In San Francisco, the humble anchovy will finally have its moment in the spotlight, when chefs Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski debut their newest restaurant in the spring. The aptly named Anchovy Bar will open as soon as April, just around the corner from the duo’s relentlessly popular Fillmore District restaurants: State Bird Provisions and The Progress. 

Brioza has been a booster for the tiny silver fish for years, brining and curing them for use throughout the menus at his restaurants, and even participating in a documentary on them. Now the fish that is often considered bycatch (the fish that are swept up in fishermen’s nets while trawling for bigger fish like salmon) will lead the menu — when in season, of course. 

“It’s a small fish with small impact,” says Brioza. “Anchovies are definitely the low man on the totem pole and I think that the work required to prepare them makes them challenging for people.” And, when they’re cured their flavor is very strong — a little goes a long way, says the chef.