Deep-fried French toast from Sweet Maple, newly open in downtown Palo Alto.
February was a slower month for resturant openings across the Bay Area, likely due to ongoing omicron concerns, supply chain issues and labor shortages. But on the Peninsula and in the South Bay, several notable restaurants debuted, including an outpost of San Francisco brunch favorite Sweet Maple, a modern hotel restaurant in Sunnyvale and what appears to be the Bay Area’s first dedicated nonalcoholic bottle shop in downtown Los Gatos.
Read on for more details on each opening.
S.F. brunch hit arrives in Palo Alto
San Francisco’s Sweet Maple is now serving thick, caramelized Millionaire’s bacon and matcha mochi waffles in downtown Palo Alto. A darling of the Instagram brunch scene, its over-the-top breakfast dishes and Korean fusion food, like instant ramyun noodles topped with Millionaire’s bacon and a fried egg, and bright purple ube cold brew coffee draw long lines in San Francisco. The new restaurant is part of owner Hoyul Steven Choi’s ambitious plan to open six Bay Area restaurants this year and more nationwide.
150 University Ave., Palo Alto. sweetmaplesf.com
Silicon Valley gets a sleek hotel restaurant
Hamachi crudo from Adrestia, a new hotel restaurant in Sunnyvale.
Adrestia, tucked inside the modern Tetra hotel in Sunnyvale, is an all-day Japanese-inspired restaurant led by a Tokyo native. Chef Hideki Myo is putting Japanese spins on dishes like beef carpaccio dressed in a barrel-aged soy sauce or a Wagyu burger with miso aioli and spicy togarashi. The restaurant’s next-door cafe sells Japanese katsu, lobster and egg salad sandwiches on soft milk bread and soon, Tartine pastries. The hotel bar, Nokori, is focused on Japanese whiskey and the drinks are made using a highball machine from Japanese whiskey company Suntory Toki.
400 W. Java Drive, Sunnyvale. marriott.com/en-us/hotels/sjcva-tetra-hotel-autograph-collection/dining
The nonalcoholic booze trend spreads
At the tiny Faux Real Bottle Shop in Los Gatos, the shelves are stocked with attractive bottles of nonalcoholic spirits, from Tequila to wine. Booze-free drinks have become more common on Bay Area restaurant and bar menus in recent years, and some nonalcoholic bars are starting to open, but this appears to be the region’s first dedicated zero-proof retail shop. Owner Yvonne Khananis is sourcing nonalcoholic spirits from all over, such as gin from Germany’s Easip and Tequila from Ritual in Chicago, among other producers. Head there on Saturdays to try drinks during a weekly “sober hour” from 1-3 p.m.
300 N. Santa Cruz Ave. , Los Gatos. instagram.com/fauxrealbottleshop
A new Italian option for Campbell
Pizza with mortadella, mozzarella and lemon at Locanda Sorrento in Campbell.
Enzo Rosano, a prolific Bay Area restaurateur, has brought his latest Italian restaurant to downtown Campbell. Locanda Sorrento, named for the coastal town near Naples, serves mortadella-topped pizza, lobster ravioli and other Italian fare. Sorrento is also a major producer of Limoncello, so cocktails at the restaurant feature a house-made version of the popular lemon liqueur. Rosano runs several Italian restaurants in the East Bay and recently opened a wine bar in Livermore.
76 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell. locandasorrento.com
Pizza for the people in Palo Alto
There’s a new wood-fired pizza joint in town. Downtown Palo Alto’s Wood Oven Pizza is serving up white- and red-sauce pies with toppings like bechamel, turnip tops and grilled pineapple. Diners can also create their own pizzas. Vegans have options too, with a plant-based Daiya mozzarella and vegan pesto pie on the menu.
532 Ramona St., Palo Alto . 650-494-4241
San Bruno mall gets poke bowls
Uncle Sharkii, a popular Concord poke bar, opened a second location inside the Shops at Tanforan mall in San Bruno. The small, counter-service spot serves various poke bowl combinations, such as spicy scallop with corn and seaweed over rice. Boba tea and Dole soft serve are also on the menu. More locations are headed to San Francisco, San Jose and Walnut Creek, according to Uncle Sharkii’s website.
1150 El Camino Real Suite 223, San Bruno. unclesharkii.com
More crispy Korean fried chicken
Von’s Chicken, a Korean fried chicken chain, continues its Peninsula dominance with another outpost in Mountain View. The menu is the same, with the restaurant’s trademark super-crispy, double-fried chicken available in soy-garlic, honey butter and spicy yangnyum flavors. There are several Von’s nearby, including in Sunnyvale and Redwood City, as well as locations of competing Korean fried chicken chain Bonchon.
137 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View. vonsmountainview.com
Elena Kadvany is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: elena.kadvany@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ekadvany
Elena Kadvany joined The San Francisco Chronicle as a food reporter in 2021. Previously, she was a staff writer at the Palo Alto Weekly and its sister publications, where she covered restaurants and education and also founded the Peninsula Foodist restaurant column and newsletter.