"A new neighborhood bar and restaurant will fill the empty corner space at Haight and Pierce streets when it opens next spring in the Lower Haight. STOA arrives with backing from four partners: industry vets Allyson Jossel, Gonzalo Guzmán, Joji Sumi, and Yanni Kehagiaras, all of whom helped grow San Francisco favorite Nopalito, as well as a number of other local restaurants, over the years. But despite the affiliation to that restaurant, the new spot is meant to be its own entity — in other words, don’t expect Mexican food or an agave-focused bar menu. Instead, STOA will share a kindred spirit with Nopalito in less tangible ways. 'If people enjoy the experience when they dine at Nopalito, or they like our ethos, then they’re gonna find something similar — they’re going to be able to feel that,' Jossel says." - Dianne de Guzman