New Thai Restaurant to Open in SF's Excelsior
San Francisco restaurateur Anna So will open a new Thai eatery, Yamo Zabb, in the Excelsior District. The restaurant adds to Ms. So's existing portfolio of local establishments. The opening expands the diverse culinary options available in the neighborhood.
- Restaurateur Anna So is a veteran of the San Francisco food scene, having immigrated from Thailand in 1986 and worked in various restaurant jobs before opening her first establishment. She launched her original popular eatery, Yamo, in the Mission District in 1995. - This new venture deepens So's existing roots in the neighborhood; she has been a resident of the Excelsior since 1999 and already operates Zabb Thai Cuisine at 4440 Mission Street. - The Excelsior is home to a dense concentration of approximately 500 small businesses, the majority of which are owned by Latinx and Asian entrepreneurs. - Yamo Zabb joins a diverse culinary landscape noted for its authentic ethnic eateries, including a strong presence of Salvadoran, Chinese, and Filipino food establishments. - The neighborhood has been the focus of recent business revitalization efforts, including a 2024 project where a tech company provided free, AI-generated storefront redesigns to local shops to attract more foot traffic. - While the area has struggled with commercial vacancies, its sales tax revenue has been recovering. For the main business corridor on Mission Street, taxable sales dropped from $52.5 million in 2019 to $41.9 million in 2023, after rebounding to $46.2 million in 2022.
