These six newer spots include two Brazilian go-tos, a winning bottle shop and arcade/game bar with food (as always, I’ve vetted, visited or ordered from every restaurant reviewed here):
Brazilian Food Truck: Brazuca Grill
Enter Husband-wife team Fabio and Ana’s SF-based food truck and catering: Brazuca Grill. Brazilian food is already a rarity here and this is “fusion” Brazilian (think Brazilian burritos, fries and the like). I recently tried their food at an Off the Grid private preview of trucks that might potentially join their lineup/events (fingers crossed!) Brazuca serves utterly comforting coxinha (pronounced co-sheen-ya), savory balls of dough filled with creamy chicken, and pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) stuffed with Brazilian pork linguica sausage, pico and cheese, feeling almost like a Brazilian klobasnek (sausage kolache). But feijoada, available as a bowl or burrito, was my top pick. Feijoada is a traditional Brazilian black bean pork stew. In burrito form, it’s loaded with white rice, Brazilian pico, farofa (toasted cassava/corn flour mix), fried kale, oranges and biquinho peppers. This sweet, savory, hearty melange is playful comfort, another exciting option in the endless burrito variations out there. More from Ana and Fabio, please.
Curated Bottle Heaven: Bottle Bacchanal, Castro
What a win for the Castro! Brand new Bottle Bacchanal opened January 25, a woman-owned shop focused on natural wines, craft/small-batch spirits, beers and ciders with an emphasis on women, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ producers. Owner Beth Hughes has worked in many facets of food and drink, including wine and as a Tartine baker. Seeing the fermentation thread between it all, her dream of opening a bottle shop resulted in this chic space marked by dark green and white walls, pink accents and playful 1980s-esque logo. Even just a few beers and canned cocktails (RTDS/ready-to-drink) are tightly and thoughtfully curated, in partnership with West Bev Consulting (drink experts Christopher Longoria and Nora Furst, also behind new Buddy bar). International natural wines and spirits include smart picks in everything from agave (sotol, tequila, mezcal) to vermouth and whiskies. There are vintage glassware and decanters Hughes picks out herself, drink books and a few gourmet snacks. They’ll be hosting cocktail classes, tastings, demos and local artist and maker pop-ups during and off-hours. They also launched three monthly subscriptions and a “Life of the Party Cocktail Club” with West Bev.
// 4126 18th Street, www.bottlebacchanal.com
Games Galore (With Food & Drink): Thriller Social Club, SoMa
Opening October 29 from Proof Positive Partners (behind Westwood and Wilder), Thriller Social Club goes for a vintage midway theme, a 10,400 square-foot space packed with arcade games and three bars. From Skee-Ball® to a pricey golf simulator, it’s about the games here with local beers and simple but balanced cocktails (like The Happiest Gilmore: gin, citrus, cucumber, mint; or Joey the Cat’s Claw on draft: tequila, tamarind, lime). Owner Kingston Wu partnered with Stag Dining Group on the menu, where creative turns I gravitate towards, like Peking duck pizza in hoisin, caramelized onions, shiitake mushrooms, mozzarella and fried wonton chips, sound more exciting than they taste. Standout elements are standards done right, namely French fries dusted in nori-ranch powder, herbs and dipped in roasted garlic aioli, or a smashburger with onions, American cheese, dill pickles, shredded lettuce. I took a peek at Fortuna Lounge, hidden upstairs with wild, whimsical decor and changing themes ahead, but the drinks weren’t ready to taste yet.
// 508 4th Street, www.thrillersocialclub.com
Crepe Cake/Asian Dessert Delights: Sweet Glory, TenderloinLaunched as a pop-up one year ago with the brick-and-mortar opening July 2021, AAPI-owned, women-led Sweet Glory brightens up the Little Saigon side of the Tenderloin with its tiny, lofty white cafe marked by cool mint green lamps and chic accents like gold silverware if you eat in at one of a couple tables. This dessert cafe centers around mille crepe cakes, dreamy layers of crepes and cream perfected at made-to-order sources like San Jose’s Anton SV Pâtisserie. The joy here is you can order them by the slice, all the better to try flavors like Thai tea, pandan coconut, taro, cookies & cream or vibrant durian. They also do right by the Malaysian and Singaporean speciality I loved around Singapore: pandan toast. While I’d still dub Breadbelly’s the #1 pandan toast in SF (in part because of their killer house milk bread), Sweet Glory’s version is top-notch. Ditto their salted egg yolk croissant and refreshing drink menu, including the likes of a fizzy citron tea/yuzu purée soda with organic honey, carbonated water and candied orange slice.
// 721 Larkin Street, www.instagram.com/sweetglorysf
Brazilian Goodness: Cafe de Casa
The original Cafe de Casa opened in Fisherman’s Wharf in 2015, the second South SF location in 2017 and in February 2020, the airy Castro location, more accessible for city locals. This easy all-day, order-at-the-counter cafe offers sidewalk seating gazing at the historic F trains rotate at the end of the line. This trip is one of SF’s Brazilian treasures, baking Brazilian breads and pastries alongside breakfast and lunch sandwiches, fresh juices, acai bowls, hefty salads and entree specials like fricassee de frango, a Brazilian dish of creamy, shredded chicken, olives, corn and hearts of palm with baked cheese and shoestring potatoes on top. It’s hefty and filling, while pastries like ham and cheese rissole, disco (breaded beef patty) or coxinha (savory balls of dough filled with creamy chicken), steal the show. If you’re struggling with Portuguese pronunciation, just point at what looks good behind the glass. It’s hard to go wrong.
Rotisserie Stop: Bulgara’s Rotisserie & Grill
Opened January 2020 just before pandemic, this humble North Beach neighborhood restaurant serves everything from pork belly sandwiches to salmon salad. But Bulgara’s Rotisserie & Grill forte is, you guessed it, rotisserie. An easy takeout or delivery spot with a few tables inside, their oak and mesquite-fired rotisserie chicken (half $15/whole $26) is juicy with enough seasoning that it needs no aids. I prefer it as a wrap. Their steak wrap was too dry, but a rotisserie chicken wrap sings, packed with feta, romaine lettuce, fried vegetables, cucumber, grape tomatoes, yogurt and green hot sauce, in lavash bread grilled on both sides.
// 279 Columbus Ave.; https://bulgaras-rotisserie-grill.business.site
