Every weekend in Oakland, chef Maria Elena Esquivel’s Mexican-American brunch spot Chica was packed. Tables at the small, 6-year-old shop were covered with plates full of Huevo’s rancheros and Esquivel’s popular chilaquiles — making Chica’s closure in September a surprise to many regulars.
“People really made an effort to come and eat with us even though we were in this very small cafe that was a bit out of the way,” Esquivel recalls.
After a short break, Esquivel is now ready to start the new chapter of her restaurant. The company reappears as Xica in San Francisco on Monday, March 6, where it’s taking over the expansive former home of Italian restaurant Il Fornaio near the Embarcadero. There, Esquivel will continue to offer their most popular brunch offerings, with their cheeky chilaquiles taking the lead.
The restaurant still reflects Esquivel’s Chicana upbringing, experiencing Mexican customs and dishes at home while also engaging with a diverse cultural landscape surrounding her home country of Oakland and the greater Bay Area. The brunch menu at the counter nods to this movement between cultures with dishes like pozole, chicken and waffles and eggs Benedict.
Owner and chef Maria Elena Esquivel makes chilaquiles in her new restaurant Xica. The dish is one of their most popular.
Jessica Christian/The Chronicle
Coffee from Proyecto Díaz Cafe, a San Leandro-based micro-roaster that supplies seasonal batches of single-origin beans from Mexico, will be available during brunch and lunch hours. Special drinks include a Mazapan Latte and a Dirty Horchata.
In addition to brunch, Xica offers a lunch menu at the counter. Classic Mexican foods like tacos, quesadillas, and “mexi bowls” — filled with Mexican rice, beans, vegetables, and meat — which first drew people to the restaurant’s earliest version, will all be available.
The new restaurant lands on Levi’s Plaza, the 9.4-acre office campus home to 18 companies, including the headquarters of Levi Strauss & Co., which employs approximately 3,400 people. The surrounding park area was designed by the well-known landscape architect Lawrence Halprin.
The 5,000-square-foot restaurant, which is several times larger than their 20-seat Oakland restaurant, will seat a total of 130 in the main dining room, alfresco area, bar area and a private dining room. The 85-seat dining room features a large mural depicting several narrative and cultural scenes personally affecting Esquivel: her mother laughing with delight; a water goddess representing movement and power; a monarch butterfly flying from southern Mexico through an invisible border into the golden poppy fields of California.
The main dining room at the Xica in San Francisco, seating 85. The restaurant’s new location is much larger than its previous Oakland location.
Jessica Christian/The Chronicle
For Esquivel, moving to Battery Street is a homecoming. The restaurant started out in 2015 as a fast-casual chica out of a window on nearby Green Street, selling tacos, burritos, and mexi bowls that were popular with workers at the nearby square. It moved to the Oakland premises in 2016 and closed last fall in preparation for moving to the larger premises.
Esquivel plans to open slowly, beginning with a Monday-Friday schedule and ending with weekend service. Next comes dinner, which is served with full service. For its full bar, Xica will stock a selection of mezcal and tequila brands by women and Latinas like Yola Mezcal. Likewise, plans for wine offerings will focus on women and local winemakers.
“These are people who share our values. That’s huge for us,” said Esquivel.
Packing the new restaurant is a big challenge, but Esquivel hopes to make their new dining space as vibrant as their old Oakland location.
“We just want to make this space lively and inviting. We want you to feel at home,” said Esquivel.
Xica. 1265 Battery Street, Suite 100, San Francisco. Monday-Friday 10:00-14:30 Dinner and weekend hours coming soon. Xicasf.com
Reach Mario Cortez: mario.cortez@sfchronicle.com
