Aphotic (restaurant)
Restaurant in San Francisco, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aphotic was a seafood restaurant on Folsom Street in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, California, with one Michelin star. It opened in March 2023 and closed in December 2024.
| Aphotic | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Aphotic | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | March 21, 2023 |
| Closed | December 21, 2024 |
| Chef | Peter Hemsley |
| Pastry chef | Deirdre Balao Rieutort-Louis |
| Food type | Seafoods |
| Rating |   |
| Location | 816 Folsom Street, San Francisco, California, 94107 |
| Coordinates | 37.782°N 122.402°W |
| Website | aphoticrestaurant |
Cuisine
Named for the deepest ocean layer, Aphotic was primarily a seafood restaurant. It served a seasonal 11-course tasting menu, and desserts included oyster-flavored icecream.[1][2][3][4] The restaurant created sauce by fermenting bones and other unused parts of fish with salt and koji, and dry aged much of its fish.[1]
Aphotic also had a distillery license and produced spirits using a rotovap, including gin infused with seaweed that is used in its martinis. It offered an extensive cocktail menu alongside its wine list.[5][6][7][8][9] Aphotic's martini was one of three San Francisco versions listed in a 2024 Esquire "best of America" article.[10] The non-alcoholic drinks were also seafood-related, including a zero-proof vermouth and sweet cider cocktail with a dot of uni on the glass for aroma, and a seaweed cream soda.[9]
Reviewers noted that the restaurant's decor was very dark, in keeping with the deep undersea theme.[9] In 2023, the Michelin Guide characterized it as a "rarified pescatarian tasting menu that abounds with personality", served in a "vast, tenebrous space",[5][11] and a San Francisco Chronicle review as "groundbreaking seafood" served in a "drowned temple in the dark ocean".[2]
History
Hemsley, who had worked at Quince, opened Aphotic in March 2023 in a former warehouse; he had previously operated Palette, a restaurant and art gallery, at the same location.[1][5][12] The following July it was awarded a Michelin star[2][11] together with a green star for sustainability.[13][14] The California Michelin Guide reviewers also selected pastry chef Deirdre Balao Rieutort-Louis' oyster icecream as one of their favorite desserts of 2023.[4][15] In 2024, Trevin Hutchins, the bar director, received the Michelin "exceptional cocktails" award.[5][16]
In October 2024, Hemsley announced that the restaurant would close on December 21, blaming lack of traffic and unsafety in the neighborhood since the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][9][17][18][19] In late 2025, he announced he would open a cocktail bar called Jupiter Room.[4][20]