Mexican Restaurants Archives - Page 13 of 33

Our 9 Favorite New Restaurants in San Francisco + Oakland in 2022

Posted on06/12/202308/08/2023Author

As the second pandemic winter came to a close, San Francisco and Oakland lit up with a slew of new restaurants by long-beloved and up-and-coming chefs, alike.

While we couldn’t make it to everyone (we saw you Birch & Rye, Slug, and Mijoté), we did our best to do justice to the 2022 renaissance. From Tenderheart to Damansara, our favorite new restaurant of the year took on flavors from near and far with style and passion—and left us wanting more.

Here are 7×7’s favorite new restaurants of 2022.

The craveable Good Good chicken wings with garlic rice stuffing and adobe glaze.(Marc Fiority, Gamma Nine Photography)

Good Good Culture Club

Good Good Culture Club, the sophomore effort by chef Ravi Kapur of Liholiho Yacht Club fame, took the city by storm when it opened at the beginning of 2022. Last month, it was named one of Esquire‘s the best new restaurant in the US, and that comes as no surprise to us. With a welcoming space (not to mention one kick-ass roof deck) and dishes like Mom’s Lao sausage, pork belly marinated in aromatic oyster sauce, and whole petrale sole fried two ways with plum chili glaze, Good Good is great (great). // 3560 18th St (Mission), goodgoodcultureclub.com

Tenderheart

The new restaurant inside the stylish Line hotel caught us off guard with its innovative take on California fare. Executive chef Joe Hou reimagines familiar ingredients through the lens of his Chinese-American upbringing to come up with dishes like creamy burrata with nutty, charred salsa macha, fiery pickled gypsy peppers, and crisp wontons; caviar with tiny, perfect English muffins and buttery salted egg yolks; and ribeye with Sichuan peppercorn jus and fried bone marrow. Tenderheart is exciting, sometimes unusual, and so unforgettable. // 33 Turk St. (Tenderloin), thelinehotel.com

Hi Felicia

The chef goes by one name only: Imana. She’s a BIPOC woman in her mid-20s and she totally disrupted the fine dining machine this year with her “vulgar” brick-and-mortar, Hi Felicia. The Uptown Oakland restaurant is a choreographed performance starring Mexican- and Japanese-influenced California comfort fare like tamales made with lavender-scented masa; caviar soup; and raw halibut with miso, cashew slaw, and blue corn tortillas. But it’s not just the delicious food and the campy, playful atmosphere that floors us—it’s the subversive celebration of individuals of every identity coming together over dinner. // 326 23rd St. (Oaklands), resy.com

Imperfectly perfect pizzas with a side of funk at Shuggie’s Trash Pies + Natural Wine.(Erin Ng)

Shuggie’s

We love this Mission pizza joint not just for its ooey-gooey pies but for its commitment to sustainability. Brought to life in maximalist yellow-and-green technicolor by the duo behind Ugly Pickle Co., Shuggie’s primary ingredients are blemished and surplus produce, under-used byproducts, meat off-cuts, and bycatch. But don’t go thinking that Shuggie’s is just a gimmicky pizza joint riding the climate change wave. The natural wines and pizzas like the au-gratin-like Dead Combo (salt cod, potatoes, farm eggs, white sauce) and the Sausage Party (guanciale vodka sauce, grape must, sausage, olives) are delicious. // 3349 23rd St (Mission), shuggiespizza.com

Damansara

San Francisco finally has a brick-and-mortar dedicated solely to the culinary heritage of Malaysia. If you ask us, Damansara was worth the wait. The rich scents that pour from the door of Tracy Goh’s low-key Noe Valley restaurant taste as good as you think they will: Dishes include the likes of laksa with two-day coconut broth; achar crew with turmeric pickled veggies, crushed peanuts, pineapple, and tofu; and cereal and salted egg fried chicken. Plus, they’re among the most affordable new eats the city has to offer. // 1781 Church St. (Noe Valley), damansarasf.com

Burned cauliflower with gochujang at Pomet.(Aomboon Deasy)

pomets

It doesn’t get fresher or more local than Oakland’s Pomet, a restaurant launched by second-generation farmer Aomboon Deasy and fired up by Benu and Blue Hill at Stone Barns chef Alan Hsu. His Asian heritage whispers through a menu that includes seasonal produce from family farms in dishes like crispy Liberty duck leg with gochujang and pickles; ugly mushroom filled pasta with corn miso butter; and McFarland trout with celery root, beans, and grapes. Housed in a Julia Morgan original, the cozy restaurant is a delight, a welcome reminder of our Bay Area bounty. // 4029 Piedmont Ave. (Oaklands), pomet-oakland.com

Handroll Project

Handrolls are having a moment in the Bay Area and the Handroll Project is leading the pack. Brought to the Mission by the team behind Michelin-awarded Jū-Ni, executive chef Geoffrey Lee crafts taco-shaped rolls like salmon and sesame with ikura and bonito flakes; smoked hamachi with shiso and Japanese green onions; and creamy scallops with miso aioli and avocado in a minimalist, light-bright space. Order a la carte or go for sets of five, seven, or 10 rolls for

BentoBox Releases 2022 Restaurant Trend Report With Insights From Over 14,000 Restaurants

Posted on07/11/202308/08/2023Author

Amid a year of hospitality industry challenges, BentoBox found that restaurants leaned on technology to drive discovery, enable direct consumer relationships, and save $33 million on third-party fees.

NEW YORK, dec. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — BentoBox, the restaurant technology company that partners with over 14,000 restaurants worldwide, today announced its 2022 Restaurant Trend Reporta data-forward look at the trends defining the industry this year.

Amid ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, and continued staffing shortages, the Restaurant Trend Report breaks down how the industry has evolved over the past year and what’s coming in 2023. Here are this year’s leading trends:

Cost pressures escalated across the board. While consumers returned to in-house dining, restaurants struggled to meet demand amid rising costs in both food and labor.

To combat labor shortages, 2022 saw a 9% increase in job postings and recruitment efforts on BentoBox websites from 2021.
While 91% of restaurants increased prices this year, 85% still report being less profitable than pre-pandemic.

Restaurant technology helped restaurants drive high-margin revenue. In search of clever solutions, restaurants leveraged technology such as email marketing and direct e-commerce to tap into repeat business with low acquisition costs.

Revenue from loyalty program promotions increased by 74% year-over-year. In total, repeat customers account for 35% of online orders, up from 29% in 2021.
BentoBox also found that revenue from digital gift cards increased by 9% in 2022. The average online gift card sold for $120but diners redeemed just 73% of that amount, with restaurants keeping the difference.

Diners used search engines and websites more than third-party apps. When a diner viewed a new restaurant this past year, there was a 75% chance their journey passed through the restaurant’s website.

Search Engines and Websites were the top two channels for finding new restaurants, outpacing Social Media and Third-Party Apps.
68% of diners age 40 and under were more likely to find new restaurants using the search engines they use daily than diners 41 and over.
Nearly half of adult diners did not use third-party reservation platforms to discover new restaurants.

Online ordering became part of the new normal. Once a lifeline amid COVID-19, online ordering sustained its momentum in 2022.

BentoBox saw an 18% increase in restaurants offering direct online ordering.
Restaurants that offered direct-to-consumer delivery through BentoBox saved $33 million on third-party fees.
As for tipping habits, only 88% of diners tipped on delivery, while 63% opted to leave a tip on pickup orders.
BentoBox found the three states with the best tippers to be Maine, Kentuckyand Delawarewith the three worst states for tipping being Oklahoma, Georgianand Texas.

In-person dining returned. Heading into the second full year of the recovery, reservations are in demand again and operators are leveraging in-person events as a valuable revenue channel.

The data showed an 84% increase in online ticketed event sales, pointing to a strong return to in-person experiences.
Customers are comfortable dining indoors again, with reported comfort levels higher and Google searches for “restaurant COVID” terms lower than any other time since the pandemic.

visit 2022restaurants.com to access the full report and read about emerging trends to watch for in 2023 surrounding labor costs, consumer interest, social media usage, and more. For additional information on BentoBox’s 2022 Restaurant Trend Report, please contact [email protected].

About BentoBox

The BentoBox Marketing and Commerce Platform delivers a seamless guest experience dedicated to accelerating growth and helping restaurants thrive. BentoBox empowers modern restaurants to build their online presence, engage with diners, diversify revenue streams and increase operational efficiency. To do so, the platform includes products such as websites, ordering (online ordering, pre-order & catering, gift cards, merchandise, tickets), events management, and marketing tools.

Over 14,000 restaurants worldwide rely on BentoBox as their digital front door. BentoBox is trusted and loved by hospitality groups such as José Andrés’s ThinkFoodGroup and Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group and independent restaurants including Emmy Squared, Suerte, and The Meatball Shop.

Contact:
[email protected]

Cision

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bentobox-releases-2022-restaurant-trend-report-with-insights-from-over-14-000-restaurants-301694194.html

SOURCE BentoBox

This tiny Brooklyn restaurant is the toughest reservation in NYC

Posted on31/10/202308/08/2023Author

At 4:45 pm Thursday, Carlos Sevilla and his date, Kriti Shrestha, finally secured a table for two at Masalawala & Sons. It was no easy feat. They’d been trying to snag one since September, when the Indian restaurant — with its Bengali dinner party atmosphere — first opened in a former Park Slope bakery and rapidly became one of the city’s hottest restaurants.

“When it first was about to open, reservations were a month in advance — it was slim pickings,” Park Sloper Sevilla, 37, told The Post. He found himself constantly reloading restaurant reservation site Resy — to no avail.

Dining at Masalawala & Sons is by reservations—only “unless there is any last minute cancellation,” its website alerts. But good luck scoring one at the 36-seat restaurant: the average waitlist is 600 people, a rep for the restaurant told The Post.

By 6 pm on a week night, the vibrant dining room at Masalawala & Sons is nearly full. — By 6 pm on a weeknight, the vibrant dining room at Masalawala & Sons is nearly full.

Tucked into a busy, unglamorous stretch of Brooklyn’s Fifth Avenue not far from the Barclays Center, the humble-seeming restaurant is helmed by James Beard award-winning chef Chintan Pandya and restaurateur Roni Mazumdar. The pair are behind the critically acclaimed Dhamaka on Delancey Street and Adda in Long Island City. Dhamaka was said to have a 1,500-name wait list a full year after opening. Now, Masalawala & Sons — decked out with tangerine-colored murals and fiery orange-and-yellow flower garlands — is experiencing a similar frenzy.

Reservations open on Resy 30 days in advance at midnight, and one savvy diner told The Post they’ve gone so far as to enlist colleagues in London to book for them. That said, four barstools are allotted for walk-ins, and the odd two-top for a weekday 5 or 5:15 pm time slot does pop up.

Masalawala & Sons currently has a 600 person waitlist, a rep for the restaurant told The Post. The restaurant has 36 seats, and four bar stools are open to walk-ins, which typically have to arrive by 4:50, before the restaurant opens at 5p.m. to snag a seat. — Masalawala & Sons currently has a 600 person waitlist, a rep for the restaurant told The Post. The restaurant has 36 seats, and four barstools are open to walk-ins, which typically have to arrive by 4:50, before the restaurant opens at 5 pm to snag a seat.

Sevilla’s hunt for a table became a team effort; Shrestha, 31, who lives in Midtown, is now also trying, but she could only find a table open on Thanksgiving, when both already had plans.

Eventually the couple gave up trying to book online. Since Seville lives in the neighborhood, he walked by and asked for advice. Show up at 4:45 pm, he was told, 15 minutes before the restaurant opens, and he might get seated at 5. Three months after their journey began, they were sitting down for dinner at 5 on the dot.

“We were the first ones seated,” Sevilla told The Post, enthusing over the kosha mangsho, a braised lamb dish. “It was worth it. It was really good.”

The menu at Masalawala & Sons comprises standouts such as the Kosha Mangsho, a braised lamb dish (far left); Daab chingri, prawns cooked inside of a coconut (middle); and the The Ripon Street Majja (front, right) bone marrow topped with shaved eggs. — The menu at Masalawala & Sons comprises standouts such as the kosha mangsho, a braised lamb dish (far left); daab chingri, prawns cooked inside of a coconut (middle); and the Ripon Street majja (front, right) bone marrow topped with shaved eggs.

Getting a table for four on Thursday represented a major victory for Park Slope anesthesiologist Erika Pence, who confessed to having been on the case since October.

“They were booked out for the month every time I tried,” Pence said, savoring his good fortune, along with the forehead vada, a dish of fermented lentil dumplings served with sweet and savory yogurt flecked with roasted cumin.

“I got an email yesterday that someone canceled for 6 pm,” she said.

Despite Masalawala’s electric atmosphere and melting-pot menu fusing Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi and Marathi flavors, there’s a familiar, comfortable vibe. And that’s the point, said Mazumdar. The restaurant is intended as a tribute to the Indian homestyle cooking that his Kolkata-born father loved, and that Mazumdar grew up eating.

James Beard award-winning chef Chintan Pandya is at the helm of Masalawala & Sons with restaurateur Roni Mazumdar. Their restaurant group, Unapologetic Foods, an Indian food empire, comprises Dhamaka, Adda, Semma and Rowdy Rooster. — James Beard award-winning chef Chintan Pandya is at the helm of Masalawala & Sons with restaurateur Roni Mazumdar. Their restaurant group, Unapologetic Foods, also comprises Dhamaka, Adda, Semma and Rowdy Rooster.

It’s the restaurant he tried to open ten years ago on the Lower East Side, which may have lasted a decade, but wound up serving a lot of chicken tikka masala and other dishes Mazumdar didn’t grow up eating. The first Masalawala closed last year; at the reboot, diners seem to be hungry for whatever the James Beard-winning Pandya is serving, familiar or not.

Shortly after 6 pm, a table of three sat attentively as a server carved fresh coconut flesh into shrimp curry, tableside. He reminded diners to scrape up every ounce of the Ripon Street majja, bone marrow in paya curry sauce, onto their fresh-fired pao Indian bread. Diners get an A+, he said,