Tiny new SoMa Cafe Boochmania is a temple of fermented foods and drinks

San Francisco has a new place for all ferments. From the same team behind his Boochman Kombucha in Berkeley came his Boochmania, a fermented food hall of fame and Kombucha maker outlet. Diners can expect lentil miso burgers and thick hummus, along with a myriad of fizzy drinks at restaurants and retail outlets. She says she is both excited and scared to come to “The Bay Area, and San Francisco in particular, has been known for great food for over 100 years,” says Karavijk. “On top of that, there’s also a lot of great historical food. The competition is huge and the stakes are very high.”

For those unfamiliar, the Boochman was launched in 2018 at the East Bay Farmer’s Market. Just one year later, the brothers were able to move into the wholesale brewery space. So they decided to try the food combination. Lentil patties with miso on homemade buns quickly became a hot seller. “We have gained quite a few followers,” says Karavijk. “But then COVID hit and we just focused on kombucha.” The launch of the taproom fell behind by the time the restaurant was able to reopen. spied a location at 685 Harrison Street, a former ice cream parlor. “It was a complete set-up,” Karavijk says. “There happened to be a kitchen.”

Numan Karabyuk

Numan Karabyuk

Burgers and sliders are back on the menu at the new location, as are Sacramento grass-fed lamb, homemade yogurt, and bulger bowls. Additionally, the team can repurpose his previous SCOBYs and potentially discarded fruit into soaps and candles. One of the rooms in the vast new space is a dedicated ‘repurposed atelier’ for practicing these lean R&D projects. The brothers are also experimenting with other fermented beverages such as Chicha Morada from Peru, amazake from Japan, and tepache from Mexico.

Karavijk is right to notice the rise of fermented foods in the Bay Area. Fermentation Lab opened his second location in Japantown, and Shuggie’s gained attention for its love of upcycling and roots in pickle products. But Karabiyik is confident in his approach to his business and the team’s ambition to continue selling beverages to major retailers. He and his brother are from Turkey and have lived in California for many years. “Our philosophy aligns with the Bay Area,” says Karavijk. “We are not only healthy and delicious, we are also sustainable and responsible to nature and the society in which we live.”

Boochmania (685 Harrison Street, San Francisco) Open Tuesdays from 10:30am to 6:00pm until Saturday.

Numan Karabyuk

Numan Karabyuk