Dalida Chefs to Open New Mexican Restaurant in SF

- Dalida, the chefs' first restaurant located in the Presidio, serves Eastern Mediterranean cuisine and has received significant acclaim, including being named one of Esquire's Best New Restaurants in America and Eater SF's Restaurant of The Year. - Chef Laura Ozyilmaz, who is of Mexican heritage, will lead the culinary direction of Maria Isabel, drawing inspiration from the coastal traditions of her native Guerrero and her father's Sinaloan roots. Previously, the couple's restaurants, including the now-closed Noosh and their pop-up Istanbul Modern, focused on the Eastern Mediterranean food of Chef Sayat Ozyilmaz's upbringing. - The new restaurant is named Maria Isabel after Chef Laura's sister, Maria, and her mother, Isabel. The 56-seat dining room will be split into two distinct sections, with one side designed to be bright and lively for Maria and the other darker and earth-toned for Isabel. - Maria Isabel is located at 500 Presidio Avenue in Presidio Heights, taking over the space formerly occupied by Ella's American Kitchen. - The menu will aim to fill a gap between taquerias and fine dining in San Francisco's Mexican food scene. It will feature dishes like aguachile, chilorio, and machaca, and the kitchen will nixtamalize its own corn for fresh tortillas. - The beverage program will go beyond typical offerings, featuring less common Mexican spirits like sotol, bacanora, and raicilla, as well as traditional non-alcoholic drinks like chilate. - Chef Laura Ozyilmaz's national profile was raised by her appearance on Season 21 of Bravo's "Top Chef," where she competed just five weeks after opening Dalida. - The husband-and-wife chef team has extensive fine-dining experience, having worked in renowned kitchens such as Saison, Mugaritz, Eleven Madison Park, and Le Bernardin before opening their own establishments.