The Eastside of San Francisco is home to a lot of innovators. It’s where the geniuses at the Vegan Hood Chefs got started, where the Bayview Makers craft chocolate and bottle sake, and where the plant-based empanada magic of Nixta is cast. Pop-ups and coffee shops galore, yes, but the restaurants in Bayview and Hunter’s Point can’t be missed. In the brick and mortars out here, there is that same pioneering spirit mixed with a longstanding tradition of knowing your neighbors. The sense of community in the area is as thick as one of Yvonne Hines’s sweet potato pies.
The innovation in the Eastside, in both restaurateurs and makers, no doubt comes from generations pressed against the wall to make lives for themselves out of difficult, “loathsome” work. The continuous decision to soldier on and make a beautiful home for oneself and their neighborhood is, thankfully, alive and well in Bayview and Hunter’s Point — just look at Olton Rensch’s coffee business. These 12 restaurants are its own testament to perseverance, deliciousness, steadfastness, togetherness, and joy.
Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.
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