BAIA, San Francisco

Reviewer: Foodnut.com BAIA 300 Grove St San Francisco, CA 94102 415-861-0625 BAIA Website

BAIA is a vegan restaurant in the old Jardinière space of San Francisco’s Hayes Valley Neighborhood. Any SF Foodie remembers this classic location. This restaurant opened in the middle of the Pandemic, talk about great timing!
We ate during the Pandemic, when outdoor dining was allowed. We returned in early 2023 and found the place was a hard to book reservation and slightly less fantastic.

We’ve been to SF Vegan destinations: Shi-Zen, Cha-ya, Greens, Ananda Fuara, and Wildseed, so it was great an addition.

“BAIA is a plant-based Italian-inspired concept by celebrity chef Matthew Kenney, offering a selection of dishes that that can satisfy your craving for elevated plant food.”

During the Covid 19 Pandemic, we are trying to support local restaurants, so they can survive. All will get a 4 star review for being open.

BAIA surprised us with very good food. Great flavor profiles and textures with not much compromise. An omnivore would be equally at home, as would a vegan. Vegetarian, vegan put it on your short list. If you drag along others, they will be fine.

Can’t wait to dine inside the beautiful room with its impressive chandelier!

Covid-19 Attributes

Safety Pluses – Online menu, Delivery services available, online ordering, social distancing, nice table spacing.
Minuses – No contactless payment.

Food Picks:
Mojito ($12) was balance and had hidden strength. Look forward to a cocktail in the beautiful bar. 8.5/10

Mozzarella Sticks ($16) Crispy Cheese Sticks In Herb Breadcrumbs Served With Marinara Sauce was very impressive. It hard to believe they are vegan. Gf 9/10

Meatballs with polenta ($17) was recommended by your server and definitely hit the spot. The Impossible meatballs are almost indistinguishable! We fooled someone in our group. 9/10

Garlic knots ($11) come in a hot small paella pan and are delectable. Still great the next day. 9.5/10 – No longer on menu early 2023.

Fiori di zucca ( $16) were recommended by our server. They are freshly fried and filled with macadamia creamy goodness. 9/10 – No longer on menu early 2023.

Wood Grilled Market Vegetables ($12) Fresh Market Vegetables Served With Salsa Verde is also a great dish. Beets, potatoes, broccoli and more. Grilled then drizzled with a slightly sweet vinaigrette. Gf Nf Sf 9/10

Pappardelle ($23) Rich Bolognese was a dark wheat pasta with impossible meat. Reasonable sized portion and slightly al dente. Not amazing, but very good. Gluten free option. Nf 8/10

Lasagna ($27) is a very hearty pasta, filled with layers and thick red sauce. Great if you love lasagna. 8/10

Radiatore ($23) are small shell pastas that come in a Bolognese sauce using impossible. Pretty healthy quantity. 8.5/10

cauliflower ($22) had a nice chard cauliflower along with some small round pasta nodules in a smooth sauce. 8/10 – They switched to broccoli in 2023.

Spicy Sausage & Peppers Pizza ($25 +$3 Gf) Ricotta, Mozzarella Sausage With Fire Roasted Peppers And Onions, Pomodoro Sauce, Calabrian Chili has a rice based crust. Pretty spicy on a level of 4 out of 10 chilis. This had some degradation compared to a ‘normal’ pizza. Still it is amazing to vegans to have this level of pizza. 7.5/10 – In 2023 the pizza was not as good. 6/10

Spumoni ($13) Cherry, Chocolate, And Pistachio Mousse Dipped In Dark Chocolate With Amarena Cherries is a one of the most imaginative vegan desserts we’ve had. Picture a big bon bon filled with ‘ice cream’. Hard to crack open but very fun. Gf 8.5/10

Tiramisu ($14) macadamia mascarpone, espresso, marsala – was a large portion of the classic dish. You could taste the rum and dark flavors. 8/10

Just OK:
Chocolate tart ($13) it’s not super chocolatey, and a little bit too mellow. Nice cream on top. 7/10

Would not reorder:
None

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