The Best Restaurant Openings in Northern California This Month

After building a loyal following with their Presidio project Dalida, chef duo Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz are now honoring Laura’s Mexican heritage in the same neighborhood. Like Dalida, Maria Isabel is expansive, thoughtfully designed, and welcoming, with a menu that amplifies dishes from Guerrero and Sinaloa. All the moves, from adding uni to tamales to adorning a Dungeness crab tostada with charred pineapple, work seamlessly, and the energy carries through the room.

Giving diners with celiac disease who love Italian food a real option, Clementina is a new gluten-free restaurant from Gianluca Legrottaglie and Viviana Devoto, the team behind Montesacro, with chef Giorgio Brunella in the kitchen. While the appetizers lean on vegetables and seafood, the pasta and pizza sections are where things get interesting, delivering dishes that feel like anything but a workaround.

Chef David Barzelay’s next move after Lazy Bear is a Design District French bistro that leans into art deco, indulgence, and a sense of occasion. On the menu, the already-viral escargot toast shares the appetizers section with a silky chicken liver mousse and a $125 caviar crêpe, while the mains check all the French classics, from trout almondine to intensely cheesy Parisian gnocchi. A robust raw seafood section paired with a glass of bubbly is the way to go for a lighter affair.

Berkeley’s iconic Chez Panisse has opened a next-door bar with a slightly more casual, modern spin on farm-to-table Californian fare, and the lines are understandably long. Chef Amelia Telc has created a menu of distinct bites that, when combined, make a full meal, from flatbreads and vinegary anchovies to potatoes with romesco and a range of fresh vegetable preparations, alongside a sophisticated wine list.

MICHELIN-starred chef Charlie Palmer is expanding his Appellation operation in Wine Country; the newest addition to the resort is Folia Bar & Kitchen, the kind of fancy-casual restaurant that’s always welcome in town. The menu spans all hours of the day, from a Danish-inspired breakfast to shareable, large-format steak and fish for dinner. For after-dinner drinks, head to the rooftop bar on the property.

The chic diner movement is alive and well in the Bay Area. Big on comfort and carbs, chef Ben Koenig’s George + Kin’s puts a Japanese spin on the trend, with dishes like Japanese egg salad sando and miso spaghetti, as well as a much-needed mash-up of carbonara and udon. A collaborator on the project is Itamar Abramovitch, the man behind the viral sensation Meat Carnival, ensuring decadence and presentation are part of the deal.

Few people in the Bay Area could tell you what Chiang Mai-style breakfast was until Tanzie’s opened. After turning the daytime café into a local sensation, with lines of fans obsessed with lava eggs, the owners are now set on reinventing afternoon tea with their new spot, offering a tasting menu of guava croissants and wagyu scones alongside a robust tea selection. Dinner service is next.