As your food editor and Good Taste columnist, I’ve received a number of vague press releases announcing fall restaurant debuts in the Bay Area, but few have committed opening dates. Permits, inspections, and the like make those kinds of dates pretty hard to pin down. It’s also difficult to report whether something is coming in September or closer to the end of fall, which this year is Dec. 21. I’d wager that lots of unexpected openings — and, unfortunately, closings — will come to light in the next few months.
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But first, Rize Up!
Rize Up Sourdough is grand-opening a café at 1160 Howard Street on Sept. 10, and that’s pretty much the most exciting food news that I’ve heard thus far in San Francisco this year. I started buying loaves from the doorstep of founder Azikiwee Anderson’s home in 2020, and have watched him take this business to the sky ever since, bringing bread to retail stores, farmer’s markets, home deliveries, and subscriptions.
A surprise comeback and a long-awaited expansion
One of the best ways I stay on top of future openings in the Bay Area is to subscribe to the weekly Tablehopper newsletter. Founder and friend Marcia Gagliardi tells me that she’s got her eye on a probable fall re-opening of Julius’ Castle after 20 years, which she’s been covering for a long, long time. Connie Chan had an event there recently, so the public opening may not be far off.
Gagliardi also thinks that Lucania, A16’s upcoming Southern Italian restaurant in the front of the SF Ferry Building, could also open in the coming season. She’s reported on this for over a year, and I’ve been putting this on my most anticipated lists for a hot minute as well.
Mall watch
Serramonte Center in Daly City has an Instagram ad for restaurants “coming soon,” including the long-expected relocation of nearby Koi Palace, a personal favorite, and chains Haidilao Hot Pot, Fogo de Chão, and Marufuku Ramen. Cheesecake Factory is also on the way. If any of these appeal, keep an eye out on Serramonte’s social media. In the meantime, I’d suggest taking a twirl through Jagalchi, the massive Korean market that opened in the mall last year. We’re still swooning over the Stonestown glow-up; the SF mall just got an outpost of China’s high-quality chain slash personal obsession heytea, which has been investing heavily in Bay Area locations.
Let’s make sandwiches
I also on IG that a suggestive new sandwich shop called Meat Packers is coming to Mission between 4th and 5th Streets. I slid in their DMs and learned that they’re hiring and hoping for a mid-Oct. Debut. The menu currently shows sandwiches in buns, wraps, rolls, or sliced bread. Two of the ones between buns look like potential standouts: Father Daddy (thin sliced roast beef, BBQ sauce, pepper jack, pickled red onion, and tomato on a toasted sesame seed bun) and Short King (pastrami, Swiss, sauerkraut, pepperoncini, sauteed onion, and horseradish-mustard aioli on a toasted brioche bun). There is also going to be an “Unwrap Me, Daddy!” tank and other attention-grabbing apparel for sale.
More soon-ish vibes
Popular Chicano pop-up My Friend Fernando is raising funds via Kickstarter to open a brick and mortar restaurant called Pico in Oakland, and I hope it is very successful. Pasta Supply Co is also asking for support to get a third location in Cole Valley up and running “soon.” This is already a reliable and fun establishment to buy fresh pasta and sauces with locations in the Richmond and Mission Districts.
