The 6 most exciting restaurants and bars opening in SF in September

If you’ve ever wondered what matzo ball soup would taste like in cocktail form, we’ve got good news: By the end of this month, you’ll be able to get an answer. 

This September, San Francisco will welcome an impressive cohort of new restaurants, including Super Mensch, an homage to Jewish deli culture from the Causwells team and Via Aurelia, a Tuscan restaurant from the pros behind Che Fico. 

This month will also see the debut of a handful of new drinking destinations — ranging from a dog-friendly wine bar named after the owner’s own pooch to a new LGBTQIA+ watering hole in one of the city’s most famous neighborhoods. 

If you’re looking for the city’s best new restaurants and bars right now, check out the Hot List, which we update at the beginning of every month. 

Here are the biggest openings scheduled for September.

San Francisco is getting a new destination for Jewish American classics like matzo ball soup, latkes, and pastrami on rye. Super Mensch, a tiny new restaurant and cocktail bar from the partners behind Causwells, pays homage to chef Adam Rosenblum’s childhood memories of family dinners featuring pickled herring and trips to New Jersey’s best delis. The menu features shareable plates like chicken liver mousse and housemade hummus with flatbread, as well as two-hands-required sandwiches and a massive slice of chocolate cake. 

To pair, cocktail expert Elmer Mejicanos has crafted a one-of-a-kind menu that draws inspiration from classic delis, including Langer’s and Katz’s. An egg cream riff marries kosher gin and corn flake-infused cream, while the Cel-Ray puts a boozy spin on a traditional celery soda. With 32 seats and a small parklet out front, the most anticipated restaurant aims to be the Marina’s new destination for everything from weekend brunch to weekday lunch. 

Chef David Nayfeld and business partner Matt Brewer, the duo behind Divisadero Street staple Che Fico, will expand their restaurant empire with Via Aurelia, a sprawling Italian spot set to open at the end of the month. The expansive restaurant — opening at the Mission Rock development in partnership with the San Francisco Giants, Tishman Speyer, and the Port of San Francisco — will specialize in modern Tuscan cuisine, specifically seafood-focused dishes inspired by the coast. 

Regional specialties, including bistecca alla Fiorentina, will star alongside handmade pasta and wines from across Italy, France, and California. Jon de la Cruz, also behind Wayfare Tavern and the Lazy Bear team’s upcoming French restaurant JouJou, is designing the space, which will include a 75-seat dining room. For diners looking for an al fresco meal, there will be a “fully weatherized” patio offering views of the Bay and Oracle Park.

Via Aurelia is not the only big, new Italian restaurant on track to open this month. Absinthe Group, the folks behind Hayes Valley restaurants Absinthe and Abor, will also debut a massive destination for pasta and wood-fired proteins called Bosco. The restaurant will open in the SoMa space that previously housed Spanish destination Bellota, which closed last summer after an 8-year run. The layout of the 230-seat dining room remains much the same despite the change of concept, but expect new lighting and an earthy, forest-inspired color scheme. 

Biodynamic wines from family-owned producers and bottles with a strong sense of terroir will greet visitors at wine bar Frenchie when it opens Sept. 5 on the Mission-Noe Valley border. Former La Mar Cocina Peruana wine director Joel Arias, who is striking out on his own for the first time, conceived his project as an ode to his beloved pet, an 18-month-old French bulldog. (The pooch’s name? Dolcetto, after the sweet wine grape.) Consequently, it’ll be a pup-friendly spot, with involvement from a friend who runs a grooming company and a dog-walker on hand during happy hour. Because Frenchie is opening in the space that was formerly Turkish restaurant Tuba, there will be a small food menu.

The nightlife scene in the Upper Haight is having a moment, with seasoned pros injecting fresh blood into moribund spaces. The next spot to make its debut: Mary’s on Haight, an LGBTQ+ bar at the address that was once home to Trax, which closed in June. It’s a turnkey situation, and the project is likely to retain its predecessor’s relaxed, divey atmosphere. Co-owner Maria Haught anticipates an early September opening, and says she’s doing everything to ensure Mary’s opens in time for the annual Haight Ashbury Street Fair, which is expected to draw some 75,000 Deadheads, hippies, and tie-dye aficionados to the neighborhood on Sept. 7.

We previously reported that Richmond’s 9-year-old brewery East Brother was tentatively set to open its first taproom outside the East Bay, and now we have a firm date: Sept. 17. The project, an indoor-outdoor space in San Francisco’s Metreon shopping center, will be called the Rec Room, and fans can expect about 15 beers on tap to start. It’s the latest in the city’s recent string of craft brewery debuts, and while other Bay Area producers may have stronger name recognition, East Brother’s profile has been on the rise. Its flagship brew, the Bohemian-style pilsner Bo Pils, won the silver medal at the 2024 Brewers Cup of California.