San Francisco’s 7 most exciting restaurant debuts of 2023

Locals were crushed when star chefs Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz decamped to wine country for a couple of years during the pandemic. Which explains all the hype surrounding the power couple’s return to San Francisco: Dalida,a stunning, mural-clad Presidio National Park spot they unveiled in June. Here, they throw down Eastern Mediterranean feasts with puffy pitas, Aegean-style dips, and seafood platters piled high with oysters, taramasalata, bottarga, and more. Absolutely no one was surprised when Dalida earned a rave review from the San Francisco Chronicle, underscoring its status as an east-meets-west force.

After cementing his status as a top SF chef at Empress by Boon, chef Ho Chee Boon expanded his empire in September with this luxe pan-Asian lounge with a sought-after backyard. While Boon has proven he’s a pro at Cantonese classics like knockout crab meat dumplings, here he’s giving Southeast Asian dishes like rojak salad and Malaysian noodles their overdue main-character moments. Blue Whale was destined for big things—it comes from the man who led the kitchen at Hakkasan, after all.

This Thai spot opened quietly in February, but blew up when The New York Times named it one of the best restaurants in the country. Don’t be fooled by its unassuming storefront exterior: Prik Hom serves extra-creative dishes that don’t hold back on funk and spice, like fiery beef-wrap curry and scallops spiked with chile jam. Chef Jim Suwanpanya trained at a couple of MICHELIN-starred restaurants in Bangkok, and his sister Tanya Suwanpanya runs the bustling dining room with grace. Reservations go fast, so plan well in advance for a meal at this Geary Boulevard gem.

San Francisco saw a streak of new Italian openings this year, but Corzetti, which debuted at the Hotel G in July, is one to watch. Owner Adriano Paganini’s impressive portfolio includes other coastal Italian hotspots like Beretta, Delarosa, and The Tailor’s Son, and he brings his magical Mediterranean touch to this Ligurian restaurant. Expect spectacular seafood like whole branzino swimming in olives and fennel, shellfish cioppino, plus Lambrusco spritzes—and an easy-breezy nautical vibe to match, complete with striped banquettes and porthole-like windows. The result is a chic yacht party in Union Square.

Yes, this is another new trattoria, but it’s from the hit-making Bacchus group that’s best known for the award-winning Californian spot Spruce. The team’s been in serious expansion mode in Potrero Hill, where they opened a burger spot and doughnut shop, each getting more buzz than the last. La Connessa kicked off in September, and it’s a go-to dinner destination sprawled out in a splashy 86-seat space with moody blue tiles and golden lights. Its blistered pizzas and fresh pastas—especially the lemon spaghetti—have earned all sorts of social media cred, even making the rounds on TikTok.

alaMar had a rep for being one of the Bay Area’s best crab-boil parties, but the restaurant recently went all in on its Dominican roots. Top Chef alum Nelson German reinvented the menu after nine years in June, trading Vietnamese, Cajun, and Mediterranean flavors for the Afro-Caribbean dishes he grew up with in Washington Heights, New York, like grandma-style braised oxtail and chile-glazed sweet plantains. alaMar is the only dedicated Dominican restaurant in the Bay Area, and that’s reason enough to check out German’s thoughtful reboot.

Noe Valley got a bold Mediterranean restaurant from a globe-trotting Turkish chef in June. Deniz Sezer’s glowing resume includes MICHELIN-starred kitchens in Spain, luxury hotels, and private yachts that have sailed the world. For his very first restaurant, he chose a quaint Victorian with bay windows on Church Street. Area residents can’t get enough of its artfully plated scallops, 12-hour lamb shank, and massive Turkish breakfast spread. Grab a reservation before the rest of the city gets in on this neighborhood legend in the making.