Sergeant Ma opens September 9 in San Francisco’s China Basin neighborhood, blending California cuisine with Asian flavors, techniques, and ingredients.
The waterfront restaurant sits along Mission Creek directly across from Oracle Park and near Chase Center, putting it within reach of the neighborhood’s growing mix of residents, tech workers, and sports and event crowds.
The restaurant is nearly four years in the making, and Hi Neighbor calls it its most ambitious project to date.
Executive chef and partner Jason Halverson leads the kitchen. He grew up in Wichita, Kansas, where his family’s Chinese and Vietnamese traditions informed his Midwestern upbringing.
The name pays homage to Halverson’s mother. She was known as “The Sergeant” within the family for her commanding personality, and called “Ma” by her children.
“For me, this restaurant is incredibly personal,” said Halverson, whose mother came to the United States from Vietnam as a teenager and built a life for herself and her family. “She always cooked as though there would be more people arriving than expected. There was always another plate, another bowl of rice, another seat at the table. Sergeant Ma is my way of honoring that spirit while sharing the kind of food I love to cook today.”
The menu features a collection of shareable dishes. Seafood is featured prominently, with options like Shigoku oysters, halibut and uni crudo with carrot-citrus vinaigrette, and king salmon tartare with wood ear mushrooms and chili crisp.
The menu is shareable, with larger plates including whole grilled snapper.
Steamed Manila clams are paired with crispy pork belly, crispy noodles, and sour chile mignonette, and grilled Spanish octopus gets a char siu-style glaze with Asian pear, chrysanthemum, and scallion pancakes. Lobster mafaldine combines Chinese black beans, lobster butter, and lime. Larger plates include whole grilled snapper, coriander-crusted duck breast, and a dry-aged rib eye au poivre with sansho pepper, bone marrow, and pommes frites.
The beverage program comes from Suzanne Miller, who drew on the building’s history and her own memories growing up in Oakland, California, and visiting Chinatown.
Traditional Chinese candy is transformed into a syrup for an Old Fashioned, while Haw Flakes (another Chinese treat) inspire a cocktail made with tequila, lychee, and hibiscus. The Banana Depot is a milk punch inspired by banana pudding that pays tribute to the building’s industrial past.
The restaurant was designed by San Francisco architect Cass Calder Smith who drew inspiration from the surrounding water. The space features elements like teak wood, lush landscaping, and sliding glass doors that open directly onto a large waterfront terrace. The main dining room is joined by a bar, lounge, and private dining room.
“We wanted people to immediately feel connected to the water,” Calder Smith said in a statement. “Very few restaurants in San Francisco truly sit on the waterfront in this way. The architecture isn’t about spectacle — it’s about creating an experience where the building, the landscape, and the dining all feel naturally connected.”
Hi Neighbor Hospitality was founded in 2013 and has additional concepts including the Vault Steakhouse, Trestle, and Mama Oakland.
“As we’ve grown, we’ve never wanted to simply open more restaurants,” said CEO and partner Ryan Cole. “We’ve wanted to create places that genuinely belong to San Francisco.”
Sergeant Ma reflects everything the group has learned about hospitality over the past 13 years, which is that the best restaurants are welcoming, memorable, and connected to the communities they serve.
“This restaurant represents both where our company is today and where San Francisco is heading,” Cole said.