Barcha, Sister Spot To Sens, Now Open At 425 Market

Barcha, Sister Spot To Sens, Now Open At 425 MarketPhoto: Andrew D./Yelp
Geri Koeppel
Published on October 28, 2015

Barcha, the more casual sister restaurant to Sens in 4 Embarcadero, opened on Oct. 26th at 28 Fremont St. in the 425 Market building. The official grand opening is this coming Monday, but the new spot is already up and running.

The restaurant brings an upscale yet accessible Mediterranean menu to the FiDi/SoMa scene for lunch and dinner, along with a hearty happy hour. It's been bustling at lunch, probably due to a long list of well-sourced ingredients and flavors from Turkey, Tunisia, Spain and more. It also boasts an open, well-lit interior with 90 seats and patio seating for 30. And while many restaurants in that area are locked up tight after office hours, this provides neighbors in nearby SoMa as well as anyone working late a decent dinner option.

Photo via Barcha

At lunch, look for classics like hummus ($7), falafel ($6), a wide range of salads ($12–13, plus $7 for protein), skewers ($14–$19) and shawarma sandwiches made with slow-roasted free-range veal and turkey ($18) or slow-roasted Berkshire rosemary pork ($17). Dessert includes a walnut baklava ($6). The lunch menu is served from 11am-3pm Monday–Friday, and a take-away window will provide a quick option for busy FiDi workers.

Hummus. (Photo via Barcha)

At 3pm, Barcha shifts to a happy hour menu with tapas, wine and beer served until 7pm. Happy hour has always been at happening at Sens, so it's a good bet they'll pack them in here, too.

Dinner service runs 5:30 to "close" Monday–Saturday; expect the doors to stay open until after 10pm. The dinner menu includes some of the same mezze but more, with a decidedly local bent: It features local lamb meatballs ($13), local albacore tuna conserva ($13), grilled Monterey Bay calamari ($12) and crushed California avocado ($9), among others. Entrees include sea bass, chicken and an eggplant and potato brik.

The team behind Barcha includes owner Kais Bouzidi, who was born and raised in Paris in a Tunisian family; Michel Adams, executive chef (he also serves in that role at Sens), and Peter Steiner, beverage director. Bouzidi designed the space himself; it was completed by TMDA.