1. Embarcadero restaurant Piperade expanded in September with Lauburu, a 1,000-square-foot private dining room and event space. The room has exposed wood beams and seats 30.
2. Longtime North Beach Italian favorite Original Joe’s, which started as a 14-stool counter space, reopened in January 2012 in a much larger incarnation. New options include two private rooms that each seat 35 and a semiprivate space seating 60. The spirit of the original remains, with red booths, Art Deco mermaids, and a vintage neon exterior sign.
3. E&O Asian Kitchen reopened in July following a renovation that opened up the three-floor venue and updated the decor, including the 14-seat Pearl room and the 54-seat Cinnabar room, which has a 60-inch TV screen. Buyouts seat 200.
4. New private event space Berlinetta Lounge opened in November in Charlie Palmer’s Mystic Hotel. Furnished with lounge seating, communnal tables, LCD TVs, and its own bar, the space can accommodate as many as 80.
