A Christmas staycation in the Bay never looked so good. If you find yourself scouring Downtown San Francisco for last-minute gifts or wandering through Mid-Market’s holiday festivities, there’s a new rooftop lounge that sits atop the recently opened Canopy by Hilton hotel—near the Yerba Buena ice skating rink.
Along with sweeping views of the skyline, Shelby’s Rooftop mixes up artful cocktails like The Monk, a blend of 10-year-old scotch, chartreuse and peach bitters. The food offerings center on small plates that don’t adhere to any single cuisine—expect hamachi crudo and baba ganoush on the same menu.
Shelby’s Rooftop
Yerba Buena
Several other restaurants aren’t waiting until 2023 to open their doors. In San Francisco, there’s a new halal Indian and Pakistani spot in the Inner Richmond and a Taiwanese street food joint in the Mission. In the East Bay, a long-standing Guatemalan food cart just went brick and mortar in El Cerrito. And Shake Shack added another location to fuel 11th- hour shoppers at the Stonestown Galleria.
1. Chaska
Inner Richmond
Think affordable dining options are extinct in the Bay? Think again. The newly opened Chaska specializes in halal Indian and Pakistani street food, like pakora fritters and tandoori barbecue, but there’s also a lengthy list of curries—all of which will set you back $13 or less.
2. Antojitos Guatemaltecos
El Cerrito
KQED first put Yury Aguilar’s Guatemalan food cart on our radar earlier this year, and after seven years of serving tamales out of the back of her car and in front of a panaderia, she finally launched a brick-and-mortar restaurant worthy of her cooking. While there are plenty of places to find corn masa tamales in the Bay Area, Aguilar prepares hers with ground-up rice, a specialty of her native region of western Guatemala. She offers other Guatemalan staples that may be unfamiliar as well, like garnachas—fried corn tortillas topped with refried beans, cabbage and cheese.
3. Shake Shack
Stonestown Galleria
Started from a hot dog stand in New York City; now they’re here. Shake Shack opened its third SF location—and ninth in the Bay Area—at Stonestown Galleria today. You’ll find all the typical options at this Shack, including the Golden State Double, a regional menu item made from sustainable grass-fed beef provided by Oakland’s Cream Co. Meats. Shake Shack will donate a portion of proceeds to local culinary incubator La Cocina on opening day.
4. Piglet & Co.
Mission
Chefs Chris Yang and Marcelle Gonzales Yang drew inspiration from childhood food memories and trips to Taiwanese night markets to bring their pop-up-turned-permanent eatery into fruition. The full menu is still under wraps, but the Yangs offered a few hints at Outside Lands, where they served Chashao pork shoulder and Shoyu hot dogs.