Take Five: Restaurant Hit List
Winter spots well worth the trip beyond your home turf
WRITER Daisy Barringer
This season’s most interesting openings stretch from Mission Rock to the Ferry Building to the heart of Union Square, each one anchored in a distinct sense of place. Think deli comfort with cocktail ambition, Itameshi after dark, and waterfront rooms built around fire and Northern California produce. They’re spread out across the city, but they’re well worth the trip beyond your home turf.
SWANKY NIGHTS AND UFO LIGHTS
AMA & AMA SOCIAL CLUB
Just off Redwood Park at the base of the Transamerica Pyramid is Ama, downtown’s new after-dark hangout where Itameshi—the art of blending Italian and Japanese flavors—takes on a sleek late-night form.
In the Copper Room, windowless, low-lit, wrapped in dark wood and warmed by the glow of a polished copper bar, Chef Brad Kilgore leans into contrasts: bluefin carpaccio over crackling rice, his signature “soft egg” scallop custard, and spiraled lumache in an (you’ve been warned) addictive chile-bright vodka sauce.
Around the corner, Ama Social Club settles into its nighttime persona with UFO-like lighting, vintage pinball machines, deep sofas, a DJ booth, and cocktails that keep the place humming: Japanese whisky, sharp Negroni riffs, and bright citrus drinks that make it dangerously easy to lose track of time (helped along by a gentle request to keep phones tucked away).
It’s a polished, moody addition to the neighborhood and quietly one of the most intriguing openings downtown has seen in a while.
amabybradkilgore.com
NOSTALGIA ON RYE, CHUTZPAH IN THE GLASS
SUPER MENSCH
Super Mensch is what happens when a lifelong pastrami obsessive and a mad-scientist bartender build the kind of deli-bar mashup only San Francisco could pull off. Owners Adam Rosenblum and Elmer Mejicanos, the duo behind Causwells, channel classic deli institutions through a distinctly SF lens, creating something that’s somehow both fresh and familiar.
The food leans comforting, not fussy: crisp, layered latkes with crème fraîche and salmon roe; everything bagels with scallion cream cheese and smoked salmon; and the namesake Super Mensch, a full pound of smoked-and-brined pastrami on house-made rye, built for sharing (or not). The cocktails follow suit, most famously the matzah-ball-soup margarita with its herb-speckled ice “matzah ball” that seasons the drink as it melts. Save room for a massive slice of chocolate cake for two to four. (However big you’re imagining it, it’s bigger.) Only one is baked each day, so go early if you’re serious. (Which you are.)
With a marquee menu board and illustrations of beloved delis lining the walls, Super Mensch lands between neighborhood hang and cultural wink: playful, specific, and very much a mensch at heart. supermenschsf.com
TUSCANY BY WAY OF THE BAY
VIA AURELIA
Mission Rock’s newest arrival is a stunner: a Tuscan-inspired restaurant from the team behind Che Fico, set right on the waterfront with views stretching toward Oracle Park. Inside, vaulted ceilings, lime-washed walls, soft fresco-like textures, and warm tones of terracotta, olive, and juniper create a vibe that’s Tuscany-meets-SF in the best way: warm, modern, and beautifully restrained.
The menu dives into Tuscany with both range and focus. Expect porcini sformato with sunchoke and Parmigiano Reggiano; hand-rolled pici with Sonoma squab ragù and crispy rosemary; and a bistecca alla Fiorentina cut from a porterhouse big enough to make the rest of the city’s steaks pretend they weren’t trying that hard anyway. Dishes will shift with the seasons, but look for seafood, pastas, and vegetable-forward plates informed by Tuscany’s coast, farmland, and forests. A 650-bottle wine list spans standout producers from Italy, France, and California.
Whether you go à la carte or opt for the tasting menu, Via Aurelia offers a refined-but-welcoming experience—part Tuscan escape, part Mission Rock standout, whole reason to make a reservation. viaaureliasf.com
FERRY BUILDING’S NEW HEART(H)-DRIVEN KITCHEN
ARQUET
The Ferry Building’s most iconic corner has found new life in the former Slanted Door space, and Arquet feels like the restaurant it was waiting for—bright, generous, and rooted deeply in Northern California’s bounty.
From the Sorrel team, this all-day space pairs sweeping Bay Bridge views with a wood-burning hearth that sends out plates built for sharing: Dungeness crab brioche that is destined to disappear the moment it hits the table, ricotta dumplings with sweet corn, smoky octopus, and hot-honey chicken that’s pure comfort without feeling heavy. Vegetables get top billing, and desserts stay playful, from ube Basque cheesecake to warm cookies with marshmallow milk.
The room itself is a minimalist, sunlit counterpoint to the bustle outside: curved doorways, ash-wood tables, and an open kitchen. With Parachute Bakery next door fueling the morning crowd and Arquet extending that energy into lunch and dinner, the Ferry Building, long known for its daytime dining, is slowly building an evening rhythm, and Arquet feels perfectly positioned to define it. arquetrestaurant.com
A GRAND RETURN TO UNION SQUARE
BOURBON STEAK SAN FRANCISCO
Inside the landmark Westin St. Francis, Bourbon Steak San Francisco marks Michael Mina’s return to the iconic space with the kind of grand hotel dining Union Square hasn’t seen in ages: gleaming green marble columns, soaring king palms, sculptural chandeliers, and a plush lounge that practically insists on a martini. The menu goes all-in on the steakhouse experience, with Mina signatures like the crab cake “poptart,” tuna tartare mixed tableside, and butter-poached and wood-grilled steaks ranging from classic cuts to luxe wagyu. Showstoppers, both on the plate and the bill, include a $125 Maine lobster pot pie and a hay-smoked tomahawk finished with a bourbon blaze that’ll set you back $325. Seafood gets equal fanfare, from whole Dungeness crab to Dover sole with caviar-butter sauce, backed by truffled, whipped, and gratinéed sides built for sharing.
After dinner, slip downstairs to The Eighth Rule, Stephen Curry’s intimate bourbon bar, for an omakase-style cocktail flight or a pour of boubon. It’s a bold return for Mina and a welcome moment of glamour for Union Square, one that feels built for locals, albeit ones with deep pockets, as much as travelers. bourbonsteak.com/location/san-francisco/