At its peak, Fresca had four restaurants in San Francisco: West Portal, Pacific Heights, the Inner Sunset and Noe Valley. When the Calvo-Perez brothers brought the name back this summer, why was 3945 24th St. the one they chose?
The brothers told SFGATE they never considered reopening anywhere else. Nearly three months after the doors reopened on Aug. 24, the chef sees a pattern he didn't expect. People are booking tables after 8 p.m. on a street he remembers mainly for brunch and lunch. That late booking is the clearest sign of what the return means for 24th Street. The family that once ran four Frescas picked this block for the one that came back, and they rebuilt the room so people would stay into the evening.
Four restaurants, one return
Julio Calvo-Perez and his wife Zoila opened the first Fresca in West Portal in 1996. According to SFGATE's July feature, it started as a counter-service spot built around Peruvian street food such as rotisserie chicken. Ceviche began as a Sunday special and caught on. Each location that followed had its own feel:
- West Portal, 1996. The family-style original. Today the space is Franco's Latin Table, under different ownership.
- Pacific Heights, 2002. In Jose's words to SFGATE, this one was high volume, "open until, like, 11 p.m.," and drew a younger crowd.
- Noe Valley, mid-2000s. Jose described it to SFGATE as the middle ground between the family counter and the busy bar.
- Inner Sunset, 2014. It began in 2011 as Jose's own project, Pasión, and later became a Fresca.
The pandemic closed the 24th Street restaurant in 2020. The family sold the West Portal location to an employee, and by 2023 the other Frescas had closed too. The family kept cooking elsewhere. Jose's food truck, Lomo Libre, kept running, and so did Puerto 27, their restaurant in Pacifica. When the brothers decided to bring the Fresca name back, it was to one block of Noe Valley.
Why this storefront
The brothers had given up the 24th Street lease. The space then sat empty for about two years, and in 2023 they leased it again with plans to remodel and reopen. Ivan told SFGATE they saw "a good opportunity to reopen in a neighborhood that once adored their restaurant." He described the decision as emotional: "I think the city deserves a Fresca."
The remodel took a long time. Matthew S. Bajko's Store Trek column in the October 2026 Noe Valley Voice reports that the other three Fresca locations closed for good while the Noe Valley refresh "dragged on." In mid-August the brothers posted "The wait is over!" on Facebook. The 24th Street dining room had been dark for six years.
A bar moved forward, for staying a while
According to the Voice, the biggest change inside is the bar on the left side of the dining room. It now sits farther forward and doubles as a display for raw oysters and ceviche ingredients, with eight seats. The Voice describes the remodeled room as modern and full of light. Ivan runs the bar, with a list built around pisco.
The new bar is where the evening crowd shows up first. The Voice reports that in early September the brothers added a weekday happy hour from 3 to 5:30 p.m. The restaurant's own site still lists it Monday through Friday, 3 to 5:30 p.m. A happy hour at that hour fills seats after lunch is done and before dinner begins.
How the menu runs from happy hour to a late table
Jose keeps the dishes his father made famous, including the ceviches and a whole fried branzino, but cooks them with his own recipes. The menu also leans on Nikkei cooking, which blends Peruvian and Japanese cuisines. "It is all authentic Peruvian food but made with my own twist on things," he told the Voice. He also said he dislikes the term "fine dining": "My focus is to make good food that is a little bit more elevated."
Here is how the menu lays out across a visit, using the opening prices the Voice published in its October 2026 issue:
| When | What to order | Price at opening |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday happy hour | Oysters | $2 each, versus $5 each or $25 a half dozen on the regular menu |
| Weekday happy hour | Fried wontons with salmon tartare, rocoto aioli, avocado cream and ikura | $7 each, versus $18 for the salmon "wantacos" on the regular menu |
| Starting out | Four ceviches, from the clásico to the ceviche Nikkei with ahi tuna and ponzu leche de tigre | $24 to $28, or $60 for a trio tasting |
| Starting out | Tiradito Apasionado, thin-sliced ahi tuna with passion fruit leche de tigre | $27 |
| Sharing | Causa Limeña, a whipped Dungeness crab salad | $29 |
| Sharing | Pulpo Anticuchero, grilled octopus with Andean corn and salsa criolla | $28 |
| Mains | Salmon y Tacu-Tacu, aji-miso glazed salmon over canario bean tacu-tacu | $38 |
| Mains | Pescado a lo Macho, fish in a seafood and shellfish stew with ají amarillo cream | $45 |
| At the bar | Pisco Sour Clásico or Purple Rain, a chicha morada sour | $16 each |
| Last course | Picarones, sweet potato and pumpkin donuts with citrus-canela syrup | $13 |
Jose told the Voice the Salmon y Tacu-Tacu is one of the most popular dishes: "People love it. It is not going anywhere." The happy hour also discounts two of the ceviches.
The 8 p.m. reservation
Bajko writes that Fresca has been packed, especially on weekend nights, and that reservations are highly recommended. Then he reports what surprised the chef:
"I remember Noe Valley being more of a brunch or lunch crowd, especially on weekends."
Jose Calvo-Perez, in the Noe Valley Voice
The Voice reports that Calvo-Perez has been pleasantly surprised to see people booking past 8 p.m. That fits the 24th Street restaurant the family remembers best. Jose described the original Noe Valley Fresca as sitting between their family counter in West Portal and their late, busy bar in Pacific Heights. The rebuilt room puts that middle ground back on 24th Street, with a bar up front and a kitchen open into the evening.
Here's what helps if you're planning a visit:
- Reservations. The reservations page takes online bookings for parties of one to six. Groups of seven or more send a message through a form on the same page.
- Tuesdays. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays.
- Hours and happy hour. Check frescasf.com for current hours and the happy hour menu before you go, especially as the holidays approach.
- The weekend crowd. On the Voice's account, weekend nights fill up the most, so book ahead.
- The phone. The number listed in the Voice is 415-718-5232.
Evenings on the block through December
Fresca is part of a busy run of evening events on 24th Street. The free Noe Valley Night Market runs Tuesday, Nov. 24, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Noe Valley Town Square at 24th and Sanchez, with live music, local retail and food vendors, according to Funcheap. The Town Square calendar lists the Annual Noe Valley Tree Lighting on Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 5 to 7 p.m. The program includes a 15-foot tree, caroling, cookies and hot chocolate. Two nights later, on Thursday, Dec. 3, the Noe Valley Winter Wine Walk runs from 4:40 to 7:30 p.m. It includes tastings along 24th Street, and nearby businesses stay open late. Another Night Market follows on Tuesday, Dec. 29, from 5 to 8 p.m., per Funcheap.
Fresca is closed on Tuesdays, so neither Night Market lines up with dinner there. The Thursday Wine Walk does, and Fresca sits along the same street at 3945 24th St.
We follow the changes along 24th Street, from Fresca's return to the evening events at the square. If you'd like to talk about how this stretch of Noe Valley fits your plans, Amanda Jones Advisory & Associates would be glad to share what we're seeing block by block. Book a private consultation.
