The August Hit List: Moongate, Pläj, Schroeder’s, Brown Sugar Kitchen, and More

The best thing you can do before making a Resy at Mister Jiu’s is getting there early and hitting the upstairs Moongate Lounge first. It’s one of the most gorgeous spaces in San Francisco, good for a pre-dinner stop, or a trip on its own. Any cocktail is destined to be delicious, but they have glasses of natty wines if that’s more your mood, as well as an abbreviated menu of small snacks.

The wonderful Tanya Holland’s Brown Sugar Kitchen is back for indoor and outdoor dining (plus takeout), bringing your favorite yeasted waffles with crispy fried chicken in its Broadway flagship. Don’t forget fried oyster salad or vegan collard greens, if that’s your thing.

Snail Bar is the hot new wine bar on the block from Andrez Giraldo Florez, who used to cook at fine dining restaurants but struck out on his own to open a space with natural wines and fun small plates like snails with cultured butter; cashew miso and kumquats; ham and cheese sandwiches on Hawaiian bread; and a raw scallop crudo. 4935 Shattuck Ave., Oakland. No reservations.

One of the Bay Area’s only Scandinavian restaurants is newly reopened with a new menu, featuring beet cured gravlax with seabuckthorn sorbet, herring, fried aebelskiver (Danish doughnuts), grilled elk with burnt béarnaise sauce, the requisite meatballs, and more. Probably best to just opt for the chef’s tasting menu ($75) and get a bit of it all.

Pro tip: Don’t miss the aquavit selection — it’s one of the best in town.

Big boots with beer, sausages with sauerkraut, schnitzel and a full menu of German fare can be found in the Financial District standby that dates back to 1893. Oh, and they also do a smashed burger on a pretzel bun.

Angler is such a solid, gorgeous restaurant, and there are so many ways to do it right. Revisit this live-fire cooking centered restaurant, and be sure to check out our rundown before to get all the pro moves and essential must-orders.

Scoma’s is more than a Fisherman’s Wharf destination; it’s an institution. It feels like you’re eating on a boat, and it’s the only restaurant that has a receiving station for seafood. Can’t go wrong with the classics: cioppino, sand dabs when in season, clam chowder, louie salads and more. 1965 Al Scoma Way, Pier 47, San Francisco.

A super fun date night would include walking through the mall in Japantown, sitting down with a pitcher of ice cold beer and slurping on some thick-cut homemade udon noodles, then catching a movie at Kabuki. Catch the Bourdain doc while you can — he’s a big reason you’re reading this. 1581 Webster St., San Francisco. No reservations.

The Lee Bros have opened Sunset Squares Slice Shop on Divis in their old Namu Stonepot space. Here, you’ll find delicious sourdough pizza in squares, but also in large circles and triangular slices topped with pepperoni. 553 Divisadero St., San Francisco. No reservations.

Smoked trout deviled eggs, fried chicken with smoked jalapeno buttermilk, goat cheese mac-n-cheese, and of course the signature Blue Plate meatloaf that’s been on the menu ever since it opened back in 1999. It’s like Old New American at this point! 3218 Mission St., San Francisco.

Cure the Monday blues with blues night at Eli’s. Proof of vaxx required for entry, as it should be. Beer, boozie slushies, and a fun, vegan-centric menu featuring things like totchos and “Mexican pizza” a la Taco Bell. Bonus for the back patio and upstairs arcade. 3629 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Oakland. No reservations.