Fall Preview: 5 San Francisco Restaurant Openings to Watch For

Ah, fall. The season of sweater weather, football Sundays–and restaurant openings. Like many other cities in America, San Francisco will see a number of high-profile restaurants open their doors this autumn, adding to so many amazing venues in the city. Here are 5 Bay Area restaurants to watch for this season.

Tosca Cafe: April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman are best known for the legendary Spotted Pig, as well as a number of other restaurants, in NYC. This fall, they’re taking over the nearly century-old Tosca Cafe in North Beach.

Verbena: The folks who brought you Gather, a much-loved locavore-minded restaurant in Berkeley, are coming to Russian Hill with Verbena. Like Gather before it, the new spot will treat vegetables and meat with equal respect, working closely with farmers and animal purveyors.

Alta CA: Daniel Patterson (of Coi, Plum, and Haven) is a key figure in the Bay Area food scene; Alta CA is his newest project, a more casual venue on Market Street.

TBD: AQ was recognized as one of America’s best new restaurants by Bon Appetit in 2012; the team behind that effort will open TBD (that’s the name, not a placeholder!) in the Mission this fall, with particular attention paid to cocktails, wine, and sherry.

La Urbana: Does San Francisco need another Mexican restaurant? Absolutely, say the folks behind this upscale venue, with an extensive mezcal selection and a next-door taco shop in the works.

[Photo: Flickr/markheybo]