New SF Restaurant Maria Isabel Opens
Chefs Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz, the married couple behind the restaurant Dalida, have opened a new Mexican restaurant in San Francisco named Maria Isabel. The new establishment represents a focused exploration of Mexican cuisine for the acclaimed chefs.
- The restaurant is named Maria Isabel after Chef Laura Ozyilmaz's mother, Isabel, and her sister, Maria. It is located in the Presidio Heights neighborhood at 500 Presidio Ave., the former location of Ella's American Kitchen. - The menu focuses on the coastal cuisines of Guerrero, where Laura Ozyilmaz's mother is from, and Sinaloa, her father's home state, using local California ingredients. The kitchen will nixtamalize corn in-house for fresh tortillas and other masa-based dishes. - Diners can choose between à la carte options and a $90 tasting menu. Signature dishes are expected to include Guerrero-style seafood, lamb rib birria, and green and red chorizo with queso fundido. - The beverage program will highlight Mexican spirits beyond tequila, such as mezcal, sotol, bacanora, and raicilla, as well as Mexican wines from regions like Baja California and Querétaro. - The chefs' other restaurant, Dalida, has received significant acclaim, including being named to Esquire's list of Best New Restaurants in America, Eater SF's Restaurant of the Year, and receiving a 2024 James Beard Awards semifinalist nomination. - Both Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz have fine-dining backgrounds, having worked at renowned restaurants such as Eleven Madison Park, Le Bernardin, and Saison. - The restaurant's design features two distinct dining rooms: one side is bright and pink, representing Laura's sister Maria, while the other has darker, earthy tones to honor her mother, Isabel. - Before opening their own restaurants, the couple ran a popular pop-up called Istanbul Modern SF, which focused on the Eastern Mediterranean cuisine of Sayat's heritage.
