10 RESTAURANTS YOU NEED TO EAT
The restaurant scene in San Francisco is, quite simply, explosive. The new places, hot spots and exciting things to check out don't and won't stop coming. It's too much for locals to keep track of, not to mention out-of-town visitors (fortunately you have the weekly tablehopper column to keep you posted). So where should you go to try the newest kid on the block? Here's our handy guide of 10 places that will be positively on fire in 2015.
Azalina's Malaysian (1355 Market St.) Some of the best flavor-packed food around can be found at Azalina's Malaysian pop-ups and stand at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Now, chef and owner Azalina Eusope has landed her first brick-and-mortar location in the Twitter (Market Square) building in the buzzy Central Market neighborhood. Eusope's food has always stood out for its unique flavors and inventive style, so this is sure to be an exciting development for the neighborhood and the city.
Cockscomb (564 Fourth St.) Chris Cosentino, Top Chef Masters and Iron Chef contestant and local restaurateur, made news last year when he and his partners closed their famed whole animal-focused Incanto in Noe Valley. But he's just opened a new project in SoMa, called Cockscomb. It's got everything you want: a wood-fired oven, raw bar, platters of meat you can share (pig's head, anyone?), a killer grilled cheese sandwich with truffles and cocktails, too. And the place has a cool artsy-industrial look
Liholiho Yacht Club (871 Sutter St.)Local industry darling Ravi Kapur's pop-up LIholiho Yacht Club was one of the hottest tickets in town whenever he made an appearance. Now he's taking his flavor-packed Hawaiian- and Asian-inspired cuisine to a brick-and-mortar location near lower Nob Hill and it is sure to draw the same crowds now that it has opened. There are great cocktails at the full bar, too.
A Liholiho Yacht Club picture
The Perennial (59 Ninth St.) Anthony Myint and Karen Leibowitz, the team behind local ventures Mission Chinese Food and Commonwealth, have a new (and ambitious) project opening in SoMa in early September. It's called The Perennial and is looking at sustainability in a vertically integrated way. They'll be utilizing hydroponics, perennial farming and energy efficiency in the restaurant's operation as well as in the production of ingredients. They're paving the way with this one.
The Progress (1525 Fillmore St.)The second restaurant from Nicole Krasinski and Stuart Brioza, The Progress, opened to much fanfare in late 2014. If the buzz it created upon opening and the high regard for their debut State Bird Provisions is any indication, there is no doubt that The Progress will be one of the hopping-est joints around this coming yearreservations are already hard to snag. The family-style banquet format is a fun way to dine; go with a group if possible.