Aíso took over the former Lark space in the Castro with an all-vegan menu built around a la carte fine dining rather than a fixed tasting format. Appetizers include a beet tartare with wasabi crème fraîche, heart of palm fritto with watercress aioli, and yuca sticks with passion fruit mostarda. Mains lean on dishes like garlic butter udon with macadamia nut, kale and walnut pesto rigatoni with blistered cherry tomato, roasted cauliflower with sikil pak and sour orange onion, and oyster mushroom skewers with tamari and toasted coriander. A brunch menu adds a breakfast burrito with sweet potato hash and adobo tofu scramble, alongside a curried butternut squash soup among the starters.
The menu moves across cuisines — Japanese, Mexican, Caribbean-leaning flavors — all built without animal products, in a Castro space with a history as a neighborhood dining room.
The menu moves across cuisines — Japanese, Mexican, Caribbean-leaning flavors — all built without animal products, in a Castro space with a history as a neighborhood dining room.