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.

Californios alum David Yoshimura is channeling inspiration from his Japanese-American upbringing into Nisei, his ambitious debut restaurant where Japanese soul food gets the fine dining treatment. Yoshimura has taken over the former La Folie space, transforming it into a zen retreat with inky black walls and white booths. In the kitchen Yoshimura and his team pull shiny hunks of American-raised unagi off a binchotan grill and pack an explosion of banana flavor into tiny dorayaki topped with salty caviar. The 12-course tasting menu ends with a multi-component course called “ichiju sansa,” or “one soup, three sides.”

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.

The Lee brothers of the Namu Restaurant Group have taken the former Perennial space and transformed it into not just a home for Sunset Square Pizza, but also a beer hall with several different menus, as well as a digital art gallery. Choose from Sunset Squares’ sourdough pizza, Namu Stonepot’s sizzling rice and veggies, and Uncle Tito’s silog specials, as well as dank local beer.

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. 

Copas quietly opened in September as a colorful new cafe and bar on Market, serving sesame avocado toast and pillowy potato dumplings all day, from morning cappuccinos to evening cocktails. The chief of staff for the Saison team opened it as her first solo project, and the name is inspired by the warm feeling of gathering around a table to raise a glass and play cards.

In a city with many great dim sum brunch options, Valencia Street was surprisingly deprived of dumplings. Until now: Enter Bao, a sweet new restaurant on Valencia at 17th, now serving crispy fried hargow, green-tinted wasabi sticky rice, swan puffs filled with mango custard, and coconut milk pudding shaped like bunnies.

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.

Chef Daniel Evers (Al’s Place, Cotogna) and partner Min Park (Rooster and Rice, Bonchon) teamed up to open a modern Italian restaurant in the Mission, taking over the Bar Obispo space on 24th Street. Due to the pandemic, they backed into the their business plan and started with pizza delivery, but they finally opened for indoor dining on August 5, debuting the full vision for raw crudo and fresh pasta.

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.

A new izakaya sizzled open in Bernal Heights in May. Shokudou is a new restaurant from Chef Stewart Chen, who also owns Umi sushi restaurant in nearby Potrero. Shokudou stars kushiyaki grilled skewers and plenty of sake and beer, including crispy hamachi collars sweetened with miso, and steak wrapped around green onions, asparagus, or enoki, then skewered and grilled.