Jess Bell, Anna Biegalski, and Kevin Tang at Fat Cat, which opens April 6.
It’s been six years since Kevin Tang launched his Vietnamese pop-up Claws of Mantis as a way to channel his creative energies during the pandemic. Now, after hopscotching across the Bay Area, cooking in restaurants, wine bars, and the Tenderloin’s beloved bathhouse and dinner destination Onsen, the nostalgia-steeped chef is ready to settle down.
But Fat Cat, the Mission wine bar that will soon be home to Tang’s modern Vietnamese menu, is just one of several compelling restaurants debuting in April.
We’ll also see the opening of West Portal brunch spot Tur, from the owners of the neighborhood’s can’t-miss Thai restaurant, as well as the reactivation of the Cafe Flore space as Parasol, a California-Mediterranean cafe. In SoMa, a takeout spot will begin slinging bento boxes filled with tuna, salmon, and sweet uni.
Here are the most exciting San Francisco restaurants to add to your must-try list in April.
Fat Cat
Two slightly irreverent projects — a queer-focused wine club and a nostalgia-driven Vietnamese pop-up — are joining forces to become a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Fat Cat and Claws of Mantis, each of which has built a strong following over several years, are taking over the pale-pink space that formerly housed Hawaiian pinball bar Outer Orbit. Fat Cat owner Jessica Bell said it will be a wine-and-cheese operation for the first month, with chef Kevin Tang of Mantis (Tang is shortening the name along with the move) entering the picture in May to offer delights such as fried branzino over mango salad and oysters with charred Vietnamese pepper sauce. Look for drag-king bingo, guided pours from local winemakers, and an approachable wine list at this wonderfully cheeky mashup.
Date and timeOpens April 9Tur
Quietly but steadily, West Portal has become one of San Francisco’s more exciting dining neighborhoods, with high-profile newcomers such as Elena’s, Binu Bonu, and George’s Donuts & Merriment augmenting a scene anchored by Original Joe’s, Lazy Susan, Bursa, and Bullshead. Now the ever-popular Thai restaurant Khao Tiew is set to open a daytime-centric offshoot called Tur in the prominent corner location that used to be Squat & Gobble. Details are slim, and the windows are opaque in both senses, with signage describing the project merely as “brunch on the beach.” Fans can expect dishes such as “Thai-style congee, seasonal salads, and a duck confit,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle (opens in new tab). Considering Khao Tiew’s growing reputation, Tur has the potential to be once-quiet West Portal’s next big thing.
Date and timeOpens in AprilDining Yamamoto
Dining Yamamoto brings a menu of bentos and chirashi bowls to SoMa. | Source: Lauren Saria/The Standard
The city’s newest takeout sushi spot opens Wednesday, bringing luxurious bento boxes filled with bluefin tuna, creamy uni, and sweet shrimp to SoMa. Dining Yamamoto comes from Yukinori Yamamoto, who spent eight years with the Mina Group as executive sushi chef before deciding to go it alone. The casual, lunch-only spot, located in a former pop-up restaurant space on the corner of 11th and Natoma, is intended to let customers swing by to grab a box and bring it back to the office — though there are a handful of communal tables if you don’t want your sushi to get too warm on the walk back to work. The menu has yet to be announced, but prices will fall between $25 and $46 per bento.
Date and timeOpens April 1Parasol
One of the most prominent restaurant spaces in the Castro, the flatiron-shaped Cafe Flore location, returns as Parsol, an all-day cafe and restaurant. Jacob Paronyan, who is a partner at fine-dining gem Boulevard and owner of the Cow Hollow wine bar Roaming Goat, hopes the new business will be a daytime destination for coffee and pastries like flaky bourek made using a family recipe. By night, the menu will offer “California cuisine with Mediterranean flair,” alongside wine, beer, and cocktails. Though the space is already serving coffee and pastries during limited hours, Paronyan expects to expand hours in early April, with a full menu debuting by the end of the month. Dishes will include oysters with fried caper and vejus mignonette, halloumi pops with truffle honey, and a “drippy burger” with maple candied cracked pepper bacon.
Date and timeOpens in early April