Six new Southeast Asian spots worth walking into — and four of them are in the East Bay

Nine casual Southeast Asian restaurants that opened in the San Francisco Bay Area between January 2025 and August 2026, ranked by strength of critic praise and how confidently a walk-in visit works. Research current as of 28 August 2026.

ranked shortlist — numbered by recommendation order worth watching — lower-confidence backup

Oakland carries the list: the Chronicle calls InNenasKitchen the city’s most exciting new Cambodian restaurant — weekend-only counter service at Aloha Club, cash, Venmo or Zelle only. sfchronicle.com

Two shortlist picks live inside food halls — Izzy & Wooks at Saluhall on Market Street and FOB West at Prescott Market — where counter ordering makes walk-ins the default, not a gamble. hoodline.com · richmondside.org

Payakk books through OpenTable and Pakaoma runs its own reservations page; neither publishes an explicit walk-ins-welcome policy, so treat walk-ins as reasonable but reserve at peak times. theinfatuation.com · oaklandside.org

Reservation-led fine dining from the same wave — Restaurant Naides, Saam, Crustacean — was excluded by design: this list is for showing up without a plan. sfchronicle.com

Worth watching — lower-confidence backups

Jolly Cafe, 1004 Webster St., Oakland — Vietnamese café opened 3 March 2026 in the former Boba Binge space: Vietnamese coffee, matcha, spring rolls, banh mi, sweet mung bean drinks (allthe.news). · NN Thai Street Food, 1025 A St Room 110, Hayward — Thai street food reported new in early 2025: khao mun gai tod, khao moo krob, Thai iced tea (berkeleyside.org). · Ak’s Anh Hong, 945 Wood St., Oakland — casual Vietnamese, Thai and Lao spot newly opened August 2026: pho ga, khao piak, Lao papaya salad, crispy pork belly over rice (berkeleyside.org). Each has less critical coverage than the ranked six — promising, not yet proven.

The shortlist, row by row

Restaurant	City	Cuisine	Opened	Casual format	Walk-in confidence	Why go	Caveat	Source
1 · FOB West	Oakland	Filipino · Guamanian	Mar 2026	Food-hall stall, Prescott Market, 1620 18th St.	High — counter ordering	Chronicle frames it among the Bay Area’s best casual Filipino spots; grilled chicken inasal, pancit, lumpia, affordable Guam dishes	Menu differs from the original FOB Kitchen	newsbreak.com · theinfatuation.com
2 · InNenasKitchen	Oakland	Cambodian	Mar 2026 residency	Counter service at Aloha Club, 952 Fruitvale Ave.; communal patio tables	High — counter service	Oakland’s most exciting new Cambodian restaurant per the Chronicle: kathiew with dino beef rib, pig-ear sausage, shrimp rolls	Weekends only; cash, Venmo or Zelle	sfchronicle.com
3 · Izzy & Wooks	San Francisco	Filipino-American	Jan 2026 (grand opening Jan 29)	Kiosk stall, Saluhall, 945 Market St.	High — food-hall counter	On the Chronicle’s 25 top restaurants right now: caramelized longanisa smash burger, tamarind and mochiko fried-chicken sandwiches	Saluhall itself has had tenant turnover	hoodline.com · sfchronicle.com
4 · Payakk	Oakland	Thai	1 Oct 2025	Casual restaurant, 5761 Thornhill Dr., Montclair	Reasonable — reserve at peak (OpenTable)	Charcoal-grilled pork neck, crab and salted-egg noodles, green curry with ribeye, Seua Rong Hai grilled beef, Pad Thai Chaiya	No explicit walk-in policy found	oaklandside.org · theinfatuation.com
5 · Pakaoma Thai-Lao Diner	El Cerrito	Thai-Lao · Isan	By Mar 2025	Casual diner, shared plates, 11880 San Pablo Ave.	Suitable — call at busy times	Zesty Isan menu: tom yum, spicy Lao sausage, whole fried tilapia (Mieng Pla Tod), beer, wine and low-ABV cocktails	Has a reservations page; no explicit walk-in policy found	oaklandside.org
6 · GA.RA	Berkeley	Vietnamese café	Soft-opened Mar 2026	Café, 2424 Telegraph Ave.	High — café counter	House-roasted Vietnamese coffee, ca phe sua da with black sesame, ube or pandan foam, banh mi, noodle and rice bowls	Lighter critical evidence than the top five; the daytime pick	richmondside.org · berkeleyside.org
Jolly Cafe	Oakland	Vietnamese café	3 Mar 2026	Café, 1004 Webster St.	Likely — café format	Vietnamese coffee, matcha, spring rolls, banh mi, sweet mung bean drinks	Little critical coverage yet	allthe.news
NN Thai Street Food	Hayward	Thai street food	Reported new, early 2025	Street-food spot, 1025 A St Room 110	Likely — street-food format	Khao mun gai tod, khao moo krob, Thai iced tea	Opening details thin; lower confidence	berkeleyside.org
Ak’s Anh Hong	Oakland	Vietnamese · Thai · Lao	Aug 2026	Casual spot, 945 Wood St.	Likely — casual format	Pho ga, khao piak, Lao papaya salad, crispy pork belly over rice, milk teas	Just opened; unproven	berkeleyside.org

Method: shortlist built from a 30-row multi-source table of Bay Area Southeast Asian openings plus seven detailed source excerpts, current as of 28 Aug 2026. “Best” weighs current critic praise and reputable local opening coverage; “walk-in confidence” is highest where counter-service, food-hall, kiosk, café or diner operation is documented, and marked lower where online reservations exist without an explicit walk-in policy (Payakk, Pakaoma). “Opened since 2025” means opened on or after 1 Jan 2025 and still operating at the research date. Fine-dining and reservation-led openings (Restaurant Naides, Saam, Crustacean) and rows without enough supporting detail were cut for space.