25 New Bay Area Restaurant and Bar Openings to Know This July

This is a list of the Bay Area’s most notable restaurant and bar openings, with new updates published once a week. Did we miss something great? Please, drop us a line.

July 23

THE MARINA — Boto, a new rooftop Brazilian restaurant from legendary San Francisco bartender Johnny Metheny (better known as Johnny Love), opened in the Marina on June 27. Love has had a hand in shaping the city’s nightlife scene since before the turn of the century — at Boto, he’s offering a beverage program of South American wines and tropical-leaning cocktails. There’s also a menu of Brazilian-style meats like coxinhas and dry-aged picanha from chef Lucas Freire.

SOMA — Northern China BBQ is up and running in the former Kama Bistro space in SoMa, according to Tablehopper. This menu features everything from sausage-and-egg Mandarin pancakes to seaweed salad — not to mention tantalizingly glazed skewered meats.

BERKELEY — Jaffa Coffee Roasters is Berkeley’s new Palestinian coffee shop from brothers Majdi, Noor, and Sami Gaith, per East Bay Express. Beyond pour overs, there are a selection of teas and sweets like sticky buns and chocolate-topped jaffa cakes, but the calling card here is the coffee mocktails, which range from an iced orange latte to a whipped cream-topped coffee float.

NAPA — Chef Darryl Bell, a Kansas City native, is set to open his barbecue operation Stateline Road Smokehouse in a Napa autobody-shop-turned restaurant on Thursday, August 8. Swing by for burnt ends served over curly fries with bacon and chive aioli; hefty brisket sandwiches; barbecued half-chickens, and more.

MENLO PARK — Sand Hill Sundeck is the new restaurant at the Sand Hill Collection, a 48-acre, indoor-outdoor workspace in Menlo Park. Offerings include pizza, hot and cold sandwiches, deli plates, a succinct entree menu, and a weekday happy hour.

July 16

EMBARCADERO — Big news for diners at San Francisco’s Ferry Building: New kiosk Ocean Malasada is open as of July 11, serving its namesake sugar-dusted Hawaiian sweet. Owner Randy Santos stuffs these Portuguese-style doughnuts with creams, puddings, and fillings in flavors like ube and passionfruit, drawing on Filipino and Hawaiian influences.

TENDERLOIN — Estrella Gonzalez, the name behind La Cocina Municipal Marketplace’s popular handmade pupusa kiosk, opened a new brick-and-mortar restaurant on Tuesday, July 16, at 483 Ellis Street, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Swing by for steaming pupusas with an array of fillings, plus tamales, plantains, and other bites from Estrellita’s Snacks.

SOMA — A second location of Inner Sunset ramen shop Ushi Taro Ramen has opened on Eighth Street in SoMa, per Tablehopper. Four beef broth options and one vegan are available, plus small plates like agedashi tofu and beef karaage.

OAKLAND — Small Change Oyster Bar, from owner Branden Nichols and chef Lauren Dakota Holbert, opened in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood on July 10. Fresh-shucked oysters from Northern California and Washington are a highlight here, but Small Change offers a seafood menu beyond raw oysters, featuring dishes like Crab Louie salad, oysters Rockefeller, fish and chips, and refreshing micheladas garnished with even more seafood.

PLEASANT HILL — Habana Express, a new family-run Cuban restaurant, is open in Pleasant Hill, per the Mercury News. Co-owners Aylin Alvarez Torres, Dayron Huerta Pino, and Jose Rodríguez Bacallao are dishing up hearty ropa vieja, savory croquettes and sweet tarts, Cubanos, and more.

LARKSPUR — Buvette du Marais, the newest venture from Le Marais Bakery, is now open in Larkspur at the Marin Country Market, according to Tablehopper. Dinner service is slated to begin near the end of the month, but for now, swing by for crepes, quiche, pastries, sandwiches, and other breezy breakfast and lunch dishes.

July 9

DOWNTOWN — Chef Bruno Chemel, formerly of Palo Alto’s Michelin-starred Baumé, opened Le Parc Bistrobar in downtown San Francisco on July 8, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Compared to Baumé, Chemel’s new restaurant offers simpler French dishes with modern influences — think red wine-braised oxtail, a spin on coq au vin, and chicken legs in white bean ragu, a nod to cassoulet.

EMBARCADERO — The flagship location of Bay Area mini-chain Joyride Pizza opened July 4 at Pier 1, where Samovar Tea Lounge alums Jesse and Joshua Jacobs are slinging Detroit-style pizza. Stop by for fresh salads, classic rectangular pies, tater tots with dipping sauces, and Italian ice or buffalo milk soft serve. A breakfast menu is planned for the coming weeks.

HAYES VALLEY — Chef George Hawawini is serving a Mediterranean and Japanese-influenced menu at Xebec in Hayes Valley, which opened in late June, according to Tablehopper. Come for fried triple-crème brie with focaccia crostinis, Catalonia-style salmon tournedos over wild rice, and shrimp shumai a la plancha.

THE MISSION— Bar Agricole, hot off the heels of a pop-up series at three-Michelin-starred Quince, has reopened at a new location in the Mission, at 2875 18th Street, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Menu highlights include Brazilian caipirinha, choripan on baguette bread, and mortadella sandwiches.

NOE VALLEY — The fourth location of Italian restaurant Fiorella’s opened in the former Paxti’s space on June 26. Owners Boris Nemchenok and Brandon Gillis are serving wood-fired pizzas, handmade pastas, and a large selection of spritzes.

WEST PORTAL — Binu Bonu, a new wine bar highlighting sustainable Italian wines, is open in West Portal, per Tablehopper. Wine is available by the glass or bottle, or to take home — Binu Bonu doubles as a retail shop — and there’s a small menu of cheese, bread, salumi, prosciutto, olives, and other snacks.

APTOS — Dos Pescados, a new Mexican restaurant from chef Trent Lidgey and restaurateur Brandon Smittcamp, opened July 3 with a seafood-focused menu of kampachi leche de tigre, local halibut and snapper ceviches, and oysters, plus tacos and other dishes.

July 2

BERKELEY — A new coffee spot with French vibes lands in Berkeley with the debut of Cafe Parisien at 1625 Shattuck Avenue, East Bay Nosh reports. The new cafe opened on Tuesday, June 25, and diners can expect “a taste of Parisian elegance,” the shop’s Instagram states.

OAKLAND — City Center Plaza has a new spot for sushi, but it’s not your typical sushi joint, East Bay Nosh reports. Sushi Bae features sushi with Latin American influences, such as the namesake roll that features crab and avocado inside and comes topped with hamachi, pineapple, pickled onions, purple shiso, crispy garlic, and cilantro-jalapeno aioli.

EL CERRITO — East Bay Nosh also has the news on El Cerrito’s long-running Katana-Ya Ramen Japanese Restaurant flipping into the new (and already open) Tokyo Feng Ramen & Sushi at 10546 San Pablo Avenue. The owners have big shoes to fill, but Tokyo Feng has plenty of ramen, udon, sushi, tonkatsu, and more for the locals.

WALNUT CREEK — Fizz, a new Champagne bar in Walnut Creek, opens Friday, July 12 to the public at 1652 Bonanza Street, the Mercury News reports. Members of the bar’s subscription-based club are already privy to Fizz’s offerings of Champagne and small bites, enjoying an early preview ahead of the public opening.

LARKSPUR — A new restaurant from the owners of Le Marais Bakery opens on Tuesday, July 2, at Larkspur’s Marin Country Mart, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Buvette de Marais offers a mix of crepes, quiches, pastries, and coffee from morning through 3 p.m. at its opening date, but there are plans in place to add more hours to include breakfast and dinner menus.

MILL VALLEY — Sushi chef Yasuo Shigeyoshi is adding one more restaurant to his Marin mini-empire, the Marin Independent Journal reports. Oni Kuma Izakaya & Hand Roll Bar opened in June and is the latest restaurant from Shigeyoshi, joining sister spots Shiro Kuma Sushi in San Rafael and Sushi Ko in Larkspur’s Marin Country Mart.

SAN CARLOS — Turkish restaurant Esnaf debuted on Saturday, June 15, opening at 1105 San Carlos Avenue, Palo Alto Online reports. Diners can expect fresh-baked pita and pides, along with mani, kofte, and more, the news outlet states. Esnaf co-owners Cansel Tok and Sedri Gundogdu told the outlet that they plan to add Turkish breakfast to their menu soon.