If you have strolled along San Francisco harbor recently, you have probably noticed Bon Délire – (French for “great fun”) – a French restaurant making waves with its irresistible mix of great food, Parisian bistro vibes, and a playlist that keeps you lingering at the beautiful bar.
Bon Délire is the brainchild of Kais Bouzidi, a French Tunisian entrepreneur whose passion for restaurants runs in the family — his father owned creperie restaurants back in Paris. Kais moved to San Francisco at 18 to learn English, fell in love with the city, and never looked back. At just 22 years old, he opened Sens, his first restaurant offering Mediterranean dishes with a Californian twist. A decade later, he launched Barcha, a second Mediterranean restaurant, this time with Middle Eastern influences. In October 2024, Bon Délire became the latest addition to the Kaisen Concept group.
The restaurant is a heartfelt love letter to the French lifestyle: good food, stylish venue, great atmosphere and losing track of time. Set in a historic harbor building with high ceilings, the place attracts your usual business folks for lunch, locals for dinner and some tourists wandering on the waterfront. At Bon Délire, time-poor and efficient Silicon Valley schedules are hard to keep up with – time seems to stop for the greatest pleasure of the guests, and the team.
The team is just as international. Kosta Antonoglou, the group’s director of operations, brings a world of experience: born Greek, raised in Australia, and now a San Francisco hospitality pro (think Kokkari and The Morris). He started as GM at Barcha before stepping up to oversee Kaisen Group operations. Patrick Thillard, heading from France, is the head sommelier for the three restaurants, and makes sure that what is in your glasses is as good as what’s in your plate. Talking about your plate: Vernon Morales is the executive chef of the group. Nicaragua-born, an alumnus of the California Culinary Academy, and trained at Michelin-starred restaurants like Daniel and Le Bernardin, Vernon brings his very own signature to your dishes.
The menu? Think homemade bread, greens with strawberries, oeufs mayonnaise with Dungeness crab, steak tartare with crispy chips, and those decadent truffle fries smothered in parmesan and black truffle aioli. Save room for the freshly baked madeleines—perfect for dipping in molten Valrhona chocolate.
But it’s not just the food that makes Bon Délire a fantastic place to hang out. Kais, ever detail-oriented, made sure that every restaurant has its own musical DNA.
At Bon Délire, expect Yann Tiersen’s Amélie and La Groupie du Pianiste by France Gall as well as some Michael Jackson and Jay-Z. On weekends, our beloved Frenchie DJ Maï and DJ Max get people dancing.
Bon Délire is the kind of place where you come for a meal, and stay for the energy: a chic glimpse of Paris peppered with some casual Californian vibes.
Stay tuned: With three restaurants, 250 employees and counting, Kais and his team are ready to continue bringing stylish restaurants in unique venues to our beloved city.
Merci SF Rapid Fire
Kais
Favorite meal on the menu
Starter “oeuf mayo”Steak frite sauce poivre“A la minute” Madeleine
Favorite cocktail on the menu: Butter Tequila Paloma
Favorite Bakery in SF: Arsicault
What you miss the most from France: “Sandwich Grec” “Un Grec” or “Gyro” – Street food
Favorite SF restaurant: Verjus – “exceptional”
Kosta
If you were to leave SF, what dish/food would you miss the most?
I would miss the diversity. You can have everything here
What do you miss the most from Greek?
Fresh and tasty ingredients. Simplicity of the dishes.