Grand Lake Kitchen made her entrance into Noe Valley just four months ago via Lake Merritt and the Dimond District in the East Bay. The refurbished space in Noe — formerly Mr. Digby’s Bar, and before that, Noe’s Cantina — is a clean, well-lighted place, if you will (with apologies to Mr. Hemingway) albeit one with hanging plants, copper lamps, and a TV screen in the corner. 

Greeted enthusiastically at the door by our hostess, the place was bustling, and everyone seemed in high spirits; it felt like a party from the moment we walked in.  

We started out sharing the smoked trout toast from the Nosh section of the menu.

Open-faced sandwich with shredded chicken, creamy sauce, pickled onions, fish roe, and parsley on a slice of bread, served on a white plate with a fork and knife in the background.Grand Lake Smoked Trout Toast. Photo by Maria C. Ascarrunz.

Smoked local trout, with a lovely horseradish tonnato and smoked trout roe. Loved the smokiness and the kick of the horseradish – like a little fête in your mouth!

Next, Caviar Pie, another Nosh.

Round crackers are arranged in a curve on a plate around a small stack topped with black caviar and a sprig of dill. The plate says "GRAND LAKE KITCHEN.Grand Lake Caviar Pie. Photo by Maria C. Ascarrunz.

A “tower” (in truth, more of a “disk”) of chopped hard boiled eggs, creme fraiche, cream cheese, and chives, comes topped with American caviar to be froufrou, and buttery Ritz crackers to bring you back down to earth. It’s a classic combination that works.

We also shared the steamed clams.

A bowl of clam chowder with open clam shells in broth, garnished with herbs. Fries and bread are visible in the background.Grand Lake Steamed Clams. Photo by Maria C. Ascarrunz.

Plump, firm little bivalves came in a pleasantly winey, garlicky broth, which went great with the frites and aioli we just had to have.

A bowl of thick-cut French fries with a metal cup of dipping sauce, next to a bowl of stew and bread, on a restaurant table.Grand Lake Fries. Photo by Maria C. Ascarrunz.

For our main, we split the spiced chickpea stew:

A bowl of vegetable and bean soup topped with fresh greens, served with two slices of toasted bread on the side.Spiced Chickpea Stew. Photo by Maria C. Ascarrunz.

This dish is one of a few vegan offerings on the menu. Chock full of kale, carrots, tomatoes, onions, and harissa, and I really appreciated the bitter greens on top. Still, this may have been my least favorite dish of the night. Nourishing, but not very exciting.

Even though we were quite full by then, we succumbed to the siren song of mini cinnamon donuts.

Four cinnamon sugar donuts are arranged on a white plate, set on a dark surface.Grand Lake Donuts. Photo by Maria C. Ascarrunz.

Very nice! Though I did feel they might have benefited from a little crème angaise dipping sauce to gild the lily.

There’s so much more to try – burgers, salmon, and a bone-in pork chop that is already calling my name (note to self: bring carnivore friend next time). And on the vegetarian side of things, besides the aforementioned chickpeas, eggplant parmesan, spaghetti burrata, vegan sandwiches, and all kinds of veggie sides. 

There’s brunch too – Savory french toast!  Breakfast salad! Pastrami bennie! I foresee lines around the block on a Sunday morn.  And prices weren’t crazy, with no main dish over $36

Grand Lake Kitchen sports a full bar of classic and house cocktails, boozy slushies, a tidy little wine list, draft and canned beer, as well as N/A offerings.

Neighborhoods need new blood every once in a while. What a grand addition to Noe Valley – and for the rest of us, too. 

Grand Lake Kitchen Noe Valley
1199 Church Street
San Francisco