10 Best Restaurants in The Waterfront, San Francisco

Celebrated local chef Nancy Oakes' high-profile, high-priced eatery in the historic 1889 Audiffred Building has been attracting well-dressed locals and flush out-of-towners since 1993. A striking belle époque interior (originally designed by Pat Kuleto and later touched up by Ken Fulk, both star local architects) is the setting for sophisticated American food with a French accent and a distinct local California produce twist.  The main dining room has a three-course set menu with several options in each course, while most of that menu is available à la carte in the bar area.

To enjoy Michael Tusk's three-Michelin-starred haute California cuisine with a slight Italian influence at dinner, you'll have to splurge on a comprehensive 10-course gastronomy menu, but you'll be rewarded with seasonal items (much of which comes from Fresh Run Farm in Bolinas) reaching the highest fine-dining heights. The elite wine list is among the country's greatest, and seamless service is both refined and welcoming. After an extensive renovation, the still ultra-posh dining room reopened in 2024 with a more contemporary-leaning and sunlight-filled aesthetic (no more white tablecloths), along with an intimate bar and salon, plus the addition of a leisurely Thursday and Friday lunch.

After a short but strong run as the Wagyu-beef-centric restaurant Gozu, executive chef/founder Marc Zimmerman changed course in 2024 and unveiled a mostly different concept with The Wild. The main similarity between the two is the sleek U-shaped dining counter around the open kitchen and its featured hearth with binchotan charcoal. Many dishes are cooked over those coals with the most precise, laser-like grilling care. The Wild is all about bringing together creativity and nature, where superb local ingredients are gently integrated into exciting but not overly elaborate compositions. Even though there isn't a physical bar, the cocktails, wine, and spirits here are a standout.

The title of "best omakase" has many worthwhile contenders in the city, but many would name this sleek destination in downtown's "East Cut" area as the most captivating sushi-centric tasting menu. It's undoubtedly a splurge and can feel a little Vegas-flashy, yet the raw and gently torched fish nigiri preparations are nothing short of remarkable. Service, glassware, ceramics and the ultra-polished, wood-heavy design centered on an abstract triangle-shaped sushi bar are of the highest level of contemporary luxury.

This classic for prix-fixe dining has earned legions of fans since 1999 for its refined and creative seasonal California cooking, displayed in dishes like glazed oysters with Osetra caviar and roasted quail with pork and scallion stuffing. The posh-contemporary banquette-lined rooms, with stunning floral arrangements, are as memorable as the food and impeccable service. The cost of a meal is pegged to the number of courses, from three to five, with several choices in each course. The wine list is immense.

Satisfy your craving for outstanding Greek taverna food—albeit at luxe steak-house prices—from a dizzying selection of mezethes such as stuffed grape leaves to main courses that showcase Athenian standards like moussaka, lemon-oregano chicken, and grilled lamb chops. There’s a lively after-work scene in this chic farmhouse setting with wood-beamed ceilings, a roaring wood oven, and candlelight. Service is doting for its many well-heeled regulars (but tends to be less so for other guests).

Right on the water's edge, this perpetually popular destination courtesy of global mega-chef Gastón Acurio imports the signature flavors of his home country, Peru, to San Francisco. Fresh seafood is a big draw here, including a long list of ceviches and the can't-miss causas (whipped potatoes topped with a choice of Dungeness crab, chicken, or vegetable salads). Even though Acurio has many restaurants around the world, this one always feels extra special since it was his first to open in the U.S. back in 2008.

The 2024 opening of this standout hip-yet-refined concept, attached to the Jay Hotel, is a key figure in changing the narrative that downtown's restaurant scene is fading. Chef Celtin Hendrickson-Jones carefully ties together culinary influences from the South with California (not Southern California—think Mississippi River meets the SF Bay). The entire menu is wonderfully put together and full off signature dishes, like smoked catfish dumplings, the city's best grits, and a shockingly great orange creamsicle and ambrosia salad for dessert.

Originally a pandemic pivot for outdoor dining, this "Garden" concept (really a tented patio on part of the spacious plaza of one of SF's tallest skyscrapers) is fortunately a permanent fixture featuring excellent seasonal California cuisine and a few elevated comfort classics that help lift this destination into the upper tier of downtown dining options. And the garden's indoor sibling, the Vault Steakhouse, is well worth a visit for excellent steaks and martinis.

Come for seafood with a view: sky-high aquariums dominate the dining room, and the bay is just beyond, but the food should be an equally notable attraction. Every fin and shell of the sea, from the oak-grilled octopus to the black cod caught in the ocean right outside of San Francisco, is sustainably sourced. Speaking of that view, no restaurant has a more prime vantage point of the Bay Bridge than this one, though the full dining-with-a-view experience is more enjoyable on the patio or in the spacious front dining room than in the rather dim rear dining area.  For a special occasion steakhouse with a view, head to Waterbar's next-door sibling, EPIC Steak.