A new diner debuts on Polk, Cenaduria Elvira makes a splash in Oakland’s Jack London Square, and the Chronicle reviews Dingles Public House, all in This Week in Food.<\/p>\n
The former Toast Eatery at Polk and Sacramento has reopened as Goldenette, an old-school diner, with a lot of Millennial pink flair. As Tablehopper reports<\/a>, Toast owner Eddie Naser partnered with Wes Rowe, of Wes Burgers ‘n’ More fame, to revamp the restaurant’s menu, which now includes multiple breakfast sandwich and breakfast burrito options \u2014 including a delicious looking chile relleno burrito \u2014 and a new, reportedly excellent patty melt. Also, like at Wes Burger, there are tater tots served several ways.<\/p>\n We learned this week<\/a> that Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group<\/a>, the group behind Trestle and The Vault Steakhouse, as well as the upcoming Cliff House revamp, is getting ready to open an “ambitious” new spot in China Basin this fall. Details about the food aren’t being publicized just yet, but the kitchen will be led by the group’s executive chef Jason Halverson, and the design is by local architect Cass Calder Smith. The space, which faces Mission Creek Channel, is in 185 Berry Street, and they are aiming for a September opening.<\/p>\n Maria Isabel, the exciting new upscale Mexican restaurant from Dalida chef Laura Ozyilmaz in the former Ella’s American Kitchen space in Presidio Heights, is getting set for its debut in the next two weeks (exact date DBA). The restaurant, as we reported in December<\/a>, will feature food from both the coastal area of Acapulco, home to Ozyilmaz’s mother’s family, and Sinaloa in the north, where her father’s family is from, along with a cocktail program to complement both. A placeholder website<\/a> is live, and there’s an Instagram<\/a> \u2014 where its multiple listings on “most anticipated openings” lists are featured \u2014 but it doesn’t appear that the reservation books are open yet. <\/p>\n Tostada queen Elvira Varela, who opened up a backyard business in East Oakland during the pandemic selling Jalisco-style tostadas, enchiladas, and tacos, has opened her first brick-and-mortar business in Jack London Square. It’s called Cenaduria Elvira, and as Berkeleyside reports<\/a>, it’s softly open this week, with a grand opening set for Saturday, February 21. The opening comes a little over two years after Varela’s signature dish, the massive tostada raspada, was named one of the New York Times’ Best American Dishes of 2023<\/a>, and the menu at the 468 Third Street spot still includes the Chronicle-approved torta ahogada<\/a>, as well as $3.50 fried tacos.<\/p>\n Beloved Sonoma Plaza restaurant The Girl & The Fig has taken over the former Maya restaurant (101 E Napa Street), which occupied a prominent corner spot on the square until the middle of last year. As Sonoma Magazine reports<\/a>, the Girl & The Fig team is working on a new concept for the space, set to open this year, but details for now are being kept secret.<\/p>\n And over at the Chronicle, Associate Critic Cesar Hernandez is officially taking over sole review duties these days, and files his review this week<\/a> of Dingles Public House<\/a>, the new British pub-inspired spot in Hayes Valley from former Monsieur Benjamin chef George Dingle and his wife Anissa (unfortunately the Chronicle misprinted their surname as Dingles). It opened in November to immediate popularity and long waits for a table \u2014 thanks to some especially enthusiastic TikTok influencers \u2014 and as SFist noted in our Best New Restaurants of 2025<\/a> list, features top-notch versions of classic pub fare like Welsh rarebit and Scotch eggs. Hernandez praises the fact that Chef Dingle side-steps “the temptation to ‘elevate’ things, [and] deals in unabashedly rib-sticking and exceedingly English cooking.” He’s especially a fan of the Guinness pie and the rarebit, but was less impressed with the fish and chips.<\/p>\n Top image: Photo via Goldenette Diner\/Instagram<\/p>\n