Loveski Deli, the Jewish-inspired deli and bagel shop from famed Wine Country chef Christopher Kostow, opens today in San Francisco’s buzzy Jackson Square.
This is the first San Francisco restaurant for Kostow, chef of the three-Michelin-starred Meadowood (destroyed by wildfire in 2020), who also owns Napa Valley’s Charter Oak and Italian spot Ciccio with his wife and business partner, Martina. The Kostows opened Loveski’s first location in Napa’s Oxbow Public Market in 2022 and a second at Marin Country Mart the following year.
Christopher Kostow views the third Loveski (400 Jackson St.) as a chance to differentiate the playful restaurant chain from the two categories it’s typically assigned to: Jewish deli or bagel shop.
Pastries and bagels on display at the new Loveski on Jackson Street. (Lea Suzuki/S.F. Chronicle)
Chewy and well-seasoned, Loveski’s bagels are made from a 30-year-old sourdough starter and boiled in honey, Montreal-style. They won the Chronicle’s blind bagel taste test last year, but “I do think we are a lot more than a bagel shop,” Kostow said.
Kostow’s vision is that each Loveski has a unique identity. “It’s not cookie-cutter. Every neighborhood is different,” he said. “Being in this neighborhood,” he continued, referring to Jackson Square, a burgeoning hub for venture capitalists, artificial intelligence startups and creatives, “forces us to make sure the concept applies to daily life.”
The San Francisco location, just one block from the recently transformed Transamerica Pyramid, feels more like a coffee shop than the other Loveskis, largely because its predecessor, Postscript Cafe, was. The Kostows have partnered with Postcript’s cofounders Gina and Stuart Peterson, and will now sell their coffee at all Loveski locations.
Loveski’s tuna melt is one of many hearty sandwiches on the menu. (Lea Suzuki/S.F. Chronicle)
Gina Peterson, who will continue to roast coffee at the location, said the Kostows’ willingness to support her company “really meant a lot,” as did their commitment to “take on the team and have that same culture we built.” Christopher Kostow said roughly 90% of the staff at Loveski was carried over from Postscript.
The Kostows didn’t make any major changes to the 2,000-square-foot minimalist, light-filled space, which Martina Kostow describes as already having “a similar aesthetic” to Loveski. The most noticeable changes: They’ve doubled the seating capacity to 40 and added pops of Loveski’s signature red branding throughout.
Christopher Kostow sees the space as “the world’s coolest bodega” built around a robust “larder section.” These shelves are filled with Kostow’s own pantry creations: tamari and miso made out of bagels, pickle hot sauce, and everything bagel chili crisp.
A Japanese-inspired egg salad sandwich, made ready-to-go at Loveski San Francisco. (Lea Suzuki/S.F. Chronicle)
A new cold case is stocked with grab-and-go items – a bigger focus here than the other Loveskis – like salads and a Japanese-style egg sandwich.
In addition to Loveski’s mainstay bagels and sandwiches – the gluten-free bagels “are going to be really important here,” Kostow said – the San Francisco menu will continue to offer Postscript’s juices and smoothies. Lighter items exclusive to the location include bone broth ($11); a tahini Caesar salad ($17); roasted salmon and chicken teriyaki bowls ($18); and a chicken Caesar wrap ($18). “I’ve been advocating for (wraps) since day one,” Martina Kostow said.
There is one more indulgent newcomer, a mini breakfast burrito with pastrami, a smashed latke and green onion ($11), available each day until it’s sold out. They hope to obtain a license to sell wine and beer soon.
Loveski has an expansive “larder section,” filled with Kostow’s own pantry creations, like tamari and miso made out of bagels, pickle hot sauce, and everything bagel chili crisp. (Lea Suzuki/S.F. Chronicle)
The couple is open to further expansion, “if the right opportunity comes along,” Christopher Kostow said. “The joy for us is choosing to have fun with it and in doing so, make it dynamic and young, not a crusty old deli.”
Loveski Deli. 400 Jackson St., San Francisco. Open daily, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. loveskideli.com
This article originally published at This Michelin-lauded chef makes the Bay Area’s best bagels. Now they’re in S.F..