{"id":257469,"date":"2026-04-08T11:20:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T11:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/257469\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T11:20:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T11:20:07","slug":"why-places-were-cut-from-top-100-restaurant-in-the-bay-area-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/257469\/","title":{"rendered":"Why places were cut from Top 100 Restaurant in the Bay Area 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

MacKenzie and I had a fresh start with last year\u2019s Top 100<\/a>, which had taken a five-year nap. Not this year: We had to make the painful decisions of which restaurants to keep and which to cut.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Our aim with the Top 100 was to create a comprehensive list that captures the best of how the Bay Area eats, from the date-night spots and fancy tasting menus to the takeout windows and noodle shops. We evaluated every spot on its own merits, meaning the playing field is level for even the scrappiest joints competing against the most opulent destinations. Any restaurant can be a Top 100 contender, but in a region as dense with excellent restaurants as ours, 100 slots becomes a shockingly slim number to award. As new candidates arise, we compare them to the standing leaders of the genre.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With 25 additions, a quarter of last year\u2019s list did not return. Some were removed after a lackluster return visit. Others simply closed. More complicated were instances of significant staff or ownership changes perilously close to, or after, our scouting deadline in December, meaning we could not guarantee the restaurant on the list would be the same as the one we evaluated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In January, for example, Sequoia Diner, Oakland\u2019s greatest diner, changed ownership<\/a>. Former owner Andrew Vennari and his hands-on approach of making everything from scratch was foundational to the restaurant and its appeal. It\u2019s uncertain, as of yet, how much will remain intact without him at the helm. (Some former staffers have\u00a0already split with their own breakfast venture<\/a>.) The highest ranked restaurant cut from last year\u2019s Top 100, at No. 15, was Snail Bar, which underwent significant staff changes in February, as chef Andres Giraldo Florez moved to France and passed the reins to chef de cuisine Zachary Breaux<\/a>.\u00a0 Of course, we\u2019re looking forward to checking out both for next year\u2019s Top 100.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another high-ranking departure from last year is Caf\u00e9 Jacqueline, at No. 26, which served its last <\/a>gravity-mocking souffl\u00e9<\/a> in late December. Also closed: Indian barbecue joint Wah Jee Wah in Hayward and taco queen Tacos Mama Cuca. Fortunately, Wah Jee Wah is set to reopen, while Mama Cuca has already returned, albeit too close to the cutoff to evaluate for this year\u2019s list. (The loss of Mama Cuca, along with one other spot, unfortunately meant that there were no food trucks on this year\u2019s list, although Top 100 newcomer Keeku Da Dhaba was a food truck until this past summer<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Finally, to better emphasize what\u2019s unique to the Bay Area, we established a ban on international chains. That eliminated dry-style ramen spot Kajiken in San Mateo, No. 35 on last year\u2019s list. That also removed spots like Sichuanese joint Tai Er in San Mateo<\/a> and Peruvian seafood temple La Mar in the city<\/a> from contention. (Spots with multiple locations are fair game, so long as they\u2019re homegrown, such as Fikscue and Tacos Oscar with their dual Oakland and San Francisco outposts.) Any chain that started in the Bay Area \u2014 whether their reach is local, statewide or national \u2014 could be in consideration, though we have not yet encountered a candidate worth including.<\/p>\n

Soon, we\u2019ll begin the evaluation process anew for next year\u2019s list, with fresh eyes, more wisdom and reinvigorated appetites.<\/p>\n