Volta — San Francisco, USA

The culinary awakening of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Cultural District continues with the recent opening of Volta, the third restaurant from co-owners Umberto Gibin and Staffan Terje who also helm city favourites, Perbacco and Barbacco. The name — Latin for a change in direction — marks a departure from the Italian cuisine for which the duo are known, as here, Swedish-born executive chef Terje turns the focus to French brasserie cuisine that leans heavily on Scandinavian culinary traditions. The theme continues at the cast concrete bar, a destination in itself, where French wines sit side-by-side with house-made aquavits from Terje, which also find their way into cocktails such as the eponymously named Volta, containing carrot juice, honey syrup and lemon.
It’s all housed in a glass box designed by CCS Architecture, no stranger to Gibin and Terje, having worked on their other two restaurants. At Volta, a clean, bright aesthetic has been applied by way of cast concrete walls, buttressed by street-facing glass walls that flood the space with natural light. The two-storey space is dramatic — thanks to mezzanine level dining — and elegant, flanked by a series of luxe materials including French oak, blackened steel and bronze mirror, while hexagonal concrete tiles that run wall to wall provide a sense of consistency throughout the 8,00sq ft restaurant. Geometric hanging pendant lights that are both delicate and striking loom large over banquettes and booths divided by patterned glass, and give diners just one more reason to linger.
INFORMATION
Website
ADDRESS
868 Mission Street
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
What is recycling good for, asks Mika Rottenberg at Hauser & Wirth Menorca
US-based artist Mika Rottenberg rethinks the possibilities of rubbish in a colourful exhibition, spanning films, drawings and eerily anthropomorphic lamps
-
Jessica Anne Woodley’s ‘joyfully imperfect’ furniture seeks your inner child
The designer is launching GliFfY, a furniture studio offering playful forms that reflect on her personal growth
-
A house on Ireland’s wild Atlantic coast blends into the landscape
On the Atlantic coast, Cruit Island’s craggy topography and wind-swept vegetation inspired the form and composition of this beachside family retreat in Donegal
-
Inside Hotel Chelsea’s secret basement sushi restaurant
Teruko, a new Japanese restaurant and sushi bar in Hotel Chelsea, marks the final jewel in the hotel’s years-long transformation
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Fouquet’s New York: a lush, urban cocoon for the 21st century
Set in the heart of Tribeca, Fouquet’s New York balances French-inspired refinement and cosiness
-
This surreal new seafood restaurant in LA is the stuff of mermaid's dreams
At Cento Raw Bar, delectable fare is complemented by playful, oceanic interiors by Brandon Miradi
-
At The Ned Nomad in New York, home comforts meet a lively atmosphere
This hotel and social club is a vibrant hub of hospitality that evokes 1920s glamour for members and visitors alike
-
For the breakfast lover that is not a morning person, this Hollywood café is for you
Start your day with a ceremonial strawberry matcha latte and freshly baked viennoiseries amid the glamour of Café Goldie at the W Hollywood
-
The best bars in New York for stiff drinks and stunning design
From five-star hotel lobby bars on the Upper East Side to discreet downtown drinking dens, these are the best spots to sip and soak in the ambiance
-
Beverly Hills’ latest hot ticket is a Chinese restaurant with a hidden speakeasy feel
Chef Mei Lin’s 88 Club pays tribute to the prosperity, success, and good fortune symbolised by the number 8 in Chinese culture
-
You can now stay at this iconic modernist house in Palm Desert
The Desert Wave, a modernist revival project by Stayner Architects, with interiors by Design Within Reach and Paul Smith, is available to book