Highbrow restaurant with three Michelin stars serving Asian-inspired dishes. The tasting menu features a variety of seafood, meats, and vegetables - at $375, it's an expensive but celebrated experience. A headline dining venue.
Old school Italian restaurant serving the usual ensemble of antipasti, pasta, grilled meats, and fish. The signature gnocchi is a solid foundation for any order. Family-run and a North Beach staple.
Michelin Star Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. Food is served family-style, so it is a great place to bring a group. The venue's top-floor lunar-inspired cocktail lounge, Moongate, is worth a booking too.
Hearty spread of Nepalese and Indian food with a few Tibetan dishes sprinkled in. Visit hungry and order a surplus. The staff are super friendly and are happy to offer recommendations based on taste preferences.
Upscale spot for high-end food lovers. One Michelin star earned by focusing on local ingredients. Try and sit at the bar if you can.
English-style restaurant serving high-grade prime rib. The meat is carved tableside and served with a pairing of mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. Specialized cuts and accompaniments can be ordered. Reservations are a must.
One of the Bay's most respected Persian restaurants. Lavash it is a super inviting restaurant with food to match. The Koobideh skewer and the Kashk-e Bademjan are both recommended. Best to reserve ahead of time.
Neighborhood American bistro with an award-winning cheeseburger - the "Americana." The crispy chicken sandwich is another standout. The menu, as a whole, spotlights local, seasonal ingredients. Friendly service and reliable food.
Go-to Italian for many in the bay area - especially those with a love for Sardinian-inspired seafood dishes. Highlight eats include octopus stew and bottarga spaghetti. Intimate within, and with some outdoor seating.
Old-school Italian restaurant that's full of character. Great food and drinks, the quality is reflected in the price. Staff are super friendly, as are the owners. Best to reserve ahead of time, especially for the alfresco tables.
Famed fried chicken spot and Chinese restaurant - San Tung's wings have made their way onto a host of "best in America" lists. Not into wings? The restaurant also serves handmade noodles, dumplings, and more.
Elevated and artful takes on modern French cuisine. An ideal spot for those who dine with the "phone eats first" philosophy. The wine list is equally as thought-out. Reserve a table in good time.
Don't wait in the line at Burma Superstar when this place is down the street and just as good (same owners). Try the laska or cauliflower balls. The cocktails are sweet but enjoyable.
Peruvian 🇵🇪 restaurant with super fresh seafood. Of course, the ceviche is delicious, but the entire menu is bold and colorful. Excellent views of the SF Bay so it can get crowded.
Celebrated restaurant venue that puts the cooking process on show. Eight specialized stations with bar seating showcase different Chinese dishes. Visit with friends and prepare for a lively dining experience.
Classic-style venue within the Proper Hotel that wear many hats - breakfast, lunch, dinner, cocktails, and afternoon tea. All menus have sophisticated takes on New American cuisine. The cocktails are also fresh takes on classics.
Upscale and inventive Mexican restaurant with two Michelin stars. Sit inside or on the alfresco patio, but the best spot is arguably at the open-kitchen bar. The tasting menu is paired with small-batch wines.
Step inside this unconventional restaurant where the menu changes every day and so does the movie that plays... talk about dinner and a show! It can book up quick so try to get reservations in advance.
Old school-chic venue in the Financial District serving oysters, seafood, and other small plates. Popular for its food, beverages, and aesthetics - reservations are a must. Dine and drink, then linger for more cocktails.
This upscale and inventive restaurant has earned its one Michelin star. You'll be pleased with literally anything that you order. Servers know what they're talking about and are super helpful. Sit at the bar or at a table.
Authentic Italian food. They have a vast wine selection and the staff will help you pair the right bottle. Close to San Francisco's famous little cable car.
A cozy spot to go with friends and share some tapas. The place is Spanish/California fusion making the food interesting and really good. Definitely order two drinks throughout the meal, one of their wines and one sangria!
Detroit-style pizza from a San Francisco-based brewery. Grab one of Cellarmaker's brews or a guest beer, and indulge in some deep-dish pie made with fresh toppings. A quality food and drink combo.
Modern yet laid back. Really good atmosphere and live music 🎶. Drinks are fun and service is friendly. Usually good for dinner, they also do a weekend tipsy brunch.
American iteration of the renowned international ramen kitchen. The bad news is that everyone and their mother knows this place and so queues are standard. The good news is that the food served makes the wait worthwhile.
Excellent fish 🐠 tacos and ceviche. There will probably be a line to get in and it's a bit hype-y but good to check out. Feels like a restaurant in Ciudad de México. Not a taqueria.
Great bar and restaurant focused on seafood and yes, they do serve anchovies. Cozy spot.
Ferry Building counter serving Ahi burgers and California wine. Silver trays usually head straight for the outdoor picnic tables facing the bay.
Embarcadero steakhouse sitting right on the water with massive windows facing the Bay Bridge. Wood-fired steaks and stiff drinks hit tables as the loud, high-ceilinged dining room fills up for the night.
Clubby Nob Hill dining room lined with dark wood paneling and green leather. Nightly live piano fills the low-lit space over dry-aged steaks and stiff martinis.
Small NOPA corner counter serving high-quality chirashi boxes, sushi rolls, and Uji matcha lattes. Orders run through a tablet and come packed to go, ready for the short walk down to the Panhandle.
Refined Jackson Square dining room serving a precise, three-hour tasting menu. An exclusive partner farm dictates the nightly run of Californian-Italian courses.
Energetic Marina restaurant centered on a wood-fired oven turning out authentic Neapolitan pizzas. House-made pastas are a staple; the wine list is a deep dive into Southern Italy's lesser-known vineyards.
Unmarked eight-seat counter in the Mission serving a 16-course Chinese tasting menu. A father and son cook and plate Shanghainese and Huaiyang dishes using Japanese techniques just across the counter.
Cambodian diner and food stall serving street food classics from an open kitchen in the Ferry Building. The signature is the kuy teav phnom penh, a pork-broth noodle soup, alongside crispy, peppery Khmer fried chicken.
Retro SoMa burger joint with the wood-paneled walls and drop ceiling of a basement dive. The kitchen slings griddled smashburgers and charbroiled tavern patties alongside duck-fat fries.
Fillmore kitchen serving classic soul food from treasured family recipes. The rosemary fried chicken gets top billing, but the real move is adding hot honey butter to the fresh cornbread.
Moody Art Deco dining room serving Italian-Japanese fusion in a high-energy space. Shared orders of uni tagliatelle and okonomiyaki pizza land on tables while live music plays through the evening.
Intimate Presidio Heights dining room serving shareable coastal Mexican plates like duck carnitas and crab tortitas. The 50-seat space splits into a bright dining area and a moody, earthy bar pouring regional Mexican spirits.
Compact Hayes Valley counter slinging Neapolitan pizzas from a white-domed wood oven. Seating is scarce, so most folded street-style pies and whole margheritas head straight out the door toward the nearby park.
Sleek subterranean dining room merging Korean BBQ energy with polished steakhouse service. Staff cook dry-aged ribeye and marinated galbi on smokeless charcoal grills built into every table.
Immersive dinner show projecting a 3D animated story right onto the tablecloth. A tiny virtual chef "cooks" each course before real tasting menu plates land in sync with the visuals.
Taco counter running the kitchen at Woods Lowside. Handmade corn tortillas carry homestyle fillings like charred broccoli and pork chile verde for the crowd drinking in the booths and heated parklet.
Lush, year-round garden on a corporate plaza, serving steakhouse classics and fresh oysters. Live piano music is a constant, setting the tone for date nights and celebratory group dinners.
Intimate Russian Hill dining room serving a precise tasting menu of modern Japanese-American plates. Chefs deliver courses directly to the twenty-six seats, keeping the room relaxed and conversational.
Outer Sunset smash burger counter sharing a loud, narrow taproom and parklet with a local brewery. Lines form early for thin, crisp-edged beef patties and tallow fries, paired with beers from the back bar.
Warm, red-walled corner restaurant in the Inner Richmond serving charcoal-grilled kebabs and shareable Turkish mezze. Tables fill fast for classic Mediterranean plates backed by a massive list of low-intervention wines.
Modern Korean restaurant with a quiet, ambient dining room – a refined alternative to bustling KBBQ. The menu is all traditional comfort food, focused on slow-simmered broths and tender, braised short ribs made for sharing.
Former laundromat serving hand-rolled bagels by day and Detroit-style pizza at night. Vintage rock posters line the walls, old movies play on the TVs, and the soundtrack is strictly vinyl.
