Whether you’re starting your night with an order of Korean fried chicken and a glass of soju or ending your night with a platter of bulgogi tater tots and a cold pint of Dokkaebier, Ilcha aims to meet all your Korean food and beverage needs. The sleek Lombard Street restaurant was formerly a hot pot spot, and there are still a couple bubbling options. But friends Kummi Kim and Hilwin Wong have flipped the focus to casual food and a deep selection of drinks. 

Make a lunchtime escape to the French coast with a visit to Grande Creperie, the new bakery and cafe from the Le Marais family at the Ferry Building. As the name suggests, lacy crepes are the star of the show here: either savory buckwheat varieties or sweet visions wrapped around sugar, butter, and jam. Sip a strong espresso or a glass of dry white wine while you watch the ferries go by.

Sorella is the little “sister” of Acquerello, so she’s benefitting from that Michelin star cred, but more chill. Opened in December, the new casual Italian restaurant is digging into cocktails and cicchetti, aka snacks, including a hundred amaros, available by the flight; “cacio e pepe” potato chips with powdered pecorino and pepper; glazed and stuffed chicken wings; grilled and truffled anchovy toast; and a “fancy lasagna” or nine-layer dry-aged beef timballo.

Bansang is the latest Korean dining hit from the group behind Daeho and two experienced chefs: Ethan Min (Atelier Crenn, Saison) and Jin Lim (Michael Mina, Kinjo, Kabuto). Located on Geary and Fillmore, on the same block at State Bird Provisions, the restaurant offers an upscale menu of Korean small plates such as uni scallop toast, bulgogi salad, and lime soy fried chicken. 

Villon, the small but incredibly well-appointed restaurant inside the San Francisco Proper hotel, has reopened for dinner for the first time in two years and since executive chef Jason Fox, formerly chef and owner of Michelin-starred Commonwealth, never really got the chance to spread his wings before the pandemic — it’s practically an entirely new restaurant now. The menu highlights the diversity of produce grown around northern California, with a touch of theatricality (think tableside salads and rack of lamb brought over on rolling carts) for good measure. 

Former Lazy Bear sous chef Matt Kirk tried to quietly open his highly anticipated new all-day cafe, but fans went wild for those pillowy soft “Wondermat” sandwiches. After a brief regroup, the Automat will open for real on December 8. Fighting against the sourdough tide, Kirk is known for that soft white sandwich bread, but yes of course he’s still got crusty country loaves, chewy pretzels, cookies, and doughnuts, and espresso and wine to wash it all down.

Tokyo-imported and cult-favorite ramen shop Mensho quietly opened a new location inside the Twitter building in December. This focus this time is takeout, with a streamlined menu of ramen, chashu, and extras — with the option to have noodles packed separately to better protect their texture in transit. And while the Tenderloin location is known for its ultra creamy pork broth, this location is further enriching its broths with miso, for even more fermented flavor.

As of March 2, there’s a hot new destination for chewy bagels and whipped schmear thanks to Schlok’s, the pandemic-born bagel startup that consistently sold out on weekends when it called the Snug its home. Now the bakery has rolled into NoPa with a space on Fell; there are two walk-up windows so fans can get their fix. Individual bagels come in six flavors, untoasted and with your choice of scallion, garlic, baked tomato, or chopped lox-topped schmear.

The ever-popular Liholiho group is opening a new restaurant in Mission Dolores on January 14. Good Good Culture Club is a team effort from a talented young trio, focused on what they’re calling “heritage-driven cooking” as “inspired by the Asian diaspora” — defined as Filipino and Laotian flavors featuring Californian ingredients and wood-fire techniques. The new menu looks sweet, salty, and snacky.

When you consider the pedigree behind Mission Dolores newcomer Handroll Project, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the restaurant’s already drawing hours-long wait times. But snag a seat at one of the two sushi bars and you’ll be treated to a concise list of temaki, or handrolls, envisioned by chef Geoffrey Lee of Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant Ju-Ni. 

It’s all about the stylish interiors at the Palm Court restaurant, a crown jewel inside the newly opened RH (formerly Restoration Hardware) showroom at San Francisco’s historic Pier 70. There’s a live fire hearth on which the kitchen’s grilling everything from avocados and artichokes to whole branzino. After you’re done eating underneath the swaying date palms, grab a glass of wine from one of the two bars and meander around the rooms admiring the Cloud Sofa of your dreams.

In a cozy corner space on 20th and Harrison streets in the Mission, chef Kosuke Tada gives Fresh plates the California cuisine treatment. A weekly four-course set menu might offer white turnips with broccoli rabe or pork loin dressed in blue berry sauce; Tada is keeping things seasonal and told Eater SF in April the menu is intentionally simple: “If I have a nice carrot, I want to serve a nice carrot.” 

Shuggie’s Trash Pie and Natural Wine exploded into the Mission in April with bold yellow walls and sparkly green banquettes. The design-heavy and self-described “trashy-glam” restaurant specializes in pizzas made using upcycled ingredients — think dough made from spent oat flour and pies topped with blemished produce. The wine list leans into low-intervention and organic options. 

Hotline, the fast-casual Korean restaurant from the folks behind hit Inner Sunset suprette Queens, has been quietly open for a number of weeks. But as of April 9 it’s officially open, bringing steam trays of Korean-Chinese dishes to the Outer Sunset. Inspired by the junghwa restaurants Clara Lee and Eddo Kim grew up frequenting, Hotline offers springy japchae bap tangled with onion, carrot, and wood ear mushroom and plush pillows of mapa dubu spiced with  house fermented chili and chili oil for pick-up, delivery, and dine-in.