Spicy Guava Octopus and Halibut Ceviche Rains Down in San Francisco With the Opening of Pacifico | Eater SF
"Set to open Thursday, May 15 as a residency at B-Side (on the ground floor of SF Jazz’s building on Franklin Street), this ambitious San Francisco pop-up is moving into Hayes Valley at 205 Franklin Street — the address where Victoria Lozano’s Andina just left in March 2025 and where the venture originally debuted. Owners Daniel Morales Vallejo and Laura Gelvez describe their menu as fresh, Latin, and full of "tropical vibes." Morales Vallejo remains in the kitchen while Gelvez handles paperwork and business operations; their baby daughter Amelia serves as cheerleader and their main inspiration. The restaurant will focus on brunch and dinner with a big emphasis on the former: pancakes de choclo come riddled with mozzarella, caramelized quinoa, and brown sugar; arepas arrive fried and stuffed with Dungeness crab and egg; shredded beef empanadas are made on-site composed of the same corn — with Morales Vallejo proud of his preparation, "soaking the corn, cooking it, and grinding it himself for the arepas and empanadas." For dinner, expect dishes such as grilled octopus with a guava glaze, chimichurri, garlic aioli, and guava sauce, surrounded by roasted potatoes. It's dinner service Thursday through Sunday from 5:30 to 9 p.m.; lunch service rolls out Tuesday, June 3, and the sweet brunch becomes available starting Saturday, June 7. With a liquor license for the new space, the team will bring cocktails and beer to diners for the first time — think piña coladas and local beers (and imported beers Morales Vallejo notes are common in Colombia) — alongside delicate nonalcoholic options such as watermelon mocktails. Morales Vallejo brings experience from chef Stuart Brioza’s the Progress and the team at the Miami outpost and waterfront location of Gastón Acurio’s La Mar, and cites Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese ingredients and styles alongside his Colombian heritage as inspirations. Now that the couple have graduated the nonprofit business incubator La Cocina, they hope the project will be "a landmark, a destination for Colombian cooking and for upscale food broadly," with plans for two locations down the road if all goes well. "I want people to feel that energy," Morales Vallejo says. "Like you are at the beach with a Pina colada and ceviche." Gelvez agrees: "It’s tradition from our country," she says. "But we are incorporating a modern touch." Reservations can be made on Toast." - Paolo Bicchieri
