Snail Bar
The snails come in the shell under garlic confit and cashew miso butter, $24, on a Temescal corner. Cesar Hernandez went back in May 2026 and called the cooking backflip-worthy.
Why go
Andres Giraldo Florez opened this in 2021 and it ran hot, with lines down the Shattuck sidewalk.1 He cooked at Mugaritz, wd~50, Alinea and Saison, and the small plates showed it.1 Last October he announced a move to France. He kept the ownership and handed the stoves to Zachary Breaux, a 26-year-old from Lafayette, Louisiana, who won a scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America and cooked at Atelier Crenn and Verjus.1 Florez ate at Breaux's New Louisiana popup three times, then offered him the job.1 Five staples survived the handover and Breaux writes the rest. His spring lasagna runs pasta made with thirty egg yolks over a ragu built on braised, ground pig skin, and it takes days.1 The wine is 100% natural, French-leaning, and so is the sake; wine director Carlos Camacho still sells more orange wine than anything else.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the snails, $24. The MICHELIN inspector has them in-shell under garlic confit and cashew miso butter with a coin of kumquat on top.2
- Order: the
perfect vegetables,
$18, with a dip enriched with koji.1 - Order: the beef tongue croquettes, $18, dusted in bay leaf powder over bechamel.1
- Order: whatever the week's special is, if you came hungry. Hernandez says the staples are for snacking.1
- Avoid: counting on the tostada. Hernandez got stale shells on two separate visits and said so in print.1
What locals & experts say
- Cesar Hernandez, San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic (May 2026):
This level of backflip-worthy cooking is why I go to Snail Bar. At a time when so many natural wine bar menus feel familiar, it continues to push boundaries.
1 - Hernandez on the fault, same review: the tostada toppings were strong but
the fried tortillas were stale on two separate occasions.
1 - The MICHELIN Guide inspector:
Although the vibe here is unfussy, fine dining chops are evident in every precise, flavorful dish.
2
Good to know
- MICHELIN: Bib Gourmand, printed on the guide's own page, read 28 August 2026.2
- Cost: the Chronicle puts a meal for two without drinks at $75 to $150.1
- Access: all on one floor, with sidewalk tables and a parklet.1
Verdict
should-visit — Cesar Hernandez went back in spring 2026 after the founder left for France and found the cooking still doing backflips, which is the hardest test a small room passes. The kitchen is Zachary Breaux's now, 26, out of Atelier Crenn and Verjus and his own New Louisiana popup, and his pig skin ragu lasagna takes days and thirty egg yolks. MICHELIN prints a Bib Gourmand on the page. Held below must-visit because the handover is months old and one signature came out stale twice on the critic's own visits.