Veteran chef Felix Santos whose impressive resume includes both Quince and Atelier Crenn, each carrying Three Michelin Stars, has just launched Maritime Boat Club in Union Square.
Santos brings these serious fine-dining credentials to a neighborhood that's been hungry for culinary innovation.
Santos didn't just stumble into this opportunity. He cut his teeth at some of the Bay Area's most demanding kitchens, including Quince, Atelier Crenn, and Sorrel—establishments where a single misstep can end careers and perfection isn't optional, it's expected. Quince alone has held three Michelin stars since 2017, making it one of only six Bay Area restaurants to achieve that rarefied status. Atelier Crenn earned its third star in 2018. Sorrel also has a star and is on track to open a more prominent location at the Ferry Building some time this year.
When Experience Meets Opportunity
Maritime Boat Club sits inside the Palihotel San Francisco, tucked behind Bar Maritime like a well-kept secret waiting to be discovered. The space has quite the pedigree—it previously housed the Burritt Room + Tavern, which was operated by celebrity chef Charlie Palmer before he sold the entire 82-room hotel in 2018, as reported by SFist.
Santos has crafted what he calls a "market-driven menu of seafood and seasonal produce, highlighting all the best that the Greater Bay Area and Pacific coastline has to offer." In other words, this isn't your typical tourist-trap seafood joint. Think coonstripe shrimp with polenta, black cod with fava bean salsa verde, and a large-format Painted Hills côte de bœuf that could feed a small army, as detailed by SFist.
Breaking the Wine Markup Game
Here's where things get interesting: Santos and his team are trying to shake up San Francisco's notoriously expensive dining scene with what they're calling "very low markups" on wine. Every bottle is priced under $100, with a focus on low-intervention wines that actually pair with seafood rather than just looking impressive on Instagram.
Maritime Boat Club seeks to "change the traditional restaurant paradigm by offering some of the best wine pricing in all the city." Bold claim, but in a city where a decent bottle of wine can cost more than some people's rent in other cities, it's the kind of disruption that might actually matter.
The Bigger Union Square Picture
Maritime Boat Club's arrival coincides with a broader dining renaissance in Union Square. The neighborhood has been welcoming several notable additions, including B Patisserie, which recently opened in the space vacated by Tyler Florence's Miller & Lux Provisions, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The operation is backed by Sur Mesure Partners, a Los Angeles hospitality group founded by Arda Jooharian and Andrew Pettingell with partner Cari Hah. They're not exactly newcomers to the restaurant game—they also run a grain bowl spot in Hollywood and partner with a Mexican food popup in LA, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Cocktail Connection
While Santos handles the kitchen, the bar program remains under Larry Piaskowy, a San Francisco industry veteran who's built quite the following. Piaskowy has worked at acclaimed spots including Rich Table and True Laurel, and apparently has customers who follow him from bar to bar like culinary groupies, according to both the San Francisco Chronicle.
For Santos, this represents the culmination of years spent learning from some of the city's most demanding kitchens. Whether Maritime Boat Club can translate that Michelin-starred training into sustainable success in Union Square remains to be seen—but early signs suggest he's charting a promising course.
