This is about the harshest criticism anyone will hear from the relentlessly upbeat Mogannam, who has the Arabic transliteration of Bi-Rite’s guiding principles — love, passion, and integrity — tattooed on his forearm. Still, the company, a registered B Corp. that employs more than 300 people, may double in size in the next six years. “We’re now on our 2030 vision, which says, you know, two to three more markets in the Bay Area,” Mogannam said. He won’t reveal where he’s looking, although in the past he has mused about an Inner Sunset location.Running the company means spending little time…

Step past the blue gates of the new location of Merchant Roots in SoMa and prepare to become fully immersed in the world of this fine dining restaurant. This isn’t your typical white-tablecloth space with whispered conversations; instead, it’s a place with fine dining chops and service that leans far into the playful feelings that food can invoke. Chef Ryan Shelton and the Merchant Roots team are known for seasonal, themed meals that change quarterly. The themes are often rooted in an idea, rather than food, and the dishes are planned to express that idea through ingredients. A previous theme…

SAN FRANCISCO – The future of some mom-and-pop businesses that have anchored a San Francisco neighborhood for nearly 50 years is now in question. A new owner has reportedly purchased several prime buildings with plans to revitalize the Fillmore District, a neighborhood rich with cultural history and longtime tenants.One of the legacy restaurants that will be closing its doors next month is Ten-Ichi. The owner, Steve Amano, just put up a sign on its storefront.”We are being forced out, please help!” the sign reads. It also says other beloved neighbors are being displaced.The Japanese restaurant must vacate the space it…

CALIFORNIA — When it comes to indulging in south-of-the-border cuisine in California, the best eats can be found at La Taqueria in San Francisco, according to a new list.To compile a new feature showcasing the best Mexican restaurants in each state, cooking website LoveFood.com sorted through user reviews, awards, and accolades to determine which eatery residents flock to for their fix of tacos, fajitas, and guacamole. They also took the first-hand experiences of employees into account when making the list. According to the list, La Taqueria is worth the stop in San Francisco’s Mission District. “Many say this legendary no-frills…

SAN FRANCISCO — Outside Lands 2024 has come to a close, but its support for small businesses has lasting effects. For the second year, Outside Lands partnered with La Cocina to support and highlight three up and coming food businesses.La Cocina is a nonprofit food business incubator in San Francisco that supports talented, low-income entrepreneurs as they grow and formalize their businesses.”They work with women and people of color to try and help them launch their culinary dreams and so it fits so perfectly with what we’re trying to do at Outside Lands by working with all of the local…

A Bay Area startup just launched what it calls the first unmanned robotic mobile kitchen in operation that can cook a full meal while en route for delivery.It operates like a factory machine, but a closer look reveals it’s a fully automated mobile kitchen, about to cook up a hot meal in minutes.  “Right now it’s waiting for the wok to preheat to the right temperature for the meal,” said Charles Kim.  Kim is the Chief Operating Officer of Shin Star Presents which designed and developed the robotic elements of this futuristic kitchen on wheels. A click through its app called…

Bay Area food writers can’t realistically eat at every place in Silicon Valley or San Francisco, but they can recognize rising stars and established icons.That’s exactly what Trevor Felch has done in “City Eats: San Francisco,” a collection of 50 insightful and sometimes nostalgia-inducing recipes, and of morsels doled out by luminaries like Chez Panisse alum Joyce Goldstein, herself a prolific cookbook author, and longtime San Francisco Chronicle food reviewer Michael Bauer.“We San Francisco-area writers are expected to know about the food scene in every Bay Area city in detail,” Felch says. “But of course, it’s impossible to truly know…

“I hope you’re starving because that’s probably the best way to enjoy Chinatown,” says Aaron Friedman, my tour guide, on my first evening in San Francisco. After a whirlwind sunset sailing trip on the Pacific Ocean under the Golden Gate Bridge, I was eager to see how this country’s oldest Chinatown would satisfy my appetite.I needn’t have worried. From legendary dishes crafted by a chef who has cooked for Chinese presidents to cosy dumpling joints, this 150-year-old hub of Chinese immigrants offers everything from upscale restaurants to affordable eateries, bakeries, shops, and bars.Photo: Max Whittaker The Iconic Peking DuckEntering through the…

You may have found yourself having a meal lately, surrounded by colorful prints, big plants, intricate wood paneling, and bigger-is-better lighting fixtures — and chances are, the menu and concept were Italian, Greek, Spanish, or somewhere in between. One simply can’t overlook the Bay Area’s Mediterranean restaurant wave, that’s making dining out louder, bolder, and a lot more fun. “There’s something inherently captivating about the Mediterranean experience” The trend nationwide manifested itself around 2022 with the national debuts of such restaurants as LA’s lush Lavo Ristorante and SF’s own Bar Sprezzatura from TableOne Hospitality. The following year, they were followed…

A volunteer-run food cooperative in San Francisco’s Mission District, which has been a lifeline for so many families, is now in desperate need of support to continue its vital work in the community.Maria Tec’poot and her mother, Ofelia, vividly remember the day they first turned to the Mission Food Hub in 2020. Like many families in San Francisco’s Mission District, they had lost their jobs due to the pandemic and were struggling to make ends meet. “We would go to the grocery store and we were looking for fresh produce and it was so expensive, and then one day my…