This is a list of the most notable restaurant and bar openings in the Bay Area, with new updates posted weekly. Did we miss something great? Please, Write to us.
14 August
JACKSON SQUARE — Prelude, the new restaurant opening Tuesday, August 20, at San Francisco’s Jay Hotel, takes its cue from the fragrant eucalyptus groves of Presidio, offering a lush, atmospheric escape from the bustle of the city. Chef Celtin Hendrickson-Jones brings a thoughtful, fine-dining twist to Southern dishes like cornbread financiers with uni butter, elegant grits and crispy country ham.
EMERYVILLE – Popular Emeryville restaurant Honor Kitchen & Cocktails, which has been closed for the past 20 months for renovations and expansion, will reopen Wednesday, Aug. 14, according to a press release. Expect an “upscale Northern California tavern menu” with small plates like lamb ribs with sweet chilies, Maine lobster ceviche, octopus carpaccio and more.
BERKELEY — Chef Pedro Robin of Berkeley’s former Brazil Cafe has resurfaced at the new wine bar Adega Azul, where he serves his popular tri-tip sandwiches, according to East Bay Nosh. The new in-house kitchen is simply called “Pedro’s.”
BERKELEY — Stop by Berkeley restaurant Thayir Sadam for its namesake South Indian yogurt-and-rice dish, which East Bay Nosh says comes in both savory and sweet versions. Load a bowl with toppings like cucumber, spicy peanuts, dried raisins and paneer to taste. Chai, sweet latte and sambharam (a buttermilk drink) round out the menu.
BERKELEY — Chef Anja Voth, who closed her Berkeley restaurant Gaumenkitzel, which combined German and California culinary influences, in March of this year, is opening a new restaurant on University Avenue on Tuesday, Aug. 27, according to East Bay Nosh. The new spot, named Anja’s, promises breakfast and lunch, with some dishes like porridge, homemade granola and German soups returning. In the near future, she plans to open for dinner two nights a week.
THE MARINA – The Brixton will return in a new form on Thursday, August 29, after a renovation and menu overhaul. The menu will feature Mediterranean takes on Cobb salad, roasted chicken in lemon butter caper sauce and “Osaka-style sushi snacks.” The owners want to shed the Brixton’s reputation as a bar and introduce the atmosphere of a neighborhood restaurant.
MILL VALLEY – Tony Adams’ Mill Valley Pasta Co., a handmade pasta company that was born during the pandemic, is hosting a grand store opening in downtown Mill Valley at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, according to a news release. Visitors can check out over 90 varieties of dried pasta, more than a dozen sauce varieties, canned fish, a selection of fresh pasta and other grocery products. There will also be giveaways and discounts at the grand opening.
ALAMEDA — Chef Donna Meadows, formerly of Little House Cafe, is the name behind the newly opened steakhouse in Alameda’s former Angela’s Kitchen space, according to East Bay Nosh. Moxie Steakhouse serves oysters, seafood and roasted vegetables, along with a menu featuring prime cuts of Santa Carota Ranch Angus beef (plus a New Zealand Wagyu beef tomahawk for flavor). Classic steakhouse sauces round out the menu.
RICHMOND — Richmond-based food truck Tacos el Rulas, known for its huge portions of alambres, papas locas, burritos, Mexican baked potatoes and other dishes, has opened a permanent restaurant with counter service, according to East Bay Nosh. And even better, the new spot offers drink flights.
DANVILLE – Crush’d Wine Bar + Kitchen, Danville’s newest wine bar from Sabio on Main’s chef Francis Hogan, opens Friday, Aug. 16. The bar offers a list of 24 wines on tap – but this is a sustainability project, not a gimmick; a reckoning with the large amounts of waste (especially packaging) the wine industry produces. Stop by and enjoy a glass of local wine and a selection of small plates like pretzel knots in fondue sauce or Hokkaido scallop crudo.
8 August
MISSION — Mission is getting a new Japanese sandwich restaurant from the team behind Oakeri Japanese Bistro, Tablehopper reports. Located at 3515 20th Street in Mission, Tadaima sells a mix of savory and sweet sandwiches, such as a shrimp tempura sando with house-made tartar sauce and red cabbage or the strawberry cream sandwich, all served on fluffy Japanese milk bread. There’s also a selection of onigiri, as well as coffee and matcha drinks.
CIVIC CENTER – New comedy club Function opened Friday, August 2 (according to Tablehopper) and offers a large schedule of nightly shows at 1414 Market Street. Of course, there are refreshments, including the club’s version of classic cocktails, as well as wine, beer and soft drinks and happy hour specials before 6 p.m.
JAPANTOWN — Fresh soba noodles are the highlight at Sobakatsu, a new restaurant at 1700 Laguna Street in Japantown, the San Francisco Chronicle The eight-seat restaurant doesn’t have much of a presence online, but the newspaper reports that the restaurant serves hot and cold soba, as well as vegetable and seafood tempura and mochi for dessert.
INNER SUNSET — A second branch of Tenderloin bakery Sweet Glory has opened at 1336 Ninth Avenue, a user on social media platform X reported. The shop specializes in 20-layer crepe cakes that come in a variety of flavors, such as pandan coconut, as well as three-layer chiffon cakes that Sweet Glory describes as “delicate and not so sweet.”
OUTER SUNSET — Longtime ice cream favorite Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream recently reopened at its new permanent location at 3886 Noriega Street, the chronicle Reported. Expect the same popular ice cream flavors as before; the store’s current location is now set to become a new Golden Boy Pizza location.
BERKELEY — Roses on Adeline is a new bar at 3218 Adeline Street opened by Rose Clark, a graduate of Penny Roma and Good Good Culture Club in San Francisco who East Bay Express Clark bought the bar with her parents – who also happen to be architects – and together they transformed it into what the Express calls it an “art deco-inspired jewel box.” Clark’s menu of bar snacks includes a double smash burger and katsu-style chicken, plus there’s a fun selection of cocktails, some of which come with fancy garnishes like a pistachio praline rim or the sweet Pop Rocks.
