Chef Susan Dunn transformed the former Ragazza space into a 32-seat neighborhood gem. | Source: Cayce Clifford for The Standard
For subscribersPublished Aug. 18, 2026at6:00am
Eat Here Now is a first look at some of the newest, hottest restaurants around – the ones we think are worth visiting. We dine once, serve forth our thoughts, and let you take it from there.
Despite the cutting wind and thick summer fog, the sidewalk was choked with people on the Tuesday night I dined at Esme, the petite restaurant that opened in late June on Divisadero Street. I stepped out of my Lyft and elbowed my way into the bustling dining room, where couples sat nearly shoulder to shoulder with neighbors, swirling glasses of wine and cutting into roasted chicken. For a moment, it felt as if the tidy Nissan Sentra had carried me not across San Francisco but 2,900 miles away to the East Village.
The energy felt effortless, as if Esme had been around for years, not weeks. That’s partly because chef-owner Susan Dunn is a practiced hand at this kind of comfortable neighborhood spot, having helped open Pearl 6101 and Pizzetta 211. This atmosphere was very much by design. When I told Dunn that Esme reminded me of one of my favorite New York restaurants, Prune, she replied: “I just got chills. That’s my inspiration.”
