With autumn almost here, it's time to look forward to the season's restaurant openings:
Acme Burgerhaus: Yet another burger joint’s comin’ this fall, this one to the Western Addition, where it will feature "custom-mixed" patties – the customer’s choice of toppings are blended into the burger and then grilled to order. Rounding out the menu will be an extensive, organic salad bar and beer on tap (559 Divisadero St.).
Barbacco: Perbacco’s next-door eno-trattoria spin-off, slated to open in late November, will be a two-in-one concept. By day, it’ll be a fast, affordable lunch joint presenting a slate of rustic, pan-regional panini, soups, salads, pastas and daily specials – available with table service or for takeout; at 4 PM, the vibe will transition into a vino-focused venue with a progressive menu suitable for a bite and a glass of wine or a full meal. Over 120 wines from the West Coast and Italy will be offered, of which at least 50–60% will be available by the glass, taste, quartino and mezzo litro – all will be stored at the appropriate temperature in a state-of-the-art wine cabinet (230 California St.).
Unnamed Birreria and Pizzeria from the Beretta Team: Having just opened Starbelly, the team behind Beretta is now turning its attention to this yet-to-be-named Marina pizzeria and bar specializing in Roman-style 14-inch ultra thin pies, accompanied by more than 40 beers and specialty cocktails. Slated to open in November (2175 Chestnut St.).
Bluestem: Set to open later this fall (between October and December), this forthcoming American steakhouse/brasserie located in SoMa’s newest pedestrian pathway near Yerba Buena is named for the premium grass favored by cattlemen. It will feature sustainable and unusual cuts of meats, accompanied by seafood options and seasonal sides overseen by chef Michael Magliano (formerly of Craft in LA). Olle Lundberg, who designed The Slanted Door, is behind the 200-seat, multilevel space, which includes a lounge and rooftop patio (1 Yerba Buena Ln.).
Burger Bar: Hubert Keller’s (Fleur de Lys) third outpost of his luxe patty purveyor (with branches in Las Vegas and St. Louis), housed on the sixth floor of Union Square’s Macy’s, is slated for mid-October. In addition to burgers, the 185-seat venue will offer sweeping views of Downtown and a wine cellar (170 O'Farrell St.).
Cotogna: The owners of Quince plan to open this more casual, all-day sidekick in late fall; the seasonally driven menu will be dominated by a wood-fired oven and a rotisserie, offering pizzas, roasts and housemade pastas complemented by custom-blend wines (490 Pacific Ave.).
Deep Modern Izakaya: Deep Sushi returns from shutterdom with a new name and concept; it's been in soft-opening phase (sans liquor license) for several weeks, but opens officially on September 16. In addition to offering fare from its previous menu (such as the Marilyn Monroll), former Plouf chef Thomas Weibull is concocting innovative small plates, such as a wild mushroom salad, miso-glazed lamb chops and a bowl of pork belly over ramen noodles (1740 Church St.).
Ebisu: Like its SFO branch, this third Downtown outpost of the popular Sunset sushi spot will primarily be a cafeteria-style setup with bento box lunches and simple dinners. Slated for sometime after Thanksgiving (336 Kearny St.).
560 Central Park: Baker Street Bistro’s Jacques Manuera is eyeing a mid-to-late October opening for this bistro off the Panhandle in the Western Addition, where he'll serve Gallic classics and more modern fare. Other plans include pooch-friendly sidewalk seating and an early-bird prix fixe (560 Central Ave.).
Farmstead: A three-acre St. Helena property recently taken over by owners of the Long Meadow Ranch (providers of organic produce, eggs, olive oil and grass-fed beef) will host this farm-to-table American opening November 15. Sheamus Feeley (Rutherford Grill) will be executive chef, and there will also be demonstration gardens, an open-air market and a tasting room, the latter of which is currently slated to open October 15 (738 Main St.).
Fondue Cowboy: As the name suggests, fondue served in a Wild West–themed setting is the come-on at this SoMa arrival slated to open in September (1052 Folsom St.).
Frances: Former Fifth Floor chef Melissa Perello will return to the stoves this fall with her first very own venture, an affordable neighborhood restaurant and wine bar in the Castro (3870 17th St.).
Gracias Madre: Café Gratitude’s first vegan taqueria blends organic cuisine with the notion of “sacred commerce” (in which business fosters not just profits but community). A special mural has been commissioned to grace the walls. Hoping for a late October opening (2211 Mission St.).
La Costanera: Carlos Altamirano of Mochica and Piqueo's will open his third Peruvian in Montara this October. Located in the long vacant Chart House, the three-story coastsider will be redesigned by Michael Brennan (Miss Pearl's Jam House), and the menu will feature an extensive cebicheria bar, plus many South American wines and, of course, pisco cocktails (8150 Cabrillo Hwy.).
Mayes Oyster House: After several iterations, the classic Polk Street venue (which dates back to 1867) returns to its roots this October as a mostly old-school seafooder with a raw bar and cocktails; expect a few newfangled items like sake shooters (1233 Polk St.).
Out the Door: Charles Phan’s long-awaited Upper Fillmore location of his popular casual Vietnamese venue is slated to open the last weekend of September. In addition to offering the usual suspects found on the Westfield and Ferry Plaza menus, the neighborhood-oriented spot will serve both Vietnamese- and American-style breakfasts (2226 Bush St.).
Pi Bar: Plenty of thin-crust pies – and π references such as $3.14 slices – will be offered at this locally sourced, late-night Mission pizzeria when it opens mid-September (pending city permits). It will be run by New York native Richard Rosen, who’s also the co-owner/chef at Chenery Park (1432 Valencia St.).
Pizzaiolo’s spin-off: Over in the East Bay, Charlie Hallowell’s cult Telegraph Avenue pizzeria will spawn an offshoot in a few months when it takes over the defunct Di Bartolo space on Lake Merritt near the Grand Lake Theater; the new joint will have a different, not-yet-decided name and will focus on antipasti and wood-burning pizzas, offering fewer primi and secondi than the original (3310 Grand Ave.).
Quince: Michael and Lindsay Tusk will relocate their seasonally driven Italian-French jewel box to a much larger Jackson Square venue by the end of September/late October. Pastry chef William Werner (ex Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay) will be the executive pastry chef for both Quince and Cotogna (470 Pacific Ave.).
Yet-to-be-named Quince replacement: Poised to take over the space currently housing Quince after it relocates Downtown, husband and wife duo Jeffrey and Lori Banker (former executive chef and pastry chef of Home,
respectively) will open a casual New American dinner spot and bakery.
Not surprisingly, given that Lori is a former pastry instructor at the
California Culinary Academy, all the breads will be made in-house and
the couple plans to open an on-site bakery. Due in mid-November, the
restaurant's working title is Brown Butter (1701 Octavia St.).
– Meesha Halm