SF's Spiciest Restaurant Gossip: Maria Isabel Steals the Spotlight and Fermented Everything Takes Over the Bay
Published: January 10, 2026
Duration: 3:18
Food Scene San Francisco
San Francisco is having a culinary growth spurt, and it smells like grilled chiltepin peppers, fermenting plums, and just‑baked kouign‑amann.
In Presidio Heights, Maria Isabel is the name on every industry insider’s lips. According to Binning Real Estate’s restaurant roundup, chefs Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz of Dalida fame are channeling the flavors of Guerrero and Sinaloa through a California lens, weaving local Dungeness crab, peak‑season citrus, and masa into seafood‑forward Mexican plates that feel both beach‑town casual and tasting‑menu precise. Over in the Design District, JouJou...
San Francisco is having a culinary growth spurt, and it smells like grilled chiltepin peppers, fermenting plums, and just‑baked kouign‑amann.
In Presidio Heights, Maria Isabel is the name on every industry insider’s lips. According to Binning Real Estate’s restaurant roundup, chefs Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz of Dalida fame are channeling the flavors of Guerrero and Sinaloa through a California lens, weaving local Dungeness crab, peak‑season citrus, and masa into seafood‑forward Mexican plates that feel both beach‑town casual and tasting‑menu precise. Over in the Design District, JouJou...