By David Landis, The Gay Gourmet–
You can feel it in the air. There’s a renewed energy in San Francisco: new ideas, new businesses, and best of all, some new restaurants and bars to sample. The Gay Gourmet has been out and about, finding some of the best new haunts for my loyal readers in our beautiful City by the Bay. Here are just a few.
Rikki’s Women’s Sports Bar in the Castro
It’s been a long time since queer women had their own gathering spot in San Francisco. The wait is over! The Gay Gourmet is here to tell you that owners Danielle Thoe and Sara Yergovich have created a beautifully-designed new women’s sports bar and restaurant in the Castro called Rikki’s. It’s named for Rikki Streicher, a founder/sponsor of the Gay Games and owner of former iconic San Francisco lesbian bars Maud’s and Amelia’s. Dedicated to women’s sports, this new offering is at 2223 Market Street, just doors down from Hi Tops (the men’s sports bar in the Castro), but a world apart. You enter and are immediately enveloped in a sophisticated environment that is painted in deep purples, the colors of the Golden State Valkyries basketball team. A full bar lines the left side of the establishment, with adjoining high-top tables. The opposite side of Rikki’s has tables with a birds-eye view of a dozen+ TV screens, all tuned to women’s sports. The cocktail program is diverse, with a great selection of spirits, beers on tap, and mocktails. Plus, you can order pub-like food (smashburgers, fish and chips, and some healthy salads) from the rear kitchen window lit by one-of-a-kind basketball hoop sconces. I visited in the afternoon during a weekday with my lesbian pal Linda, whose eyes lit up once inside. Seeing her excited reaction to having a space like this, where folks can meet up, was everything. Co-owner Danielle was quick to tell me that part of the goal wasn’t just to open a bar or restaurant, but to showcase women’s sports in a space that doubles as a community hub. As one of the signs says at Rikki’s, everyone is welcome. It’s time for all of us to support our tribe’s newest venue.
Zingari Italian Steakhouse and Pasta Bar
If you’re headed to one of the many theatres in Union Square, it’s not always easy finding a great place to dine. Zingari, which has been around for a while in the Donatello Hotel at Mason and Post, has just gone through a renovation—and the results are stunning. The restaurant features an intimate “aperitivo” cocktail bar, live jazz on the weekends, a gorgeous private room painted with Italian murals, and a refreshed main dining room with a contemporary vibe. If you’re going to the theatre, just present your ticket and you’ll get 10% off your bill. For cocktails, I ordered a well-balanced classic Negroni (they also offer three of their own variations of this Italian aperitif), served chilled over a large ice cube to start; my husband had a perfect Tito’s vodka martini. The cicchetti (Italian tapas) items include an aromatic bruschetta with burrata, roasted tomato, olive, balsamic, and extra virgin olive oil. It’s a perfect starter to whet your appetite; the addition of roasted tomato instead of raw tomato ensures that the fruit is sweet and tasty. The night we were there, the chef had a special carpaccio with tonnato (tuna sauce) that was out of this world. We followed with a not-too-spicy but zingy rigatoni con salsiccia pasta. The noodles were topped with ground herb sausage dotted with peas and roasted tomato cream. We selected a lovely dry and earthy Castelvecchi Chianti Classico to accompany our main: grilled, herbed lamb chops with gorgonzola sauce, and large enough to share. I’m usually reticent to order lamb chops for two reasons. First, they can be gamey, and second, they are often overcooked. These chops were perfection: grilled to a delicious medium rare, with a sauce that added another contrasting layer, but didn’t overpower the meat. The accompanying homemade gnocchi were light as a feather. We skipped dessert and opted instead for bartender Tyler’s special espresso martinis. They packed a caffeine punch but also had a creamy sweet flavor profile. Next time, I think I’ll have to try their Brandy Alexander—I haven’t seen that on a menu in years! An added bonus? The restaurant has a happy hour (20% off) from noon until 5 pm, as well as after 9 pm. So, you can grab a nightcap after the theatre, and pocket the savings.
Champagne Billecart-Salmon’s 2012 Vintage of Nicolas François
I attended a preview of Champagne Billecart-Salmon’s latest offering, the 2012 vintage of Nicolas François. My husband and I had just visited the winery outside Rheims, France, last fall. I have to say that their rosé Champagne is far and away my favorite. So, when I got an invitation to meet CEO Mathieu Roland-Billecart for a masterclass celebrating the release of the new Champagne, it took all of two seconds to say, “Yes.” Plus, the event was at the renovated Verjus in Jackson Square, which I had yet to visit. First off, Verjus is a gem: intimate and French, with a gorgeous design set off by tall ceilings. Second, the new Champagne is a winner. According to the winery, it’s “crafted from a selection of great crus from the classified vineyards of Montagne de Reims (pinot noir) and Côte des Blancs (chardonnay). The 2012 vintage stands out for its exceptional growing season, yielding perfectly ripened grapes with both richness and vibrant acidity … it delivers wines of striking aromatic finesse, seamlessly balancing intensity and depth.” I wholeheartedly agree! Let’s hope those European tariffs don’t get approved, so we can continue to enjoy what I believe to be the best Champagne on the planet.
Carlotta’s Cocktail and Wine Bar at the Hotel Julian
For years, my husband and I frequented the Plush Room at the York Hotel to see all the best cabaret acts in town, including Rita Moreno, Karen Mason, and Anita O’Day. When the space closed (and moved to what is now Feinstein’s downtown at the Nikko Hotel), it lay dormant for years. Well, it’s been reborn and the new space, dubbed Carlotta’s Cocktail and Wine Bar, is an eye-opener. It’s named after Carlotta Valdes, a character from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 film Vertigo. The bar and restaurant are located within the Hotel Julian, which was formerly the Empire Hotel (and then the York Hotel). It served as a filming location for the movie, especially room 401. The bar incorporates various nods to the film’s cinematic legacy, including a mosaic behind the front desk depicting Carlotta Valdes, as well as some creative cocktails. The former Plush Room is now Carlotta’s, offering spirits, wines, and small bites. It’s been opened up to the lobby and an interior courtyard. Both spaces serve as an expanded lounge and dining area, with modern touches in bold and vibrant colors. Carlotta’s will start serving a new brunch menu on June 28. The menu features corned beef hash, lobster Benedict, French toast, and a lobster tail Bloody Mary. An official launch party on June 29 (the day of the Pride Parade) will include sips by Ketel One Botanicals.
Erik Piepenburg’s New Book Dining Out
It’s not a new haunt, but it’s all about dining. I had the pleasure of meeting New York Times reporter and author Erik Piepenburg in person about a year ago in San Francisco. At the time, he was researching a book all about great LGBTQ+ restaurants throughout the country, and we had a lively discussion. The book, Dining Out, is now available and I’m pretty sure you’ll find it at Fabulosa Books on Castro Street. The book takes readers on an historical journey that highlights both existing and former important gay restaurants from coast to coast. In his estimation, a gay restaurant isn’t one that is owned or operated by LGBTQ+ individuals, but rather frequented by them. His book is an utter delight, and you’ll be hard-pressed to put it down before you finish all 250-plus pages. Erik is a devotee of diners and so two of the San Francisco institutions he highlights are Orphan Andy’s (whose owners may be selling soon) and the original Hamburger Mary’s at 12th and Folsom. He also chronicles a provocative take on the shuttered Compton’s Cafeteria and its role in LGBTQ history. (Activists are currently trying to secure the former Compton’s venue as a public space for the LGBTQ+ community.) Piepenburg explores how “these and many other gay restaurants, coffee shops, diners, and unconventional eateries have charted queer placemaking and changed the modern LGBTQ civil rights movement for the better.”
David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer, and a retired PR maven. You can email him at: davidlandissf@gmail.com Or visit him online at: https://gaygourmetsf.com/
The Gay Gourmet
Published on June 26, 2025
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