You need to hand it to the Bay Space’s resilient restaurant business. Regardless of will increase in each finances class, they’re nonetheless providing superb meals and distinctive service — and increasing to new communities.
This 12 months, we’re trying ahead to Mediterranean delicacies from each Turkish and Greek cooks, extra Italian, extra ramen, an intriguing all-you-can-eat idea and huge Asian marketplaces, together with a stunning emporium the likes of which California has by no means seen. Learn on for the small print.
ASIA LIVE, Santa Clara
Sushi stations. Tandoori ovens. Dumpling counters.
The numerous cuisines of Asia can be explored and celebrated when the expansive Asia Reside emporium joins Westfield Valley Truthful’s restaurant assortment. The complicated, underneath renovation now, can be positioned simply steps from Eataly, the three-story ode to all issues Italian.
Famous restaurateurs George Chen and Cindy Wong-Chen, who launched the bold China Reside in San Francisco in 2017, say that Silicon Valley was a pure selection for this undertaking.
“We remodeled perceptions of Chinese language delicacies in America by highlighting the wealthy range of Better China’s regional flavors, and now we goal to broaden that perspective to all of Asia,” George Chen mentioned within the undertaking announcement.
Search for the total array of culinary experiences — market, upscale restaurant, bars and eating terrace — to open in February or March.
Particulars: 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara. westfield.com/en/united-states/valleyfair
MEYHOUSE, San Ramon
After making a splash within the South Bay and on the Peninsula, the upscale Turkish restaurant Meyhouse is increasing to the East Bay for the primary time with its mesquite-grilled lamb, steak and branzino entrees.
Based as a pop-up, the restaurant moved right into a 55-seat house on Sunnyvale’s Murphy Avenue earlier than including a flagship location in Palo Alto that seats 175 and likewise hosts jazz live shows.
Proprietor Koray Alinstoy and Govt Chef Omer Artun plan to supply stay music at this Bishop Ranch Metropolis Heart location, too, when the restaurant makes its debut early this 12 months.
Particulars: 6000 Bollinger Canyon Highway, San Ramon; meyhouserestaurant.com
ELIA, Campbell
Protecting it Greek. That’s the plan for the prime downtown Campbell nook that housed Opa! for thus a few years. With that native chain declaring chapter, the Elia people jumped on the alternative to broaden their attain to the South Bay.
“We’re focusing on late January to early February for opening, and I undoubtedly need the whole lot prepared earlier than Valentine’s Day,” mentioned co-owner Fatih Ulas, who owns three different Elia places — in Pleasanton, Walnut Creek and San Carlos.
Elia boasts a big lineup of shareable appetizers, together with the showy saganaki, and diners rave concerning the lamb, octopus, sea bass and seafood paella entrees.
Particulars: 276 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell; eliarestaurants.com
PHO HA NOI, Berkeley
Helen Nguyen’s Pho Ha Noi empire is increasing. After seeing what number of Stanford college students packed her Palo Alto place, she determined to offer the Cal crowd a style of her long-simmered soup broths and different Vietnamese fare.
The South Bay entrepreneur is a world commerce veteran who added “restaurateur” to her résumé after she and her husband, Harry, opened a pho restaurant in San Jose’s Little Saigon a decade in the past, adopted by Cupertino, Palo Alto, Milpitas and Fremont places.
The menu dietary supplements the meat, hen or vegetable pho with spring rolls, nuoc cham wings, vermicelli bowls and a number of other specialties, equivalent to Vietnamese scorching steak, a primary filet mignon from Harris Ranch, sliced and served with pate and sides,
Search for the restaurant to reach concerning the time the autumn 2026 college students do.
Particulars: 2435 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley; phohanoi.com
ROMA ANTICA, San Mateo
Roma Antica, a preferred Italian restaurant in San Francisco’s Marina District since 2017, has a brand new location coming quickly to San Mateo.
The restaurant serves pizza the traditional Roman method — also referred to as pinsa. It’s a flatbread dish that includes a long-fermented crust product of wheat, rice and soy flours. Different standard menu objects embody cacio e pepe, oxtail ragu pappardelle and branzino.
The deliberate location is throughout the road from the place Vespucci Ristorante Italiano closed Dec. 31 on Third Avenue — so the block won’t be with out Italian fare lengthy. The brand new location can be at 172 Third Ave., San Mateo, and is predicted to open someday within the early spring.
Particulars: Pattern a few of the menu favorites on the San Francisco location, open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdasy and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays at 3242 Scott St., San Francisco.
MENSHO, Walnut Creek
Mensho is a Tokyo-based ramen chain that recurrently attracts lengthy strains at its Oakland and San Francisco outposts. Based by chef Tomoharu Shono — a prodigy of broth and noods who’s cooked ramen since highschool — it makes a speciality of fascinating formulations not seen in lots of different locations, like green-tea ramen and almond-based tantanmen.
Mensho’s soup base is wealthy and deep, tasting prefer it simmered for days, and is just like what’s served at an genuine Japan ramen home. However it’s the luxurious that units the restaurant aside. The signature ramen is a Smoked Tori Paitan with a hen broth, smoked seasoned egg, smoked Kurobuta pork chashu, smoked A5 wagyu, smoked duck, king oyster mushrooms, charcoal negi and – for much more decadence – “OG truffle sauce.”
This latest Mensho will seemingly provide such favorites (which features a standard garlic-five-ways selection), however may also have a “menu completely distinctive to Walnut Creek,” as per a report in Diablo Journal.
Particulars: Scheduled to open in early 2026 at 1512 N. Fundamental St., Walnut Creek; menshopiedmont.com
FLORA, San Jose
For greater than a 12 months and a half, inquiring minds have puzzled who would take over that prime Rosie McCann’s house at Santana Row.
Seems three entrepreneurs behind some very fashionable South Bay eating places and bars — Russ Fukushima and Jameson Parvizad of Water Tower Kitchen and Danny Shafazand of Wild Rose and Second Story — have partnered on the undertaking.
The are envisioning an all-day, seasonal restaurant known as Flora. “The house will transfer effortlessly from brilliant, sun-filled mornings to a vibrant, night eating expertise” — with an evolving menu to match, Fukushima mentioned
The signage has simply gone up, and building could start as quickly as this month or February. Keep tuned for timing updates and particulars on the foods and drinks choices.
Particulars: 355 Santana Row, San Jose; santanarow.com
OSAKA MARKETPLACE, Nice Hill
This third East Bay grocery store specializing in merchandise of Osaka Prefecture (the others being in Fremont and Foster Metropolis) is ready to colonize the huge footprint of a former {hardware} provide. It would, in actual fact, be a “grocerant” — a grocery retailer that comes with an consuming pavilion for diners to choose up meals for dwelling or chow down in place.
The meals court docket can be partially exterior within the former ironmongery shop’s backyard middle and can characteristic a number of mini-restaurants serving up sushi, ramen, fried hen and bento containers. On the shop facet, buyers can look forward to finding an “in depth number of genuine Japanese groceries, contemporary produce, seafood, ready-to-eat meals and hard-to-find imported meals and items,” in accordance with the corporate.
If it’s something like its different branches, the Nice Hill grocery may also provide weekly specials on delicacies like Japanese roll desserts and imported beers and spirits, in addition to maintain particular occasions like magnificence festivals and summer time street-food festivals.
Particulars: Scheduled to open in late 2026 at 155 Crescent Plaza, Nice Hill; osakamarketplace.com
ZAREEN’S, Sunnyvale
Chef-owner Zareen Khan and her wildly standard Pakistani and North Indian fare are heading to the South Bay.
Search for her standard hen tikka masala, secret-recipe samosas and aromatic cups of chai to make their debut quickly alongside Sunnyvale’s historic restaurant row, Murphy Avenue.
This would be the fourth restaurant for chef-entrepreneur Zareen Khan. She launched her restaurant in 2014 in Mountain View after careers within the company world and in catering, then expanded to Palo Alto a few years later. The Redwood Metropolis location got here alongside in 2020.
A March opening in Sunnyvale is forecast.
Particulars: zareensrestaurant.com
MAC’S OLD HOUSE, Antioch
When Mac’s Outdated Home got here in the marketplace in June, Joe Martinez knew he needed to do one thing to protect the legacy of the beloved old style Italian restaurant that had been a staple in Antioch for many years. So Martinez partnered together with his buddy, Ron Harrison, to buy, revamp and reopen it someday round June 2026.
The duo will work with Rick Cook dinner, former supervisor and head chef at Mac’s Outdated Home, who will share recipes for traditional dishes favored by patrons.
Renovation work is in full swing, with plans for brand spanking new loos, a brand new kitchen and an enlargement of the eating house, together with extra outside seating as soon as permits are in place. Expanded square-footage and parking are additionally within the works, plus lunch service and a youngsters’ menu. The restaurant may also start taking bank cards and providing objects through DoorDash.
As soon as reworking at Mac’s Outdated Home is full, Martinez and Harrison will switch restaurant operations to Sheri Vallero and her youngsters, Terriane Reed and Roger Born, who’ve expertise within the meals business.
Particulars: macsoldhouse.com
MEZE & KEBAB, Palo Alto
From the house owners of the upscale Turkish-Mediterranean restaurant Meyhouse (see above) comes an interesting informal idea.
You’re accustomed to all-you-can-eat sushi and bottomless hot-pot meals. How about all-you-can-eat meze and kebabs, with servers roaming the eating room just like the gauchos at Brazilian steakhouses?
That’s what proprietor Koray Alinstoy and govt chef Omer Artun will unveil in late January within the downtown house subsequent door to Meyhouse.
Bonus: With affordability in thoughts, they’re planning to cost cocktails from $10 to $12.
Particulars: 632 Emerson St., Palo Alto; mezekebab.com
AND COMING IN 2027 TO WALNUT CREEK
Whereas followers of the long-running downtown favourite, the Walnut Creek Yacht Membership, could also be wanting to see a seafood restaurant again on this house as quickly as doable, the brand new house owners predict a 2027 opening date for its alternative, Oceania.
— Hema Sivanandam contributed to this report.
