Anju, Mission: A Japanese-Korean Spot From the Chef Behind Ganji and Nara

One SF/Bay Area opening a day, chosen and checked. Today: the Mission's turn, as the chef who cooked for the Korean army before moving here in 2001 runs a Japanese-Korean "anju" room on Valencia, the drinking-food concept whose first real write-up landed this morning, four weeks after its July 1 debut.

A neon sign on the wall of Danny Im's newest restaurant reads "One more sake, one more Anju," braiding two countries in seven words. Anju is the Korean word for the food you eat alongside soju, beer, or makgeolli; sake is Japanese. The mixed message is the point. Im calls the room "Japanese-Korean fusion," and it maps onto his own life: he grew up in Korea, studied Japanese cooking at a culinary high school, and spent three years as a chef in the Korean army before moving to San Francisco in 2001 (SF Standard).

Anju, at 206 Valencia St. in the Mission, is Im's third restaurant in the city, and it opens into a Korean moment. He acquired Nara on Haight in 2024, the same year he opened the Japanese spot Ganji in Japantown, after earlier stops at Kyoto in San Mateo and a restaurant of his own that has since closed. His way across the two cuisines is technique, not gimmick. "I might take a traditional Korean sundubu-jigae, the soft tofu stew, elevate it with premium Japanese ingredients, and finish it with a clean Korean-style plating," he told the Standard. Both sake and soju sit on the menu.

The dishes read the same way. The hamachi truffle, five slices of rose-colored fish on wooden spoons with jalapeños, garlic crunch, cilantro, and a touch of truffle, is a staple across all three of his kitchens. Dakangjeong, his Korean fried chicken, is sweet with a small kick; dak jeon is a crispy chicken pancake served with sweet pickles. Both, he says, are built for light beers like the South Korean lager Terra. Dessert is a maple cornbread made with yellow sweet corn, maple syrup butter, and lavender flowers.

The Standard's first look doesn't post hours or a reservation link, and Im says the patio and a basement space are still to come, so for now it is the main room on Valencia. The debut itself was July 1, but its first real write-up landed this morning, four weeks in. Im still hand-picks ingredients for all three locations himself. "With every new place I open," he says, "I dive into a brand-new experience and learn so much along the way."

Also opening

Two of this month's featured picks open their doors this week: Tụ Tập in San Anselmo on Wednesday (Jul 29) and Khaki in San Ramon on July 31.

Mt. Diablo BBQ, Lafayette (Contra Costa): the pitmaster holds its grand opening this Sunday, Aug 2, with free breakfast tacos from 7 to 11am and free BBQ for the first 100 starting at 11am. (Bay Area Telegraph)
TRIAL|ERROR, Campbell (South Bay): a modern cocktail bar with global tapas from chef Manuel Santillan, formerly of the Michelin-starred Chez TJ, plus Alexander's Steakhouse and Morton's; the drinks come from 24-year bartender Jason Seele. Opening October. (Palo Alto Online)
Cal Burger & More, Berkeley (East Bay): halal Harris Ranch smashburgers near the Cal campus, including a "mozza ranch smash" with mozzarella sticks inside and a "smokehouse smash" with onion rings and BBQ. (East Bay Nosh)
Tartine, Mill Valley (Marin): the bakery returns to its roots, where Chad Robertson and Liz Prueitt first baked in Point Reyes and Mill Valley in 1999 before leaving for San Francisco in 2002; the Strawberry Village outpost is due this summer. (SF Chronicle)