Second chances don’t come along all that often, but the pandemic-related disruption in the restaurant and bar industry has had at least one good thing: an opportunity for some to regroup and reinvent themselves.
Over the past nine months, both popular favorites and promising newer establishments have been revived, many with updated menus, renovated interiors and a fresh take on equity and sustainability. From the historic 117-year-old North Beach Bar Savoy Tivoli to the Hawaiian-inspired force of nature Liholiho Yacht Club, these bars and restaurants are back and better than ever.
Atelier Crenn
(John Troxell)
Sourdough and Dutch crispbread at Atelier Crenn.
This month, legendary chef Dominique Crenn’s original restaurant reopens with a whole new look and menu. Ethan Tobman, who Crenn recently collaborated with on the satirical horror film The Menu, is leading the dining room’s renovation, while Crenn himself has curated a deeply personal selection of novel dishes that highlight California’s culture and geography. The pescetarian concept features plenty of local seafood and produce from Crenns Bleu Belle Farm.
// 3127 Fillmore St. (Cow Hollow), ateliercrenn.com
Liholiho Yacht Club
One of the city’s most popular newer restaurants is back in business after a long hiatus. Chef Ravi Kapur’s Hawaiian-inspired Liholiho Yacht Club reopened in late November at its original TenderNob location with a new interior design by Boor Projects. The menu still features some of the restaurant’s original dishes, as well as new dishes and cocktails with Chinese, Indian, and Pacific Island influences (think swordfish katsu, poppy seed buns with homemade spam, and toasted coconut-washed whiskey soda). . Like Kapur’s popular Good Good Culture Club, the new and improved Liholiho is guided by equity, diversity, inclusion and empowerment, an approach that eschews tipping in favor of a 20 percent fee that benefits all restaurant staff, not just its waiters.
// 871 Sutter St. (Nob Hill), lycsf.com
Pacific cocktail port
(Courtesy of @pch_sf)
Shortly after its original location was destroyed in a fire in 2021, the award-winning Pacific Cocktail Haven found a new home, not on the other side of town but on the exact same block it was previously on. The bar is a bit larger now and has the added bonus of an enclosed outdoor patio, but the cocktail recipes, which often emphasize Asian ingredients, are still the kind that caught PCH’s eye in the first place. Look for creations like Sunnyside (tequila, strega, strawberry, lychee, li-hing mui, citrus, macrut, lime, and soda) or stop by before 7 p.m. daily for drinks like Alameda (absinthe, root beer, and lemon).
// 550 Sutter St. (Union Square), pacificcocktailsf.com
The Stork Club
(Courtesy of @izzythegent)
Thee Stork Club has been a mainstay in Oakland’s live music scene for decades. When it closed in early 2021, former patrons and artists Marc Ribak and Billy Joe Agan set out to rescue it from oblivion. They’ve reinvigorated the space, mixing a bit of ’70s camp inspired by SLO’s Madonna Inn with a DIY garage rock aesthetic. Live music is back, too, along with occasional dance and karaoke nights. This month, keep an eye out for Owl (Feb 17), Brontez Purnell (Feb 24), and Hot Laundry (Feb 25).
// 2330 Telegraph Ave. (Oakland), theestorkclub.com
Marlene
(Courtesy of Marlena)
In a Victorian building on the edge of Bernal’s Precita Park, husband and wife team David Fisher and Serena Chow Fisher are once again preparing the imaginative four-course meals that earned Marlena his first Michelin star in 2021. The hyper-seasonal restaurant reopened in fall 2020 with a revamped new interior by design studio AMLGM. For the current fixed price ($75/person), you can enjoy dishes like seaweed risotto with phytoplankton yogurt and black truffle mushrooms; fried chicken breast with boudin blanc, stone-ground grits and koji cauliflower; and Chocolate Sesame Ginger Brownie.
// 300 Precita Ave. (Bernal Heights), marlenarestaurant.com
House Nico
(Courtesy of @maison_nico)
Maison Nico, itself a low-key reboot of Michelin-starred Nico, returned to the Financial District for the summer along with its charming French pastries and terrines. Nico’s seasonal menus include dishes rarely found outside of France, such as Aspic de Homard en Bouillabaisse (with lobster, mussels, snapper, potatoes, peppers and fennel) and Entenpithivier (duck breast and liver, pork and duck sausage, garlic, Grand marnier). , port, chard and herbs) alongside better-known favorites such as Niçoise salad and a selection of croissants. Give them a try over the holidays when they always have something as lovely as delicious on deck.
// 710 Montgomery St. (Financial District), maisonnico.com
Savoy Tivoli
(Courtesy of @savoytivolisf)
At 117, North Beach Bar Savoy Tivoli proves you’re never too old for a second chance. The pub reopened in November with a subtle, history-steeped redesign by Craige Walters and a host of new cocktails. The bar’s stage, which has hosted everyone from beat poets to the Ramones, is also back in business with a new line-up expected to include comedy shows, eclectic musicians and more.
// 1434 Grant Ave. (North Beach), instagram.com/savoytivolisf
Maybecks
(Courtesy of @maybeckssf)
Marina-Lieblings-Maybeck’s revived this summer with a brand new menu that focuses on local and seasonal California dishes with a Japanese twist. A refreshed interior with a new Chef’s Bar and accents from local artisans complement the new dining options, which include dishes like black cod with miso, sunomono and sesame; and duck with duck fat fried rice, baby bok choy, puffed duck eggs and preserved black bean chili sauce. If you can’t decide, surprise yourself with a tasting menu for the whole table ($98/person). Word on the street is that more is to come. Any day, Maybeck plans to open an adjacent wine shop that will also double as a private dining space.
// 3213 Scott St. (Marina), maybebecks.com
dolphin
(Albert Law)
After a long pandemic slumber, crowned by a 10-month renovation and redesign by architect Sarah Fucinaro and design firm Roy Hospitality, 22-year-old Delfina reemerged with a bigger footprint. a bright interior, a few new menu items that complement many of the well-loved classic dishes. Gifts of the renovation include a handsome bar with a tambourine and a gilded arch over a linear dining room. The deep patina on some of the original zinc coated tables is a testament to years of service.
// Delfina, 3621 18th St., San Francisco, delfinasf.com
Bar Agricole
(Erich Wolfinger)
Bar Agricole reopened last autumn with new ways to share its ethos of sustainably sourced, single-origin spirits. As well as offering ethical cocktails and family-run and organic food, the newly launched menu also features a range of collaborative spirits sold in-store and through their website. Happy hour (5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday), when a selection of their best mixed drinks costs just $8 each, is the ideal time to visit the minimalist, Japanese-influenced space.
// 1540 Mission St. (SoMa), baragricole.com
Pitt’s Pub (formerly Pittsburgh’s)
(Courtesy of @pittspub_sf)
A few surfers stepped up to save their favorite dive at Outer Sunset when the previous owner retired early in the pandemic. They cleaned up the somewhat run-down Pittsburgh’s, repaired the holes in the walls and added a chimney to the fireplace, but stayed true to the heart and soul of the bar. Now more of a neighborhood eatery than a flea trap, Pitt’s still has the pool table, pinball machines, and eclectic clientele of yesteryear, along with draft cocktails and a hurricane so strong there’s a two-per-person limit.
// 4207 Judah St. (Outer Sunset), instagram.com/pittspub_sf
