Via Aurelia

Via Aurelia comes from the team behind Che Fico, and it reads like a confident extension of that pedigree: a glossy, color-coordinated Mission Bay dining room with tucked-away booths that photograph better than most restaurants in the neighborhood ever will. The kitchen backs up the room. The sformato — parmesan rind foam over a chanterelle custard with the texture of a cloud — is the kind of dish that justifies the hype on its own, and the pappardelle in wild boar ragu is the rare pasta course that tastes like it took real time.

Not everything clears that bar. The cod leans on truffle until it drowns the fish, and the wagyu porterhouse asks a steep price for meat that chews tougher than it should. Portions throughout run small enough that a full meal adds up fast, and that tension between ambition and value is the one real knock against the place.

Service and atmosphere don't waver, and a Michelin selection for 2026 confirms what the room already signals. Via Aurelia earns its reputation on the dishes that matter most — just order with intention, and skip the porterhouse.