The Mission District is about to get a Southern twist.
On Friday, Michelin-starred chef Seth Stowaway will debut Chicken Fried Palace, a bright new diner that pays homage to his Texas roots – and to the neighborhood itself.
The restaurant opens at 2240 Mission St., taking over the former home of WesBurger ‘N’ More, the beloved burger joint that served the area for nearly a decade.
Stowaway calls Chicken Fried Palace “a love letter to Southern diner culture and the Mission District.”
It’s his first project since closing Osito, the live-fire restaurant that earned a Michelin star within its first year and became one of San Francisco’s most distinctive fine-dining destinations.
Osito shut its doors in May, with Stowaway citing the city’s tough economic climate – though he made clear he wasn’t done cooking.
With Chicken Fried Palace, the Texas-born chef trades $295 tasting menus for comfort classics. The restaurant will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., serving breakfast and lunch to start. Dinner service and cocktails are planned for 2026.
Joining Stowaway are chef Cole Jeanes of Memphis, pastry chef Gabrielle Pabonan, and award-winning bartender Nora Furst. Together, they’ve designed a menu that leans into indulgence – think pies, milkshakes and, eventually, a bar program featuring slushy machines and boozy shakes.
Inside, the look will be as playful as the food – a blend of midcentury diner nostalgia and Mission District flair. Stowaway envisions Chicken Fried Palace as a place “where you can have fun,” an approachable counterpoint to his fine-dining past.
For Mission locals still missing WesBurger, Stowaway hopes his new spot will feel like a worthy successor – casual, communal and unmistakably local.
“The city needs fun,” he wrote on the restaurant’s website. “This concept is the kind of thing that will speak to all kinds of people whether young and wanting something fun, or families wanting a place their children are welcome.”
This article originally published at Michelin-starred chef returns to San Francisco’s Mission District with a taste of the South.