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From Neapolitan Pies To Spanish Tapas -- Russian Hill's Newest Restaurants

By Hoodline

Ready to hit up the freshest new spots in Russian Hill? From a vegan grocery store to a Spanish restaurant, read on to see the newest businesses to debut in this San Francisco neighborhood.

Fiorella
2238 Polk St.

Outer Richmond Italian favorite Fiorella has opened a new location in Russian Hill, where Gioia Pizza once was.

The menu will be mostly familiar to devotees of the original. Antipasti, from mixed olives to wood-fired octopus, get you started. The same wood-fired ovens bake the Neapolitan-style, crispy-crust pizzas, with toppings like house-made sausage, hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and spicy salami.

Among the new menu items: linguini with little neck clams, white wine, green garlic and chili. There are beer and cocktails available, but the beverage focus is on wines, evenly split between Italian and Californian labels.

With a four-star Yelp rating out of 17 reviews, Fiorella has been getting positive attention.

Yelper Kailey R., who reviewed Fiorella on March 3, wrote, "We waited in the bar where we were served generous pours. Once we got our table the waitress was so helpful going into extreme detail regarding which salads to choose. The salad was a bit too salty for our liking, but I feel it was the style given the anchovy. We also ordered pizza, which was great."

And Rohan A. added, "The food itself met expectations. I would definitely come back for their pasta and pizza. As for the service however, it took almost 20 minutes to bring our dessert our table. I believe this is due to new staff."

Fiorella is open from 5 p.m.–10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5 p.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Green Taste
775 Filbert St.

Green Taste is an all-vegan grocery store over toward North Beach.

There are staples you'd find in any store, like rice, pasta, snacks and soft drinks, plus items of special concern to vegans, like egg and dairy substitutes, as well as soaps. Shoppers already familiar with the vegan space will recognize brands like Annie's, Forager and Earth Balance.

In addition to groceries, there are prepared foods, coffee and tea, and — wait for it — vegan doughnuts.

Green Taste currently holds five stars out of six reviews on Yelp, indicating a warm welcome from patrons.

Jane H. noted, "Not only are the owners super welcoming and nice, but their selection of plant-based food and drinks are wonderful and delicious. I love that they have some pre-prepared food options, which we can grab before heading over to the park."

And Yelper Ann P. wrote, "I'm not a vegan, but we stopped by to pick up doughnuts this morning, and they were delicious. Cake doughnuts and glazed were both very good. Cute store and friendly owners."

Green Taste is open from 7 a.m.–3 p.m. on Tuesday-Friday and 8 a.m.–5 p.m. on weekends. (It's closed on Monday.)

Abrazo
2000 Hyde St.

Finally, Abrazo is a Spanish restaurant that has taken the baton from Zarzuela in this location.

There are plenty of seafood dishes among the starters, including grilled octopus and beet-cured salmon, and also among the main dishes, like the paella and the spaghetti, which is served with the marinated white anchovies known as boquerones.

Meat-based options include the beef and duck meatball appetizer, or the pork tenderloin main dish served with stone-ground mustard gnocchi. Veggies include carrots with ricotta and tangerine panna cotta, and a roasted red bell pepper soup. You can find the full menu here.

The new arrival's current rating of four stars out of 20 reviews on Yelp indicates a positive response from customers thus far.

Yelper Jade R., who reviewed Abrazo on March 3, wrote, "The ambiance is small and intimate, although the restaurant extends pretty far back. They also have a small cute little bar at the front, which was busy the entire time we were there."

Kendra C. noted, "Delicious Spanish tapas eatery with a wide selection of large plates. I highly recommend the large plate chicken dish 'pollo con pisto' and the meatball tapa. I thought the chicken dish might be bland, but it was truly incredible and full of flavor."

Abrazo is open from 5:30 p.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and 5:30 p.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday.

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