Aphotic is a seafood restaurant on Folsom Street in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, California. It has one Michelin star. The restaurant opened in March 2023 and has announced its forthcoming closure in December 2024.
| Aphotic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | March 21, 2023 |
| Closed | Announced, December 2024 |
| Chef | Peter Hemsley |
| Food type | Seafoods |
| Rating |   |
| Street address | 816 Folsom Street |
| City | San Francisco |
| State | California |
| Postal/ZIP Code | 94107 |
| Coordinates | 37°46′55″N 122°24′07″W / 37.782°N 122.402°W |
| Website | aphoticrestaurant |
Cuisine
editNamed for the deepest ocean layer, Aphotic is primarily a seafood restaurant. It serves a seasonal 11-course tasting menu, and desserts include oyster-flavored icecream.[1][2][3] The restaurant also creates sauce by fermenting bones and other unused parts of fish with salt and koji, and dry ages much of its fish.[1]
Aphotic also has a distillery license and produces spirits using a rotovap, including gin infused with seaweed that is used in its martinis. It offers an extensive cocktail menu alongside its wine list.[4][5][6][7][8] Its martini was one of three San Francisco versions listed in a 2024 Esquire "best of America" article.[9] The non-alcoholic drinks are also seafood-related, including a zero-proof vermouth and sweet cider cocktail with a dot of uni on the glass for aroma, and a seaweed cream soda.[8]
Reviewers have noted that the restaurant's decor is very dark, in keeping with the deep undersea theme.[8] In 2023, the Michelin Guide characterized it as a "rarified pescatarian tasting menu that abounds with personality", served in a "vast, tenebrous space",[4][10] and a San Francisco Chronicle review as "groundbreaking seafood" served in a "drowned temple in the dark ocean".[2]
History
editHemsley, who had worked at Quince, opened Aphotic in March 2023 in a former warehouse; he had previously operated Palette, a restaurant and art gallery, at the same location.[1][4][11] The following July it was awarded a Michelin star[2][10] together with a green star for sustainability.[12][13] In 2024, Trevin Hutchins, the bar director, received the Michelin "exceptional cocktails" award.[4][14]
In October 2024, Hemsley announced that the restaurant will close on December 21, blaming lack of traffic and unsafety in the neighborhood since the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][8][15][16][17]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Mario Cortez (March 17, 2023). "S.F.'s moody new seafood restaurant is putting fish in everything, even dessert". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ a b c Cesar Hernandez (November 1, 2023). "How good is S.F.'s newest Michelin-starred restaurant? The seafood might change your life". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Lauren Saria (March 29, 2023). "Take a Deep Dive Into the Menu at SoMa's Fancy New Seafood Restaurant Aphotic". Eater San Francisco.
- ^ a b c d e Elene Kadvany (October 4, 2024). "Chef will close Michelin-starred restaurant, citing 'desolate convention center suck hole' in downtown S.F." San Francisco Chronicle.
[W]e all did this at the ugly butt end of a desolate convention center suck hole in the post-panny apocalypse
. - ^ Mario Cortez (November 2, 2023). "Seaweed liquor? Green tea spirits? This S.F. restaurant makes them in-house". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Jillian Dara (December 6, 2023). "Aphotic Changes the Cocktail Game with their Sea-Inspired Beverage Program". Michelin Guide.
- ^ Caleb Pershan; Cesar Hernandez; Janelle Bitker; Jess Lander (December 27, 2023). "The 14 best new bars in the Bay Area". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ a b c d MacKenzie Chung Fegan (October 8, 2024). "This S.F. restaurant earned a Michelin star in its first year. It wasn't enough". San Francisco Chronicle.
The restaurant commits to the bit. It's dark, it's moody and almost everything you eat, including dessert, will be kissed by the sea.
- ^ Nico Madrigal-Yankowski (February 20, 2024). "Esquire names 3 San Francisco martinis among the best in America". SFGate.
- ^ a b "Aphotic – San Francisco". Michelin Guide. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
- ^ Matt Charnock (March 27, 2023). "This SF Restaurant Owner Just Pulled a Beyoncé". Underscore SF.
- ^ Madeline Wells (July 19, 2023). "I went to the California Michelin awards in Oakland and did caviar bumps with famous chefs". SFGate.
- ^ "2023 Michelin Guide California Green Stars". Michelin Guide. July 18, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
- ^ Madeline Wells (August 5, 2024). "3 SF restaurants snag first Michelin stars, one longtime spot loses its star". SFGate.
- ^ Dianne de Guzman (October 4, 2024). "Michelin-Starred Fine Dining Restaurant Aphotic Announces It Will Close in December". Eater San Francisco.
- ^ Madeline Wells (October 4, 2024). "'Miracles do not last forever': Michelin-starred SF restaurant announces closure". SFGate.
- ^ Alex Baker (October 4, 2024). "Michelin starred restaurant trashes SF's SOMA in post announcing closure". KRON-TV.