Most Anticipated Spring Restaurant and Bar Openings in the San Francisco Bay Area

Just three months into the new year and San Francisco and the East Bay have already welcomed an impressive roster of new restaurants, bars, and bakeries, including a Mission district sandwich shop from a star chef, a Nikkei rooftop oasis rising high above the SoMa skyline, and an Oakland restaurant backed by produce from one of the region’s premier growers.

But with spring just around the corner, there’s more to come. Between now and the end of May, more than a dozen new dining and drinking destinations are slated to throw open their doors. We’re tracking a pizza restaurant committed to reducing food waste by using upcycled ingredients, a Marina bar with updated riffs on 1970s-era disco drinks, and an Indian street food counter landing in Silicon Valley.

For a preview of what’s coming soon to wine country, look no further than our list of 14 upcoming and new restaurants to explore in the North Bay this spring and summer. Here, read on for 13 of the most anticipated upcoming restaurants and bars in San Francisco, the East Bay, and down the Peninsula.

Shuggie’s Trash Pie & Natural Wine

Opening: Late-March

Can you fight climate change with pizza? Seems ambitious, but that’s not stopping executive chef David Murphy (White Chapel) and Kayla Abe from trying. Shuggie’s Trash Pie & Natural Wine partners, who are also behind the eco-minded Ugly Pickle Co., promise to feature “ugly” or “cosmetically challenged” produce from California farms and offcuts of meat on a menu of wood-fired pizzas and small plates. They’ll be doing rectangular East Coast grandma pie — plus whipped ricotta garlic knots and a pickle pie alongside a list of natural wines. 3349 23rd Street, San Francisco. instagram.com/shuggiespizza.

Hotline

Opening: April

Lauren Saria

The duo behind the Inner Sunset Korean suprette Queens will head west with Hotline, a second restaurant taking over the former Boavida Cafe space near Ocean Beach. Clara Lee and Eddo Kim tell the San Francisco Chronicle they’re drawing inspiration from the hybrid Korean-Chinese junghwa restaurants of their youths. Expect steam pans of Korean mapo tofu; japchae; crispy mandoo; and jjajang, a thick gravy of black beans and pork served over rice. It’s a build-your-own plate situation and, while some seating will be available, the restaurant’s truly built for takeout with third-party delivery available. 3560 Taraval Street, San Francisco. instagram.com/hotline_asap.

Ban Sang

Opening: April

Daeho consistently draws long lines at its three locations in San Francisco and Milpitas. Now, the group, known for its bubbly platters of braised short rib stew, will back a modern Korean restaurant from a pair of fine-dining chefs. The Chronicle reports Ethan Min (Saison, Atelier Crenn) and Jin Lim (Michael Mina, Kinjo, Kabuto) will lead the kitchen, offering a $70 set menu of “Korean dishes incorporating French and Japanese techniques and ingredients.” 1560 Fillmore Street, San Francisco. instagram.com/bansang_sf.

For The Record

Opening: Mid-April

Barry John Walsh (Future Bars) will open his first bar in the Marina this spring. Called For the Record and inspired by the 1970s, the throwback bar will offer riffs on disco drinks like the Pink Squirrel and Mudslide, plus an “Americana” menu from consulting chef Frank Hua of hit Hawaiian pop-up Unco Frank’s. The team plans to turn the space up the block from Balboa Cafe into a groovy hideaway with bold colors, eye-catching prints, lava lamps, and record players. 2120 Greenwich Street, San Francisco. www.fortherecordsf.com.

Mijote

Opening: Mid-April

For the past five years, chef Kosuke Tada ran French pop-up Bistro Kosuke out of Oakland natural wine bar Ordinaire. Now he and wife and co-owner Grace Mitchell Tada will launch a permanent French bistro in the Mission. Look for a set four-course menu (about $82) offered five nights a week (including Mondays, so the restaurant’s accessible to service workers), plus a wine list that leans heavily into California and French natural wines, the Chronicle reports. 2400 Harrison Street, San Francisco. www.instagram.com/mijote_sf.

Hi Felicia Supper Club

Opening: Mid-April

Hi Felicia Supper Club, the not-so-secret underground dinner club that counts star chef Alice Waters among its fans, is going permanent with a proper restaurant planned for the Uptown Oakland space previously occupied by Daughter’s Diner. Owner Imana’s ambitious plans include a $195-per-person, 14-course tasting menu with optional beverage pairings — all offered for a single seating Saturday through Tuesday to a dining room with just 10 tables, per the Chronicle. 326 23rd Street, Oakland. instagram.com/hifeliciarestaurant.

Calabash

Opening: Late-April

Kingston 11 chef and owner Nigel Jones is still inching closer to the long-awaited debut of this East Bay restaurant. He’s teaming up with fellow chef-owners Azalina Eusope (Mahila) and Hanif Sadr (Komaaj) to bring a restaurant and market to the ground floor of the Alta Waverly luxury apartments, a place where the neighborhood can grab a quick and quality takeout meal. The menu will fuse all three chef’s cuisines — Jamaican, Malaysian, and Persian — with food served all day. 2302 Valdez Street, Oakland.

Maybeck’s

Opening: May 2022

Jeff Banker and Lori Baker, the husband-and-wife behind the now-closed but much-beloved Baker & Banker, will make a comeback this spring, joining forces with chef-owner Aaron Toensing in the kitchen at Maybeck’s. The Marina restaurant, which makes its return following an 18-month-long closure, will reopen this spring with a new menu, refreshed design, additional lounge seating, and a wine shop. Expect bright and light seasonal dishes, a strong dessert menu from Baker, and a renewed focus on cocktails and wine. 3213 Scott Street, San Francisco. www.maybecks.com.

Occitania

Opening: Mid to late-May

Occitania

Chef Paul Canales, known for his long-standing Uptown Oakland Spanish restaurant Duende, expands this spring with Occitania, a French-learning restaurant serving food from throughout the Occitan langa d’oc, or linguistic region. Canales plans to showcase California ingredients in classic dishes like cassoulet, ratatouille, and bouillabaisse. 422 24th Street, Oakland. www.occitaniaoakland.com.

Friends Only

Opening: Mid to late-May

The team behind Akiko’s restaurant, one of the most beloved sushi restaurants in San Francisco, expects to debut their exclusive omakase counter Friends Only in the coming months — but be warned: it’s a high-end, 10-seat, if-you-know-you-know experience that’ll be part R+D kitchen and part sushi speakeasy. 1501 California Street, San Francisco. instagram.com/friendsonlysf.

Midnight Bagel

Opening: Spring

It’s undeniable that the Bay Area is deep in the throes of a bagel boom: for proof, look no further than the news that fan-favorite pop-up Midnite Bagel, from founder and ex-Tartine head baker Nick Beitcher, plans to put down roots with a storefront this spring. As Eater SF first reported, he’s taking it to the avenues with a “small, no-frills bagel shop” in the Inner Sunset. The menu will have bagels (duh), cream cheese, smoked salmon, and breakfast sandwiches, plus coffee. 646 Irving Street, San Francisco. www.midnitebagel.com.

Little Blue Door at State Street Market

Opening: Spring

James Beard award-nominated chef Sri Gopinathan has been busy. On top of debuting the elegant Indian destination Ettan and heading to the Central Valley with classic fish and chips, he’s plotting the debut of Little Blue Door at State Street Market, the cavernous Peninsula food hall in Los Alto. With partner Ayesha Thapar, the chef will bring a menu that focuses on Indian street food to Silicon Valley — specifically, items from Gopinathan’s native Kerala. 170 State Street, Los Altos. nstagram.com/littlebluedoorrestaurant.

Cafe Ohlone

Opening: Spring

About two years after the closure of its previous location, Indigenous restaurant Cafe Ohlone closes in on its debut at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology on the UC Berkeley campus. Partners Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino told Eater SF in late December that they spent much of 2021 reimagining the space to be “uniquely Ohlone,” planning a courtyard filled with native plants and art, a tea hour, lunch featuring seasonal Ohlone foods, and intimate dinners under the stars. Hearst Museum of Anthropology on the UC Berkeley campus.