Chef Francis Ang’s hotly anticipated first brick and mortar arrived in early August, bringing contemporary Filipino cuisine to a space on the ground floor of a hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s perhaps not where you’d expect the face of the Bay Area’s modern Filipino food movement to set up shop, but the plant-filled restaurant is utterly drenched in sunlight and further brightened by sunflower yellow banquettes and woven baskets from the southeast Asian archipelago. On the menu: a selection of sharbale plates including sticky barbecue skewers, a light and refreshing tomato and peach salad, and, of course, a whole pastry case filled with fresh baked delights. And with a cocktail menu by Kevin Diedrich (Pacific Cocktail Haven, Kona’s Street Market) the colorful concoctions demand attention, too. 

Chef Kaitlynn Bauman (Cotogna, Presidio Social Club, Greens) previously owned a cafe under the same name, but the new Norcina is her first full-service, sit-down restaurant. And it’s a big pizza and pasta party in the Marina, with full flights of spritzes and torch-it-yourself s’mores.

A popular breakfast-for-dinner pop-up has gone permanent in North Beach. Hilda and Jesse is breaking brunch expectations with a three-course tasting menu, featuring savory porridges and lofty pancakes, all in a retro-cool space on a sunny corner of Washington Square Park.

The Empress by Boon grandly reopened in June, bringing modern Cantonese fare to the historic banquet hall in Chinatown. Chef Ho Chee Boon is coming from Hakkasan, but this is his first solo project. He’s starting with a prix fixe menu for $68 to start, starring shrimp dumplings topped with caviar, crispy quail, hand-pulled noodles, and more.

Michael Mina retired his eponymous fine dining restaurant downtown and replaced it with a new Greek seafood spot in September. Diners are digging into big platters of Mediterranean sea bass and grilled octopus, but should the array of fish options overwhelm, a dedicated fish sommelier can assist with your selection.

The Mins group (Sushi Hon, Sushi Hakko) continues to expand with their biggest project yet: Sushi Sato opened with affordable tastings and whiskey cocktails at the beginning of November. But it’s only the first of three restaurants in this warm and minimalist space, as Kuro upscale omakase and Bar Kuro whiskey bar are still to come.

Chao Pescao is a new restaurant that’s taken over the Soluna space. It’s from the same owner, but more casual and colorful. The restaurant blasted open in June, serving a mix of Colombian and Cuban comforts, including arepas and empanadas filled with garlicky pork and plantains or sweet potatoes and beans.

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.

The Bird Dog team from Palo Alto opened a new seafood slash wine bar in Hayes Valley in August, spinning caviar eclairs and luxe bubbles into the neighborhood. The menu features small plates of raw and cured fish, alongside pours of rare white wines from France, while vinyl plays through the speakers. 

Celebrity chef Tyler Florence opened a handsome new steakhouse near Chase Center at the end of September. A generous 7,000 square feet and 147 seats, acclaimed designer Ken Fulk kitted it out in tan-and-gold mid-century style, and it’s now serving dry-aged Black Angus steaks with tableside-tossed Caesar salads.

Fiorella has brought its popular pasta and pillowy pizza to the Inner Sunset, with a new third location close to Golden Gate Park, which might truly be the latest and greatest, featuring a full bar, wood-burning fireplace, and foggy fresh rooftop deck. Never fear, the burrata pie is here, as well as some fresh menu items, including a new housemade farfalle with octopus ragu and king salmon crudo. 

Luna is a new restaurant that’s moved into the old Luna Park, bringing back brunches and happy hours to the long-empty spot on Valencia Street. The team is partially coming from Wayfare Tavern, and they’re calling Luna an American brasserie, serving oysters and bone marrow, burgers and mac and cheese, and riffs on classic cocktails.

San Ho Won, the highly anticipated new restaurant from star chef Corey Lee (Benu, Monsieur Benjamin), finally opened at the beginning of November. The smoky and soulful menu digs into Korean barbecue and home comforts, from ribeye and galbi folded into lettuces to pig ear salad and jook with abalone. 

Taking over a prime location on 24th Street (the former Great Gold), Donaji Oaxacan restaurant debuted in the Mission in October, with a menu that’s all about fresh masa, folded into tamales, tacos, sopes, and enchiladas smothered in richly spiced mole negro.

That new Australian-style chicken shop opened on 24th Street in September, to the delight of busy parents, tech personalities, and everyone else who would really rather not cook dinner tonight in Noe Valley. From a brother-sister duo who both live in the neighborhood, it’s now spinning rotisserie chickens, duck-fat potatoes, and lemony broccoli salad. Get it to go from the front counter, or slide to the back and kick it under fringe umbrellas on stripy deck chairs.

The opening of Chisai Sushi Club is a bit of a homecoming for chef Erik Aplin, who formerly worked as chef de cuisine at Ichi, the Mission Street sushi restaurant once located in the sliver of space Chisai now calls home. But Aplin is setting a new tone with his self-described affordable omakase menus: he infuses Western influences into his open-face temaki filling sheets of nori with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado and offers a “deli-style” hand roll with cured carrot “lox” on the restaurant’s vegetarian tasting menu. If you nab a reservation in the tiny dining room, take a moment to gaze up at the painting of Ocean Beach and the Cliff House of a bygone era.