A new brewpub and bar called Fifty Vara debuts in the Sunset, Draymond Green's new Civic Center restaurant Meski opens its doors, and Niku Steakhouse is temporarily closed after a fire, all in This Week in Food.

The Outer Sunset has a plant-filled new brewpub and bar, Fifty Vara, which is now open in the former Sunset Reservoir Brewing Company space (1735 Noriega Street). We first heard about the project in the fall, and Tablehopper now has the details on the opening. Chef Adriana Fleming (Baia, Saluhall) is bringing some decidedly fancy and seasonal bar food to the menu, with dishes like orecchiette with pork sugo, peas, and pecorino; and pan-roasted sea bass with fava beans and herb salad. The bar features craft cocktails by Erin Rea, a mostly California wine list, and five house-brewed beers. For now, they're open for dinner only, from 5 to 9 pm on weeknights, and 5 to 10 pm Friday and Saturday.

Reservations are now available for Meski (1000 Larkin Street), the new Ethiopian-Caribbean restaurant from chef Nelson German (Sobre Mesa), restaurateur Guma Fassil (Meskie’s Ethiopia Restaurant), and investor Draymond Green. We first learned about the restaurant in February, and they are reportedly having a friends-and-family test dinner tonight, with the grand opening tomorrow, April 5.

We reported this week on the name and concept for Che Fico's new waterfront spot in the Mission Rock development, in the base of the new Visa headquarters building. It's called Via Aurelia, and it's going to focus on Tuscan food — think Florentine-style steaks, game birds, seafood, and rich pasta dishes. Chef David Nayfeld says the restaurant will be the most "dressed up" of any that the group has opened so far, with flourishes of old-school fine dining like tableside preparations. That's aiming for a late-summer opening.

Michelin-starred Niku Steakhouse is temporarily closed after a kitchen fire over the weekend. The restaurant posted about the closure on Instagram, saying that the fire was quickly contained and no one was harmed. But with the temporary closure, Omakase Restaurant Group launched a GoFundMe to help offset the costs of keeping employees on salary during the closure, saying that 100% of the money raised will go to the employees. As of last year, Niku is one of only eight steakhouses around the world with a Michelin star, and it was named the best steakhouse in California by Taste of Home.

The noted "most beautiful Taco Bell in the world," overlooking the ocean in Pacifica, is back open as of Friday, following a renovation. It's actually a Taco Bell Cantina location, and has been since 2019, selling beer and margaritas in addition to the regular menu, and the festivities today included giveaways and a DJ.

A new, healthy-ish, casual spot has opened at South Park called The Farmacy, as Tablehopper reports, from former Mina Group chef Kevin Schantz, and the owners of Movida. It features an array of lunch options like fried and rotisserie chicken sandwiches, salads, bowls, and for dinner, a $39 whole rotisserie chicken meal deal.

A new Korean-style cat cafe, called Nabi Cat Cafe, has just opened in Santa Clara. As the Chronicle tells us, it features Korean-style coffee drinks, pastries, and sweets, as well as an array of adoptable cats — but reservations are required for the "cat lounge."

We saw the first (and bottom) half of the new Top 100 restaurants from the Chronicle this week, which includes an eclectic array of restaurants, as well as one food truck and one bagel shop! The top 50 of the Top 100 is getting revealed Monday night, April 7, at an event.

Photo via Fifty Vara/Instagram