Nopa

The neighborhood Nopa owes its new moniker – short for “North of the Panhandle”– to this restaurant. The eatery even gave new life to the building itself, which had gone from being a bank nearly a century ago to a laundromat in disrepair.

With exceptionally tall ceilings and massive windows, the airy structure now welcomes diners who once used Divisadero Street only as a north-south axis across the city. Dedicated not just to its local community, but the larger one as well, Nopa sources its ingredients from a committed group of northern California ranchers, farmers, cheese makers and other culinary artisans.

And wow does it put those ingredients together well. Mushroom soup with sherry and tarragon yogurt; braised rabbit legs with Meyer lemon risotto, fava beans and hazelnuts; a rightfully legendary grassfed hamburger with pickled onions and French fries – these were some of the delectable items on a recent visit. Any season, dinner at Nopa is worth a trip to the neighborhood of the same name – especially if you want a late bite.