48 Hills editors and writers are highlighting their favorite people and things of 2025. Vote now for your own favorites in our 51st Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll! And join us October 22, 6pm-9pm, at El Rio for the 48 Hills Annual Community Gala to party with the winners and celebrate the independent spirit of the Bay Area.
Stonestown was originally an outdoor shopping center from when it opened in 1952 all the way up to 1987, when it was remodeled to become Stonestown Galleria. The change to an enclosed mall brought a food court, and for years, the most exciting option there was the make-your-own baked potato at California Crisp.
The Stonestown McDonald’s closed in 2024 after 30 years of business, and an influx of healthier and tastier options from Asian businesses have opened. This summer, Stonestown’s food court and the rest of the mall welcomed in new restaurants and snack vendors that make it a worthy dining destination and not just a place to grab food when shopping.
The absolute best of the new tenants who are making Stonestown extra cool right now is Le Soleil, which opened in July. Le Soleil is a classic Vietnamese restaurant on Clement Street that also has an outpost in Hong Kong. Chef Dennis and Annie Wong’s daughters are in charge at the new Stonestown location. They’re super welcoming and the food is high-quality — doubtless the best that’s ever been served at the mall. Don’t miss the OG calling card: quail flambée au rhum with a lemon pepper dipping sauce.
Also well worth visiting is Supreme Dumplings, which opened in June. It’s the Washington-based restaurant group’s first foray into California that’s been dubbed a “Din Tai Fung dupe” on social media for competent dumplings, but carves its own identity from DTF with bowls of giant fried pork chop noodle soup.
Across town on Market Street, the mall formerly known as Westfield San Francisco Centre has lost almost all its hospitality partners, and to stroll into the dimly lit, security guarded food court is to witness a bit of a zombie apocalypse. It’s reassuring to know that this isn’t the case everywhere in the city, and food businesses have a chance to thrive at Stonestown. Still wouldn’t mind another baked potato bar.
