Killed by an influencer, controversial SF wine bar is reborn with new name and old menu

For the last three weeks, a wine bar near the corner of Hayes and Laguna streets has felt like the center of San Francisco’s dining universe. But as of Aug. 7, the business formerly known as Kis Cafe — which closed abruptly in July after intense fallout stemming from a charged encounter between chef Luke Sung and TikTok influencer Karla Marcotte — has reopened as Bosque. 

Bars and restaurants don’t arrive more quietly than this. Bosque has neither a website nor a social media presence. Googling its name calls up only a barebones Resy page for booking reservations. Kis Cafe’s Instagram account — which has been reduced to two apology posts that continue to rack up heated comments  — gives no indication a successor project has debuted. 

Consequently, business at Bosque has been slow in week one. Monday was the low point, says owner Eric Lin, who co-owned Kis Cafe with Sung. He’s not a chef, but there have been days when he joined the kitchen staff as they scaled and cleaned anchovies, curing and marinating them until they became boquerones. In the absence of many customers, one chef asked him to order more anchovies, just to give him something to do.

On Tuesday at 5 p.m., a handful of tables were occupied with diners snacking on tuna conserva, eggplant gazpacho salad, and plates of steak carpaccio. In line with the menu at Kis Cafe, portions run small, and every dish is priced under $20 to match the affordable, extensive wine list. Bosque, as Lin notes, is not a restaurant but a wine bar. 

The name has changed, but Lin’s goals have not: “I just want to run this little place,” he says, “and have people be able to come here and enjoy themselves.”

Considering the seemingly endless fury of the online mob, Lin has a complicated relationship with the legacy of Kis Cafe and has taken pains to distinguish Bosque from its predecessor. The interior, by San Francisco artist Michael Brennan, is much the same, although he has repainted the exterior beige. The Kis Cafe staff stayed on (and were paid through the two-week closure, Lin said). Sung, who voluntarily stepped down as chef July 27, has no involvement with Bosque. But aside from a handful of specials and a few new wines by the glass, the menu is virtually identical.

The reason is simple, explained Lin — who, along with his former business partner, his team, his friends and family, and even neighboring restaurants that dared show support — has endured almost a month of online hellfire. “The food works,” he said. “I don’t see a point in stressing, and I don’t have the money to overhaul everything right now.”

In other ways, Lin is telegraphing that he has permanently moved on from Kis Cafe. “Bosque” is Spanish for “forest,” which happens to be the name of Lin’s dog. It’s a nod to a pioneering cafe that once occupied the same address — Bar Jules — which was also named for a dog and helped shepherd Hayes Valley’s transformation to a dining destination before closing in 2015.

Over time, Lin will reshuffle the menu and wine list, and Bosque’s identity will strengthen and evolve. He’s particularly excited for the kitchen to experiment with an order of razor clams that’s on its way. He has expressed an openness to partner with influencers again, and recognizes his role as the person who initially invited Marcotte into Kis Cafe. For now, he works without any trace of bitterness.

“I hope to do everybody proud, from Luke to Karla to all of them,” he said. “At the end of the day, everybody likes good food, and everybody likes good drink.”