Here's the latest in SF food news. In this edition: neighboring Mission businesses team up for beer-garden breakfasts; a popular Greek eatery halts delivery after crushing demand; and a bubble-tea spot opens near Oracle Park.
Pop-ups
Mission
Zeitgeist & Four Barrel Coffee (199 Valencia St.)
Breakfast at Zeitgeist doesn't just mean bloody marys anymore.
Every Thursday, beginning this week, the Mission's famed beer garden is transforming into a pop-up breakfast spot, called Zeitcafe. And its Valencia Street neighbor, Four Barrel Coffee, is joining in on the effort.
Zeitcafe's breakfast menu will center on the Mission Subi sandwich, a spam musubi-inspired combo of pork, scrambled eggs, seaweed and jalapeno aioli on sourdough bread.
Four Barrel will roll up its coffee cart to serve espresso drinks and eight-ounce cans of cold brew, with bags of beans to take home.
Visitors can also order Zeitgeist's bloodies and beers, or the bar's famous burgers, which will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Plexiglas dividers will keep the picnic tables appropriately distanced, with masks required anytime diners leave the table.
Lara Burmeister, whose family owns Zeitgeist, said that Zeitcafe is the first of what she hopes will be many collaborations with other small businesses in San Francisco.
“If this first pop-up collaboration with Four Barrel goes well, we will do this collaboration on a regular basis," she said, adding that she may even hang local artwork from the booth walls to replicate the Four Barrel café experience.
Drop by Zeitcafe on Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., starting this week.
Updates
Hayes Valley/Marina
Souvla (517 Hayes St. and 2272 Chestnut St.)
Popular fast-casual Greek spot Souvla reopened two of its locations last week for takeout, and the result was mayhem. In the words of founder Charles Bililies: "The Internet broke Souvla."
Known for its rotisserie meat wraps and salads, Souvla got 500 takeout orders within five minutes of reopening — leading to blocks-long lines of socially distanced diners waiting to grab their food. On Twitter, some reported wait times of as long as two hours.
According to the restaurant, a few eager diners even camped out as early as 7 a.m., to ensure they were poised for their noontime Greek fro-yo fix.
Back in SF to pack up my apartment. I heard Souvla reopened and placed an order. This is the line to pick up food. pic.twitter.com/Xh6zBL4DKM
— Martin Ortiz (@newsortiz) July 12, 2020
While Souvla's Hayes Valley and Marina locations are continuing to offer takeout, diners can no longer pre-order online — they'll have to visit the shops and order in-person via a window. (Customers at the Mission and Divisadero locations will have to travel; they remain closed for now.)
The company has also had to press pause on its plans to resume delivery service from its SoMa commissary kitchen, which was set to return last week. It's not clear when it will come online, though the representative says it will be "soon."
Openings
South Beach/China Basin
Bubble Queen (219 King St.)
Things are pretty quiet in China Basin these days, with Oracle Park offline and Caltrain carrying few commuters. But undaunted, a bubble tea spot has joined the fray.
Bubble Queen is now open for pickup and delivery at Third and King streets, in the former home of hot-pot spot Shabu Bar. As with its ilk around the city, you can expect a menu of boba-filled plain, milk, or "cheese" teas (the latter with a cream cheese-based foam).
The owners didn't respond to a request for comment, but the new spot appears to be independently owned, and unrelated to another tea shop in British Columbia that shares the same name.
If you've seen something new (or closing) in the neighborhood, text your tips and photos to (415) 200-3233, or email [email protected]. If we use your info in a story, we'll give you credit.
