Nopa

Nopa can get loud as they really pack it in. But, this is one of the best restaurants in San Francisco. (It being a touch loud is what people complain the most about. I disagree about it being so loud as to not want to go.) These things are not in conflict. The former bank building on the corner of Divisadero and Hayes has been the heartbeat of the NoPa neighborhood since 2006, and in nearly twenty years it has never stopped being the kind of place people genuinely want to be.

The wood-fired oven runs the show here. You can feel the heat from back part of the bar and smell it before you walk through the door. Just about everything that comes out of that kitchen carries the mark of that fire, from the charred edges on the flatbreads to the caramelized skin on the rotisserie chicken.

Why I Love It

The 9-hour bolognese is the kind of dish that stops conversations. (It's also the dish that I ended up getting on my girlfriend's shirt on our first date.) When it is not on the menu I kind of feel lost. The fried chicken is equally essential: crispy, juicy, and served in a way that makes you wonder why more restaurants don't approach it with this much seriousness. The gigante beans in whatever preparation they're running are always worth ordering, as is just about anything they do with seasonal vegetables.

What sets Nopa apart from the dozens of farm-to-table spots that followed in its footsteps is consistency. The kitchen delivers at the same level on a packed Saturday as on a quiet Tuesday, and it has done so for nearly two decades. That's harder than it looks.

The late-night hours are a genuine civic service.In a city that, for some werid reason, does not stay up late, Nopa holds it down. The kitchen runs until 1am on weekends, which makes Nopa the answer to a question the rest of the city rarely asks.

What to Order

• The 9-hour bolognese. Don't skip it, don't overthink it. And don't get it on your date's shirt!
• Fried chicken, one of the best versions in the city.
• Gigante beans in whatever preparation they're running that night.
• Flatbreads from the wood-fired oven, especially with a glass of something orange.
• Duck pate, if they have it that night.

Good To Know

• Reserve 1-2 weeks out, especially for weekends. OpenTable is the move.
• Walk-in bar seating after 10pm is often possible and worth attempting.
• The room is genuinely loud on busy nights. Embrace it or go on a Tuesday.
• Kitchen open until midnight on weekdays, 1am on weekends. Rare in this city.
• The corner location at Divisadero and Hayes means you can feel the neighborhood from your table.