Three Big Restaurant Openings We're Looking Forward to In San Francisco This Fall

The fall opening schedule for restaurants is starting to come into view, and I can say with some certainty that, barring some late surprises, I already know what I'm looking forward that's coming down the pike.

A big new addition to the Ferry Building, a buzzy new waterfront restaurant from a Michelin-pedigreed chef, and a grand new Cal-Med brasserie taking cues from Los Angeles will all be bringing some fresh vibrancy to San Francisco's downtown — and while one of these is filling a spot that's been empty for two years, the other is bringing back to life a space that's been dark since before the pandemic.

Lucania
In the works for over a year now, Lucania will be the latest project of sommelier and restaurateur Shelley Lindgren, of A16 fame — she was also, previously, a partner in SPQR. It's moving into the long-vacant MarketBar space at the south end of the Ferry Building, finally bringing a second anchor restaurant back to the complex, with Arquet having opened last year in the former Slanted Door space.

The plan, for which we haven't had an official update since last year, is to be an all-day, Southern Italian-inspired, indoor-outdoor restaurant with a focus on pizza, pasta, salads, and local produce, as well as local seafood like anchovies, sardines, and mussels. The name means "land of light," and in the only statement we've had so far, Lindgren said, "Lucania brings together nearly three decades of experience in San Francisco’s food and wine world, inspired by the traditions of Southern Italy and the rhythm of life here in the city." October was the last timeframe we knew of for the opening, but we await the final word on that.

Sutro Hall
Almost exactly two years after the unfortunate closing of chef Mourad Lahlou's Mourad, a respected local restaurateur has snapped up the soaring space it once lived in at 149 New Montgomery Street. As the Chronicle reports, Doug Washington, a former Town Hall, Salt House, and Anchor & Hope partner — and founding partner of the great Jardiniere — has decided to get back in the restaurant business after a few years off. "I've really been missing it," he tells the paper.

In preparation for a November opening, Washington has hired chef Michael Magallanes to serve as executive chef — and, coincidentally, Magallanes was part of the opening team at Mourad, before moving on the Omakase Restaurant Group, where he has lately been executive chef at The Jay hotel (but not at the about-to-close Prelude).

And while California-Mediterranean fare might sound fairly standard for SF, Washington says he wanted to take inspiration from decade-old Los Angeles hot spots Gjelina (which now has locations in New York and Las Vegas) and its sister bakery-deli Gjusta, as well as Suzanne Goin's AOC Wine Bar. Gjelina in particular leans heavily in the direction of Southern Italy and France, with a few nods to the Middle East and an emphasis on vegetables, and Magallanes says he's looking forward to roasting whole chickens and fish, as well as spit-roasting celeriac, and grilling short ribs on skewers.

Moonchild
At last, someone has laid claim to the former Fog City Diner space at 1300 Battery Street (at Embarcadero), which was most recently known as Fog City, and which has laid dormant now for over a year. For the uninitiated, Fog City Diner was the hot spot in town in the late 1980s, as chef Cindy Pawlcyn established a name for herself there, and as the restaurant rode high on what became a national trend of retro-inspired diners with upscale food.

When it pivoted to Fog City back in 2013, the decor was spiffed up and de-diner-fied, but the flatiron-shaped dining room facing the Embarcadero and the Bay nevertheless evokes a cozy waterfront dive on a busy thoroughfare.

It will reborn, hopefully by late fall but perhaps early next year, as Moonchild, a new solo effort from chef Floyd Nunn and partner Angelyne Tompkins. As Eater notes, Nunn has worked in the kitchens of Benu and Quince, so we can likely expect some fanciness here. And all we know for now is they have a crab in their logo artwork, the menu will highlight "the state’s coastlines and farms," and the wine is likely to be good (Tompkins has worked at Scribe). Stay tuned for updates.

Other Openings to Look Out For

Nova
The Castro is about to get a new, bi-level restaurant and lounge in a space that has, similar to the former MarketBar, sat vacant since before the pandemic started. Nova is the project of Bar 49 owner and former Hi Tops manager Colm O'Brien, in the 18th Street space that was formerly home to Eureka, and he has promised a focus on crave-able food and cocktails, with a newly reconfigured first-floor space and back patio that will likely be a hopping new brunch spot. Expect an early or mid-fall opening, pending any updates.

Bayview Oyster Bar
Over in the Bayview, in the former Word. A Cafe space at 5114 Third Street, former Auntie April's chef-owner April Spears is opening a new seafood spot, possibly later this month, featuring oysters, both raw and chargrilled New Orleans-style, as well as shrimp cocktails, chowders, Louie salads, and lots of Dungeness crab dishes.

Shinka
A modern, California-French-Japanese restaurant is on the way from chef Fumio Yonezawa in the space that is still home to Prelude for a few more days, at The Jay hotel. It does not sound like a heavy remodel is happening, and Shinka is set to open later this fall.