The Old Ella's Corner on Presidio Avenue Now Runs on Dinner

The busiest new kitchen in Presidio Heights opens at 5 p.m. and closes at 9. For about thirty years, the corner of Presidio Avenue and California Street was a morning address. Since March 3, 2026, it has been a dinner reservation that people book a month ahead. This is where the neighborhood's dining recovery is happening so far: after dark, and at its eastern edge. The redevelopment meant to bring daytime crowds back to Laurel Village is still waiting on construction.

Ella's Was a Morning Business

Ella's American Kitchen opened at 500 Presidio Ave. in 1990. It was a popular brunch spot for years, and it closed during the pandemic. No published account gives its last day or an owner's explanation. The record shows a long-running breakfast and brunch room and then an empty corner that lasted into 2026.

In April 2025, news broke that Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz, the chef-owners of Dalida, had taken the space. The Tablehopper newsletter reported that they rebuilt it in less than a year. They now run two restaurants about 1.4 miles apart. SFist pointed out that you could walk from one to the other in about 30 minutes.

A Room Built for the Evening

Maria Isabel's posted schedule is Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m. It lists no lunch and no brunch. A preview in February listed closing at 9:30. The Chronicle's June review and the restaurant's own site both give 9 p.m.

The room was designed for evenings. A mural combining San Francisco and Acapulco greets you at the door. The left half is bright, with pink floors, pink terrazzo and an open kitchen, and is named for Laura's sister Maria, who is also a chef. The right half is darker, with wood accents and a standing bar, and is named for her mother, Isabel. Laura told the Chronicle the darker side is meant to be "sultry."

The bar has its own following. Beverage director Evan Williams's cocktail menu, which draws on traditional Mexican drinks, won Michelin's 2026 Exceptional Cocktails Award for California. In May, the California Michelin Guide also added the restaurant as a new Recommended entry. That listing is not a star, and Eater noted it does not guarantee one later.

The menu follows Laura's life along Mexico's Pacific coast. It starts in Acapulco, where her mother's side of the family lives. It moves on to Mazatlán in Sinaloa, where her father is from, and ends in Northern California. Laura was born in Guerrero, the state Acapulco is in. She explained to Eater why the restaurant is personal:

"As a Mexican immigrant, growing up in Mexico and then coming and establishing yourself in a different country, especially when family is away from home, you feel attached to your roots, and you want to build community, and you want to be connected with your home."

What Three Critics Ordered

Three critics reviewed Maria Isabel this spring, and their notes overlap. Prices below are from the date of each review. The menu changes with the seasons, so treat these as examples of the cooking. October's menu may be different.

Two dishes stand out. The enmoladas pair Oaxacan and Guerrero-style moles, and critic Cesar Hernandez called the plate an art gallery of mole. The Choco Ta-Corn is a riff on the Choco Taco with corn in the ice cream, the chocolate and the masa waffle shell. The spring tasting menu cost $90. One course used quelites, which are Mexican greens, grown in the couple's garden in the Presidio. Vegetarian and pescatarian tasting menus cost $100 per person with advance notice. The tasting menu can't accommodate allium or nightshade allergies. The Chronicle estimated a meal for two at $75 to $200 before drinks. It also noted two steps into the dining room to the left of the entrance.

Getting a Table Without Planning a Month Ahead

How you get a seat here matters more than it ever did at Ella's:

1. Book on OpenTable. Tables are released 30 days in advance.
2. Walk in as a small party. Laura told Eater the restaurant takes walk-ins when there's space. Solo diners and pairs have the best chance at the counter in the brighter Maria room.
3. Mention dietary needs when you book. The vegetarian and pescatarian tasting menus are limited each night, and the kitchen asks for notice.

Sacramento Street Already Had Dinner

Maria Isabel joined a stretch of Sacramento Street that already had established dinner rooms. Sociale at 3665 Sacramento is celebrating 25 years. It serves dinner Monday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. and lunch only on Thursdays and Fridays. Spruce at 3640 Sacramento keeps the longest hours on the block. It serves weekday lunch, weekend brunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., dinner every night, and runs a café daily from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. If you used to go to Ella's for weekend brunch, Spruce is the nearby room that still serves it.

A few blocks east, Sorrel at 3228 Sacramento holds a Michelin star under chef Alexander Hong and takes reservations through Tock. With Maria Isabel open, this short section of the north side now has a starred room, a Recommended room with an award-winning bar, and two long-running restaurants, all within walking distance.

For a more casual dinner, Golden Mediterranean Cuisine opened around New Year's at 3611 California St. In a September review, The Infatuation called it a good easy weeknight dinner and recommended the dill-topped haydari, chicken shish plates and gyro wraps. It also runs a busy takeout business.

The Daytime Crowd Is Still Only Planned

All of this happened before the bigger change on California Street. In January, Supervisor Stephen Sherrill told the Chronicle that Laurel Village retailers have had a hard time without the foot traffic the UCSF campus and the hospital used to bring. He also said residents want more places to eat. His words: "People want a pub where they can go and watch a game. They want more restaurant options."

Two former campuses are meant to bring that traffic back:

• 3333 California St. This is the former 10-acre UCSF site. Prado Group plans 744 homes, a 175-spot childcare center, about 40,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and 5 acres of open space. In January, Prado said it expected to start the first three buildings in late 2026. That first phase, called Presidio Highlands, includes 152 homes and new retail along California Street.
• 3700 California St. This is the former California Pacific Medical Center campus, which closed in 2019. Plans call for up to 19 residential buildings with up to 530 homes.

The most recent news we found on 3333 California came on June 21. San Francisco YIMBY reported that building permits had been filed for two Center Buildings and 518 Walnut Street, totaling 200 homes. It did not report construction underway. As of early October, we found no report confirming that ground has broken. The 40,000 square feet of planned shops and restaurants is still on paper. The new place to eat on the corner of Presidio and California is open now, Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m.

Turning a brunch room that sat empty since the pandemic into a two-room dinner destination in under a year is the kind of redesign Adelaida Mejia pays close attention to on the north side. If you'd like to talk about how the changes on California Street could affect your own home, book a conversation with her or request a home valuation.