The Transamerica Pyramid has made headlines for many things during its 50-year existence — first, over residents’ fears it would mar the city skyline, and most recently, for sitting at the center of a $600 million lawsuit between the building’s owner and an ultra-luxe club. But it’s been decades (at least) since the San Francisco landmark drew attention for food.
That, however, is about to change.
Michael Shvo, the real estate mogul who purchased the tower for $650 million in 2020, has tapped Florida-based star chef Bradley Kilgore and his restaurant management company, Kilgore Culinary, to up the ante on the building’s food and beverage offerings from bottom to top.
Kilgore, who was named one of the best new chefs in America by Food & Wine magazine in 2016, will not only open two public restaurants on the street level, he’ll also provide food for tenant-only amenities, including a sky lounge and 48th-floor cocktail bar, as well as catering services for events hosted on-site. The restaurants will include a casual bistro called Cafe Sebastian and a Japanese-Italian restaurant and bar called Ama by Brad Kilgore.
The Transamerica Pyramid marks chef Kilgore’s first expansion to the West Coast. He relocated part-time to the city to join in on the $400 million renovation of the property. The offer to oversee a number of food concepts at the iconic site was a “no brainer,” he said. It comes on the heels of the March opening of Kilgore’s steakhouse CIMA in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The chef seems to have his sights set on an international empire, having also signed contracts to provide culinary services for an upcoming OCN Resort in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, and the Rosewood Residences in Hillsboro Beach, Florida.
Cafe Sebastian, named for Kilgore’s son, will be the first of the Transamerica Pyramid restaurants to open this October. It moves into a ground-floor space at Transamerica Three, one of two smaller buildings adjacent to the tower. The vision is for it to be more than just an amenity for Transamerica Pyramid tenants; Kilgore sees the restaurant becoming an “everyday staple of the [Jackson Square] neighborhood.”
To that end, it will serve breakfast and lunch. For morning commuters, Cafe Sebastian will stock a selection of pastries baked on-site, plus coffee and espresso. Lunch means a menu of grab-and-go food, such as salads and sandwiches, plus hot entrees like a spatchcock chicken in an everything-seasoning crust. The restaurant will stock a “pretty intense” lineup of half bottles of wine, ideal for splitting over a meeting or midday meal, Kilgore said.
But a locally owned Pret a Manger it will not be — “no spinach turkey wraps,” the chef promises. Instead, he plans to serve one-of-a-kind items like bone-broth coffee. Everything on the menu will be seasonal, Kilgore said, adding that he arrived in San Francisco on Friday and had already hit three farmers’ markets (Ferry Building, Clement Street and Marin) during his first weekend in town.
For customers with a sweet tooth, Kilgore designed a gelato and shave ice shop, to be run by his wife and pastry chef, Soraya Caraccioli-Kilgore. Called MadLab Kakigori, it’s a spinoff of sorts of her Miami ice cream company, MadLab Creamery, and will sell both Japanese-style shave ice and house-made gelato.
Cafe Sebastian will have a digital ordering kiosk and QR codes that allow customers to order and pay their bills without having to wait for staff. Seating will spill out into Mark Twain Street, a narrow alleyway that runs from the east side of the pyramid to Sansome Street. Tables and chairs will be scattered under a canopy of young flowering cherry trees, just steps from Redwood Park, which will soon be open to the public.
Around the corner but in the same building, Kilgore will open Ama by Brad Kilgore, an ambitious ’70s-inspired concept that’s part bar, part restaurant and part hi-fi lounge. The front of the space includes a six-seat bar that winds back toward a larger main dining room fitted with a circular couch, wood-encased speakers, a DJ booth and a glittering disco ball. There will be à la carte and tasting menus, both of which will see Kilgore put his spin on itameshi cuisine, which fuses Japanese and Italian cooking traditions. He’s not a sushi chef, so the raw fish will be limited to sashimi and a few temaki, or hand rolls — think toro and pork belly with a banana miso sauce.
The building that houses both restaurants was formerly the home of legacy restaurant Sai’s Vietnamese. After news of Shvo’s plan to redevelop the property, the 41-year-old restaurant relocated to a nearby space on Columbus Avenue. Now its former address will be transformed into prep kitchen space and offices for Kilgore’s restaurants.
The restaurant openings are just one part of Shvo’s $400 million redevelopment plan for the Transamerica Pyramid, which has been underway since 2022. Project architect Norman Foster has already updated the tower’s lobby, including raising the ceilings and removing interior walls to open up the space to the street.
On the 26th floor, tenants can enjoy a luxurious sky lobby that offers bridge-to-bridge views of the city. Kilgore will roll out a food menu for the space, which is outfitted with low-slung leather couches and an espresso bar. A private cocktail bar is still under construction on the 48th floor, the highest floor accessible by elevator. Ama is expected to open in December.