“Where do you want to eat?” might be the most dangerous question two people can ask each other.
“Sushi?” “Not in the mood.”
“Burgers?” “Feels like a lot.”
“Oysters?” “It’s not really an oyster kind of day.”
Forty-five minutes later, a decision still hasn’t been made, stomachs are rumbling, and everyone is a whole lot hangrier than they were when the conversation first started.
Some of the offerings from Dayboat Seafood (Erin Ng)
The Mess Hall exists to end that fight before it starts: six food and beverage concepts under one roof mean one person can get Korean fried chicken, one a smashburger, and one a dozen oysters—and everyone can watch the fog roll under the Golden Gate Bridge while eating their separate meals together.
The Mess Hall is the last piece of Presidio Tunnel Tops to fill in, arriving four years after the park itself opened. Opened last week inside a 6,200-square-foot former U.S. Army building with wraparound bay views, its three restaurants, a full bar, a coffee shop, and a market all share one ordering system and some of the best sightlines in San Francisco.
The story behind The Mess Hall starts with a walk. Founding partner Rob Gaon and his wife were passing a row of barracks under renovation near the Presidio’s Mason Street when the idea hit him.
The cocktail bar at The Mess Hall in the Presidio (Erin Ng)
“I just happened to say to her, ‘God, that’d be a great food hall,’” Gaon remembers. “When we travel, we’re always seeking out food halls—it’s a great way to dive into a place’s culture.” After submitting one of several formal proposals to the Presidio Trust, Gaon and his partners won the lease.
The original concept looked a little different. Gaon and co-founder Nate Leonard, also a former chef, imagined leasing out sections to separate operators until chef Peter Serpico, a James Beard Award winner who spent years in the Momofuku kitchens, suggested another approach: developing all three restaurant concepts under a single culinary vision. The result feels like one cohesive experience instead of a handful of unrelated storefronts sharing a roof.
To eat your way through it, start by ordering at the counter (for now—kiosks and QR-code ordering are on their way). They'll text you when your food is ready for pickup.
At Breadwinner, the pit beef sandwich ($18) is a Baltimore import done right—charred rare steak, onion, horseradish mayo; the chicken bacon ranch ($17) is buttermilk fried and perfectly crispy; and the smashburger ($14) has the lacy, well-charred edges you want. Get the build-your-own salad ($12), too, if you’re the type of person who feels like you should have something green on the table—though the dressings alone (avocado ranch, especially) are reason enough to order it either way.
Some of the offerings from The Mess Hall's Korean restaurant, Boda (Erin Ng)
Over at Boda, get the kimchi fried rice ($12; add bulgogi or shrimp for $7) and the Korean fried chicken sandwich ($17; choice of instant ramyun or gochujang glaze), plus an order of beef mandu ($14). Dayboat Seafood does fresh-shucked oysters ($26 a half dozen), a build-your-own hand roll, and a tomato-and-seafood cioppino with a grilled baguette on the side ($24).
The bar does a Golden Negroni (St. George gin, Trabanco Quinquina, Gran Classico, $16), a citrusy Seaberries built on yuzu vodka and sea buckthorn ($15), and an NA Seaberry Spritz ($14) if you’re skipping the buzz. The wine list runs from a $15 glass of chillable cinsault to a $175 Beaune Premier Cru.
The café opens at 7am with Wrecking Ball coffee and Breadbelly pastries (yes, that Breadbelly), alongside a bodega-style breakfast sandwich ($11) you can load up with hash browns, sausage, or bacon. The market’s got everything you need for a picnic: bread, cheese, tinned fish, crackers, wine, and cold drinks to carry out to the park.
The café serves Wrecking Ball coffee and pastries from Breadbelly. (Erin Ng)
The layout tracks the second you walk in, with the market anchoring one end, the open kitchen running down the middle, and Boda, Dayboat, and Breadwinner sharing the same pass. The coffee bar and pastry case sit just across from it, and the full bar holds down the back corner.
The renovation kept the original Douglas fir floors and light fixtures from the building’s 1897 run as an Army depot (it was also at various points a butcher shop, a feed store, and a mailroom), so despite the newness, it feels like it’s already got some history behind it. Seating stretches from communal tables inside to red bistro chairs on the patio. Depending on where you land, you might catch sight of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the Palace of Fine Arts, or the Transamerica Pyramid—a lineup you won’t find from any other table in the city.
Even with The Mess Hall’s doors now open, Gaon is still a little amazed by the whole thing. “It’s such an incredible position to be in—developing something for a city I love,” he says.
// The Mess Hall is open 7am to 8pm, Monday through Thursday, and 7am to 10pm, Friday through Sunday; 201 Halleck St. (Presidio), messhallpresidio.com
(Editor’s Note: As of this story’s publication on August 20th, 2026, Boda and Dayboat Seafood have not yet started service but will soon. Breadwinner, the bar, café, and market are currently open.)
The views from every angle of The Mess Hall are world class.(Erin Ng)
