Fish o'clock
Nopa Fish, Best Boy Electric, The Bar by Accarrino's, Umami Mart, best Santa Cruz restaurants, MORE
RESTAURANTS • Intel
→ BUZZ BUZZ: A freshly launched cafe in Japantown’s New People building matches the structure’s quirky-cool aesthetics — and serves a damn good cup of coffee, too. Best Boy Electric opened last week with the standard caffeine roster; there’s also a matcha menu and an Okinawa Kokuto Latte, the black sugar drink that can get you through pretty much any procrastinated task. The airy, sunny space is already packed with chic Kinokuniya shoppers and neighborhood regulars; two tops turn over quickly enough that a “for here” pot of tea is risk-free. Mon-Fri 9a-4p, Sat-Sun 10a-5p, 1746 Post St (Japantown), walk-ins only.
→ SENATORIAL: Fillmore Italian spot SPQR has been an evening standby since 2007, but the pandemic got chef Matthew Accarrino to start thinking about daytimes. First, he opened counter-service cafe Mattina around the corner in 2023. Now, he’s launched a weekend business called The Bar by Accarrino's inside SPQR’s walls. From 11a-3p on weekends, there’s wine (glasses and bottles), spritzes, and a seafood-centric menu of crudo, mussel soup, and shellfish donuts (h/t SFist). 1911 Fillmore St (Fillmore), reserve. –Eve Batey
RESTAURANT LINKS: In Noe Valley, Mr. Digby’s goes dark • Cult-fave brunch spot Breadbelly opens Pier 70 outpost • Rendez-Vous shutters in Oakland • Marin Joe’s changes hands • Zachary’s Chicago Pizza expands to Livermore • Unnamed SF restaurant set to serve lab-grown salmon • AI-powered website ranks diners by appearance in SF, NY, LA.
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Market catch
The Skinny: Last month in the Ferry Building, chef Laurence Jossel and partner Holly Rhodes opened Nopa Fish, a fish counter slash fast-casual restaurant spin-off of their destination Divisadero restaurant Nopa. This time, seafood purveyor Joe Conte of Water2Table is also in the mix as an advisor. It’s the first fishmonger in the Ferry Building since the San Francisco Fish Company shuttered in 2020, so the business rights a significant wrong: A major port city deserves a seafood market in its food hall.