The Presidio is Getting New Restaurant in Summer 2023
The Presidio Trust and rising Chefs Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz announce a lease agreement for indoor and outdoor restaurant space at the historic Building 101 on the Presidio’s Main Parade Lawn, formerly occupied by The Commissary. The new restaurant will offer brunch, lunch, dinner, and cocktails celebrating eastern Mediterranean foods and culture, enveloped in American comfort and hospitality. It will feature California ingredients, inspired by the natural surroundings and native plants of the national park site.
“We are so pleased to welcome Laura and Sayat to the Presidio,” says Daryl Ansel, Director of Hospitality and Business Development for the Presidio Trust. “We look forward to adding their delicious cuisine to the park’s array of food options, cultivating even more special dining experiences for Presidio visitors.” The Trust has sought to bring the variety of restaurant choices in the Presidio back to pre-pandemic levels and expand to meet increased demand at the popular new Presidio Tunnel Tops site which has attracted over one million visitors since opening in July 2022. It has recently leased Colibri Mexican Bistro, the coming café at the Presidio Transit Center, and launched its own mobile food initiative, Presidio Pop Up.
“Our passion is hospitality and great food,” says Sayat Ozyilmaz. “The new restaurant will balance innovation, culture, and nostalgia, and the Presidio offers the perfect relaxing setting to bring that concept to our guests.” It’s expected to open in summer 2023, with more details on the culinary and beverage team, menus, and hours of operation coming soon. See the complete list of restaurants in the Presidio here: https://www.presidio.gov/food/restaurants.
About Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz
Sayat is originally from Istanbul, Turkey; Laura hails from Guerrero, Mexico. The two met while attending the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York. The husband-and-wife team embarked on a journey, cooking together to train at notable restaurants across the U.S., Mexico, and Europe — including Eleven Madison Park, Le Bernardin, Mugaritz, and Saison. Upon their return, they recognized that the Eastern Mediterranean flavors of Sayat’s youth, which Laura embraced after many visits to the region, were underrepresented in fine dining. This inspired their successful pop-up, Istanbul Modern SF, where they fulfilled a vision of serving refined Eastern Mediterranean food in a casual environment. They then co-founded the brand and concept Noosh, which opened to great demand. After the pandemic, as executive chef, Sayat helped his alma mater, the CIA, to re-open restaurants and culinary venues at the Greystone and Copia campuses in Northern California. Laura and Sayat have received accolades as San Francisco Chronicle’s “Rising Star Chefs” and Star Chefs’ “Game Changer Chefs.”
