Hilda and Jesse

Offering what may well be the Bay Area’s most creative and ambitious take on brunch, this disarming passion project from co-owners Ollie Liedags and Rachel Sillcocks gets its extra shine from the pair’s extensive fine dining experience — each also contributed a grandparent for the restaurant’s name. The hospitality is cheery and warm, matched by a winsome space that calls to mind a modernist diner, and happily the cuisine is every bit as finely tuned. There is nothing precious or manicured about the cooking here. It is often bold and brash, a total riot of flavors mixed with stellar ingredients, and dishes are equal parts unexpected and undeniably satisfying. The menu changes frequently and the dishes arrive as a surprise, as you're not provided a menu.