New bars and restaurants in San Francisco are opening up at a dizzying pace as of late; it’s a welcome sign of activity after what felt like months existing at a standstill. But many of our neighborhood restaurant staples— some of which have been around for decades, while others are still fresh in the game—still remain the unsung heroes of the past eighteen or so months.
In an effort to pay homage to these institutions, here are five favorites to check out, spend (and tip) generously at this weekend… and the many Saturdays and Sundays afterward.
Eight Tables at China Live
Since opening in 2017, Eight Tables — literally eight, spaced out tables in a glowing apartment-like space above China Live — has been a one-of-a-kind fine dining Chinese restaurant unparalleled in the nation, really. Start (or end) the night with a cocktail or dram at the Blade Runner-meets-Shanghai vibe of Cold Drinks bar on the same floor. Dining at your own private, spaced out table at Eight Tables (a COVID-ideal set-up if there was one), expect inventiveness from new chef de cuisine Floyd Nunn, who was sous chef or chef de partie at none other than Quince and Benu.
The food remains deeply Chinese, centered on fine dining from the perspective of longtime SF restaurateur with Taiwan and China roots, George Chen, alongside Nunn’s three Michelin perspective. The new menu holds a number of high points, including an aromatic Liu Jipu chicken in a bowl of jade and pearls, Sichuan halibut jiu niang (fermented rice) or Spring lamb omakase featuring lamb in multiple forms, including a delectable sausage. Wine pairings shine, as do Cindy Liu’s elegant cocktails.
// 644 Broadway (Chinatown), more info.
Shizen
Reserve ahead because Shizen, a vegan favorite since 2015, is perpetually booked up, even on weeknights. Offering an array of vegan Japanese food, from ramen to tempura, it’s their vegan sushi, multi-layered and perfected in flavor and texture, that makes even an avid Japan, seafood, and sushi lover like me appreciate its nuance. (Will I stop eating fish? No way. But when I dine at Shizen, I don’t miss it. Ditto the meat, especially when they nail specials like tantanmen noodles tossed with Hong Kong’s impressive Omnipork, the best pork substitute yet.)
Omnipork likewise shines in the stellar Singing Telegram maki (sushi roll), packed with asparagus and avocado, topped with slivers of Omnipork, pickled pineapple, and fried kale in miso teriyaki drizzle. House favorite rolls like Colonel’s Pipe, surprise with a delicate layer of smoked beets, cashews, creamy tofu, asparagus, and avocado, perked up with sweet mustard and orange zest. The texture of that tomato nigiri alone is a draw, mimicking tuna with the acidic brightness of tomato.
// 370 14th Street (Mission Dolores), more info.
The Morris
Thanks to founder and sommelier Paul Einbund, The Morris has long been a destination not only for wine but for rare and vintage spirits plus fortified wines, especially Chartreuse, genepy, Madeira and Amari. Add to this chef Gavin Schmidt’s house charcuterie (like a pitch-perfect rabbit terrine) and their cozy outdoor patio (indoor dining is just returning) and you have a neighborhood destination since 2016. While sipping rare genepi from France and Italy, you can dine on Schmidt’s iconic duck or changing seasonal dishes, like butter pan-seared ling cod accompanied by grilled peaches, zucchini, and kimchi.
Don’tforget killer Chartreuse (historic French herbal liqueur made by monks) offerings like Green Chartreuse on draft, in a hot or cold cappuccino, or in their now-iconic, towering Chartreuse slushy.
// 2501 Mariposa Street (Mission District), more info.
Afterwork Bar
Quickly converting the former Dobb’s Ferry into Afterwork Bar and opening July 8, how could Adriano Paganini’s/Back of the House, Inc. (BoH) not be a hit? And it is right out of the gate. Every table is packed and people are waiting for a spot even on weeknights, just like their restaurant A Mano down the block. It’s starting to feel like a Hayes Valley takeover. But when you essentially provide a second location of BoH’s fried chicken fave The Bird and local burger chain Super Duper Burgers, housed in one space with crushable cocktails, beer, boilermakers, and wine, what did you expect?
You can also grab the food-to-go from a separate take-out storefront. But if you can snag a table, it’s fun to get the whole spread — plus decadent “fully loaded” tater tots — side-by-side with drinks like a balanced Blackberry Smash (bourbon, blackberry, lemon, lavender) or lush-but-not-too-sweet Coco rum, coconut, cinnamon, banana, falernum, lime.
// 409 Gough Street (Hayes Valley), more info.
Flour + Water
Flour + Water has been an SF favorite since 2009, although from day one Thomas McNaughton’s pasta (calling on his Bologna-trained days, which is pasta mecca in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna) was always the draw for me over their pizza. With executive chef/partner Ryan Pollnow also on board for years now, the pasta and starters remain highlights — and have been a godsend some pandemic nights when I was missing more upscale dine-in dishes. Recent standouts included saffron creste di gallo pasta in a hen sausage ragu accented with roasted rutabaga, capers, and black pepper, or kanpachi crudo dotted with avocado, fennel, star ruby grapefruit, white guava, and tarragon oil.
Even a ubiquitous roasted beet “salad” is interesting touched with pickled mandarinquat, yuzu ricotta, toasted pistachios, and mint.
// 2401 Harrison Street (Mission District), more info.
Bonus Pick: Amber India
As a local, it can be easy to take Amber India for granted — and not just because it’s in the still struggling Union Square area. Having been around so long and as a local chain (with only 4 locations), it can be easy to forget that each Amber India has a different chef and menu items — and that Amber has a 25-year-plus legacy in the Bay, credited with popularizing butter chicken, first at its Mountain View location in 1994 (relocated to Los Altos), then SF, San Jose, and now also have a Milpitas’ cafe.
Chef Hitesh Gautam has been there roughly just under three years, helming kitchens around the world with his passion for the ancient, holistic science of ayurvedic cooking. His menu holds gems like vegetarian palak chaat, a snack of organic fried baby spinach dotted with yogurt, tamarind relish, and pomegranate, or Dal Amber: organic black lentils, slowly stewed for 32 hours with tomato in cream and butter. Rose chutney-glazed Australian lamb chops are savory candy, dusted in crumbled pistachio. Indian bread shine, and whatever you do, don’t miss one of their biryani rice dishes baked inside a pastry shell.
// 25 Yerba Buena Lane (Yerba Buena), more info.
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