'Saison' To Open Raw Bar & Grill At Former 'Chaya' Location

'Saison' To Open Raw Bar & Grill At Former 'Chaya' LocationSaison's kitchen. | Photo: Matt S./Yelp
Teresa Hammerl
Published on December 06, 2017

Michelin-starred French restaurant Saison is expanding. The South Beach restaurant (178 Townsend St.) intends to open a new raw bar and grill, Angler, in the former Chaya Brasserie (132 Embarcadero) in summer 2018.

Saison will also open another Angler location in Los Angeles, slated for fall 2018. Chef Joshua Skenes and wine director Mark Bright will head up the new locations.

According to an announcement on Saison's website, the new spots will be able to accommodate 100 guests, with room available for private parties.

Photo: Elaine H./Yelp

"We’ve been working on this for a while now," Skenes told Inside Scoop. "Everything was being planned for the last four or five years."

Reflecting the emphasis on seafood, Angler's interior will feature a maritime theme, including rusted steel beams, exposed brick, elements of copper with a saltwater patina, mermaid tiles, as well as natural materials such as American walnut.

In the future, patrons will enter through a room with a fireplace before heading to the full bar and salon where guests can enjoy wines from Burgundy and the Rhone or Loire valleys, cocktails, or a quick bite before or after their meal.  

The center of the Angler kitchen will be a 32-foot hearth with eight zones for Saison's different types of fire cooking, the restaurant said. 

Photo: Chaya Brasserie/Yelp

The menu at Angler will include a selection of local seafood, with live tanks filled with fish and shellfish sourced from Saison’s own fisherman.

The restaurateurs also plan to offer cured rockfish with Meyer lemon, simple salad of lettuces and herbs, California king crab steamed with drawn butter, and wild strawberry soup. Raw bar items, including oysters and clams, will also be available.