These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from upscale Indian to casual Mexican food.
Alongside June’s full restaurant reviews — Kiln, The Madrigal, For the Record, Rendezvous, Pizzeria da Laura and Original Joe’s North Beach — these seven are also worth visiting. As always, I’ve personally vetted and visited each one.
Better-Than-Nola Muffalettas at Sandy’s, Haight-Ashbury
Last year, I wrote of Sandy’s muffaletta sandwich that topped even the best I’ve had in New Orleans. My beloved Nola is my other favorite U.S. city after our own SF, where I have dug deep in its food, drink, culture and music for 16 years. Though I was disappointed first trying Nola’s legendary muffaletta at Central Grocery, where Sicilian immigrants invented the massive, round mortadella-olive sandwich over 100 years ago, I adore the sandwich.
Here in SF, Sandy’s was a regular pop-up inside Maison Corbeaux’s spirits shop, wowing me from day one. Thankfully, Louisiana transplant and owner Peterson Harter worked wonders when that opportunity ended, opening his first brick-and-mortar Sandy’s in April 2023 in the Upper Haight (thank god, my ‘hood!) Those incomparable “muffs” (muffalettas) come in eighths, quarters or a massive round that could feed a group (a dense eighth is filling for one), packed with Italian mortadella, prosciutto, soppressata, provolone, a killer spicy olive salad and mayo on pitch-perfect sesame bread. As the best muffaletta I’ve ever had, I’ve tasted some food journalist colleagues on it who are less versed on Nola and muffalettas. They deemed it the best sandwich they ever had. While I can’t go that far, as there is no way to crown just one style of sandwich out of the endless amazing ones, I stick by my “best muff” claims.
Sandy’s sunny, charming new shop is gift to Haight Street and SF, lined with Zapp’s potato chips, a short menu, including muffaletta salad (yes, please!), dill-laced slaw, egg salad and andouille sausage melts, and photos of Harter’s chef mother who passed away when he was a boy, inspiring Sandy’s. Excited to see more dishes as they settle in (also, read here about the cook-at-home boudin sausages he’s bringing in from Louisiana).
// 1457 Haight Street; www.sandyssf.com
Non-Alcoholic Pairing with Fine Dining Creativity: Sons & Daughters
Early this Spring, I wrote of 13-year-old, Michelin-starred, fine dining gem Sons and Daughters’ dramatic changes with new executive chef Harrison Cheney, who cooked in Michelin-starred restaurants from Stockholm to London. Returning this past month, I was not only able to taste chef Cheney’s evolution since his inaugural menu, but to taste their impressive new non-alcoholic (NA) drink pairings.
Amuse bouche bites like tiny Knoll Farms raw turnips dipped in a miso horseradish dip highlight Cheney’s commitment to seasonal, California farms. Cured Mt. Lassen trout likewise shows off the season with green strawberries and coriander blossoms, gaining more flavor layers from vibrant green celery juice given acidic backbone with pear vinegar. Also keeping the acid lively, I wanted more green tomato and unripe strawberries juice, giving a grilled browned butter Maine scallop needed contrast. Stellar white asparagus is both lush and herbaceous in buttermilk whey with lemon thyme and fermented vegetables.
Poached skate fish sings with unripe plums and a drink of Girl and Dug Farms’ lacto-fermented gooseberries and carrots. NA drinks weren’t all veggies or fruit: toasted walnut milk was downright dreamy with a little bowl of morel mushrooms, onion scapes and fiddlehead ferns over sprouted, toasted buckwheat. Rich, smoked Corvus Farm duck with broccoli leaves and mulberries gained earthy, umami depth paired with smoked huckleberry and beetroot juice. Pastry chef Michelle Fried nails it again with light, bright desserts showcasing the season. My favorite this visit was beloved rhubarb with pineappleweed ice cream and sweet woodruff, paired with pineappleweed kombucha. This talented crew continues to evolve into something beautiful in our abundant fine dining scene.
// 708 Bush Street, www.sonsanddaughterssf.com
Fab Mexican Food & Cocktails with a View: Barrio
You can’t beat the view over the Bay. Thankfully, you also can’t beat the food at Barrio in Ghirardelli Square, which opened July 2021. As Barrio chef Bill Riordan just opened a wine art bar, Waystone, in the original Barrio North Beach space with wine director/Causwells owner Tom Patella, Barrio at Ghirardelli is now the 100% Mexican focus. Crave-worthy modern Mexican food using quality ingredients (those addictive blue corn masa tortillas!), makes a happy partnership with bar manager Michael Carlisi’s on-point cocktails.
A recent return for brunch clarifies: Barrio serves some of the very best chilaquiles in a city silly with chilaquiles. There are choices of meat on your chilaquiles, including vegan chorizo, but go for the gently cinnamon-spiced cochinita pibil. I adore Mexican Yucatacan food and many do it well in town (like longtimer Poc-Chuc or newer Al Carajo), but this version of the famed Yucatan pork on chilaquiles is killer. Also on the Yucatan side, their poc chuc (Mayan grilled pork) tacos delight. So does a new dish of sweet, fried plantains in crema, queso fresco, pickled Fresno chiles and cilantro.
There are new cocktails of note, including the fresh purity of a cantaloupe margarita. A twist off a former favorite, D.T.O. (Daiquiri Time Out), Carlisi’s D.T.O. #2 combines Flor de Cana rum, Giffard banana liqueur, St. George’s unparalleled Green Chili Vodka, lime and simple syrup to nuanced-but-crushable effect. Barrio is one of SF’s best modern Mexican restaurants with inspiring floor-to-ceiling window views, an open patio and most importantly, Mexican food perfection.
// 900 North Point Street, Unit J 101, www.barriosf.com/location/barrio-north-beach
Unexpected Modern Indian Tasting Menu: Blue Mermaid Restaurant
Inside Fisherman’s Wharf’s Argonaut Hotel with an expansive brick courtyard, Blue Mermaid Restaurant is bravely attempting something different. The chowder house and seafood bar is more of a tourists’ go-to in the Wharf area, making a great clam chowder over the years. As they brought on chef Amod Singh this spring, I went to a preview dinner of his upscale modern Indian food they plan to launch this summer as a separate experience and tasting menu. What drew me to try chef Singh’s menu was his experience as executive sous chef at SF’s Taj Campton Place, when he cooked under gifted chef Srijith “Sri” Gopinathan (recently opening top-notch Copra) who elevated Campton to the only 2 Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in the U.S.
I had to see what Singh was doing at Blue Mermaid, and it certainly was intriguing. As they were in the midst of bringing on a notable sommelier for wine pairings, the pairings were very basic, and as nice as the space is, the juxtaposition of seafood/chowder house and upscale Indian restaurant doesn’t exactly feel congruent. But as they mentioned possibly bringing in Indian influence on the chowder house side, that would make more sense in helping the upscale Indian tasting menus feel at home here. It also might help in drawing out locals who usually don’t hang in the touristy Wharf, although the area has been changing in recent years with great restaurant additions to Ghirardelli Square (see Barrio above) and modern Filipino destination, Abaca.
Chef Singh’s starters and seafood dishes especially drew me in, including a cool, foamy and light soup of chilled pickled beets and berries laced with quinoa and partnered with three bites, like a curried crab salad on a puffy chicharrone-like crisp. “Flavor Bomb” tributes the flavors of some Indian street food chaat (snacks). It was silky hamachi fish swimming in citrus and sweet pepper ceviche emulsion, dotted with curried yogurt, tamarind gel, greens and a filled panipuri (wheat puffs).
Medium-rare seafood to meat starred in butter-poached Maine lobster over summer squash spaghetti in basil garlic oil and coconut jus, on to a grilled rack of lamb crusted in fines herb with masala yogurt and lentils. A dolma-like lettuce wrap filled with sticky rice-esque biryani made a memorable partner to the lamb. As in keeping with Indian food in general, the bread courses were highlights, especially airy buns dipped into an almost-addictive tomato sauce as good as the best tikka masala sauce.
I’d like to taste more from chef Singh and am hoping the unexpected hotel-on-the-Wharf location can be used to its advantage to draw in locals.
// 495 Jefferson Street, www.argonauthotel.com/fishermans-wharf-seafood-restaurants
Low-Gluten Pizza Alternative from Rome: Pinsa Rossa
It’s impossible to top the quality of the U.S.’ first Roman pinseria from San Francisco, opening locations across the country: Montesacro. But in the former Santino’s Vino, Pinsa Rossa opened in November 2022 from Ken Lowe of longtimer Ace Wasabi Sushi, offering a good range of pinsa. Lowe thankfully kept on the Santino’s team and brought in chef Leo Cugnata, formerly of Montesacro and the solid Gusto Pinsa Romana. A Roman tradition, pinsa dough is a high protein blend of rice, soy and wheat flours, low in gluten and easily digestible compared to pizza dough. Pinsa Rossa lets their dough rise over 72 hours, for a light, crispy crust.
Pinsa Rossa’s menu holds 16 different pinsas. I’m partial to the prosciutto di San Daniele and creamy stracciatella cheese pinsa over pomodoro sauce, peppered with fresh arugula, grana padano cheese, black pepper and a delicate balsamic glaze drizzle. There are “white” versions as well, including a carbonara pinsa, plus meatballs, salads, bresaola carpaccio and a worthy side of roasted spicy broccolini in breadcrumbs, lemon and grana padano cheese. A welcome neighborhood newcomer amid a growing number of SF pinserias.
// 2101 Fillmore Street, https://pinsarossa.com
Hearty Mexican Food 7 Days a Week: Tacos del Barrio
In the intimate, legendary Roosevelt Tamale Parlor space, humble Tacos del Barrio opened May 2023 — keeping that iconic neon sign — serving hearty portions of tacos, birria, aguachile and chilaquiles. There may be countless stronger versions of all of the above around, but co-owners Hector Ordaz and Norberto Granillo (Mexico City natives) are turning out comforting Mexican food with salsa bar and housemade frescas all day, conveniently seven days a week. In addition to the likes of al pastor or carnitas tacos, you’ll also find traditional buche (tripe/stomach), cabeza (head), cueritos (pig skin), and more on the menu.
// 2817 24th Street, www.yelp.com/biz/tacos-del-barrio-san-francisco
1940’s Supperclub Live Jazz Dream: Dawn Club
Dawn Club is a gorgeous new downtown jazz club, hidden off an alley by the Palace Hotel.
It evokes the 1940s supperclubs I have long wished could trend in the bar world after growing up watching countless jazz supperclub scenes in old movies. Space is just one issue in opening such a club, but leave it to SF’s longtime Future Bars group (who brought us Bourbon & Branch in 2005, among many other notable bars) to be able to back such a vision. And they’re doing it better than I’ve seen anywhere. No, there is no food, so eat pre-or post-visit, but there is nightly live jazz, a gift to the city alone. But unlike some of my favorite jazz clubs in NYC, Chicago or New Orleans, Dawn Club crafts quality cocktails and has a massive whiskey collection that is destination-worthy whether you veer from American whiskey to Scotch whisky.
The lofty space and stage glow, a sexy date night and sultry stop to dress up, order (pricey, yes, at $19–24 each) cocktails that go toward the joy of live jazz, and soak up the transporting atmosphere from nicely spaced-out tables. Bar seats have a partially blocked view to the stage, but are ideal for those coming for the spirits selection. Reservations are recommended, while standout drinks include their house version of a minty Grasshopper (cremé de menthe, cremé de cacao, Mr. Black Espresso liqueur, mint cream, Abuelita Mexican chocolate) or a tart Scotch sipper, Lu Watters Special (Compass Box Scotch, red and green apple juice, blanc vermouth, Jamaican rum, Umami bitters, soda).
// 10 Annie Street, www.dawnclub.com
Virginia Miller is a San Francisco-based food & drink writer.
The Bold Italic is a non-profit media organization that’s brought to you by GrowSF, and we publish first-person perspectives about San Francisco and the Bay Area. Donate to us today.
