Esme, a French-inspired neighborhood bistro from chef Susan Dunn, is set to bring a touch of Paris to 311 Divisadero St. in San Francisco this May. Tucked inside the Metro Hotel, the compact dining room will seat about 30 guests, with a planned back patio that will accommodate roughly 20 more.
The menu will lean into bistro staples, with rillettes, steak frites and galettes on the savory side and desserts like moelleux au chocolat. Starters are slated to land in the $12 to $19 range, while entrees are expected to come in around $22 to $32.
Neighborhood outlets first picked up on the project in fall 2025, when Tablehopper flagged that Esme would take over the former Ragazza pizzeria space on Divisadero, according to SFist. That early chatter identified Dunn, already known in the Richmond District for Pearl 6101, as the chef-owner behind the new bistro.
Dunn is best known as a partner at Pearl 6101, according to Pearl 6101, and she brings experience from other local kitchens to Esme. Her plan is to pair French technique with California ingredients and build a warm neighborhood spot rather than a formal tasting-menu operation.
Menu and what to expect
“I want to channel the spirit of French cuisine using local ingredients,” Dunn said, and she plans to revive a strawberry mascarpone tart from Pearl, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. Expect starters such as artichokes with aioli, pâté and charcuterie in the $12 to $19 bracket.
Entrees are projected to include duck, rabbit and a few pasta dishes, with prices hovering around $22 to $32. The idea is classic bistro comfort filtered through Bay Area seasonality, without turning the experience into a special-occasion production.
Inside the room
Renovations will bring in art deco touches, including globe pendant lights, burgundy leather banquettes and a salon-style wall featuring work from Bay Area artists, all wrapped around a 30-seat dining room inside the Metro Hotel. The back patio is being refinished with redwood benches, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Nate Arnegard, whose résumé includes time at Flour + Water and Penny Roma, is set to serve as chef de cuisine. Esme plans to open nightly from 5 to 9 p.m., keeping things focused on dinner service.
Where Esme fits in the city
Esme is arriving in the middle of a citywide wave of bistro-leaning openings, a small-restaurant trend that has caught the attention of local critics as diners look for casual, ingredient-forward spots over splashy showpieces. A recent roundup from Eater SF highlights several new neighborhood restaurants that favor classic bistro formats and compact menus.
Dunn and her team say they intend Esme to be a true neighborhood place: small, steady and seasonal rather than a quick-hit destination that fades after the opening buzz. The restaurant is expected to begin service in May, and updates on reservations and the official opening date are still to come.
