Limon Twist
Sangria and Ceviche Return to Valencia

There are good times for fires: weekend barbecues, candlelit dinners, hearthside nights in a mountaintop cabin with your leggy snow bunny…

And then there are bad times: like a debilitating blaze that shuts down a restaurant for a year and a half.

Knowing much too much about the latter, but making a comeback nonetheless: welcome back Limon, the Castillo family's prized Peruvian restaurant that put San Francisco on the Peruvian-food map, resurrected from the ashes of its former self and reopening tomorrow on Valencia.

Chances are Limon was one of your go-to date spots prior to the fire, so you're more than familiar with its bi-level lounge/bar/restaurant layout. And you can expect that same general setup, along with the citrus-hued walls and hearty Peruvian fare. 

Only now, as you take a seat at the brand-new marble-topped ceviche bar, you'll notice more delectable fish (like the Ceviche de Pescado along with the signature Ceviche Limon) and the addition of sashimi-style Tiraditos, all thanks to the fresh team of chefs—one who got his start at the triple-Michelin-starred Arzak in Spain, and a local from Michael Mina.

Stick with your old date-night standbys like the crispy whole red snapper and the meaty Lomo Saltado with a pitcher or two of sangria, for old time's sake. Then spice things up with the newer, more refined dishes like a deconstructed duck confit and homemade ravioli in butternut sauce, washed down with pisco-inspired soju cocktails.

And it's like that year-and-a-half never happened.