The June Hit List: Nyum Bai, Otra, Flour + Water, Top of the Mark, and More

Nyum Bai is back! We’re here for La Cocina alum Nite Yun’s excellent Cambodian cuisine — Khmer fried chicken with kampot peppercorn to start, koh ko noodles featuring rice noodles with braised beef and fresh herbs to get going, and durian crème brulee to finish is an excellent order, but it’d be difficult to go wrong here.

One of our favorite things to do is sit at the bar at flour + water and order as many pasta dishes as possible (or the pasta tasting menu if it’s available), and we’re so glad we can do that again. A wood-fired pizza supplement never hurt nobody.

As of June 4, the Top of the Mark is back. There are few better views of the city than the 19th floor of the Mark Hopkins, overlooking the entire city. The only thing that makes it better is a martini in hand, which they’ll happily provide.

From the family that brought you Son’s Addition in The Mission comes Otra, a new restaurant in Lower Haight that centers around tacos and fresh, house-ground heirloom masa. Think slow cooked beef with guajillo chile, roasted sweet potato with spicy cashew cream, and roasted carrot toasts with jalapeño hummus, and more.

One part restaurant, one part bottle shop, and one part Best Bar in America according to Esquire, Valley brings the vibes. You can finally perch up to the bar and order snacks and sip on glasses from small producers around the globe, but the backyard patio has got nice brunch vibes too if that’s more your thing. Stay a while, there’s no rush.

Bonus: San Francisco’s beloved Korean superette Queens is popping up at Valley on June 14. Make a Resy here. 

You could grab a bite and a glass, or a bottle and a meal at Ungrafted. Champagne, caviar, and a fried chicken sandwich sounds like an ideal meal, but there are lots of routes to go here. But best to just tell them what you’re feeling and let them take care of you.

If New York is more your pizza style, check out Giovanni’s Pizzeria in Sunnyvale. Started by a guy from Sicily who immigrated to New York and worked in pizzerias for almost two decades before coming out west and starting his own thing, it’s about as legit as you can get. The pies are large, and the plain slices are everything — thin, crispy, and feature that signature snap when you bite into it.

1127 N Lawrence Expressway, Sunnyvale. More info here..

One fun thing you can do is take a bike ride or walk along the Embarcadero and head to Red’s. The cheeseburgers and hot dogs come on French rolls and pair well with a Lagunitas IPA on tap and a view in the back. It won’t change your life, but it’ll certainly make you appreciate it.

Pier 30, San Francisco. More info here.

Few places in America make their own soba noodles from scratch, but Soba Ichi right here in Oakland does. Get them cold and dunk in the sweet, smoky, salty, umami sauce, or get them hot with pieces of sliced, perfectly pink duck breast. Better yet — do both. It’s. So. Good.

No reservations currently — first-come, first-serve for outdoor counter service. More info here.

Rouier is a new-ish French restaurant from the power trio Belinda Leong, Michel Suas, and JP Carmona. You can either go a la carte, or come for the 3-course formule routier menu. At $39, it costs less than the price of many mains in San Francisco and is an incredible value. Don’t miss the potato pave, the lobster grande aioli, and do order all of Belinda’s excellent desserts.

2801 California Street, San Francisco. More info here. 

Tauqero Dominic Prado makes some of our favorite tacos in the bay, grilling his carne asada in the mornings over mesquite. He’ll get flour tortillas made by hand and do tacos Sonoran-style with chopped cabbage, or will do his tacos TJ style with on corn tortillas with beans and guacamole. Follow the stops on Instagram.