Newest restaurants to try in this city
As if you aren’t consuming enough this time of year with all of the holidays, there are lots of new restaurants and bars in this city to tempt you.
Here’s a rundown of a few new places that have recently opened:
Tacolicious II
Tacolicious is not your typical taqueria. What started out as a taco stand at the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market became a permanent restaurant in the Marina in January 2010 and now, a second location opened yesterday, Nov. 28, on Valencia Street in the Mission.
Tacolicious II perfects the original vision, with reminiscent touches (chocolate and turquoise walls, wood accents) and outstanding newness (Mexican tiles designed by owner Joe Hargrave and his wife, vintage juicers that recall the fresh cocktails).
And like its sister restaurant, Tacolicious II has a taco-centric menu with its eight signature tacos (like the shot-and-a-beer braised chicken and carnitas tacos) along with ceviches and salads. So grab a couple tacos and then hit the outdoor patio, complete with a mural of Dolores Park.
Tacolicious II
741 Valencia Street (between 18th and 19th St.)
San Francisco, CA
415.346.1966
Website: tacolicioussf.com
Mosto
Joe Hargrave didn’t stop with Tacolicious II. Right next door, he also just opened Mosto, the perfect spot for snack fare and drinks. And not just any drinks – Mosto hosts the one of the country’s largest tequila selections suspended above the bar.
Ominously lit thanks to a wall lined with floating candles, Mosto with have over 300 tequillas that you can taste on their own or have in tequila ‘tails like a Sunrise with housemade grenadine and the creme de cassis/lime/ginger ale El Diablo.
There will also be food be served bar-side via a trompo (basically a vertical meat rotisserie), with a five-item menu highlighted by Mexico City-style al pastor tacos shaved-to-order, plus nopales queso tacos and chicken tamales wrapped in banana leaves. Yum.
Mosto is now open from 5:00 p.m. to midnight. Hmmm…I think I’ll be making a trip out to the Mission this week!
Mosto
741 Valencia St. (between 18th and 19th St.)
San Francisco, CA
Website: http://mostosf.com/
Monarch
There’s a new bar in town. Monarch brings a new kind of cocktail bar to San Francisco. Think upscale bar plus nightclub plus Cirque du Soleil and you’ve got the equation for Monarch.
This new bi-level spot on the edge of SoMa has a beautiful antique redwood bar. From the bar you’ll see a hole in the wall that separates the bar and the room behind the bar where the contortionists, trapeze artists or other cabaret entertainers will perform throughout the night. If that’s not enough, after a few rounds of bourbon/Fernet-spiked Kingmakers at one of the velvet settees in the Victorian-style lounge, you’ll want to head downstairs to the subterranean nightclub with a custom, gold-hued sound system imported from London for live music during the week and DJs during the weekend.
They switched on the power last week so make sure you’ve got this new hotspot on your list of places to check out.
Monarch
101 6th St. (at Mission)
San Francisco, CA 94103
415.596.7896
Visit the Monarch page on Facebook.
Ken Ken Ramen
Ken Ken Ramen is the newest ramen outpost in this city. You may have seen their pop-up around the Mission building up a little cult following, thanks to the slow-cooked egg in the double cha-shu miso ramen.
But now, you’ll be able to go to their restaurant, a rustic den with a red lantern hanging out front, and have a seat at their sushi-bar-style seating and watch them prepare your soup. The menu has fried chicken karage and gyoza to start and then with the ramen, they’ve got everything from the slow-cooked Holy Grail of ramen, the tonkotsu, made with pork super-broth, to a completely vegan option made with Japanese yams.
Ken Ken Ramen
3378 18th St
(at Mission)
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-967-2636
Website: http://www.eatkenkenramen.com/
Bacon Bacon and Three Babes Bakeshop
The guys from the Bacon Bacon food truck and the ladies from Three Babes Bakeshop are opening up a new one-stop bacon and pie joint in Cole Valley where you can get all your tasty treats for the holiday.
Basically, they’re inviting you into their working, standing-room-only kitchen every morning and afternoon, where you’ll be dazzled with things beyond what you’ve already had from their mobile ventures (like nine-inch chicken pot pies and complete breakfasts of bacon-Swiss croissants and cheddar-bacon scones).
No need to say more. You had me at bacon and pie. They’ve had their soft opening (as they get up to speed, the Bacon Bacon truck will be parked outside the kitchen for breakfast and lunch on Wednesday, while the Babes will be inside dishing out pies Tuesday through Thursday) and their grand opening is slated for Dec. 5.
Bacon Bacon and Three Babes Bakeshop
205 Frederick St. (at Ashbury)
San Francisco, CA 94117
Websites:
Bacon Bacon: http://www.baconbaconsf.com/
Three Babes Bakeshop: http://threebabesbakeshop.com/
