The Chatterbox

It was pretty thrilling to walk into the new AKIKOS at The Avery at Avery Lane in SoMa for their launch party last month. Chef-owner Ray Lee is on a tear—he recently opened the exclusive sushi counter, Friends Only, and now this 2,700-square-foot, chic sushi stadium, designed by…

Husband-and-wife team Chris Yang and Marcelle Gonzales are now in their third week of their soft-opening dinner service at PIGLET & CO., their first brick-and-mortar location in the Mission (they opened in the former Southpaw space and short-lived Above Ground). The concept is non-traditional, Taiwanese-inspired cuisine, taking inspiration from dishes you’…

I wanted to make sure you knew that GAO VIET KITCHEN & BAR is now open in SF—they had their soft opening in mid-December. I reported a couple years ago that this popular Vietnamese restaurant in San Mateo from chef-owner Viet Nguyen was coming to the former KFC/Taco Bell…

Some quick bites for you: ~KIN KHAO~ has reopened for lunch downtown, serving favorites like their khao soi and chicken sandwich. Hours are Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm. I’m so happy to see ~1601 BAR & KITCHEN~ has been opening for their regulars off and on the past few months, offering their…

I only posted about this on Instagram, but wanted to be sure you knew Stacy and Adam Jed sadly closed BLUESTEM RESTAURANT AND MARKET on December 24th, after 11 years of business. You can read their farewell note here. Best wishes and thanks to them for all the tasty meals…

Hello, everyone! Ho ho ho! The last day to preorder the Hopper Holiday Gift Bag is this Saturday December 17th at 1pm! Don’t miss out on SF’s best collection of tasty holiday goodies and treats! Thanks to all of you for showing your support to the many makers…

Now in its third year is the Hopper Holiday Gift Bag, SF’s best collection of tasty holiday goodies and treats! Thanks to all of you who continue to support the many makers and independent restaurants and pop-ups and food businesses featured in this annual gift bag. You’re the…

Our pandemic poster boy of the pivot, chef Anthony Strong, is back! He was one of the first to fully embrace the great restaurant retail experiment, and converted his recently opened Prairie in the Mission into a general store early on in the pandemic. He closed Prairie in August of…

A bunch of you have been asking me when PARK TAVERN was going to reopen, and I have some great news for you: it’s opening to the public in January 2023! I caught up with owner Anna Weinberg, who is thrilled to be able to open full-time in the…

I love writing about new restaurants, especially when they’re coming to my hood! Nopa residents, it’s time to get excited for KATSUO & KOMBU, a casual Japanese udon and curry shop (the name refers to the crucial ingredients you need to make awase “combined” dashi/Japanese soup stock: bonito…