When Jeff Hanak noticed an old vacant bank on the corner of Divisadero and Hayes Streets in San Francisco, he saw beyond the white brick walls and envisioned great possibilities for his new restaurant, Nopa. Set at the bottom of Hayes Street Hill, Nopa, which opened in April 2006, is named for its north of the Panhandle location. This Haight-Ashbury neighborhood spot is filled with people who come to appreciate Nopa’s contemporary yet inviting atmosphere after a day of work or a show at the nearby Independent concert hall.

Hanak, a San Francisco native, is no stranger to the restaurant business. His first establishment, Chow, grew from Church Street to Park Chow on Irving Street and another Chow in Lafayette before he sold the chain. While Chow features a mix of American, Asian and Italian dishes, Nopa’s ever-changing menu features inventive American-Mediterranean dishes created by co-owner Laurence Jossel.

Nopa has become known for its organic fare and locally purchased ingredients. Every week, Hanak, Jossel’s mother-in-law and the sous chef venture out to local markets around the bay to buy fresh produce. While many of the popular dishes stay the same, their ingredients are often tweaked a bit depending on what kinds of fruits and vegetables are available that week. The flatbread appetizer, for example, may be topped with spicy fennel sausage, gypsy peppers and roasted corn and it is well worth the $11 price. The star entrees include fire-roasted chicken and pork whose accompaniments are dependent on the local market trips. These dishes don’t break the bank with their $12-21 price range.

For dessert, the menu may feature sweet sopaipillas or a seasonal pumpkin soufflé cake. The servers, under the watch of Jossel’s wife Allyson from Chow, are personable and eager to share their favorite dishes and wine selections with diners.

Jossel and Hanak hired local artist Brian Barneclo to create a mural inside the restaurant that “captured the spirit of (the neighborhood’s) past, present and future,” according to the artist. Barneclo, who lives near the restaurant, began painting the mural while the building was still being renovated, calling his piece “organic, similar to the concept of the restaurant.” His art is still a work in progress and spreads from the entrance to the right side wall, flooding the room with soulful colors between the concrete floor and massive wooden ceiling beams.

The sprawling concrete bar boasts an array of drinks displayed under a row of plate-glass windows. The wine collection, managed by Nopa’s wine director Chris Deegan, is stored in a cool old bank vault. The bar is usually packed with diners waiting for tables who may choose to sit at the 20-seat bar or join other groups at the large wooden communal table, which serves as a perfect complement to the friendly ambiance of the room.

Nopa is open seven days a week for drinks starting at 5 p.m. and dinner from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. The restaurant accepts reservations up to one month in advance between the hours of 2 p.m. and midnight.

Nopa
560 Divisadero St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
Tel: (415) 864-8643
www.nopasf.com

- Written by Allie Schratz (ajschratz@gmail.com)

Allie Schratz is a student-journalist at San Francisco State University.

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