New Izakaya, Northern Thai & More: SF Restaurant News

The Union Square dining scene picked up a new arrival this week as TBD, a Japanese izakaya, moved into the former Akikos space at 431 Bush Street. The collaboration pairs Ray Lee, who ran Akikos before relocating that restaurant to 430 Folsom Street, with Tommy Cleary, previously behind the Divisadero yakitori spot Hina Yakitori. The menu leans into izakaya classics, including Hokkaido scallop crudos, tsukune, and chicken karaage, alongside yakitori-style “medium-rare” chicken served without skewers. The spot doesn’t appear to take reservations yet, and the name itself may still be a work in progress.

The Castro welcomed a new Northern Thai restaurant last week when Ka Kai opened in the former Thai Chef space at 4133 18th Street. The kitchen is run by alums of Farmhouse Kitchen and its affiliated restaurants. The menu features Northern Thai dishes including mu thod and ka paw duck, all served in handmade bowls imported from Thailand’s Lampang Province. The restaurant appears to have opened in soft-launch mode, but the menu is already generating attention.

Over in the Marina, Izzy’s Steaks and Chops has a new chef. Cory Armenta, who previously worked at Left Bank Brasseries and LB Steak, has updated the starters with spring-focused additions, including asparagus with sauce gribiche and crispy artichokes with preserved lemon aioli. Izzy’s, which reopened last year following renovations, is also introducing a seasonal vegetarian entree: artichokes en barigoule with spring vegetables, sundried tomato, and vegetable consommé.

In the Tenderloin, a new Yemeni-style falafel spot called Falafelland has opened at 265 Golden Gate Avenue at Hyde. The falafel is made using a signature recipe that incorporates avocado and blueberries, and the menu also includes lamb lavash wraps.

The Michelin Guide added five Bay Area restaurants to its listings this week, several months before the full California guide update expected this summer. The additions in San Francisco are Restaurant Naides, Le Cigale, Dingles Public House, and Wolfsbane. Yeobo, Darling in Menlo Park also made the list. The summer update will include new star ratings and Bib Gourmand designations.

Not every story this week was a celebration. Two local brewing institutions announced closures in the coming weeks. Trumer Pils, the Berkeley brewery and taproom, will shut down at the end of May. The Pilsner brand, which traces its origins to Germany, has been acquired by Firestone Walker Brewing Company, and US operations will move to Firestone’s headquarters in Paso Robles. For East Bay residents who’ve made the taproom a regular stop, May will be the last call.

Closer to home, Black Hammer Brewing Company in SoMa is closing its doors April 3. Owners Jim “Hammer” Furman and Kevin Jackey have described their brewery as the world’s only “Burner brewery,” having launched it first at Burning Man eleven years ago before building a permanent SoMa home. Their departure adds to the ongoing attrition in the city’s independent brewing community.

San Francisco’s food scene has always moved fast, cycling through closures, rebirths, and reinventions with a pace that rewards regular attention. This week offered all of it at once: a yakitori veteran trying something new on Bush Street, Thai cuisine rooted in a specific northern province landing in the Castro, and spring produce finding its way onto steakhouse menus. At the same time, two breweries that helped define neighborhood drinking culture are preparing to turn off the taps. Whatever shape the dining scene takes by summer, the city’s appetite for both the new and the lamented shows no sign of slowing.