Take a walk down Jefferson Street in Fisherman’s Wharf, and you’ll see a neighborhood in flux. On one side of the pavement sits the past: kitschy souvenir shops flanking the boarded-up entrance of Castagnola’s, a century-old seafood staple that has been closed since March 2020. On the other side sits the future: the shiny new Taco Bell Cantina, flashy LED video boards and an entire block of newly renovated empty storefronts.
Once buoyed only by the gravitational pull of In-N-Out, the shopping center formerly known as Anchorage Square and recently renamed Anchor’s Landing will soon become its own food and entertainment destination. Tenderloin banh mi legend Saigon Sandwich, local boba chain Little Sweet and a karaoke lounge called Space Karaoke are all set to open in the shopping center, as first reported by the San Francisco Business Times.
“I think the big emphasis for us is to have a retail mix that is a better representation of San Francisco,” said Graham Grealish, vice president of CBRE, the leasing partner to Anchor’s Landing owner BH Properties. “… We saw an opportunity to bring in some great local tenants that you might find walking some of the best neighborhoods in San Francisco.”
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A view of Anchor’s Landing in Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco on May 18, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
A customer eats an In-N-Out burger at Anchor’s Landing in Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco on May 18, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
In-N-Out Burger customers sit at picnic tables in the courtyard at Anchor’s Landing shopping center at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco on May 18, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Known for its $5.50 banh mi, Saigon Sandwich is taking over a former Subway, and will add soju cocktails to its menu, the Business Times reported. While SFGATE could not reach Saigon Sandwich for comment, Grealish said they are expecting the new location to bring more locals to the Wharf, due to its loyal following.
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“It’s not lost on us that most locals still think of Fishermen’s Wharf as being more popular with visitors,” he said. “So, we would love for more locals to come.”
Little Sweet, which was founded in San Francisco in 2012, is slated to open its 10th boba shop in the city at Anchor’s Landing. The owner of Little Sweet also owns K-Box Karaoke in Japantown, which makes sense considering their other upcoming venture: turning a former Walgreens into Space Karaoke, a 6,000-square-foot entertainment space with a bar. All of the new businesses plan to stay open late — adding a sorely needed influx of evening activities to the Wharf. Saigon Sandwich and Little Sweet are expected to open in the fourth quarter of this year, while Space Karaoke won’t open until 2027.
A pedestrian walks down Jefferson Street past a sign for the upcoming Raising Cane’s at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco on May 18, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
A sign for In-N-Out Burger at Anchor’s Landing shopping center at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco on May 18, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
BH Properties, which bought Anchor’s Landing in 2023, recently completed its first phase of renovations to the property, reported the Business Times, from upgrading outdoor lighting to the new storefront exteriors on Jefferson. In the courtyard behind In-N-Out, little kids now run around beneath behemoth video screens showing cartoon crabs and sea lions bouncing under the text “Hello, San Francisco!” These screens could eventually be used for game-viewing parties, according to the Business Times.
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Meanwhile, the shopping center’s Taco Bell Cantina — like a regular Taco Bell, but with a bar — opened in January to great success. It even inspired the viral Taco Bell 5K, in which hundreds of people ran between the Taco Bell Cantina near Oracle Park to the new Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant.
Beyond Anchor’s Landing, Fisherman’s Wharf is slated to see even more new restaurants. Oakland’s Everett and Jones Barbeque is set to open a San Francisco location in the former home of Lou’s Fish Shack by September, the owners of the historic Castagnola’s plan to reopen by the end of the year, and a Salvadoran restaurant called Chasca Rio is set to debut in the former Pompei’s Grotto in early 2027. National chains are also still part of the wharf’s future: A highly anticipated Raising Cane’s is slated for late summer and a Coldstone Creamery (dual-branded with Kahala Coffee Traders) plans to open in the next two months, a representative told SFGATE.
The Taco Bell Cantina at Anchor’s Landing in Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco on May 18, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Humble Sea Brewing Co. opened a new taproom last year on San Francisco’s Pier 39.
Lester Black/SFGATE
Earlier this year, crews demolished classic seafood restaurant Alioto’s to make way for a $10 million public plaza, expected to open this summer. Over on Pier 39, Love on Haight, a Haight-Ashbury legacy business selling hippie merch, expects to open in about four weeks, Pier 39 representative Sue Muzzin told SFGATE. Last year, Pier 39 also added Santa Cruz’s Humble Sea Brewing Co. taproom, giving “both locals and visitors a seriously good reason to visit the tourist trap” as SFGATE’s Lester Black wrote, as well as Massachusetts-born all-you-can-eat Mongolian grill chain FiRE + iCE.
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Sancia Scoma, for one, is excited for all the changes. As the co-owner of Scoma’s, one of Fisherman’s Wharf’s oldest remaining restaurants, she said that while she loves the nostalgic feel of the neighborhood, she thinks new blood is needed — and believes it will ultimately bring more foot traffic to Scoma’s.
“We have to move forward in time, so I’m for it,” she said. “I’m not intimidated by it. I welcome it. I think it’ll bring more interest to people visiting San Francisco. People are going to want to check it out, versus discarding it as a tourist attraction.”
Bri Maughan, executive director of the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District, also told SFGATE in a statement that the district welcomes all the new businesses.
A couple take a selfie in front of the Fisherman’s Wharf sign in San Francisco on May 18, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Pedestrians walk by the upcoming Everett and Jones Barbeque restaurant at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco on May 18, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
A view of construction in the recently demolished Alioto’s space at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco on May 18, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
“New businesses bring fresh energy, new customers, and renewed confidence to one of San Francisco’s most visited neighborhoods,” she wrote in an emailed statement. “Fisherman’s Wharf is strongest when we offer a mix of longtime San Francisco institutions and fresh new concepts. We see these openings as a positive sign for Fisherman’s Wharf and for San Francisco’s broader recovery.”
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Foot traffic at Fisherman’s Wharf is already starting to rebound. According to the SF Examiner, new data from the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District shows that the neighborhood crossed 1 million visitors in March for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that foot traffic during the first quarter of this year was up 11.4% from last year. And that’s still with dozens of empty storefronts.
Grealish said that Anchor’s Landing has seen a lot of interest from other local and national food and beverage tenants, although he could not share any names just yet. He said they hope to add a cafe, as well as more full-service restaurants and fast-casual concepts.
“Even in the time that we’ve been working on this, the neighborhood is just storming back,” he said. “We’re so excited.”
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