Welcome back to Good Taste, an appetite-stimulating peek into the Bay Area’s food scene. This week, we share an early word on Bay Area eateries that we’re looking forward to seeing come to life next year.
MARKET STREET ACTION
This year, all hopes were pinned on the debut of IKEA to liven up San Francisco’s Market Street. The addition of the internationally-minded Saluhall food court in the first quarter of next year may help the department store’s efforts. In October, San Francisco Business Times reported that IKEA expected to bring in local food vendors Casa Borinqueña, Curry Up Now, Taqueria La Venganza, Momo Noodle, and The Sarap Shop to sell at Saluhall. This collection of vendors ensures a balance of omnivorous and vegan foods to mirror the plant-based and meat options elsewhere in the IKEA store.
HOT DONUT SUMMER
Expected in summer 2024, George’s Donuts & Merriment (163 West Portal, San Francisco) will bring “drunken” donuts, savory sinkers, and other experiments on the classic by Chef Janina O’Leary. George’s is also going to be a proper restaurant with a wine license that wants to be a lively hub for the sleepy neighborhood.
CAFE OHLONE’S RETURN AND MASSIVE EXPANSION
The one-year pilot project between the vitally important Cafe Ohlone and UC Berkeley, ‘ottoy will reopen as a permanent space on campus in March 2024, according to San Francisco Chronicle. Founders Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino will serve food outdoors seasonally and work on other projects with the Lawrence Hall of Science year-round. The partners told the Chron that they are also planning to buy 40 acres of East Bay land in order to create an educational center, native gardens, and three more restaurant spaces.
QUIK DOG’S NEW TRICKS
Trick Dog will bring the Quik Dog food concept to Mission Rock some time in 2024. The fries are so nice, they cook them thrice, and they’ll be serving cocktails and hot dogs as well as the burgers that inspired the name of the Mission bar. This opening will bring some happy energy to this area of SF.
CLIFF HOUSE RESURRECTION
San Francisco’s Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group has been selected by the National Park Service to operate new food concepts inside the landmark Cliff House beginning in 2024. Hi Neighbor operates the new 7 Adams, The Madrigal, Trestle, The Vault Steakhouse, and The Vault Garden in the city and Mama Oakland in the East Bay.
JOSE IN PALO ALTO?
Though his restaurant group has been tight-lipped, The Mercury News reported in May that chef, philanthropist, and international restaurateur Jose Andrés was still expected to open a restaurant in the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto in 2024. The Bay Area would welcome an establishment from Andrés, founder of the crucially important World Central Kitchen, which feeds hungry people across the planet.
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