The Best Restaurant Openings in Northern California – September 2026

Sergeant Ma brings Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group to the China Basin waterfront under executive chef and partner Jason Halverson. Named for Halverson’s Vietnamese mother, the restaurant serves a shareable California menu connecting his Chinese and Vietnamese heritage with his upbringing in Wichita, Kansas. Lobster mafaldine pulls Chinese black beans into a sauce of lobster butter and lime. Grilled Spanish octopus arrives with char siu glaze, Asian pear, chrysanthemum, and a scallion pancake.

KAIYŌ founder John Park has reopened the brand’s original Cow Hollow address as KAIYŌ Handroll Bar, with chefs Alex Reccio and Kenji Sawada leading the kitchen. Its Nikkei temaki turn Peruvian classics into Japanese form: lomo saltado becomes an A5 Wagyu hand roll with shoestring potatoes, and arroz con pato inspires flash-seared duck with sansho and chicha morada rice. Bluefin tuna, uni, and salmon cover more traditional ground. Danny Louie’s drinks include the Orenji, a creamy combination of rum, orange, condensed milk, and vanilla.

Rize Up began as Azikiwee “Z” Anderson’s backyard baking project and grew into San Francisco’s first Black-owned sourdough bakery, known for loaves flavored with gochujang, masala, and ube. Its first café now welcomes customers inside the bakery’s SoMa production facility. Those breads anchor a daytime menu of tartines, grilled cheese sandwiches, and pastries. Order the kimchi grilled cheese on Rize Up’s red-hued K-Pop loaf or the ube toast with mascarpone, condensed milk, toasted coconut, and maple pepitas.

Chef Mike Lanham returned to Lower Pacific Heights with Athanor after closing Anomaly in June to focus on his health. Set in the same dining room, the new restaurant builds its $175, 10-course tasting menu around fermentation, preservation, and patience. Ora King salmon is paired with caramelized potato juice, dill, and a caviar chip. For dessert, Tarragon Perspective brings together green apple, basil, cream cheese, and its namesake herb.