These six newcomers (or new menus) cover the gamut, from the ultimate Korean barbecue to Mexican brunch in your PJs, if you wish. Alongside this month’s full restaurant reviews — Shuggie’s Trash Pie + Natural Wine, Bansang, Cole Valley Tavern, The Madrigal — these six are worth visiting (as always, I’ve vetted, visited and ordered from each place reviewed):

Korean Feast (& Impossible Reservations): San Ho Won, Mission District No doubt about it, San Ho Won serves some stellar dishes. Soft open since November 2021, it has been a near impossible reservation to snag ever since, unless you’re up for dining after 9:30pm. From Corey Lee of three Michelin-starred Benu and chef Jeong-In Hwang, the focus here is a more refined take on Korean barbecue, cooked over charcoal in an open kitchen, expanding on the preview menu I tried at home in San Ho Won’s test run in 2020. Service in the minimalist space feels Michelin-level from an attentive, “on it” team who keep things flowing seamlessly.

Trying every single banchan, including a banchan special, these small plates are one of the highlights (especially loved haepari muchim: strips of jellyfish and cucumber in hot mustard sauce). Trying half of the barbecued meats, there was an unexpected “one note” kind of vibe to three of four (generally $36–56 for 4 to 10 oz.) Given my deep love and research of American barbecue styles across the South the past 15+ years, fatty unctuousness is of utmost importance, which definitely typifies these meats. But while I appreciated the caramelized fatty goodness, double-cut galbi, pork ribs, even beef tongue, all had a sameness. Only an off-menu special (should be permanent) of killer, thinly shaved gwangyang bulgogi beef broke up the thick cut, uber-sauced and caramelized vibe. So did adding in lettuces (additional $8) for ssam-style wraps. I tried “Korean Rotisserie Chicken” (Cornish hen) on their preview menu, another way to break up the meat styles.

I posit the menu stars are not the meats. Although I was disappointed in the chewy, bordering on tough, grilled tteok (rice cakes), especially as a fan of tteok and tteokbokki,my table was delighted with many dishes: sanma pajeon (mountain yam and green onion pancake), galbi mandu (griddled beef dumplings), a special of mussel gangjung (fried mussels) and saengchae (pickled radish salad), and especially a savory egg soufflé in rock seaweed sauce and spicy anchovy broth, which I long to have for brunch. Samgye jook with abalone is a classic Korean ginseng chicken porridge; it’s the kind of gourmet comfort food that feels like it could heal you when sick.

Bottles of soju (especially dry, aromatic Seoul Night Plum Soju), umami-rich Yangchon Chungju and light, easy SOL Highball of Hwayo, aged pine needle syrup and lime made for the right pairings. Dessert was the low point, though we tried the entire section, including both soft serve ice creams. Dotori choux was hard, dalgona cheesecake forgettable and banana milk soft serve, though the best option, still barely exuded a whisper of banana. A $94 tasting menu is a good way to try a cross-section of the especially long menu, as ordering a la carte can quickly add up to far more than that per person.

// 2170 Bryant Street, www.sanhowon.com

Ayesha Curry and Mina Comfort Food: International Smoke, SoMa When I first visited International Smoke (original of two locations, the other in Vegas) not long after opening in 2017 in the Millennium Tower, I must admit I was nonplussed. The food from beloved Ayesha Curry and Michael Mina was solid, but the experience felt attuned to suburban visitors hoping to get a glimpse of Ayesha or her famed Golden State Warriors husband, Steph Curry, not so much a locals’ destination. It feels more Dallas or Vegas than SF. On a recent revisit, the earnestness of the staff and comfort of new dishes and drinks may not change all that, but confirm you can have a good meal here.

Chef’s family-style tasting menu is a reasonable $85 given the amount of food (plus $35 for optional drink pairings), especially for a cross section of Int’l Smoke hits like Ayesha’s irresistible cornbread in Thai red curry butter or Peking smoked pork belly bao buns. Smoked ribs are a menu centerpiece, although my extensive travels across the South to study all barbecue styles make me a picky BBQ fan. Trying all three ribs, one was gristly, one too dry. Only one was the right combo of tender fat and meat. But rib sauces starred on all three: Mexican chipotle, Korean gochujang and the best: “American BBQ,” all caramelized sugar with a vinegar hit. It tastes like a mashup of Kansas City’s consummate sweet-savory style sauce with North Carolina’s vinegary brightness. Cocktails are worthwhile, including Isn’t She Lovely: Monkey Shoulder blended scotch, velvet falernum, brûléed grapefruit, honey, mint and lemon (and Scotch cocktails are often mediocre on many menus).

Sleeper hits include two new dishes: a Spring succotash of corn, tomato and guanciale (pork jowl) or a bitter-bright chicories slaw of radicchio, jicama, cilantro, jalapeño and Clover honey dressing. I was comforted by silky wood-fired roasted salmon in Korean chili glaze, and felt “guilty pleasure” vibes sipping a not-too-sweet “Boozy Java” vodka martini, earthy with Oreo and Mina blend espresso, better than most Espresso Martinis and an ideal finish.

// 301 Mission Street, https://internationalsmoke.com/locations/san-francisco

Mexican Brunch in Your PJs: Merkado, SoMa/South Beach There’s enough top-notch mid-range Mexican spots in SF — from the great Nopalito to Padrecito — that Merkado may not be a priority to cross town for. But whether you visit pre-Giants’ game or walk over for margaritas and tacos post-Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, Merkado is an improvement from former Tres, opening in that space in 2020. Jammy Jam Sunday brunch series (with DJs) debuted March 27, running every Sunday through fall, where you’re invited to come in your PJs in their 1800-square-foot-patio. Sweet staff serve Yucatán chef Lorenzo’s food, including a Mexico-proper queso fundido, cheesy and thick under a generous layer of pork chorizo, chile poblanos, roasted corn and caramelized onions. Another standout appetizer is quesadilla cangrejo: Dungeness crab, Oaxaca cheese and mango pico de gallo in an earthy huitlacoche tortilla, accented with roasted tomatillo salsa and crema. A special of lechon tacos is tender, slow-roasted pork goodness, even better accompanied by an earthy-tart Agave on Beet cocktail of El Tesoro reposado tequila with muddled red beets, lemon and simple syrup.

// 130 Townsend Street, www.merkadosf.com

Korean Takeout By the Beach: Hotline, Outer Sunset Some friends call Queens in the Inner Sunset as high-priced. It is, but it’s a one-of-a-kind, sliver of a superette selling high quality Korean groceries, including coffee beans from hip Seoul roasters. And I love their housemade snacks to-go. So I made a beeline when Queens’ Clara Lee and Eddo Kim opened their Korean-Chinese spot, Hotline, this February in the Outer Sunset a couple blocks from the ocean and all about takeout.

The format is simple: alongside bottled and canned Korean drinks, there are a few to-go dishes, plus combos of 1–3 entrees with one side ($11–19). The three-plate offers a chance to try a few: kkangpoong saewoo (umami-rich fried prawns, scallion, garlic, chives, dried chilis, ginger), gan jjajang (earthy-savory minced pork, onion, zucchini, shiitakes, green cabbage) and tang soo yook (strips of fried pork dipped in a sweet and sour gravy). I like a simple side of japchae bap: vermicelli, white rice, onion, carrot, garlic chives and wood ear mushrooms. $3 is a lot for a tasty but tiny hot mustard with Korean lager beer and rice vinegar, but the plates are a good value for the amount of food. Most of all, it’s refreshing to try dishes we don’t see at every Korean restaurant (Hotline also delivers via DoorDash and the far less reliable Bbot).

// 3560 Taraval Street, www.hotlineasap.com

Mexican Food Nestled in the Presidio: Colibri Mexican Bistro The Presidio Officers’ Club has an incredible history back to the 1700s, since its days under Spanish and Mexican rule, to its Moraga Hall where officers held dances and events frequented by Old Hollywood movie stars. Nestled in the stunning, nearly 1500 acre Presidio, I miss the more gourmet Mexican food and elevated cocktails of Traci Des Jardins’ Arguello formerly in the space. But at least Colibri Mexican Bistro, a Geary Street longtimer for 18 years from restaurateur Eduardo Rallo and partners, has moved in. COVID changes pushed them out of their original space, but they reopened here May 1st, 2022, with Bay views in the distance and over half of their team returning.

Sweet service and handmade tortillas being made from a mounds of masa on the patio makes it a heartwarming spot for brunch or lunch, cozier inside for dinner. While balance issues pervaded the cocktails, the one of three I tasted that worked was refreshing Sandia Loca: Montelobos Espadin mezcal, lime juice, honey syrup, watermelon juice. Chef Edgar Castro keeps it classic with a solid chilaquiles (verde or rojo/red or green sauce) and chile relleno stuffed with carnitas over pureed black beans. Guacamole is nicely served in a molcajete to your level of spiciness, although was a bit flat. Extra lime juice would have helped, but spooning in the acidic broth from our ceviche de Pescado (whitefish) did the trick. All in all, it’s a nurturing experience surrounded by nature.

// 50 Moraga Avenue, www.colibrimexicanbistro.com

Nepalese Rarities: Piroo, Lower Nob Hill Dubbing their food “Nepali tapas” on Instagram, Piroo in Lower Nob Hill (opened late March 2022) offers harder-to-find dishes you don’t often see on other Nepalese-Himalayan menus. Chicken choila wraps in lettuce cups (or bowls) are delicately spiced, light yet meaty. Chatpate, a Nepali street snack not unlike Indian bhel puri (pani puri is also on Piroo’s menu), is a bowl of puffed rice, instant noodles, onions, cilantro, lime juice, chickpeas and cucumber. While I love the chatpate’s crunchy crisp, without sauce, it’s dry, begging for a dressing to tie it together. Kachilla/kachilā is a Nepalese Newari dish of minced raw meat (typically chicken, water buffalo, lamb) tossed with garlic, coriander, chili, fenugreek, turmeric. Here, it’s chopped, lightly cooked salmon with rice, giving it lighter, healthy vibes, a nurturing entree.

// 1101 Polk Street, www.instagram.com/piroosf

Celebrating the free-wheeling spirit of the Bay Area — one sentence at a time.

Founding The Perfect Spot in 2007, Virginia is World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ Chairperson, judging & writing/editor at 60+ publications on dining & drink globally