Mijoté Is a San Francisco Sleeper Hit Hiding in Plain Sight
If you haven’t already said hello, allow us to introduce you to Mijoté, one of the most exciting restaurants San Francisco has seen in the last few years. This intimate new wave bistro set in the heart of the Mission District originally opened in April 2022 on 20th Street, right across the street from pasta palace Flour + Water, and has quickly become one of our favorite places to eat. It’s perhaps the closest thing you’ll come in The City to eating at the hip cool bistronomy spots in Paris.
This is one restaurant where we wish we could have a standing reservation — the menu literally changes every single day. Here’s everything you need to know before you go.
The Chef
When we claim a meal at Mijote is the closest you’ll get to eating in neobistros in Paris, that’s because chef Kosuke Tada spent years there cooking and honing his craft. Tada is originally from Osaka, where he attended culinary school straight after high school. He initially worked at a French bistro, but shortly after moved to France when he was just 21 years old to learn the craft and cuisine first hand.
Tada worked in multiple multi-Michelin starred kitchens, first in Marseilles and then in Paris where he worked at Restaurant David Toutain and the famous neobistro, Le 6 Paul Bert. He also made sure to clock in some time at some good ‘ol bistros in between those tasting menu spots. Tada goes back to Paris once a year—butter flows through his veins. He is why this place is like Paris.
The Food
The daily changing menu comes in the form of a four-course set menu with optional supplements. It’s very much French in style and technique while using the best of California’s bounty.
“It’s the ingredients that decide the menu,” says Tada. The food is “simple, but each dish has one small surprise,” he adds.
A meal will always start with a small cup of chilled creamy cauliflower soup just to get you ready, to amuse your bouche, if you will. The meal will then lead into a seafood situation — perhaps a crudo or perhaps a tower of Dungeness crab salad nestled between alternating slices of fennel and apple. A recent trip had torched yellowtail between turnip and pear.
Then there are two more courses, usually a sauteed or roasted sea-centric protein followed by a more meaty land animal. Each protein is cooked in the kitchen then sliced at the counter in the restaurant for everyone to see, like a show. The dishes are often finished with a sauce poured on the plate tableside.
Save room for dessert (you have no choice, anyway). The chef worked pastry station for years in France. But don’t worry; he usually sends you off on a lite, refreshing note.
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The Wine
Tada places a heavy emphasis on the wines on his list. “It’s part of our food, and part of our menu.” He says. All the wines are natural and share similar philosophies, like organic growing methods, with the vegetable producers he works with.
You could go by the bottle or by the glass—ask them to pick and pair and they’ll be delighted to do so. Tada is a Gamay guy (you’ll notice the neon blue sign), but they also recently started offering a $40 pairing that includes four half-glasses to take you through the meal—this is a nice way to go if you don’t like to make decisions and want to drink more than one varietal.
The Name
As much as you’ll be tempted to pronounce the “j” as an “h” in Mijoté, it’s more like “mi-zjo-tay.” The word means “simmered” in French and is named after one of the French words and techniques he learned when studying in Osaka. There’s a certain “feeling” about the word that Tada likes and what it represents. “It has a warmth about it—like home, like countryside.”
And as for the cute knife fish carrot logo, it was drawn by his partner Grace in 2016 when they were moving to the U.S. from France. It became his logo for the pop-ups he’d do at Ordinaire in the early days, so it felt right to keep using it at the restaurant.
The Space
The space is so special. On the outside, it looks like an old Victorian home that has maybe been abandoned. But on the inside, it’s small, warm and intimate, true to the name. It was most recently a sushi counter, which Tada left intact (the best seats in the house, really). It was only after seeing the space when chef came up with the slicing and plating in front of customers.
There are 14 of coveted counter seats to be exact, as well as eight wooden tables. Vintage chairs, dishware, and flatware add to the charm of it all, as does the changing chalkboard menus of specials and wines. Perhaps you’d like the space all for yourself for a night? They do buyouts. Email them at hello@mijotesf.com. Please invite us.
Omar Mamoon is a San Francisco-based freelance writer and cookie dough professional. Follow him on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.
