Bay Area Dining Scene Sees Notable Openings
San Francisco's dining scene continues to expand with several key openings. The team behind Thai spot Khao Tiew is launching a brunch-focused restaurant called Tur, while the legendary Big Four restaurant is reopening on Nob Hill. Meanwhile, Oakland gets a new Ethiopian/Eritrean spot, Nardi Restaurant.
The Big Four's reopening on March 17th marks a significant return for the 50-year-old establishment, which has been closed since 2020. Located in the Huntington Hotel, it was a storied haunt for political figures like former Mayor Willie Brown and the late Senator Dianne Feinstein. The restaurant is named after the four powerful railroad magnates of the 19th century: Collis P. Huntington, Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins. The restaurant's revival is part of a larger remodel of the historic Huntington Hotel, which was purchased in 2023 by Highgate and Flynn Properties after the previous owners defaulted on their mortgage. Noted interior designer Ken Fulk was tasked with the aesthetic revival, preserving original details like ram's horn wall sconces and mirrors etched with the names of the four magnates. Leading the kitchen is chef David Intonato, formerly of Appellation in Healdsburg. While bringing back beloved classics like the chicken pot pie and crab Louie, the updated menu will also feature tableside preparations of steak tartare and a "San Francisco seafood stew," a nod to cioppino. In San Francisco's West Portal neighborhood, Tur is the new venture from Wipada Rattanapun and Arkaranit Dusitnitsakul, the team behind the acclaimed Thai restaurant Khao Tiew. The new restaurant, located just down the street from their first success, will occupy the space of the former breakfast spot Squat and Gobble, which closed after 32 years. Tur will focus on Asian-influenced brunch, with a menu developed by chef Varunthorn Ratanakachain, who previously worked at Darla Café in Saratoga. Diners can anticipate dishes such as Thai-style congee and duck confit, reflecting the homestyle cooking philosophy that brought success to Khao Tiew. Meanwhile, Nardi Restaurant introduces a breakfast-centric menu of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine to Oakland's Pill Hill neighborhood. Opened in February by owner-chef Nardos Alemu, the restaurant serves traditional morning dishes like enkulal firfir (scrambled eggs with injera) and genfo (a thick porridge). The restaurant joins a vibrant scene of family-run Horn of Africa establishments along Telegraph Avenue.
