act, he’s opening a dessert shop in the Tenderloin, where he’ll not only host pop-ups, but also offer three-course dessert tasting menus, the Chronicle reports. Preview events are on the books for this month ahead of an anticipated March opening. 442 Hyde Street, San Francisco.

Gumbo Social

Opening: March

Diners may know Dontaye Ball as Mr. Gumbo, a name he earned thanks to his regular appearance with the Sunset Mercantile’s farmer’s market. But this year Ball is putting down roots in the Bayview, opening Gumbo Social in the former Frisco Fried space. He’ll offer a “build your own gumbo” menu in addition to vegan, smoked turkey, and the traditional sausage bowl. 5176 3rd Street, San Francisco.

Mattina

Opening: March

Chef Matthew Accarrino, the talent behind Italian dining destination SPQR, has been pushing the envelope of Cal-Italian cuisine since 2009. Now he’ll expand his footprint with Mattina, an all-day Italian restaurant slotted to take over the former Out the Door space in Pacific Heights. 2232 Bush Street, San Francisco.

Baekjeong

Opening: March

With popular outposts in Los Angeles and New York, South Korea-based chain Baekjeong will undoubtedly make a splash when it arrives at Westfield Valley Fair mall in San Jose. It’s one of the world’s most popular spots for Korean barbecue, known for a balance of affordability and consistent quality. Westfield Valley Fair, 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd #1808, San Jose.

Sandy’s

Sandy’s

Opening: Mid-March

The muffulettas are coming to Haight this year, when Sandy’s, the long-running pop-up that previously operated out of Maison Corbeaux, lands in a permanent space at 1457 Haight Street, next to Pork Store Cafe. Partners Peterson Harter and Moni Frailing say fans can expect both meat and vegetarian muffulettas plus an andouille melt and pickled egg salad sandwich. 1457 Haight Street, San Francisco.

Small Change

Opening: Mid-March/early April

Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood is getting a fun, accessible oyster bar from owner Branden Nichols. Small Change will focus on seafood, of course, including oysters – raw and Rockefeller – clam chowder, and shrimp ceviche. On the beverage side, look for over-the-top micheladas and housemade sangria. 5000 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland.

Moro

Opening: Spring

We’re still waiting on Moroccan chef Mourad Lahlou to debut his latest restaurant, Moro, at the Oxbow Public Market. The chef told the San Francisco Chronicle he plans to draw inspiration from the food stalls at Jemaa el-Fnaa, a night market in Marrakesh, where he grew up. Look for grilled meats served with flatbreads, salads, wraps, and spreads. 601 1st Street, Napa.

Sfizio

Opening: Spring

Popular pasta pop-up Sfizio landed a permanent home in late 2022, which means the former Noodle Theory space in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood will soon play host to grilled eggplant, meatballs, and, of course, fresh pasta. The biggest change? Beer, wine, and vermouth cocktails will be available at the counter service spot. 6099 Claremont Avenue, Oakland.

STOA

Opening: Spring

This upcoming bar arrives thanks to a team of hospitality industry veterans, including Allyson Jossel, Gonzalo Guzmán, Joji Sumi, and Yanni Kehagiaras, all of whom come from Nopa spinoff Nopalito. It’ll move into a space on Haight and Pierce streets bringing “seasonally driven California cuisine” and an extensive cocktail menu to Lower Haight. 701 Haight Street, San Francisco.

Burdell

Opening: Late spring

Chef Geoff Davis’s upcoming Oakland restaurant aims to redefine Black food through a California lens – no small feat. But if anyone’s capable it’s Davis, who spent time in some of California’s top Michelin-star restaurants and is digging deep into his family history for further inspiration. Until the permanent restaurant opens in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood later this year, catch his pop-ups across the Bay Area. 4640 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland.

Yokai

Opening: May

Chef Marc Zimmerman, known for searing steaks and breaking down whole animals at high-end Ittoryu Gozu, will roll out a new bar and restaurant called Yokai this year. It’s inspired by Japanese listening bars, which means shareable plates, grilled skewers, and cocktails built around Japanese whisky and gin. 545 Mission Street, San Francisco.

Che Fico Parco Menlo

Opening: Late spring

James Beard Award semifinalist David Nayfeld will take his San Francisco Italian dining destination Che Fico to Springline, the ambitious mixed-use development in Menlo Park. Che Fico Parco Menlo will be “an evolution of Che Fico created for the South Bay,” per a spokesperson, and opens in tandem with Il Mercato Di Che Fico, an Italian-focused market that will sell produce, prepared foods, wine, and gelato. 1300 El Camino Real, Menlo Park.

Stateline Road Smokehouse

Opening: June

This summer chef Darryl Bell will bring Kansas City-style barbecue to wine country with the opening of Stateline Road Smokehouse. The restaurant takes over a former auto body shop, where Bell will pull brisket, ribs, chicken, pulled pork, and burnt ends out of a 1000-gallon tank Moberg Smoker. Bell, who previously worked at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon and PRESS, also plans to foster a “bluegrass music atmosphere” in the 100-seat space. 872 Vallejo Street, Napa.

Chicano Nuevo

Opening: Summer

For seven years, Chicano Nuevo owner Abraham Nuñez built a fan base slinging Wu-Tang Flan and fish tacos around San Francisco. Now, he’ll give his menu of Ensenada-style Mexican food a permanent home. Nuñez plans to open his first restaurant this summer with an expanded menu of burgers, tamales, and other “border town street food.” 3355 Mission Street, San Francisco.

Little Shucker

Opening: Summer

There’s an upscale-casual oyster bar coming to the former Grove space on Fillmore Street, and it’s from the familiar team behind nearby bar the Snug. Little Shucker will serve a menu built around raw seafood from chef Adrian Garcia, previously of Benu and Quince, along with wine, spritzes, and low-ABV cocktails. 2016 Fillmore Street, San Francisco.

Mirame

Matt Kang/Eater LA

Opening: Late summer

Down in Beverly Hills, Mirame made a splash with its debut in 2020, hailed as one of the most exciting restaurants to open that year. This spring, the restaurant arrives in the Bay Area with an outpost at Springline set to bring dishes like salmon skin chicharones and a fermented tea leaf salad to the Silicon Valley. 1300 El Camino Real, Menlo Park.

Flour + Water Pizzeria

Opening: Winter

North Beach already has a robust pizza scene, but it’ll get a little deeper later this year when Flour + Water Pizzeria returns from a year-long hiatus. The pizza-focused spinoff of pasta icon Flour + Water closed in the Mission last spring (the space is now home to Yellow Moto Pizzeria, operated by David White, one of the original partners behind Flour + Water) but will return in the former Rose Pistola space. 532 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco.

Tarts de Feybesse

Opening: Second half of 2023

Husband-and-wife team Paul and Monique Feybesse might be one of the Bay Area’s most talented duos. After starting their bakery out of their Vallejo home during the early days of the pandemic, they developed Tarts de Feybesse into one of the Bay Area’s premier sources for high-technique French pastries such as stunning eclairs and chouquette tarts. Now they’re ready to move into a permanent space where they’ll offer a walk-up counter featuring a rotation of TDF classics and seasonal items — plus “special savory creations,” Monique Feybesse shares. Uptown Oakland.

Unnamed project from chef Anthony Strong

Opening: 2023

Chef Anthony Strong is nothing short of a San Francisco pasta legend. After earning his stripes at Delfina Restaurant Group he opened his own restaurant, Praire, and launched “glamping-themed” dinners out of a tricked-out van during peak pandemic times. Now he’s taking over a space in the Inner Richmond, plotting a restaurant and retail space, Tablehopper reports. 236 Clement Street, San Francisco.