Four Things In the Bay Area Not to Miss This Month
- Dive Into the East Bay: If you’ve never taken a dive into the East Bay dining scene, there’s no better time to start than this month, with Oakland Restaurant Week taking place Mar. 12 to 22. This year, participating restaurants will offer both lunch and dinner specials at various price points, and many will supplement the food with DJ sets, art shows, and other experiences. Check back for specific details, but whether you want to explore the seafood and wine at Lake Merritt’s Sirene, have classic Cal-Med cuisine at longtime Rockridge favorite À Côté, try the out the menu from new Snail Bar chef de cuisine Zachary Breaux, tuck into a bowl of noodles at Ramen Shop, get island vibes at Calabash, munch on Mexican at Bombera or Odin, or sample plates of pasta at MAMA Oakland and Belotti, Resy has the Town covered.
- Celebrating Women: We always appreciate the Bay Area’s talented female chefs and restaurateurs, but we particularly cherish them during Women’s History Month, which also sees International Women’s Day fall on Mar. 8. Some of our favorites are Pim Techamuanvivit, who turns out transcendent Thai dishes at Kin Khao and Nari; Brenda Buenviajé, who slings the Bay’s best Southern grub at Brenda’s French Soul Food, Brenda’s Meat & Three, and Brenda’s Oakland; Melissa Perello, who makes fine French food at Octavia and Frances; Piccino Dogpatch and Piccino Presidio co-owners Margherita Sagan and Sheryl Rogat and culinary director Daniella Banchero, who puts out some of our favorite Italian plates; and the OG herself, Alice Waters, who’s still defining California cooking at Chez Panisse, Café Chez Panisse, and the new Bar Panisse. Want a more comprehensive list? We’ve got that for you right here.
- Enjoy the Ides of March: Shakespeare said to beware the Ides of March, but since we’re not Julius Caesar, let’s take the opportunity to celebrate Rome and cucina Romana. San Francisco’s standard-bearer is Matthew Accarrino’s SPQR, with its signature five-course pasta-tasting menu. The Flour + Water group, meanwhile, delivers fantastic renditions of the two best-known Roman pasta preparations: Flour + Water’s black pepper campanelle comes with a smoked carbonara, while sister restaurant Penny Roma serves rigatoni cacio e pepe. To sample Roman-style pizza, check out Pinsa Rossa in Pacific Heights and Inovino in Cole Valley, both of which dish out oval pinsas, featuring long-fermenting dough that’s lighter, crispier, and easier on the stomach. And if you want to try wine that’s local to Rome, check out Bar Gemini, which has several bottlings from the Lazio region on its list — not to mention cacio e pepe deviled eggs.
- Make Plans for St. Paddy’s: The biggest celebration of this month is always St. Patrick’s Day, and specifically the block party at the Front Street Entertainment Zone. If you want to get right in the middle of the Guinness-fueled festivities, you can reserve a spot at Harrington’s Bar & Grill or Schroeder’s Restaurant, two of the stalwart establishments that lock down that block. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a drink in the area that’s in a perhaps slightly more, um, chill atmosphere, step on over to Bar Sprezzatura, which specializes in vintage amari, Italian wine, spritzes, and Negronis, or the San Francisco Wine Society, where you can taste regionally defining wines from all around the world. No matter what kind of glasses you’re clinking together, you can still say sláinte.
New to the Hit List (March 2026)
Big Finish Wine Tavern, Mijoté, Collina, The Morris, Sons & Daughters, Troubadour Bread + Bistro, Valley Bar & Bottle, Vicinity.
