Fiddi’s only gay bar is returning, Fiorella is expanding to Noe Valley, and longtime Mission District staple Regalito will have a new presence in the coming months.
Ginger’s (86 Hardy Place), the reinvention of the old Fidi gay bar Ginger’s and its final outpost Ginger’s Trois, has finally risen from the ashes of the pandemic in time for Pride Weekend. As Eater reports, the bar, part of the Future Birds empire that also owns the Rickhouse upstairs (Ginger’s is in the basement with its own alleyway entrance), has been revived by general manager Dana Marinelli and will feature a Friday night opening ceremony with a blessing from Sister Bubbles Bathory of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and drag performances from Miss Suga, Mad Dog 20/20, Kylie Minono, MGM Grande, and Landra Time. More fun awaits on Saturday night and Sunday from 2 p.m.
Charming wood-fired pizza pros Fiorella has opened a new location in the former Paxi location on 24th Street in Noe Valley. According to Tablehopper, Fiorella Noe is serving up a special menu of 12 spritz dishes to go with their handmade pastas and pizzas. The location is serving up a new pasta dish: Octopus Ragu Pasta with house-made squid ink mafaldine, braised octopus, fennel broth, Calabrian chili butter, and herb breadcrumbs. It also kicks off brunch service this Friday, with brunch served three days a week, Friday through Sunday.
Japanese ramen restaurant Hinodeya will open its fourth San Francisco location and seventh Bay Area location in the Marina in August. As reported by the SF Business Times, Hinodeya will be relocating to 3340 Steiner Street, the former site of La Mar’s short-lived Peruvian rotisserie concept Jalanita. Hinodeya has been expanding rapidly here since opening its first location outside of Japan in 2016 at 1737 Buchanan Street in Japantown.
And big changes are coming to longtime Mission District staple Regalito Rosticeria at 18th Street and Valencia Street. The 18-year-old restaurant will be taken over by the niece of the current owner, Andrea Becerra, who already runs a Tablehopper-recognized Mission District restaurant called El Mil Amores. Tablehopper reports that the new restaurant will likely have a new name, Mi Unico Amores, and will feature a new menu of recipes from Becerra’s grandmother, including ceviche and pork stew with tamales, as well as dishes borrowed from El Mil Amores. It’s expected to open around August, but Regalito will remain open in the meantime.
Minnie Belle’s Soul Movement, which recently opened a new location in chef/owner Fernay McPherson’s hometown of Fillmore, is closing its original location at Emeryville’s Public Market. The Chronicle reports that the Emeryville location will close on July 28 so McPherson can focus on serving up great fried chicken and mac and cheese at her new location, which has higher sales.
The New York Times has given Berkeley’s already popular Rose’s Pizzeria a thumbs up, this week naming it the only Bay Area spot on its latest list of the 22 Best Places in America. Writer Brian Gallagher wrote, “The pizzas made by husband-and-wife team Jerad Gobel and Alexis Robaugh, who worked together in Chicago for seven years, draw on both New York and Midwestern tavern traditions.” He also said, “The crust is firm enough that you can’t go wrong with it; you could even hold a slice in one hand.”
Mago, an Oakland Colombian restaurant that opened in 2019 and has undergone several renovations, is adapting its format to offer a discounted tasting menu on weekday nights. As the Chronicle reports, taking inspiration from luxury services like hotels and airlines, which often command a price premium on weekends, former Oakland Quarter Club chef Mark Liberman is offering the same 10-course experience (structured like a dinner party with cocktails on the patio beforehand) for $110 per person on Fridays and Saturdays, and $82 per person on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Photo: Fiorella/Instagram
