SF openings to watch
- New San Francisco spots buzzing include Sawaan Thai Kitchen, Eliachi & Co, Underdogs Too, and Little Burritos. ( ) - Sawaan is praised for lemongrass catfish and a golden massaman curry, while Eliachi centers authentic chai. ( ) - These openings span Mission, SoMA, and Taraval, signaling neighborhood-level dining momentum. ( )
San Francisco’s latest restaurant buzz is clustering outside the usual downtown comeback narrative, with new attention on a Mission Thai spot, a SoMa chai cafe, a Taraval taqueria, and a Mission breakfast-burrito counter. (restaurantji.com, elaichico.com, underdogstoo.com, theinfatuation.com) Sawaan Thai Kitchen is at 3232 16th Street in the Mission, and its menu includes Thai standards such as tom yum soup with lemongrass and kaffir leaf, massaman curry, mango sticky rice, and grilled skewers. (restaurantji.com, sawaanthai.com) The Infatuation’s September 16, 2025 review said Sawaan mixes “creative and classic Thai dishes” and singled out massaman curry, pad thai, pork jerky with chili paste, and shrimp cakes at the casual walk-in restaurant. (theinfatuation.com) Elaichi Co. has listed a San Francisco cafe at 360 3rd Street, Suite 101, with hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Yerba Buena Partnership also lists the address as a “coming soon” cafe in the neighborhood. (elaichico.com, yerbabuena.org) Eater reported in February 2025 that Elaichi Co. opened near the University of California, Berkeley campus in January 2024 and built a following around chai rather than coffee. That gives San Francisco a second Bay Area location tied to a format that centers South Asian tea service. (sf.eater.com, elaichico.com) Underdogs Too, at 3600 Taraval Street, is not new to San Francisco, but it remains one of the Outer Sunset and Parkside corridor anchors drawing diners west with a sports-bar-meets-taqueria format. The restaurant advertises weekend breakfast from 9 a.m., Taco Tuesday specials, and a menu built around Mission-style burritos, California burritos, and street tacos. (underdogstoo.com, ubereats.com) Breakfast Little, at 3224 1/2 22nd Street in the Mission, has become a reference point in the breakfast-burrito lane. The Infatuation’s January 31, 2024 review said the counter-service shop draws crowds for five burrito variations, including The OG and the plantain-and-queso-fresco Tia Maria. (theinfatuation.com, ubereats.com) Taken together, the addresses map a food story spread across the Mission, South of Market, and Taraval rather than a single corridor. The common thread is smaller-format, neighborhood-serving businesses that are betting San Franciscans will travel for a specific dish or drink, whether that is curry, chai, tacos, or a breakfast burrito. (restaurantji.com, elaichico.com, underdogstoo.com, theinfatuation.com)
