Japanese fusion is having a moment.
Across San Francisco, one-of-a-kind concepts have sprung up, blending the island nation’s ingredients and emphasis on craft with Peruvian seafood (Chotto Matte), Italian pastas (Ciaorigato), and Filipino cafe culture (Kissaten Hi-Fi). Now, it’s time for linguiça and malasadas to enter the chat.
Four months after Jasper’s Corner Tap closed quietly inside the Tenderloin’s Hotel Spero, the space has been transformed into Bar Esper (opens in new tab), a Portuguese-Japanese restaurant serving pork katsu-topped breakfast bowls, spicy crab yaki udon, and peri peri chicken. The restaurant opened quietly on May 20.
Dinner is substantial, with Portuguese sausages sharing space on the menu with shrimp dumplings, aged pot roast, and a duck-and-chorizo rice dish that caramelizes to a crisp in a paella pan. Sandwiches are plentiful, including two standouts: First, the prego, made with juicy skirt steak, garlic, and miso mustard, and second, the ebi katsu, an intensely flavorful combo of shrimp, cabbage slaw, peri peri chili crisp, and sesame dressing on milk bread.
A key ingredient throughout is black garlic aioli, which has strong potential as an all-purpose condiment. “It needs to go in a bottle,” says Amy Currens, the hotel’s director of food and beverage, who counts the fisherman’s stew among her favorites on the menu. “I’m a Bay Area girl, and I’ve spent some time on the Portuguese coast,” she says. “So I like the delicate nuance of the broth, which allows the purity of the seafood to shine through. And the complement of that miso is just delightful.”
Breakfast means lemon matcha curd malasadas or Portuguese-Hawaiian doughnuts, along with pastel de nata custard tarts and a just-heavy-enough tamago breakfast sandwich made with egg and cheese, potato sticks, arugula, and a choice of linguiça, bacon, or chorizo — plus yet more black garlic aioli.
Notably, there’s no lunch service, as the surrounding neighborhood’s preferred midday meal tends toward the grab-and-go. “I love Kin Khao,” Currens says, “but lunch business there is pretty calm, so we decided to put our money into the evening.”
Legendary San Francisco bartender Jacques Bezuidenhout (Forgery Bar, Wildhawk, Tres Agaves) lent his talents to the cocktail menu, which shines a spotlight on Japanese spirits that are often paired with various fortified wines. Whisky lovers should check out the Rainwater, made from Toki Black Japanese whisky, Sanderman Rainwater Madeira, Giffard crème de banana, and bitters, while fans of apple brandy might favor a Castaway, comprising calvados, kummel caraway liqueur, grapefruit, lime, honey, and mint. A separate, compact happy hour offers comforting classics such as Negronis and margaritas.
A full wine program is underway, though vinho verde, loureiro, and other intriguing varietals are already available by the glass or bottle. “We’re really leaning into the Iberian Peninsula,” Currens says. “We’re going to expand the bottle list to 75 to 100 selections by the fall.”
The L-shaped, street-facing dining room is large — there’s seating for 110 — and the interior underwent a substantial renovation. Whereas some hotel restaurants can feel as though they’re meant primarily for guests, Bar Esper feels open to the city. “We want to encourage theatergoers and event attendees,” Currens says.
During its 15-year run, Jasper’s gained attention for hosting ice-cutting demonstrations and rowdy industry nights, and Currens is hoping to reinvigorate that history. Bar Esper is a big bet on the neighborhood’s recovery. “It’s great to see Union Square coming back, but we’re in the Tenderloin,” Currens says. “And we’re proud of it.”
More about the author
Astrid Kane (they/them) aspires every day to be San Francisco’s No. 1 boom-loop booster, focusing on food and drink, culture, and LGBTQ+ issues. They live in the Mission.
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