3 Best Restaurants in San Francisco, California

Chef-owner Marc Zimmerman's first personal restaurant project is the city's most compelling beef-centric dining experience. Elaborate small dishes, several of which incorporate prestigious Wagyu beef elements (blood, fat, or obscure parts, for example), make up a captivating tasting menu served to diners, most of whom are seated at a U-shaped counter that overlooks a centerpiece robata grill.

After several years as the chef de cuisine at Rich Table, Brandon Rice set off on his own with this creative restaurant, and it's been wildly successful. Rice's cooking emphasizes local ingredients and is inspired by many cuisines, yet always has a few curveballs involved, like pork tonkotsu inspired by Nashville hot chicken and sushi rice topped with salmon roe and raw beef. The industrial yet affable bi-level space is beautiful but can get loud.

Ayesha Curry teamed up with the city's most prolific chef/entrepreneur, Michael Mina, on this hip spot inside the glitzy Millennium Tower. Don't call it a barbecue restaurant—it's more of an open flame, smoke-driven style of cooking inspired by various global cuisines. Every table has an order of Curry's freshly baked cornbread (SF's best) and one of the different smoked ribs offered.