Dianne de Guzman is the regional editor for Eater’s Northern California/Pacific Northwest sites, writing about restaurant and bar trends, upcoming openings, and pop-ups for the San Francisco Bay Area, Portland, Seattle, and Denver.
This is a list of the Bay Area’s most notable restaurant and bar openings, with new updates published once a week. Did we miss something great? Please, drop us a line.
May 1
NORTH BEACH — The North Beach neighborhood has a new spot for cocktails, arcade games, and tacos. Next Door is the sister business to Columbus Cafe and, yes, the two businesses are literally located next door to each other. Per the San Francisco Standard, it’s a nice, bright pausing point for parents, where Pac-Man games, Skee-Ball, and other arcade games can serve as distraction for kids, while allowing the adults to drink a Negroni and nosh on dishes from Street Meet Tacos, which provides the food in-house.
BAYVIEW — The San Francisco Standard also caught the opening of Smoke Soul Kitchen, which opened this April at 4618 Third Street. Owner Vanessa Lee calls the cuisine “soul fusion,” with recipes based on soul food and Southern cooking, but with a twist. Diners can try Lee’s takes on fried chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, and more…