No. 1

Judy Rodgers dies, but inspires Zuni to new heights.
— 2013 —

Judy Rodgers was (and remains) central to the identity of California cuisine, and her quiet but enormous impact is still seen today in kitchens and on menus across the city, from Foreign Cinema to Mister Jiu’s. For decades, Zuni Café itself has been an icon here, while helping to define what it means to be a San Franciscan. When its matriarch passed, it entered a new era. First and foremost, there was new appreciation for the elegant, timeless simplicity of the Rodgers’ style from coast to coast. At the same time, led by owner Gilbert Pilgram and his team, Zuni ascended to a leadership role in the local restaurant community. It was here that activism and politics solidified their places at the table (often literally). It was here that tipping was abandoned in favor of a more equitable model. It was here that pandemic-era principles were displayed. It was here where true cost was part of the conversation. In a city where the business challenges are unrelenting, Zuni galvanized the San Francisco restaurant community in the same way that has brought together diners for decades. It truly feels like the center of the city.

No. 2

A new era of cuisine blooms in the Bay Area (and by extension, in America).
— 2014 —

In January 2014, Pim Techamuanvivit opened Kin Khao in a quiet nook of the Parc 55 Hotel, showcasing her vision of Thai cuisine, one with uncompromising values, from-scratch curry pastes, and lesser-seen dishes, all revolving around pristine ingredients. Within a year, Rintaro and Liholiho Yacht Club opened, and brought their interpretations of “California cuisine” through their respective lens of Japan and Hawaii.

Each of these restaurants were distinctly Californian, demanded their worth, and sparked a beautiful movement that saw a once-narrow purview widen with some of the country’s most exciting restaurants: Prubechu, Besharam, Abacá, Nyum Bai, Reem’s California, Good Good Culture Club, Kin Khao’s younger sister Nari, San Ho Wan, and many more. Combine these with the magic that was already happening in Oakland — see: Ramen Shop, Hawker Fare, Cosecha Café (which spawned Bombera), Miss Ollie’s, Juhu Beach Club, and so many more — and you had the foundation for a new vision of what American food could be. Third culture became the culture.

No. 3

The possibilities of Mexican cuisine expand.
— 2015 —

The Bay Area has long been home to excellent Mexican cooking, but the last decade saw several restaurants bring it forward in exciting ways underrepresented in the region. Regional Mexican cooking rose to the forefront at places like El Buen Comer, Cantina Los Mayas, and Mi Rinconcito Oaxaqueño. A generation of restaurants pushed Mexican cuisine to more upscale realms, led by the 2015 debuts of Californios and Cala, the former which is the United States’ only Michelin two-starred Mexican restaurant. Today, no restaurant encompasses this evolution better than Bombera, where Dominica Rice-Cisneros crafts a Bay Area version of Mexican food like no other.

No. 4

San Francisco dominates Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurants list. And we officially enter a restaurant boom.
— 2015 —

The restaurant boom of the mid-2010s went hand-in-hand with the city’s tech boom, and it became particularly obvious that something notable was happening when AL’s Place was named the Best New Restaurant in America in 2015, sparking lines down Valencia. But even more notable was that San Francisco dominated Bon Appétit’s 50 Best New Restaurants, with appearances by Rintaro, Aatxe, Lazy Bear, The Progress, and Liholiho Yacht Club on that single list. The list of heavyhitters in the middle of the decade is even more impressive in retrospect: The Morris, the expanded Outerlands, SingleThread, a relocated Saison, Aster, Octavia, Ju-Ni, Monsieur Benjamin, In Situ, Mourad, International Smoke, Tartine Manufactory, China Live, and too many more to list.

No. 5

Del Popolo opens its brick-and-mortar location. We’re a pizza town now.

— 2015 —

Jon Darsky made headlines during the food truck boom with his one-of-a-kind pizza big rig, equipped with a full-on wood-burning oven. But it was his beautiful Bush Street restaurant that would push the local pizzeria to new heights, alongside other pioneers like Chez Panisse Café, Pizzahacker, the Pizza Place, Tony’s Pizza, and Gialina. Darsky’s pies — mostly Neapolitan in spirit, but made local with seasonal toppings and a sourdough crust — were certainly the star of the show, but they were complemented with creative starters and a progressive wine program. Today, the Bay is home to amazing pizza restaurants in droves, including but not limited to places like Flour + Water Pizzeria, Yellow Moto, and Rose Pizzeria, which was just named one of the best in the country by some New Yorkers.

No. 6

Mister Jiu’s opens in Chinatown.
— 2016 —

It’s hard to overstate the importance of Mister Jiu’s debut. With this one massive undertaking, Brandon Jew sparked about eight different revolutions. He brought a new generation to Chinatown. He brought a new kind of fine dining to San Francisco. He demanded his culture’s worth. He showed us a new vision for Chinese American food in America. He nurtured a new crop of industry pros that have already gone to big things in their own right. He showed the country how he bet on a very personal project. He showed Michelin that there deserve to be more starred Chinese restaurants in America. And so much more.

No. 7

Trick Dog awarded world’s best cocktail menu at the Spirited Awards
— 2018 —

You could pick from any number of moments — or favorite menu, perhaps (I like the dog calendar, personally) — for Trick Dog. But there’s no denying that it was a revolution when it opened in 2013, and truly changed the way we eat and drink in bars. The idea of bringing high-end cocktails to a casual neighborhood bar wasn’t new per se, but Trick Dog marked a turning point for San Francisco, firmly toward fun cocktails and away from the serious speakeasy era that defined the prior decade. The food was top-tier and broke the “bar food” mold, giving us a place for dinner and drinks at any hour of the evening. Cocktails came out quickly! The rotating themed menus kept it in our consciousness and kept us coming back. The non-alcoholic options were revolutionary. Alongside contemporaries like ABV, Bar Agricole, True Laurel, and Comstock Saloon, Trick Dog helped pave the way for the cocktail culture and bar food we see today (see: Buddy and Friends & Family).

No. 8

Reckonings and Reform.
— 2018-2022 —

The decade’s most significant cultural shifts in the restaurant industry occurred when global events exposed many long-standing flaws within America, including the restaurant industry. The pandemic highlighted the industry’s flawed approach to labor and marginalized groups, such as women and people of color, inequities that restaurants, their workers, and leaders are still working to redress. Kitchen culture was also forced to reflect and reform after bombshell #MeToo investigations surrounding many prominent men in the industry. The industry continues to debate just how much systemic change has come, but what’s clear is that more components of power — not only its abuse, but who holds power —  are now an active part of the conversation.

No. 9

La Folie closes. Fine dining turns a page.
— 2020 —

He didn’t know it at the time, but when Roland Passot toasted one last night for his pioneering La Folie to a packed house on its final night of service in mid-March 2020, the world was about the change. The pandemic would go on to transform the world in myriad ways, but the sea change felt particularly acute in the Bay Area. By the time 2022 rolled around, a generation of fine dining destinations had gone dark: Coi, The Restaurant at Meadowood, Manresa, Michael Mina, and Campton Place, among others. Yes, there are still plenty of tasting menus to be had in the area, but the alumni from those bygone temples are influencing the way we experience fine dining hospitality on a more accessible plane at places like Rich Table, Copra, Bar Sprezzatura, Rustic Canyon, Taco María, and so many more.

No. 10

Burdell opens, and defines Black excellence for a new generation.
— 2023 —

When Geoff Davis was plotting Burdell, he wrote about his vision: “Celebrating Black excellence has to be the goal in our path forward.” His acclaimed Oakland restaurant has made his dream into a reality, and with Davis’ cooking and its Oakland setting, it is already one of the country’s singular dining experiences. Its arrival comes at a time when a number of other talented Black chefs and owners are spreading their wings, investing in their communities (and themselves), and opening up exciting new projects, such as Fernay McPherson of Minnie Bell’s, Shani Jones of Peaches Patties, Dontaye Ball of Gumbo Social, Nelson German of Sobre Mesa, and more.