Cala

Great creative Mexican tapas with a focus on seafood. Recommend the Hamachi tostadas with salsa macha, trout roe and cured yolk, Trout tostadas with chipotle, avocado and fried leeks, Pork tamal with achiote. For dessert Palanqueta with chocolate ice cream, an Pomegranate sorbet. Service is informed, helpful and surprisingly quick given the crowds and tight quarters. Cons: Pricey for tapas, tiny tables aren't suited for lots of family-style small dishes (served 1 at a time) and after spending $90/+ person some of us were hungry afterwards. Enjoy!

Cala is our new favorite place to recommend to everyone. We came once last year and loved it but then just didn't make it back until a couple weeks ago. Wow wow wow! We forgot how superb literally everything on the menu is. It is SO delicious. Since last year, we've also grown an appreciation for craft cocktails, of which there are numerous, fabulous options here. We will be back much more often, and you should too.

Incredible evening with fresh, clean, exciting flavors. The rock fish with adobo sauce and parsley sauce was delicious and a great share dish. We loved everything we ordered, but the figs served with cardamom semifreddo was once of the best desserts I've had in a long time. Great atmosphere - highly recommend!

Cala is a beautiful vibrant space, the cocktails and wines are spot on and the service is FANTASTIC. I've dined her a few times and everyone on the staff is very well trained and feels genuinely friendly which is rare in the SF dining scene these days. For example; dining last night at the bar with my Peliroja cocktail and trout tostadas, I asked the bartender Orlando if they had any hotter salsa. The tostadas are served with a spicy marinated onion but I thought it needed more acid and heat to cut the fat, at least for my palette. Orlando explained that the hottest they had was the onions, which was no problem, it was still tasty. But he then proceeded to make me a special "salsa" by slicing Serrano chilies into lime juice. He had plenty to do with a busy bar. This attention to service was very much appreciated and made my meal. It's these types of things that keep a diner coming back. As for the food, its very good, not amazing, but very good. I've dined at Gabriela Cámara's Contramar restaurant in Mexico City numerous times and its hard not to compare the two. I appreciate the use of local products at Cala and the sweet potato with bone marrow is brilliant. I've been inspired to make it home in fact, but its never the same. I also die for the habanero pumpkin seed sauce, its lush, unique and balanced. I wanted to eat it by the spoonful...in fact I may have. The whole fish is also very delicious with handmade tortillas. My biggest struggle with Cala is the price. The tapas portions are not tapas prices. We are definitely not in Spain here. The portions are light and the prices are high. A cocktail, a glass of wine and 2 appetizers will run you $92 all in. I understand that is what it takes to pay your staff a living wage, to use quality ingredients and to run a successful restaurant in San Francisco. I fully support how Gabriela Cámara decides to run Cala I just wish I could afford to dine here more often!