Whether you’ve got nostalgic comfort food or fine dining on the brain, the Bay Area’s newest restaurants are ready to deliver. A new diner-inspired eatery from a barbecue legend comes to Oakland, while Healdsburg welcomes a fine dining spot, perfect for locavores and vegetarians. Two new pizza restaurants have also come to wine country, and in the Presidio, eastern Mediterranean flavors are rendered using ultra–local ingredients (as in foraged in the park.) Here are the best new restaurants in San Francisco (and beyond).
Matty’s Old Fashioned
Oakland
Following Horn Barbecue and Kowbird, chef Matt Horn has opened a new venture that showcases new American cuisine with a creative twist. But it’s not barbecue on the table — instead, the chef takes much of his inspiration from another all-American stalwart: the diner. His signature burger begins with a proprietary blend of dry-aged beef on Nisi’s brioche bun, topped with caramelized onions and aioli. He’s also reimagining the fried bologna sandwich, which here includes house-made bologna served with honey mustard aioli and crispy onion rings. For a dessert sure to speak to your inner child, consider the housemade milkshakes in flavors like vanilla, chocolate and Bananas Foster. A dining room complete with exposed brick, an open-concept kitchen and custom-crafted furniture fulfills the restaurant’s promise with the perfect blend of homeyness and sophistication.
464 8th St, Oakland (map)
The Second Story
Healdsburg
Elevated plant-based dining has arrived upstairs from Little Saint. Chef Stu Stalker (ex-Noma) has joined the team at the newly opened Second Story in Healdsburg, with a multi-course menu crafted in collaboration with the Little Saint Farm. Offerings change according to the seasons and may include a savory twist on a traditional Danish æbleskiver pastry served with a carrot and yeast glaze and fennel flowers, or a grilled mushroom and zucchini skewer glazed with pasilla chile and tamarind. Desserts from executive pastry chef Baruch Ellsworth may include a chocolate caramel mousse encased in a crispy chocolate cloak. The beverage program stays true to the sustainable mindset here, with low-waste “closed loop cocktails” that take full advantage of offcuts (think tepache made from carrot skins) and a cutting-edge wine list featuring drought-resistant grapes and unique co-ferments.
25 North Street, Healdsburg (map)
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Molti Amici
Healdsburg
Cal-Italian is alive and well at Molti Amici. The new Healdsburg destination has a vibrant vibe, designed by owner and ex-SingleThread general manager Jonny Barr in collaboration with Roy Hospitality as an ode to Wes Anderson. A locavore menu begins with a host of small plates ranging from halibut crudo with California chili oil to a stone fruit salad with fennel pollen, ricotta and watercress, perfect for summer. Mains include handmade pastas like bucatini amatriciana with breadcrumbs and wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas with seasonal toppings like squash blossom, zucchini and ricotta or corn, ham and crème fraiche. The wood-fired oven is also used to cook spatchcock Petaluma chicken to perfection. The back patio is the perfect spot for al fresco dining, bocce ball and a glass of local Sonoma County wine.
330 Healdsburg Ave (map)
Croccante
Napa
Napa Baking Co. will be familiar to habitués of the Napa Farmer’s Market for their plays on Detroit-inspired pan pizzas, and after five years, the team has opened its own restaurant in downtown Napa. The standout crust is thick and airy, thanks to a three-day fermentation, and toppings may include roasted potatoes with crispy pancetta and chili flakes or, in the case of the house namesake, hand-crushed tomato sauce, house-made crumbled meatballs, pepperoni, red bell pepper and a house cheese blend. Add an assortment of sandwiches, a handful of pastas and a house-made cheesecake, and this move can definitely be categorized as a glow-up.
976 Pearl Street (map)
Dalida
Presidio
Eastern Mediterranean flavors are on the menu at Dalida, the newest concept from Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz, the chef duo behind Istanbul Modern. Choose between a table in the main dining room, near the chef’s counter or on the front patio overlooking the Main Parade Lawn with the bay in the distance — wherever you sit, you’ll feast on a variety of innovative dishes that defy strict categorization. Begin with “Breaking Bread,” a mezze that spotlights house-made hummus, muhammara and smoked yogurt alongside ballooning pita. Or sample sea urchin tahdig, marrying the traditional Iranian crispy rice with local uni, kampachi and preserved yuzu. Mains may include su borek, a variation on lasagna made with pan-roasted yufka pastry, or 12-hour lamb shoulder tandoor served with braised chickpeas and pomegranate jus, made to share. Finish things off with tres leches cake (a nod to Laura’s Mexican heritage), served with a Presidio rose-infused marmalade or Turkish ice cream flavored with honey or sour cherry.
Geographical note: Dalida is at 101 Montgomery, which is, indeed, a street within the Presidio — this isn’t the same Montgomery Street you know from traffic jams leading into Market Street.
101 Montgomery St Suite 100 (map)
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