Hidden Gem: Orafo at Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco At Embarcadero

Orafo Bar

San Francisco is fortunate to beryllium location to not one, but 2 Four Seasons hotels, each of which has its ain ‘personality.’ Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco, connected Market St., has a ‘see and beryllium seen’ vibe, while Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco At Embarcadero is a spot much understated, making it a favourite of visiting celebs who worth the privateness it affords—155 cloud-adjacent rooms and suites are located connected the precocious 11 floors of the 48-story building. The hotel’s caller restaurant, Orafo, provides further inducement to enactment astatine oregon sojourn this peculiar Four Seasons. Echoing the municipality ambiance of the hotel, Orafo is chic and welcoming, featuring delectable cuisine and crafted cocktails that rival the city’s best. Naturally, it’s presently astir frequented by edifice guests, but to place Orafo arsenic simply a edifice edifice would beryllium a mistake.

Orafo Dining Room

Executive Chef Gunnar Planter presides implicit the 118-seat eating country with a paper that pays homage to Italy’s determination specialties. With 16 years of experience, astir precocious arsenic executive chef astatine boutique luxury edifice Mar Monte’s costa Kitchen & Bar and Café Lido successful Santa Barbara, Planter has a heavy knowing of the food and hospitality manufacture and brings a breadth of acquisition successful concepting menus to mentation to presentation. He draws inspiration from Tuscany and Calabria; his dishes are caller takes connected classics, showcasing Northern California’s abundant nutrient and seafood, arsenic good arsenic authentic ingredients that helium overnights from Italy, specified arsenic the culatello that helium pairs with burrata and pistachio. Standouts see handmade pasta Primi specified as Squid Ink Linguine tossed in uni butter, paired with clams and bottarga, Wild Mushroom Pappardelle with tarragon porcini sauce, parmesan, and crispy leek, and Rigatoni Pomodoro topped with burrata and confit cherry tomato, roasted for 24 hours, adding a richness to the classic, simplistic pasta.  

Chef Gunner Planter

Burrata & Culatello

Secondi dishes diagnostic entrees specified as Mussels & Nduja with sherry wine, peppadew, and nduja butter, and the Grilled Lamb Two Ways with fregola sarda, harissa, and braised fennel, finished with confit tomato. Secondi per la Tavola are ample format dishes meant for sharing specified as Whole Branzino with citrus and Italian salsa verde, and the 32oz Bistecca—an indulgent dry-aged Porterhouse. 

Whole Branzino

Orafo (the sanction is Italian for goldsmith, and is simply a motion to San Francisco’s legendary golden unreserved heritage) feels backstage and intimate. Design features see ornate metallic detailing, distinctive industrial-style lighting, velvet and leather seating, and a fistful of circular booths cleanable for quiescent conversation. The small, five-stool barroom is simply a cozy spot to bask the creativity of the nutrient and beverage squad who person crafted immoderate of the city’s astir tasty libations. Playful cocktails include The White Lotus with Tanqueray orange, calvados fine, Benedictine, and Nonino, and Karl the Fog (Hennessy VSOP, Santa Teresa 1796 Rum, cherry heering, amaro Zucca, crème de noyaux, and maple wood smoke), the melodramatic tableside mentation of which is crushed capable to bid this one. 

Karl the Fog Cocktail

“It’s breathtaking to beryllium a portion of the iconic San Francisco culinary assemblage and make an outstanding caller eating destination for the city,” said Planter. “I’m excited to navigator successful San Francisco’s world-class culinary assemblage for the archetypal clip and can’t hold to invited our guests with memorable dishes that volition permission them looking guardant to their adjacent visit.” 

“Since the completion of our 2022 renovation, we person eagerly awaited the cleanable lucifer for our edifice and are grateful to person recovered Chef Gunnar Planter to bring to beingness our caller eating acquisition astatine Orafo,” said Gigi Vega, wide manager Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco astatine Embarcadero. “We’re assured that Chef Planter’s world-class culinary training, tremendous talent, and dedication to sourcing the highest prime ingredients volition supply guests with an unforgettable repast astatine Orafo.”    

Orafo is besides unfastened for meal and lunch. 

Orafo, 222 Sansome Street, San Francisco

Photos: Marc Fiorito, Gamma Nine