3 New Businesses Turning Up The Heat In The Mission
By Hoodline
Itching to explore the newest businesses to open in the Mission? From a pulsing Los Angeles-based dance club to a piquant ramen shop, read on for a list of the newest hotspots to land in this part of San Francisco.
Arena SF
2565 Mission St.
Arena SF is a dance club specializing in hip-hop. It's located in the former Mission Street Sports Bar, and is the project of Mission Street's owner, Richard Einselen, alongside two of the partners in Los Angeles' similarly named Arena Ktown, as Mission Local reported.
On Friday and Saturday, there's no cover charge for most customers at the 21-and-over club. (It's open to those 18 and over only on Thursdays.) You can find more information, including frequently asked questions and prices for bottle service, at the club's website.
Bottle-service customers can skip the line, which many Yelpers reported was formidable during its grand opening weekend. Despite a spate of complaints from cover-paying customers who still didn't get in, Arena's current Yelp rating of four stars out of 58 reviews indicates positive attention from users overall.
"My friends and I went on the Friday of their opening weekend and I cannot emphasize this enough: Get. There. Early," wrote Yelper Joyce L., who reviewed the club on April 8. "So refreshing that for once, it was just hip-hop and no EDM."
And Yelper Kaitlyn S. agreed, "This club is pretty casual and plays music you can always dance to. The people that work there are so nice and definitely add to the fun vibe."
Arena SF is open from 9:30 p.m.–2 a.m. on Thursday-Saturday. (It's closed Sunday–Wednesday.)
Gift Nosh
1186 Valencia St.
Gift Nosh is a family-owned market, café and event space specializing in gifts for foodies, as we recently reported. You can find it at 1186 Valencia St. (between 22nd and 23rd streets).
Its array of high-end prepared food items include truffled potato chips, ready-made ramen broth, fancy chocolate and duck fat. Many of the café's offerings incorporate one or more of the products the store carries, like the Ballpark bánh mì with chorizo sausage and peppercorn pate cream on a La Brea baguette.
You'll also find unusual combinations like the honey-lavender bacon musubi topped with State Bird Crunch furikake and served with a side of pickled veggies; five-spice banana cream trifle; and mocktails made with non-alcoholic spirits.
The shop can host up to 40 guests in its event space, or create custom picnic baskets and cocktail platters for off-site gatherings.
Gift Nosh currently holds five stars out of four reviews on Yelp, indicating a warm welcome for the fledgling business.
Yelper Cherylynn N. raved about the selection: "This is the first time I've seen the Tartuflanghe brand truffle chips in-store (made with real truffles, not that fake truffle oil stuff), and the only other place I know that sells haku shoyu is China Live's gift shop."
And Yelper Matthew R. wrote of the banh mi, "The sourness of the pickle had a good combination with the sausage. Every bite was glorious."
Gift Nosh is open from 10 a.m.–8 p.m. daily.
Hell's Ramen
2193 Mission St.
Hell's Ramen is a ramen joint specializing in spicy, reimagined versions of the Japanese comfort food classic. Located at 2193 Mission St., it's by the team behind Iza Ramen and Blowfish Sushi.
Hot pepper fans will find powdered Carolina Reapers in their signature Enma chicken ramen, topped with spiced ground pork. If feeling the heat isn't your thing, don't worry: the Yasha tonkotsu bowl can be served non-spicy. There are also plenty of vegan and gluten-free options on the menu.
The new noodle joint has nabbed four stars out of 12 reviews on Yelp thus far, indicating a positive response from customers.
Yelper Danielle L., who reviewed Hell's Ramen on March 19, approved, "If you ask for extra spicy, they give you extra spicy. For me, the base level spice wasn't quite to my level, but it soon became so. The food is made fresh, and tastes fantastic."
"I liked that it wasn't overly rich, but it didn't seem to have the flavor that I was looking for," Yelper Emily T. said of the Ashura ramen. "Wish that it came with more veggies, but you can add them on. The marinated egg was perfect and the noodles were nice and chewy."
Hell's Ramen is open from 5:30 p.m.–9:45 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. (It's closed on Monday, Saturday and Sunday.)