Nine new casual Southeast Asian spots worth a walk-in, led by Turtle Tower’s pho counter
Asked:
“What are the best new southeast asian restaurants in the bay area? They should be open since 2025, casual, and take walk-ins.”
A researched editorial shortlist — not every Southeast Asian opening — of nine casual, walk-in-friendly restaurants that opened (or reopened) between January 2025 and mid-2026 across San Francisco, the East Bay and the North Bay, spanning Vietnamese, Cambodian, Filipino and Thai kitchens. Sources span multiple independent outlets; research is current through September 10, 2026.
When and where they opened
Each dot is one restaurant, placed by opening month (some dates are approximate) and grouped by subregion; colour is the cuisine. Hover or tap a dot for what to order.
Vietnamese
Cambodian
Filipino
Thai
Turtle Tower is the clearest all-criteria match: reopened March 12, 2025, its side counter lets solo diners and pairs “sail right in,” per
sf.eater.com.
FOB West and Lunette are the most decorated: FOB West’s parent restaurant holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand and a Chronicle Top 100 spot (
newsbreak.com); Lunette has been featured on Netflix and the Chronicle’s top list (
offthegrid.com).
Only two spots state an explicit walk-in welcome — Turtle Tower and Señor Sisig Thrive City (
sf.eater.com); the other seven are walk-in by format: food halls, counters, takeout cafés.
The East Bay carries the Cambodian and Thai depth: Kien Svay Cafe’s lort cha and papaya salad in Oakland (
oaklandside.org) and Million Spoons’ Chiang Mai kao soy in Alameda (
berkeleyside.org).
The shortlist, by subregion
Walk-in labels are conservative: “explicit” only where a source states it; food halls, counters and takeout specialists are labelled “walk-in by format” rather than a confirmed policy. Popular counters may still draw lines at peak hours, and hours and formats can change — check before you go.
All nine, in rank order
| # | Restaurant | City | Opened | Cuisine | Walk-in basis | Source |
|---|
Editorial research shortlist of Bay Area Southeast Asian restaurant openings, January 2025 – 2026, compiled from 12 researched candidate rows and current through September 10, 2026. Nine ranked entries shown; Perle Bar cut (permanently closed) and Breadbelly and Smish Smash cut (broader Asian bakery and burger concepts, not unambiguously Southeast Asian). Opening dates as reported by each source; some are month- or year-precision only. One source link per restaurant.