The San Francisco Restaurant That Cooks All Its Food Over An Open Flame

San Francisco is no stranger to unique and trendy restaurants. From a garlic-themed restaurant that will leave your breath packing a punch to a tiki bar with indoor rainstorms, San Franciscans have seen it all. Starting in September 2025, the City by the Bay added another unusual eatery gem to its crown by the name of La Cigale. Translated to "The Cicada" from French, this Glen Park restaurant is exceptional for a few reasons, including its Occitane fare. It doesn't accept tips, it only seated 14 guests upon opening, and it doesn't take reservations. Most of all, it prepares all its food with open flames, offering guests an up-close look at live-fire cooking.

Even home cooks might know the best ways to use a kitchen torch, but this restaurant takes it to a whole new level. La Cigale's ancient cooking method involves keeping a hearth burning with wood, then using it to slow-cook some dishes while flambéeing others. There are absolutely no gas appliances in La Cigale, and that gives food a unique flavor, as well as greater entertainment value. The decadent menu of items cooked this way is ever-rotating but generally features some regional European delicacies. A meal there can be a pricey one, and it's a challenge to get a seat, but patrons attest that it's so worth it. As owners Joseph Magidow and Daisy Linden intended, dining there is intimate, personal, and highly desirable to younger generations who value experiential dining.

Upon entering, guests are seated at a single counter rather than traditional tables. They pay a single fee of $140, which is all-inclusive of taxes and fees, unless you want some extra caviar or wine. Diners select from a three-course prix-fixe menu that utilizes local ingredients and see it prepared in front of them with fire and flair. This menu changes daily, with updates appearing on their social media.

As far as what usually ends up on your plate, expect traditional French dishes from the Occitanie region. Owner Joseph Magidow focuses on simple, seasonal dishes that utilize meats, fish, and fats commonly consumed by inhabitants of that area. Some of these savory, rich-tasting meals may be set ablaze in front of customers right before being plated and served on the counter. You should keep an eye out for flaming raclette, thick head cheese, blanquette au safran, various homemade sausages, and cheese tarts. These are paired with French wines and are prepped by the owner himself. Staff will select the best wine pairings for the menu to complete your meal based on each diner's preferences.

While this model is an unusual one, it has been well-received. La Cigale now has a 16-seat guest list, and various media outlets have ranked the restaurant's opening as one of the most highly anticipated of the season. If this leaves you sold on grabbing a seat, keep in mind that the San Francisco restaurant has gone viral for the difficulty of getting in. Because La Cigale does not accept reservations, visitors must show up as early as 4:30 p.m. to get on a waitlist for that evening's 6:00 p.m. service. La Cigale offers two seatings, and those who get on a waitlist for the second one may not get a spot until around 8:30 p.m. There's an online waitlist as well.

As with any restaurant trying to break the mold, there have been a few hiccups along the way. First, the owners had to put in a new sewer line. The city made this difficult due to concerns about survey monuments. Additional permits and costs piled on for months, and the hearth-based restaurant had to push back its initial summer opening window to an autumn one.

However, the biggest controversy comes from the cooking method itself. Because everything is cooked over burning wood, there's a heavy amount of smoke produced from the restaurant. Locals who live nearby have complained about the smoke levels, with some saying they have trouble leaving windows open in the evening. Asthmatic neighbors have complained of worsening health and have made calls to the city. 

Joseph Magidow is aware of these complaints, and it still remains to be seen what he'll do to address the concerns. He does acknowledge a need to accommodate the locals and prevent smoky evenings caused by his live-fire cooking. The state doesn't have any regulations about how much smoke a restaurant creates but requires woodsmoke fumes to be released through the roof rather than a wall. Magidow went above these requirements by adding an additional platform and a longer chimney on the roof, but he is now looking into further solutions. Until that time, however, locals will have to make do, instead focusing on how to get into this notoriously booked San Francisco restaurant without a reservation. All in all, things look fortuitous for this eatery, even in a city notorious for short restaurant shelf lives.