It’s not hard to find good food in SF, from eateries that have been beloved neighborhood spots for years to new ventures that are constantly popping up throughout the city. Esquire recently released a list of 2023’s best new restaurants, and two SF establishments scored a spot on the lucrative list. The list included restaurants from coast to coast, and LA, Seattle, and San Diego had restaurants featured.
Dalida, a Mediterranean restaurant that opened in the Presidio this summer, and minimalist dream Kiln were both included. The two restaurants are very different both in cuisine and experience.
Dalida offers an eclectic menu of Mediterranean food featuring sections of land, ocean, and garden to choose from, plus a full selection of entrees and pasta. The menu is perfect for sharing, with large entrees options and smaller bites. Nestled in the historic Presidio, the restaurant is just a short walk from the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge and plenty of other idyllic scenery. The restaurant is the newest venture of Laura Ozyilmaz and Sayat Ozyilmaz, formerly of Noosh, who both bring years of impressive culinary experience to Dalida.
Kiln, the other San Francisco restaurant that was featured in Esquire’s list, offers a very different experience. Kiln services a tasting menu nightly featuring a staggering 18-20 courses each night. The entire experience is over two hours long and costs $225 per person. You can make a reservation starting the first of each month for the following month. The restaurant opened in February of 2023 by chef and owner John Wesley, who previously worked at Sons and Daughters as Chef de Cuisine.
While we look forward to all the new restaurants coming in 2024, if you didn’t get a chance to check out Dalida and Kiln, now’s the time. SF had several highly anticipated openings in 2023, including the luxurious rooftop restaurant Chotto Matte, Michelin star chef Ho Chee Boon’s Blue Whale, and Flour + Water’s new pizzeria, among many others. Plus, two SF restaurants ranked in OpenTable’s top 100 restaurants.