San Francisco’s 4 most exciting restaurant debuts of 2023

San Francisco’s only Tunisian restaurant opened in April. Owner Rafik Bouzidi (of the now-shuttered Mediterranean spot La Marsa) grew up in North Africa before bringing his cooking chops to San Francisco and Las Vegas about two decades ago. He named Gola for a Tunisian clay cooking vessel—fittingly since many of the restaurant’s dishes are braised in one overnight, then sealed tight with a dough crust. Expect housemade harissa (there are three flavor-packed varieties to choose from) that add a burst of spice to Bouzidi’s modern riffs on Tunisian delicacies such as braised lamb riblets, deviled eggs topped with shrimp, and various tagines. The result is a meal filled with bold and herbaceous flavors you won’t find anywhere else in the city.

Bansang is the rising star of the wildly popular Daeho Dining Group. The contemporary Korean tapas spot has presided over Fillmore Street since first opening in April 2022, but reservations blew up when MICHELIN added it to the guide in March. Fine-dining masterminds Ethan Seunghyun Min (Gaon, Saison, and Atelier Crenn) and Jin Lim (Michael Mina, Kabuto Sushi, and Kinjo) craft Cali-Korean delicacies such as luxurious uni scallop toast, lime-soy fried chicken, and New York strip galbi. Even though the restaurant’s name pays homage to a centuries-old style of Korean cooking, the dishes are unabashedly modern—parmesan cheese and chorizo make cameos, for example—and add up to one of the city’s best shareable feasts.

This cute and cozy new oyster bar in the Marina popped open in March, but only recently fired up dinner reservations. The menu is all about seafood staples such as plump Dungeness crab rolls, Caesar salad decked with anchovies, and creamy, bacon-forward clam chowder. They’re prepped impeccably by chef and partner Melissa Perfit, a Top Chef alum who was formerly the fish whisperer at Bar Crudo in NoPa. Though there is no shortage of oyster bars in SF, Popi’s is a slick new entrant that’s poised to become a local favorite.