For Shelley Lindgren, co-owner of A16 and one of San Francisco's most anticipated Italian restaurants, Lucania, the Ferry Building is not just an address. Long before it became the city’s most beloved food marketplace, the Ferry Building was a point of arrival and departure as one of the busiest ferry terminals in the world. That sense of possibility is exactly what drew Lindgren to it.
Lucania is set to open in the former MarketBar space inside the Ferry Building Marketplace in 2026. Designed as an all-day Southern Italian restaurant with an expansive outdoor piazza-style patio, it reflects Lindgren’s belief in San Francisco’s enduring food culture.
Appetito spoke with Lindgren about how Lucania came to be, and why the Ferry Building felt like the right home.
What inspired you to bring Lucania to the Ferry Building?
Lucania really grew organically. In 2020, during the early days of COVID, we opened a small holiday pop up in the former Cowgirl Creamery space. It was very simple. Food baskets, gifts, a way to stay connected to our community. We stayed, and over time that pop up naturally evolved into A16 La Pala, a takeaway counter for pizza al taglio, panini, and seasonal salads.
Everything was prepared at A16 on Chestnut Street and delivered daily to the Ferry Building. Walking past the space that would become Lucania, we started imagining what could be possible. Suddenly, the idea of an Italian piazza style outdoor space felt like a fun and natural addition.
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Why did this location feel like the right home for the concept?
The Ferry Building is vibrant from morning to night. It’s casual and celebratory all at once. Lucania allows guests to stop in any time from 10 am to 10 pm, whether that’s for a coffee, a cocktail, wine, a small bite, or a full meal.
Being alongside the farmers market also opens the door to collaboration. The Ferry Building beautifully holds the shared history of Southern Italian cooking and Northern California’s farming and fishing culture. That connection feels very real here.
How does Lucania fit into San Francisco’s food culture?
San Francisco’s food culture is built on proximity. Proximity to farmers, fishers, makers, and ideas. Lucania reflects that by showing how extraordinary a simple dish can be when the ingredients are right.
Southern Italian cooking values restraint, seasonality, and respect for the product. Those values align naturally with the Bay Area. Simple does not mean easy. It requires care and intention. Lucania is our way of honoring that philosophy.
What kind of experience do you hope guests have from morning through evening?
Above all, it’s about being on your time. We want Lucania to feel familiar and comforting at any hour, part of daily routines, spontaneous moments, and celebrations alike.
Lucania moves with the day. Mornings are easy and grounding. Midday is flexible and nourishing, something you can quickly grab to go or take the time to savor. Evenings soften into something more social, with wine, beer, cocktails, and shared plates.
What excites you most about opening in such an iconic public marketplace?
The Ferry Building belongs to everyone. Locals, visitors, farmers, and chefs cross paths here every day. Opening Lucania in this setting means being part of a constant exchange. Always inspired, always connected. That energy is both motivating and grounding.
How did you approach building the menu?
We built the menu to be flexible and responsive. The market leads, tradition guides, and California’s produce and seafood shape the final expression. It’s about listening. Listening to the seasons, the farmers, the guests, and the moment.
Which regions or traditions of Southern Italy most influenced the food?
Lucania draws from Calabria, Sicily, Puglia, Campania, and especially Basilicata, which is really the heart of the project. These regions share a cooking culture rooted in generosity, resourcefulness, and flavor built from necessity.
How does cooking in the Ferry Building shape your approach to seasonality?
Being surrounded by farmers and fishers makes seasonality unavoidable, in the best way. You see what’s available in real time. That immediacy keeps the food honest and dynamic and reminds us daily that good cooking starts with listening.
Which dishes best capture what Lucania is about?
Alongside pesce blu and seafood salads, the menu will feature familiar classics. Patate alla Lucana, cavatelli with cruschi, lasagna verde, orecchiette with ’nduja and eggplant, panzerotti, and salsiccia Lucana.
There is refinement here, but it comes from simplicity. The surroundings do a lot of the talking. Those dishes reflect what Lucania believes in. Simplicity, done well, is deeply luxurious.
I also just want to add that Lucania is a magical place and region that the world has not been told about yet. We are honored to bring the story and experience
In the Ferry Building, Lucania becomes another point of connection. Like the piazzas that inspired it, it is designed for everyday moments as much as special ones. For more information, follow along at @ferrybuilding and @a16sf.
