Here Are the Bay Area’s Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings of Summer 2024 (2024)

Summertime is here and the time is right to get plans going with your group of friends for a fun night out on the town or a memorable weekend meal. It’s also the time for a slate of new restaurants and bars to enter the Bay Area dining scene, and there are a slew of exciting spots opening their doors to the public in the upcoming months. Here are some spots we can’t wait to try.

Arandas

Opening: June 17

Arandas is a new Mexican restaurant led by chef Adrien Nieto, who worked his way through kitchens in Chicago and Los Angeles following a career-starting stint on Masterchef in 2011. Opening inside the Hotel Les Mars property in Healdsburg, Nieto will prepare a mix of traditional Mexican dishes based on family recipes, as well as his own creative takes on the cuisine. Dishes will highlight fresh produce from the farm at Chalk Hill Winery, with a 60-seat dining room flush with “sophisticated hacienda” vibes. 29 North Street, Healdsburg

Binu Bonu

Opening: June

Original La Ciccia owners Lorella Degan and Massimiliano Conti are back with a new project, this time a wine bar and bottle shop situated in West Portal. Binu Bonu will focus on Italian wine producers making sustainable wines that promote indigenous varietals, with minimal intervention. There is no proper kitchen, but Conti promises options such as charcuterie, cheese, and cicchetti to nosh on alongside each glass. 230 West Portal Avenue, San Francisco

Dos Pescados

Opening: June

Chef Trent Lidgey is starting up a new venture in Aptos dubbed Dos Pescados, serving coastal Mexican cuisine. Befitting of Lidgey’s other restaurant, One Fish Raw Bar, diners can expect a robust raw bar, plenty of tacos, and a bar program that will focus on smaller producers of tequila and mezcal. 21 Seascape Village, Aptos

Hardy Wilson

Fiorella Noe Valley

Opening: June

Fiorella continues expanding its empire with a fourth location in Noe Valley designed by STUDIO. Expect the same favorite Italian food that made Fiorella a San Francisco favorite, with a deep selection of spritzes and a six-seat pizza bar to watch the food magic happen. Those longing to bring Fiorella’s food home can mosey up to the restaurant’s convenient takeout window. 4042 24th Street, San Francisco

Heads & Tails Barbecue

Opening: June

Heads & Tails Barbecue is a new Berkeley spot promising an approachable selection of brisket, ribs, wings, and more, done in a style that operating partner Drew Majoulet describes as “Tex-Mex meets California meets neighborhood bar.” Smoked meats will arrive tableside after a trip through the restaurant’s Southern Pride rotisserie smoker, with starters such as smokehouse poutine and stuffed bacon-wrapped peppers meant to round out a meal or a round of drinks. 2121 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley

Delilah’s

Opening: July

The Causwells team is readying low-proof co*cktail bar Delilah’s for the Marina this summer, taking over a neighboring space just two doors down from the Chestnut Street burger favorite. Expect nothing but inventive takes on low-proof co*cktails from bar director and partner Elmer Mejicanos with Southeast Asian-inspired snacks and dishes meant to pair with Delilah’s drinks. 2336 Chestnut Street, San Francisco

The Right Touch Designs

Amara

Opening: Late July/early August

Amara is a new Mediterranean-inspired restaurant from Reena Miglani and Ajay Walia of Saffron, and they’ve recruited chef Bret Tullis of Campton Place to run the kitchen. Expect an elegant dining room with hand-painted frescoes that will delight alongside a menu of showstopping plates, such as a lamb shoulder slow-cooked in a tagine. Jonathan Adler of New York’s Noda and Shinji’s consulted on the co*cktail program creating enticing drinks such as the savory Dolma Martini, made with preserved grape leaves, gin, and rice-based vodka. 1015 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont

Merchant Roots

Opening: August

Merchant Roots built its name on immersive tasting menus, and now chef Ryan Shelton is moving his restaurant across town to SoMa. Expect the same wild and experiential dinners as before, but of course, the team has a few new tricks up its sleeves. Jon de la Cruz of DLC-ID will design the new space, with plans to carve out a section of the restaurant as a “pseudo-secret bar” with low-proof and nonalcoholic co*cktails as well as plant-based bar snacks. 148 Mission Street, San Francisco

AvroKO

Prelude

Opening: August

Set inside the Jay Hotel, Prelude is a new restaurant serving “Southern-inspired contemporary cuisine” from chef Celtin Hendrickson-Jones, formerly of Niku Steakhouse and Commis. The menu features dishes inspired by Hedrickson-Jones’s grandmother and great-grandmother and based on family recipes. Hendrickson-Jones will employ his cooking background in the dishes as well, creating an innovative menu that crosses California produce with the nostalgic food of his childhood. 433 Clay Street, San Francisco

Eos & Nyx

Opening: Mid-summer

This two-story restaurant from the team behind Paper Plane and MINI Boss is expected to be a stunner, serving “traditional Mediterranean cuisine from France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and North Africa.” On deck to run the kitchen is chef Nicko Moulinos, who’s worked at Le Bernardin in New York and Taverna in Palo Alto among other spots. Details are sparse on the menu, but diners can expect a menu of mezze, grilled meats, seafood, and brunch staples. 201 South Second Street, Suite 120, San Jose

Enclos

Opening: Summer

Enclos has Michelin cred to spare, thanks to head chef Brian Limoges who’s spent time in the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants Atelier Crenn, Quince, Saison, and Birdsong. He’s opening the restaurant in partnership with Stone Edge Farm Vineyards & Winery, and Enclos will feature an 8- to 10-course tasting menu, per the San Francisco Chronicle. 139 East Napa Street, Sonoma