Rabbit Hole, an absolute gem of a bar and Asian food restaurant, opened about a year and a half ago, replacing Old Devil Moon, which closed in 2022. Mission Local reported about the opening here, and I’m (shamefacedly) finally getting around to visiting.
Owner Joan McCollum, a San Franciscan of 30 years, opened the bar/eatery to feature her mother’s Taiwanese food memories and to expand on the idea of a Chinese restaurant. The menu is playful and inventive, fusing neighboring Asian flavors with panache and a light touch.
The space is rustic yet elegant, with inviting, warm wood tones throughout, a long bar, high-tops and four-tops for seating, and a festive little covered patio out back. I especially loved that their big screen TV played a vintage Godzilla/Mothra movie silently in the background, instead of the ubiquitous sports programming you find everywhere (though I’m sure they feature that at times too). Rabbit Hole very much gives locals/family vibe. We need more spaces like this.
To start, five of us split furikake fries, sesame/chili/garlic cukes, yellowtail poke, sesame peanut noodles, and two types of bao: Sweet potato and pork belly.
All were well-prepared, with obviously quality ingredients, but the stand-outs were the refreshingly crunchy and cold cucumber chunks, the oh-so-lovely fries, crispy, perfectly hot, perfectly salted, and perfectly furikake-ed, and the bao.
Surprisingly, I think most of us gave the nod to the sweet potato bao by just a hair, with both being lusciously crispy and a good contrast to the pillowy bun. The flavors in all these dishes had pizzazz to spare.
We moved on to mains: Bulgogi-glazed ribeye (12 ounces for $28), sided by excellent bok choy and roasted Asian root veggies and, of course, rice.
A flavorful piece of fatty, chewy flesh, Korean style. The roasted potatoes and other veggies had good flavor and bite, too. I’d get this again if it’s on offer, but Rabbit Hole’s menu does change up pretty regularly.
Fish and chips came next.
Simply some of the best fish and chips I’ve ever tasted. Ultra light, crunchy and crispy outside. The fleshy white fish inside was melt-in-your-mouth tender and silkily succulent, placed atop those excellent frites that kept their crispness even while beneath the hot fish. I think the friend who ordered this felt like she’d won dinner. She may just have.
The smash burger came next.
I will say that this was not a typical smash burger, lacking much smash-age, but there were two generous, beefy patties topped with pickled veggies, and more of that gochujang ketchup to liven things up.
One of us had a fried chicken sandwich, which I didn’t taste (he proclaimed it very good), but I did dip a fry into his fiery nam pla sauce that it came with. That sauce is an upgrade, for sure, and I’d order a side of it next time to dunk everything in.
We also tried the fried fish sandwich.
I was not a huge fan. Whereas the fish and chips were light and airy, I found this heavy and a tad on the greasy side. My friend, however, did not concur, and took up the slack.
The cocktail list is inventive and brimming with eclectic spirits, pairing the familiar with the new. We found them well-balanced and surprising, especially the perfectly not-too-sweet Banana Rabbit, made with Japanese rum, Ming River baijiu (a Chinese liqueur), plantain liqueur, vermouth blanc, citrus, and saline.
And who can resist a cute angry bunny cup?
Rabbit Hole also offers a diverse selection of non-alcoholic concoctions, beer and cider on tap, wine, a variety of teas, including Taiwanese milk oolong and matcha latte, as well as various juices. There are gluten-free and vegan options for food, desserts, and a kids’ menu. The brunch menu leans a bit more into McCollum’s Taiwanese roots, offering rice porridge and you tiao, among other brunchy delights. It really is the full package.
Service was warm, friendly and efficient, and while not a cheap-eats type of place, the food quality and quantity more than merited the approximate $44 per person we spent (apart from alcohol.)
I can’t wait to go back and do some day-drinking/brunching on that patio. You should, too, while the sun is still shining!
3472 Mission St.