To keep tabs on every S.F. restaurant and bar opening is folly. But to keep tabs on the most worthy? Yeoman’s work, and we’re proud to do it. Thus we present Table Stakes, a monthly rundown of the five (or so) must-know spots that have swung wide their doors in the past thirty (or so). Bon appétit.
Flour + Water Pizzeria
Mission
Why now: You already love Flour + Water. How ’bout a pizza from the same team? (Not ignoring the fact that Flour + Water Pizzeria rises on the site of the neighborhood’s previous best pizza place, the sadly evicted Farina.)
Eat this: Start with the “warm olives from the oven” (with chili, pickled onion and citrus leaf), followed by the main attraction: the sausage pie, with tomato, mozzarella, Gaeta olives and rosemary.
702 Valencia St. (map)
Eko Kitchen
SoMa
Why now: Because you’re looking for something for lunch you haven’t had a million times before (boxed salad, tacos, leftovers) — or because you’ve been wondering what, exactly, you might do after quitting your big-league tech job: Eko’s founder, Simileoluwa Adebajo, quit her job as a Silicon Valley financial analyst to go the chef route.
Eat this: Nigerian classics like goat pepper soup, jollof (a classic rice dish) and suya (meat skewers).
167 11th St. (map)
Elda
Mission
Why now: You want to get a drink in a space so chilled out and inviting it could be the lounge at a boutique hotel in Sayulita.
Eat this: Everyone behind this bar has worked somewhere you love (ABV, True Laurel, El Techo), so choose from the selection of rums, mezcals and natural wines with abandon: maybe a Pink Flamingo (with Oaxacan rum, lime and Tiki-Tivo brought straight from ABV) followed by the carnitas tacos with salsa verde and hibiscus pickled onions.
3198 16th St., (map)
The Butcher Shop by Niku Steakhouse
Design District
Why now: Wait, you’re thinking: I’ve seen this before. And indeed, Niku Steakhouse has appeared previously in this space, as we commemorated the opening of this “temple to high-end beef,” if we may quote ourselves. Now, however, the announcement di tutti announcements: their Wagyu burger takeout service has opened.
Eat this: Obviously the burger, served with mayonnaise (it’s mandatory). It’s expensive (you might get change from a 20, depending on if you’re drinking here or elsewhere), but you knew that.
57 Division St. (map)
Hinodeya
Financial District
Why now: Because there are five work days a week (minimum) and you can’t eat Wagyu burgers every day. Also, you feel like Hinodeya’s ramen but don’t have time to get all the way out to Japantown.
Eat this: The fried oysters (shipped from Japan), then your choice of dashi-style soup and whole wheat noodles.
668 Clay St. (map)
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