The Old Spaghetti Factory location is back in action with the opening of a new restaurant and bar channeling Mexico City and Tulum, with seafood-infused California cuisine at its center. Equal Parts is the newest business to take the helm of the storied location at 478 Green Street. Chef Melissa Perfit leads the kitchen, drawing on her expertise honed at such San Francisco seafood mainstays as Bar Crudo and Popi’s Oysterette.
Equal Parts comes from Victor Pichardo and Jacob Cortes, both previously of Hazie’s, and entrepreneur Richard Yu. Working with designer Sean Carino, whose work can be seen at restaurants like Left Door in the Marina, they came up with the theme, adapting it to the Old Spaghetti Factory building that most recently housed American Bites. Starting with the outdoor entrance and back patio, they’ve transformed that area with plants to channel elements of Tulum, outfitting the space in arches and natural textures; the inside continues with more plants and a lightened-up space that really shifts away from the previous restaurant for an inviting feel. “[We’re] bringing that vibrant energy of modern Mexico City and a little dash of Tulum,” Pichardo says.
Perfit is known for her seafood prowess, and diners will see that at play with Equal Parts. Everything on the menu is shareable, whether that’s a green, tomatillo-based seafood cioppino; seared octopus with fried potatoes; or a roasted whole branzino with brown butter. But locals will also see deep cuts from her repertoire, such as a gluten-free fried chicken dish that she previously made during her time at Charles Phan’s Hard Water. Guests can lean into heartier options like a braised pork shank served with Swiss chard and butter bean puree, or slow-roasted lamb ribs, or share the tuna or beef carpaccio or kanpachi crudo for another touch of seafood.
For drinks, Pichardo and Cortes teamed up on cocktails, focusing on tequila- and mezcal-based drinks. Pichardo shares that they’re really big on infusions and syrups; take, for instance, a mezcal-infused cocktail with jalapeños and habaneros mixed with white miso syrup and lime. Taking inspiration from Perfit’s brown butter-infused branzino, the duo created a brown butter-infused bourbon for their drink On the Road, adding in garam masala for spice, plus pluot syrup, thyme agave, and lemon. Gin drinkers may like Pull My Daisy, which takes its name from the poem by Alan Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and Neal Cassady. Grilled pineapple is infused with gin, then a bit of heat from pasilla chiles. Beers on draft will skew local with options such as Oakland’s Ghost Town Brewing; wines, meanwhile, will include a mix of locations, including California and Europe, Pichardo says.
Despite being new to the neighborhood, Pichardo recognizes the importance of their location and its history as the Old Spaghetti Factory, where the beatniks once hung out and Robin Williams once did standup. The Equal Parts team nods to the neighborhood where they can, such as teaming up with XOX Truffles on a dessert item, or paying homage to the beatnik past of Columbus Avenue through drink names. “Being in San Francisco for 10 years, I didn’t even know the extent of the history that’s in this place until I started diving into it and being a part of it and hanging out in the neighborhood talking to locals,” Pichardo says. “I would really like to bring a little bit of that back to life, so people that do come into our restaurant and go to the bar — whether they’re locals or tourists — there’s something that’s giving a little bit of a nod to that, that may spark a conversation.”
Equal Parts (478 Green Street, San Francisco) debuts on Wednesday, December 17, and is open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday; 4 p.m. to midnight on Thursday; 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday; and 2 p.m. to midnight on Sunday.