San Francisco Restaurants

Today San Francisco remains a vital culinary crossroads, with nearly every ethnic cuisine represented, from Afghan to Vietnamese. You don't just go out for Chinese here: regional offerings range from the classic Cantonese to the obscure Hakka cuisine of southern China. And although locals have long headed to the Mission District for Latin food, Chinatown for Asian food, and North Beach for Italian food, they also know that every part of the city offers dining experiences beyond the neighborhood tradition.

As for restaurant trends, small plates—à la Spanish tapas—have become the eating experience du jour. Now a slew of Italian, Asian, Latin, Mediterranean, and even American restaurants, as well as Spanish spots, are satisfying locals' hunger for myriad small tastes in a single sitting. At the same time, Italian restaurants, which once typically put dishes from all over the boot on their menus, are now focusing on the traditions of just one region, such as Liguria, Lazio, Campania, or Sardinia.

Diners also have grown increasingly serious about what they're sipping. In response, restaurateurs are offering more sophisticated wine lists, emphasizing new vintners, lesser-known varietals, and emerging winemaking regions. And "cocktailians" have been treated to an explosion of innovative drinks that are keeping mixologists busy pouring, stirring, and shaking from one end of town to the other.