New San Francisco Restaurants Foodies Should Try

One of the best parts about visiting San Francisco is knowing that the food scene never really stands still. New restaurants are constantly opening, chefs are experimenting with new ideas, and familiar neighborhoods always seem to have another place worth adding to your list.

If you are the type of traveler who plans part of a vacation around what you are going to eat, the second half of 2026 has brought some especially interesting openings. Since August, San Francisco has welcomed everything from a waterfront food hall and a modern Asian-inspired restaurant to an experimental tasting menu and a neighborhood New York-style pizza shop.

Here are some of the newest restaurants to try if you are visiting San Francisco and want to see what the city's food scene is excited about right now.

Spend an Afternoon at The Mess Hall

Opened on August 15, The Mess Hall gives visitors several completely different food options under one roof at Presidio Tunnel Tops. That makes it especially fun when everyone in your group is craving something different.

Breadwinner focuses on burgers and sandwiches, while Dayboat Seafood serves oysters and seafood dishes. The space also includes a coffee program, a full bar, a market, and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. It is less about sitting through a formal meal and more about ordering what looks good, finding a table, and enjoying one of the most scenic parts of the city.

The location is a major part of the experience. You can eat, explore Tunnel Tops, and continue toward the Presidio or Crissy Field afterward.

• Opened August 15, 2026
• Location 201 Halleck Street in the Presidio
• Food hours Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• What you will find Burgers, sandwiches, seafood, oysters, coffee, cocktails, and picnic-friendly items

Try Something New on the Waterfront at Sergeant Ma

Sergeant Ma opened on September 9 and quickly gave food lovers another reason to spend an evening around Mission Bay and China Basin.

The restaurant sits along Mission Creek across from Oracle Park, with large windows, an outdoor deck, lounge seating, and fire pits overlooking the water. The food brings together California ingredients with Chinese and Vietnamese influences inspired by chef Jason Halverson's family.

The menu is made for sharing, which is probably the best way to experience it. Dishes have included seafood crudo, oysters, lobster pasta with fermented black bean flavors, duck, whole fish, and playful combinations that pull from several different culinary traditions.

• Opened September 9, 2026
• Location 185 Berry Street
• Hours Monday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and closed Sunday
• What it offers Shareable California dishes with Chinese and Vietnamese influences, seafood, cocktails, and waterfront dining

Come around sunset if you can. Dinner by the water followed by an evening walk near Oracle Park makes this one feel like more than just another restaurant reservation.

Grab a New York Style Pie at Corey's Pizza

Not every new restaurant needs linen tablecloths and a tasting menu to get food lovers excited. Corey's Pizza opened its permanent Mission District shop in September after building a following through pop-ups and pizza deliveries.

The inspiration comes from owner Corey Rogers' Staten Island roots, so expect thin-crust New York-style pizza rather than the thicker styles found at many modern pizza shops.

You can keep it simple with a classic cheese pie or try one of the specialty pizzas. The Rockaway combines clams, mushrooms, and garlic cream sauce, while The Staten Island adds sausage, peppers, onions, ricotta, and fresh basil.

• Opened September 10, 2026
• Location 3505 17th Street in the Mission District
• Hours Sunday through Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.
• What it offers New York-style pizza, specialty pies, salads, and classic pizzeria favorites

This is an easy one to pair with an afternoon around Mission Dolores, Valencia Street, or Dolores Park.

Make Handrolls Part of the Night at Kaiyō

Kaiyō Handroll Bar officially celebrated its grand opening on September 11 in Cow Hollow, bringing together Japanese technique and Peruvian flavors in a lively setting built around fresh handrolls.

The Nikkei-style menu is the reason to visit. Handrolls are prepared with fresh seafood, crisp nori, rice, and Peruvian-influenced flavors, with additional dishes such as ceviche and KAIYŌ favorites available for anyone looking for a larger dinner.

The experience is also meant to be social. Cocktails feature Japanese whisky and Peruvian pisco, and weekend evenings can feel more like a night out than a traditional sushi dinner.

• Opened September 11, 2026
• Location 1838 Union Street in Cow Hollow
• Hours Tuesday and Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to midnight, and Sunday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• What it offers Nikkei handrolls, seafood, ceviche, Peruvian-inspired dishes, cocktails, pisco, and Japanese whisky

Go All In on the Tasting Menu at Athanor

For foodies who enjoy seeing how far a chef can push an ingredient, Athanor is one of the more unusual recent openings. Chef Mike Lanham returned to the kitchen in mid-September with a completely reworked concept in the former Anomaly space.

Athanor focuses on a 10-course tasting menu built around transformation. Fermentation, unexpected textures, pastry techniques used in savory dishes, and creative presentations are all part of the experience.

The dishes change, but early examples have included fermented green tomato meringue, savory potato ice cream with black truffle cheese, prosciutto panna cotta, and inventive preparations of vegetables and meats.

• Opened in September 2026
• Location 2600 Sutter Street
• Hours Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Wednesday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
• What it offers A multi-course modern tasting menu with fermentation and experimental techniques

This is one to reserve for a special evening. Seating is limited, and the experience is designed to unfold over multiple courses rather than a quick dinner.

Experience Japanese and French Cooking at Shinka

Shinka is one of the newest restaurants on this list, opening on October 9 inside The Jay in San Francisco's Financial District.

Executive chef Fumio Yonezawa brings an impressive background that includes Jean-Georges in New York and Tokyo. At Shinka, he combines Japanese flavors and techniques with French cooking and Northern California ingredients.

The result is the kind of restaurant where familiar ingredients can show up in unexpected ways. The menu has featured mushroom chawanmushi with Dungeness crab, miso-marinated local cod, seasonal California produce, house fermentation, and carefully prepared desserts. Guests can choose a tasting-menu experience, while à la carte selections are also available.

• Opened October 9, 2026
• Location 333 Battery Street inside The Jay
• Dinner hours Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• What it offers Japanese and French fine dining, tasting menus, à la carte dishes, sake, wine, Japanese whisky, and cocktails

Make Tilden Hotel Your Starting Point

Trying new restaurants is a lot easier when your hotel gives you a central place to start and end the day. Tilden Hotel is located at 345 Taylor Street near Union Square, putting guests within easy reach of downtown, Nob Hill, the Financial District, the Mission, and public transportation to neighborhoods farther across the city.

That means you can spend the morning sightseeing, head to the Presidio for lunch, explore the Mission in the afternoon, or dress up for a tasting menu without planning your entire day around transportation.

Back at Tilden Hotel, guests can recharge in newly renovated accommodations with complimentary Wi-Fi, pillow-top mattresses, mini refrigerators, and modern in-room conveniences. The hotel also offers a 24-hour fitness center, a backyard courtyard, valet parking for an additional fee, and on-site dining at El Mariachi and Le Carousel Patisserie. Amenities and restaurant hours are subject to change.

Come to San Francisco Hungry

Part of the fun of being a foodie is finding a restaurant before it becomes one of the places everyone tells you that you have to visit. These openings are still new enough that the menus, atmosphere, and stories behind them feel fresh.

Try the seafood by the Bay, split a new pizza in the Mission, sit down for handrolls and cocktails, or make an entire evening out of an inventive tasting menu. San Francisco has plenty of classics, but sometimes the most memorable meal is somewhere that just opened its doors.