Inspired by European bistros and cafés, San Francisco has started opening up outdoor spaces for customers to dine alfresco. Mayor London Breed specified the guidelines for restaurants to safely serve customers outside, at least until indoor dining can safely resume.
The city has offered special permits to restaurants that don’t have space for a “proper” outdoor area. This makes it possible for them to serve food and drinks to guests sitting at picnic tables on adjacent sidewalks. The guidelines further require patrons to wear masks when entering any dining area, but they can be removed after you’ve been seated. Tables must also be separated, and social distancing must be observed while waiting in line.
54Mint
So even if Covid-19 cases are continuing to rise and California is still under a state of emergency, San Francisco’s new “alfresco era” is a welcome development at the onset of summer — and restaurants across the city are taking advantage of it. The Vault Garden, located in San Francisco’s downtown area, opened in the midst of the pandemic. In addition to a creative cocktail list, the venue offers single-use blankets to customers when it gets chilly at night. Del Popolo also opened an outdoor patio to serve its famous Neapolitan-style pizzas. And A16 has been working very hard to set up their alfresco area on the sidewalk of the Marina, and they’ll be back serving delicious wines, from their special wine list focused on small producers from Southern Italy.
The Vault
Then there’s the kitchen of Perbacco, boasting a menu inspired by Piedmont and Liguria, with scattered tables along the sidewalks of the Financial District – ready to start satisfying patrons’ cravings for agnolotti once again! A number of restaurants — Ideale, the historic Café Trieste , Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, and the legendary Original Joe’s – have also reopened in North Beach, a neighborhood simply made for outdoor seating. La Ciccia is still offering take-out and delivery, though they’ve added some tables to the sidewalk as well. The Mission is also lively, with fan favorites served outside – like Tacolicious, Beretta, and Flour and Water . Foreign Cinema, a San Francisco staple – due to its large patio and summer movie series – has just decided to reopen their courtyard as well.
Foreign Cinema
The restaurant 54Mint in Soma is serving Roman-inspired food and drinks on its summer patio and Montesacro has reopened its doors to serve pinsa and wine on the neighboring venue’s rooftop (at Dottie’s). And last, but not least: Pearl 6101 on California Street is also back in action, serving delectable Mediterranean dishes.
With the rise of new cases in the area, San Francisco bars reopening is still on hold and inside dining is scheduled to resume on July 13. Still, many restaurants have decided to stick with delivery and pick-up rather than opening at half capacity. Many of them are waiting for a safer, calmer time to reopen.