If you’d have asked us in July, we would have said that this year had been a slow one for Bay Area restaurant openings. But the back half of 2025 — and the last few months in particular — have had us running hither and yon, scouting ambitious new tasting menu spots, suburban steak palaces and burger joints alike. We’re delighted to share our 15 favorites with you, the best new restaurants from the class of 2025. Many of them we reviewed, some of them we didn’t, but all, we hope, will have lasting impacts on our local dining scene. You’ll find triumphant second acts from favorite chefs, popups and food trucks that have graduated to brick-and-mortar locations, and… a flaming metal cone of molten pork fat?
Bijou
Sophomore albums are hard to nail — just ask Weezer — but Stéphane Saint Louis’ follow-up to Table Culture Provisions cements his status as one of the North Bay’s most technically gifted chefs. His food is unapologetically French, with superb sauce work and, at a time when pastry chefs are often considered expendable, meticulously crafted desserts from Sylvain Parsy. Unlike the intimate Table Culture Provisions, Bijou’s format is à la carte, and its corner location in downtown Petaluma is plenty roomy. We wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s casual — there’s a fussy, fantastic boeuf en croute on the menu, after all — but with the opening of Bijou, more diners will be able to experience Saint Louis’ cooking. That’s a win. — M.C.F.
190 Kentucky St., Petaluma. restaurantbijou.com
Daytrip Counter
If I made a pie chart of my vegetable consumption for the year, the largest slice would likely come from Daytrip Counter, Finn Stern and Stella Denning’s breezy all-day restaurant slinging high-grade salads and tender rotisserie chicken. This is the duo’s follow-up to the gone-too-soon Daytrip (RIP), occupying the same building. The pink walls are now tinted a monochromatic shade of rubber ducky yellow, but the disco ball remains, shining bright. Stern’s penchant for spice and all things funky makes the salads sparkle: One is sour and spicy; another pungent and umami-blasted; a third zesty and bright. The rotisserie birds are exceedingly juicy, thanks to an injection of a schmaltz solution, and, crucially, served with a lime wedge. Better than Costco, I promise, and you don’t have to buy a membership. — C.H.
4316 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. hwww.daytripcounter.com
Eylan
Srijith Gopinathan, the Bay Area’s leading voice for Indian cooking, landed a three-peat with Eylan in Menlo Park, his latest hit restaurant in partnership with restaurateur Ayesha Thapar. This time, Gopinathan is drawn to the flame, with a Cal-Indian menu largely dedicated to wood-fired cooking. Smoke appears both visibly — in grilled mushrooms and roasted whole fish — and imperceptibly — in sauces such as a charred pepper fish marinade. Thapar’s enduring design motifs, such as faux greenery and pop art make an appearance at Eylan, but the warm-toned space also displays interest in art deco patterns. While the restaurant is immersive, the illusion slightly shatters when you walk out into the bland mixed-use development containing a host of jewelry showrooms and an underground parking lot. — C.H.…