A few months ago, I shared a big big map of all my favorite places to eat in the Bay (+ a handy dandy spreadsheet). Since then, I’ve been busy finding new favorites to share with you. There are plenty of just-opened additions (Bini’s Kitchen, Breadbelly, Angler, Ungrafted, Verjus, Alley House, Prarie, Nyum Bai) and a few SF stalwarts (Giorgio’s, Good Luck Dim Sum, Hang Ah Tearoom). In total, sixteen new spots have joined the map and I’ve rolled them up here for peak visibility. Below, you’ll find plenty of dumplings (Alley House, Bini’s Kitchen, Good Luck Dim Sum, Hang Ah Tearoom), some drinking establishments with Grade A food (Verjus, Leo’s Oyster Bar, Ungrafted) and new North and South Poles for the map (Fisherman’s Cove in Bodega Bay and Mudai in San Jose, respectively). Let’s dig in!
1. Alley House
Cuisine: Shanghainese
Hood: Inner Richmond
Vibe: Casual
Dining Style: Table Service
Price: $$
Occasion: Spicy food craving
The owners of this new neighborhood restaurant prepare classic Shanghainese dishes that pack a punch. The fish stew is so undeniably satisfying. Delicate pieces of white fish float in a bright red broth while slippery rice noodles hide below. Pillows of pork folded into paper thin wonton skin are doused in neon chili oil. Each bite is an adventure and I can’t get enough!
2. Angler
Cuisine: American
Hood: Embarcadero
Vibe: Fancy
Dining Style: Fine Dining
Price: $$$$
Occasion: Special occasion, parents in town
Abutting the Embarcadero, Saison’s seafood focused sister restaurant is full of precious moments. Between the antique serviceware, buttoned up staff and pillowy Parker House Rolls with cultured butter, Angler is a master of details. Their Radicchio XO salad is a can’t miss - leaves of radicchio tossed in the rich, meaty dressing is recomposed to form the head, it’s served with a steak knife and a bib. On your way out, pay a visit to the taxidermy grizzly bear for a quick selfie!
3. Barvale
Cuisine: Spanish
Hood: NoPa
Vibe: Hip
Dining Style: Table Service
Price: $$
Occasion: Night out with friends, drinking food
From the folks behind Beretta, a mano, Super Duper, and many more, comes Barvale, an expertly executed Spanish tapas restaurant worth making a night out of. The menu has dozens of items, each tastier than the last. Barvale tends to stick to classic tapas but executes them with skill and care. Wash it all down with a pitcher of gin and tonic and bask in the vibey red light from the neon sign outside.
4. Bini's Kitchen
Cuisine: Nepalese
Hood: SoMa
Vibe: Hip
Dining Style: Fast Casual
Price: $$
Occasion: Lunch meeting, dinner after work
No, those aren’t soup dumplings you’re seeing be folded together from the window, they’re momos! These Nepalese dumplings are filled with lamb, turkey or veg, then steamed or steamed AND pan-fried (definitely the move) and are served with a piquant tomato cilantro sauce. Bini is the powerhouse chef behind this momo empire, which recently opened its doors on 6th and Folsom following regular attendance at every outdoor eating event in town. Get over there!
5. Breadbelly
Cuisine: Cafe
Hood: Outer Richmond
Vibe: Hip
Dining Style: Counter Service
Price: $$
Occasion: Weekend journaling, friend catch up, fancy hangover
This airy Japanese-ish cafe is an oasis on an otherwise sleepy strip of Clement. The small menu features toasts that will make you forget avocados existed. Specifically, let's discuss the Kaya Toast. A thick slice of housemade fluffy milk bread is lightly toasted and decorated with pandan-coconut jam. It's sweet and salty, fluffy and crunchy...pure perfection, end of discussion. I could spend hours at Breadbelly savoring pastries and espresso and everything else on offer.
6. Fisherman's Cove
Cuisine: American
Hood: Bodega Bay
Vibe: Crowded
Dining Style: Counter Service
Price: $$
Occasion: Bodega Bay adventure day, taking the long way back
Google Maps will tell you to go to Spud Point Crab Company next door, but Fisherman’s Cove is the right move. While SP has long lines and overpriced crab rolls, this spot has plenty of outdoor seating, grilled and fresh oysters and a menu that’ll do the trick if everyone in your group isn’t into crab-filled everything. If you are into that though, the crab nachos here are the stuff of legend. Order a beer and a bunch of dishes to share on your next trip to Bodega Bay or on your way back from somewhere further north!
7. Giorgio's
Cuisine: Pizza
Hood: Inner Richmond
Vibe: Crowded
Dining Style: Table Service
Price: $$
Occasion: Family dinner, pizza night at home
An old school family-friendly restaurant known for pizzas, calzones and pastas. While this isn’t the destination for you naturally leavened, imported mozzarella pizzaphiles, it is THE spot in the Richmond for an easy, satisfying meal with big groups. The friendly servers, twinkly light adorned ceiling and toddlers in high chairs seal the deal that Giorgio’s is just perfect. Also solid for takeout!
8. Good Luck Dim Sum
Cuisine: Chinese
Hood: Inner Richmond
Vibe: Crowded
Dining Style: Counter Service
Price: $
Occasion: Dim sum brunch
Get in line at this OG takeout dim sum spot and feast your eyes on the cases of freshly made dumplings. Your order will be packaged in a bright pink donut box and will cost you less than you can fathom. While there are a few other reliable options in the hood, Good Luck is the the classic option. Cash only!
9. Hang Ah Tea Room
Cuisine: Chinese
Hood: Chinatown
Vibe: Casual
Dining Style: Table Service
Price: $
Occasion: Night out with friends, dumpling craving
Self reported as the first dim sum restaurant in the United States, Hang Ah is a discrete subterranean dumpling house in a small alley in Chinatown. Tuck into soup dumplings, wontons, shumai and pan fried buns - all handmade and so so satisfying. Their housemate fried chili and garlic sauce takes everything up a notch!
10. Leo’s Oyster Bar
Cuisine: American
Hood: Financial District
Vibe: Trendy
Dining Style: Table Service
Price: $$$
Occasion: Weekday happy hour
A very Instagramable spot, Leos’ walls are adorned with Monstera plant prints and millennial pink. Oysters are abundant, but the rest of the menu shan’t be overlooked. From seafood towers to creative vegetables to a selection of classic, but well executed mains and a cocktail program that crushes, it’s hard to have a bad meal here.
11. Mudai
Cuisine: Ethiopian
Hood: San Jose
Vibe: Casual
Dining Style: Table Service
Price: $$
Occasion: Injera craving, dinner with friends, solo dinner
The food at this casual Ethiopian restaurant hits the spot. What you’re in for: springy, slightly sour injera, thick stews made with imported spice blends and housemade butter and refreshing salad that cuts through all that decadence. Order everything and sample your way through!
https://www.yelp.com/biz/mudai-ethiopian-restaurant-san-jose
12. Nyum Bai
Cuisine: Cambodian
Hood: Fruitvale
Vibe: Hip
Dining Style: Table Service
Price: $$
Occasion: Date night, dinner with a few friends
Cambodian food with East Bay cool. The current darling of the restaurant world is teeming with hungry foodies waiting (sometimes up to three hours!) for their fill of the complex and funky flavors of Nyum Bai. Savor noodles, curries and vegetables that will likely surprise and defineitly delight your palate.
13. Prairie
Cuisine: California
Hood: Mission
Vibe: Hip
Dining Style: Table Service
Price: $$$
Occasion: Date night, dinner with a friend, Mission adventure night
Japanese and Italian food are two cuisines that seriously value quality ingredients and time honored technique. At Prairie, the two are married in a minimalist space that churns out fusion fantasies like guanciale wrapped mochi. It’s a cool spot that’s right for just about any occasion!
14. Taqueria Los Mayas
Cuisine: Mexican
Hood: Inner Richmond
Vibe: Casual
Dining Style: Fast Casual
Price: $$
Occasion: Lazy Saturday brunch, quick weekend snack, easy weeknight dinner
An easygoing all day taqueria with all the classics - tacos, burritos, sopes, tamales! Everything served up is colorful, the vibe is casual and they’ve got margs (plus sleeper hit, natural wine!). Not necessarily a destination spot, but it’s a reliable casual meal if you’re in the hood.
15. Ungrafted
Cuisine: California
Hood: Dogpatch
Vibe: Hip
Dining Style: Table Service
Price: $$$
Occasion: Happy hour, date night, Girls Night
This wine-focused restaurant is yet another sign that Dogpatch is the about to be THE place to be. Dynamic duo Chris and Rebecca opened Ungrafted in late 2018. Their wine list, which is three-hole punched and slotted into Lisa Frank binders (bless them!), focuses on Champagne, but there’s something for every palate. The food is careful and satisfying. I recently ducked in for an early evening glass + app and was floored by the creamy Panelle, which is like if French fries and hummus had a love child. Go for a full meal or a quick snack and glass - you won’t regret it!
16. Verjus
Cuisine: French
Hood: Financial District
Vibe: Hip
Dining Style: Table Service
Price: $$$
Occasion: Friday shenanigans, rowdy weekend night kickoff, date night
Inspired by the casual, convivial wine bars of Paris where people spill onto the streets, Verjus is creating a new breed of SF hangout. Perfect for a post-work glass of natty, a rowdy night of funky bottles and boudin blanc or a full on French meal, the environment is inviting, the wine is downable and the food is reminiscent of Paris wine caves - simple, artful and best-possible quality.