Kokkari Estiatorio

Kokkari Estiatorio is a Greek restaurant on Jackson Street in the Financial District of San Francisco. It takes its name from a small fishing village on the Aegean Sea.

The partnership behind it also runs Evvia Estiatorio in Palo Alto, and the two share much of their menu. Executive chef Erik Cosselmon leads the kitchen, cooking the dishes of a Greek taverna with the produce and habits of Northern California. With about 200 seats it is a big restaurant, split into two rooms of different character. At the front, a bar, high-backed upholstered chairs and a large fireplace under exposed wooden beams create the feel of a living room, while the back is a livelier taverna stretched along a long open kitchen.

Fire does much of the work. Something is always turning on the rotisserie in the hearth, whether lamb, pork or chicken, and whole fish comes off the grill dressed with lemon and olive oil. The wood oven handles prawns finished with Kalamata olives and a butter made with feta, as well as giant beans baked in tomato and warm pita. Roasting in an open fireplace puts the cooking in plain view and makes the hearth the focal point of the main room.

The classics hold their place: a tart avgolemono soup, spanakotiropita filled with spinach and feta, dolmathes, and moussaka that layers eggplant and spiced lamb under a yogurt béchamel. Grilled octopus, calamari stuffed with feta and lamb chops with a lemon and oregano vinaigrette are among the dishes the San Francisco Chronicle has singled out. The Michelin Guide includes Kokkari in its selection for California.