About
About Chef and Owner Azalina Eusope
Chef Azalina Eusope, has a reservation only, five-course, tasting menu restaurant in the Tenderloin, San Francisco.
Azalina is an active participant in the neighborhood and is actively working with SF Government and other groups to improve the living experience for everyone in the neighborhood.
Chef Azalina is a fifth-generation street food vendor, moved to San Francisco 25 years ago. The only thing that could comfort her in the early days settling in and learning English was the food she grew up eating, so the pastry-trained chef cooked for herself, family and friends often. Over time, word got out about her home-cooked meals, and her hobby eventually turned into a business in 2010.
Azalina's is on the Michellin Guide, has a James Beard Nomination, and Chef of the Year (2023, Eater SF).
We hope you'll be able to visit the restaurant at 499 Ellis in San Francisco, Ca. - We have a link on the home page for reservations.
See you soon!!!
Eusope, whose grandmother sold coconut rice out of a basket she carried between villages, had always wanted to become a lawyer, but found herself in the family business after all. “This is the kind of food that reminds me of my culture, my family, my memories,” says Eusope. “You can’t turn it away. It’s in your family and in your soul. Somehow it’s going to come and find you.”
And it’s a good thing she got into the family business. In 2009, Bon Apetit magazine named Eusope one of “10 Top Upcoming Chefs” for 2010. She was also honored by Women’s Initiative for Self Improvement for being an “Enterprising Woman on the Rise” in 2012.
In 2023, Azalina's restaurant was listed in NY Times top 25 places to eat Now in San Francisco. If you are unable to visit the restaurant, please visit the web-Store for sauces, tea and noodles!!
Penang Island
Azalina is from Penang, a historically rich island trading hub on the western coast of peninsular Malaysia. Descended from Indian people who came to Penang several hundred years ago, Azalina is a member of the Mamak community. The Mamak are a people who are deeply tied to spices, and were renowned cooks Major stages of Mamak life are built around spices, including a special ceremony in which young children get to pick out their own spice. Azalina's own family grows their own spices, and are well known for their curries and street fare!
