Up the block from the legendary Shalimar, San Francisco’s top Japanese and Filipino restaurant lies in plain sight. Ox & Tiger is the pop-up-turned-restaurant from EJ Macayan and Hitomi Wada. The top-tier cooking here — Macayan cooked at Rich Table — pairs perfectly with its friendly, small environs.
Hella homey and welcoming. Ox & Tiger feels l your friend is cooking for you at the kitchen island, doting on you with a drink while they flit to the stove and back. The two took time off from their tiny restaurant to have their first child, Mamushi. The return menu’s theme? “OnlyFam,” each course an homage to their young family. Local print copies of Filipino newspaper Mahalaya are available and Bay Area art covers the walls.
Park in the garage across the street; for a special affair, spending another $20 for essentially valet is smart. And leave your foodfluencing aspirations at the door. Ox & Tiger is so intimate, you’ll feel silly setting up the tripod.