The Alameda location marks Jollibee’s 11th Bay Area opening. The chain operates restaurants in Brentwood, Concord, Daly City, Hayward, Milpitas, San Jose, South San Francisco, Union City, and Vallejo. But San Francisco remains Jollibee-less. The city’s location has been in the works since 2020, when the company filed applications to take over a vacant retail space on Market and Fifth streets, near BART’s Powell Street Station. According to city records, plans have been approved for the conversion of a former Payless ShoeSource, expected to cost more than $1 million. As of December 2023, the restaurant appeared to be inching closer to its…

Chef Carlos Altamirano expands his Peruvian restaurant empire in the Bay Area with the opening of Altamirano on Saturday, September 14. The NoPa location marks his eighth restaurant — and fourth in San Francisco proper, alongside Mochica, Piqueos, and Sanguchon — and it’s all about keeping that neighborhood feel, Altamirano says. “I want the restaurant to feel like a community restaurant, like a home,” he says. “I want [people to] come down and enjoy, like you and your friend are having a good time.” Altamirano describes the new restaurant’s menu as a “playful approach to Cal-Peruvian cuisine.” He says most…

September 3 RUSSIAN HILL — The third and largest-yet location of the popular grocery chain Bi-Rite Market opened August 29 in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood. Expect the usual local produce, chocolate, and wine, plus lunch-ready sandwiches and salads, a full-service fish counter, brand-name Bi-Rite ice cream, and more. DOGPATCH — Gather Wine Lounge is newly open in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood, offering a sleek, bistro-like vibe; a budget-friendly wine list; and a snack menu, according to Tablehopper. THE MARINA — The Brixton is freshly open on Union Street on Thursday, August 29, following a brief closure. The Marina restaurant…

Each year, the editors of Food and Wine magazine select the best new restaurant in America, and this year, it’s right in downtown Oakland.  “Burdell” on Telegraph Avenue is re-imagining soul food in a manner that is capturing the attention of the food world in a big way and has earned the title “Restaurant of the Year.””We first kind of heard about this in January and then I think it was March or April when we got the news about what they were snooping around for,” said owner Geoff Davis. Geoff Davis has spent 20 years in the restaurant business,…

The Bay Area restaurant scene is humming again as a new roster of restaurants is ready to open this fall across San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. Some familiar faces are returning for their second go-around — in some cases, the fourth, maybe fifth property — but all are focused on providing locals with stellar food and drink options for the fall. Here are the biggest openings to look out for in the upcoming months. Is there a restaurant or bar opening before the end of the year that we should know about? Email us at sf@eater.com. Dave…

Chef Chris Bleidorn and partner Aarti Shetty’s chicken shop Birdbox is ending its hiatus for one single day, serving the popular Claude the Claw sandwich once again in San Francisco. The South Park location of Birdbox closed in May as the team focused on opening a New York City outpost, but on Sunday, September 8, they’ll hold a pop-up at the Mission Street location of Square Pie Guys from 11:30 a.m. until sold out. “We miss frying chicken ever since we closed on Second Street,” Bleidorn says. “Since it’s been out of operation, we’ve been getting all these messages, like,…

The Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco has welcomed the family-owned Mexican grocery chain Mi Rancho to its community. According to Mayor London N. Breed, as per the City and County of San Francisco, the new Mi Rancho supermarket located at 5900 Third Street is the first in San Francisco and represents a significant initiative in tackling food insecurity. Operating daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., this establishment promises a mix of fresh, affordable groceries and meal solutions at competitive prices. Mayor Breed expressed her excitement, noting, as cited by the City and County of San Francisco, “The opening of…

The exodus of businesses and residents from crime-ridden Oakland has combined with ‘skyrocketing’ business expenses to leave another once thriving bar just days from extinction.The Kon-Tiki attracted hordes of commuters with its cocktails and entertainment when it opened on 14th Street in 2017.But owner Matt Reagan was forced to close its nearby sister restaurant Palmetto last year after the ‘worst summer’ it had ever faced and now his first bar looks likely to follow suit.’The prospects of staying open are getting worse every week,’ he told the SF Chronicle.’At this point, we haven’t made the decision to close but we…

What makes an old-school Chinese restaurant? There has to be a well-loved, worn-in feeling in the air. Probably dunk tank-sized bowls of porridge, carpeted floors, and multiple generations of families pouring tea for each other from across the table, too. And lucky for us, SF has no shortage of these longstanding classics. While there are plenty of Chinese spots that we love, both old and new, this guide includes places that have stood the test of time, starting from the oldest. So when you’re in the mood for lazy susans and fortune cookies, here’s where to go.No rating: This is…

Whatever we may think about our own Bay Area restaurant scene, it’s always fun to see someone else’s perspective on what comprises a “San Francisco” restaurant. A recent story in Indian Retailer details a new San Francisco-themed restaurant that recently opened at the Eldeco Centre in New Delhi, India. Dubbed the Mission Bay, the restaurant invites diners to “taste the spirit of San Francisco.” The venture is owned by Puja Sahu, a restaurateur in New Delhi who founded the Potbelly Bihari Kitchen, and was inspired by her trips through San Francisco, Napa, Sonoma, and Healdsburg. Sahu recruited some Bay Area…