5 Places To Eat In Downtown San Francisco Now

If you’re wondering where you should be eating in and around San Francisco, here are five of the most news worthy restaurants to check out right now. From the city’s most trendy SoMa spot serving Japanese Nikkei cuisine to a Michelin Starred establishment launching a midday lunch special, to the city's most exciting free art event offering top notch dishes in addition to fun programming, these are places that making waves in San Francisco’s dynamic food scene now.

Kaiyo Restaurant & Bar

Coming to you from the team behind San Francisco hot spots Cavana, Whitechapel and Novela, comes KAIYŌ Restaurant & Bar, the newest KAIYŌ outpost to join the portfolio that includes KAIYŌ Rooftop (located above the restaurant) and KAIYŌ Cow Hollow. The elevated menu of Nikkei dishes by Chef Alex Reccio includes sharable dining, from small bites to cold and hot small plates, entrees and a robust sushi program.

Highlights include the Anticucho de Lomo Fino with black angus filet mignon, smokey chimichurri, herbed crispy potato, choclo, aji amarillo sauce; Modern Sashimi with kobujime madai, ikura, gooseberry puree, dill, cilantro oil, arima sansho, black pepper; the Scallop Mentaiko Udon with grilled diver scallop, udon, dashi cream, mentaiko roe, aji panca, rocoto, tobiko and more.

Unlike the other locations, KAIYŌ Restaurant & Bar features an intimate sushi counter by Chef Kenji Sawada offering an exciting new Nikkei sushi menu, featuring a la carte sashimi and nigiri options, specialty rolls, and three different preparations of nigiri sets: Nikkei with pieces like the lomo saltado and pisco cured pollo; Blue Fin with otoro, chutoro and akami; and “Toyosu,” which features a rotation of fresh Japanese fish from Tokyo’s new fish market, flown in weekly.

Lastly, their innovative Nikkei beverage program by Bar Director Danny Louie should not be overlooked. The new menu features six all-new specialty house cocktails, focused on Japanese whisky, rum & gin and Peruvian pisco.

The Post Room at Beacon Grand

Located at one of Downtown San Francisco’s most iconic hotels is the newly opened The Post Room, a Mediterranean-inspired bar and lounge, overlooking the Beacon Grand’s beautiful lobby. Situated in the heart of Union Square, the hotel’s new restaurant features stunning high ceilings, European oak floors, floor-to-ceiling windows and ornate flourishes that elevate the ambiance of this classy new spot. The Post Room serves craft cocktails that include signatures like The Baron in the Trees, crafted with Luxardo Aperitivo Bianco, Amaro Pasubio, lemon-basil sour, and orange bitters; as well as a dedicated spritz menu and wine list featuring California vineyards.

The hotel also offers The Hidden Library, an cozy, hidden lounge with plush leather couches and walls filled with books, that offer special productions and vintages of bourbon, single malts, and ryes served neat. They are also offered in flights or as classic “three-ingredient” cocktails. The Library showcases a collection of rare whiskeys serviced by a bartender-butler, alongside a barrel-aged spirits program using on-site casks.

Highlights on the dinner menu include housemade pastas like the filled lobster ravioli; Spanish Octopus served with lemon preserve, marcona almonds and romesco sauce; Roasted Whole Branzino with artichoke, white beans, and pesto; and Jamón Ibérico and K&J Figs Salad with whipped goat cheese, pistachios and an orange vinaigrette. Also offered are flatbreads, oysters, charcuterie and upscale sharable plates.

In addition to the Post Room’s classic dining offerings, Union Square in Bloom is back, and Beacon Grand is celebrating with Blooms & Bubbles through July. The Post Room, is decked out in botanicals, from decorative displays to inspired bites and sparkling rosé pairings available now through July.

Bloom bites and sparkling rosé pairings are available for $28 per pairing, including Jamon Iberico + Cucumber Salad with pistachios, fennel, Nicasio Valley cheese; Handroll Mushroom + Spinach Cannelloni with morels, asparagus, Pamigiano Reggiano; and Whipped Ricotta + Mascarpone Cheese with Brokaw Farm passion fruit, pistachio tuile, basil. Pair these bites with Rosé Pairings that include Roseblood, Chateau d'Estoublon, Provence France; Guinigi Rosé Prosecco, Tuscany, Italy; and Copain, Mendocino, California.

Angler

Embarcadero’s seafood-focused, one Michelin Starred Angler has launched a fully re-concepted lunch for the midday lunch crew, offered daily from 12PM - 2:30PM. Dubbed the Angler "Quick Catch," this is a 3-course pre-fixe of rotating dishes for an affordable $38. On the current menu are favorites like the Pacific Oysters with Seaweed Vinegar & Embered Tomato to start, Half Sea Bream with Coconut & Swarnadwipa or Half Roasted Chicken in the Wood Oven, and their signature Soft Serve Sundae for a decadent finish.⁠

⁠For those not in a rush, Angler’s entire la carte lunch menu is also availiable with options such as Kingfish Cru, Yuzu and Fig Leaf; Lobster Buns; Mt. Lassen Trout and its Roe with Dill & Cultured Cream; Angry Frog Legs with Cardamom Crème Fraîche, and the Angler Burger and more.

Bodega SF

The Tenderloin’s upscale Northern Vietnamese restaurant, Bodega SF, recently unveiled a selection of new menu items. Inspired by a recent Vietnam trip taken by Chef and Owner Matt Ho and the team, this menu will see new flavors and cooking techniques applied to innovative, complex Vietnamese dishes. New offerings include the Banh Beo with Uni, Dry Shrimp and Scallions; “Tom Rim” Tiger Prawns with Caramelized Fish Sauce, Thai Chili, and Scallions; and Truffle Crab Fried Rice with Tobiko, Sakura Dry Shrimp.

“We wanted to add more unique flavors to our new menu,” says chef and owner Matthew Ho. “Some of my favorite new items are the Crab Fried Rice, Chinese Long Beans, and Pho Tallow Wagyu. We sautee the Crab Fried Rice with shrimp paste and top it with truffle and masago for extra flavor and texture. The Pho Tallow is added to a chimichurri for extra richness and pairs perfectly with the softy juicy wagy.”

Bodega also has a revamped cocktail menu, featuring new additions like the That So Red Bean with Arette Blanco, Strawberry, Blueberry, Egg White and Peychaud’s Bitters and the Bodega Old Fashioned with Barrel Aged Legent Bourbon, Marashino Cherries, Pho Spices.

CREATE!

CREATE!, a free, outdoor immersive visual and performing arts celebration — spotlighting San Francisco's creative past, present and future — will take place on April 25, from 4 to 8 pm at Landing at Leidesdorff, downtown San Francisco’s newest destination located at the intersection of Commercial and Leidesdorff Streets. Featured artists and interactive experiences include Richelle Scales, Jae Jackson, hands-on DJ tutorials, 3D installations, screen printing and more. In addition to exciting programming that includes creative performances, live painting, interactive activities and music, there’s a great food program of nearby vendors.

Participating food vendors – including The Barrel Room, Wayfare Tavern, Ozumo, and San Francisco Sweet Potato – will provide unique, complimentary themed drinks and bites, such as the Leidesdorff Lemon mocktail. Ozumo will offer Salmon Cones with Scottish salmon with red yuzu aioli, avocado purée and green onion; the Ozumo Roll with Unagi & shrimp tempura roll with spicy tuna, cucumber, tobiko, spicy aioli; and the Midori Roll with vegetable roll with avocado, tomato, carrot, cucumber, kaiware & sesame dressing. Wayfare will offer Fried Chicken Sliders, House-made Doughnut Holes and House-made Potato Chips.