4 Best Restaurants in The Waterfront, San Francisco

Some of San Francisco's most exquisite French pastries are baked daily at this serene, cheery shop. On the savory side, most choices tend to be some form of pâté-filled pastry and are presented with all the artistry of haute cuisine; sweets are split between croissant-type items and proper dessert treats. Lunch seekers will be satisfied by the tiny selection of quiche, salads, and sandwiches.

With a strong joie de vivre in a spectacularly chic setting, mini croque monsieurs, and juicy steak frites, there's a distinct French Riviera vibe nowadays along the Embarcadero with Bon Délire's arrival in 2024. A dramatic horseshoe-shaped bar anchors the intimate waterfront space (though you can't actually see the water inside) that ultimately toes the line between a bistro, a café, and a cocktail bar with great French cuisine bites. Quietly and surprisingly, the desserts are the best part of the menu.

The team behind French baking sensation Le Marais serves some of the greatest savory buckwheat galettes and sweet crêpes in the Bay Area at a kiosk on the water side of the Ferry Building. It's the perfect stop for breakfast, lunch, or a dessert snack. Fillings range from traditional ones like Nutella or ham and Comté, to more atypical choices such as cherry tomatoes and burrata.

The award for San Francisco's most visually prominent menu board goes to the one that is as wide as the immaculate open kitchen at the casual-chic wine-centric sibling of Cotogna and Quince. Verjus is one of the city's best examples of either a wine bar with excellent food or a hip, energetic bistro with a strong list of minimal intervention wines—it doesn't really matter which it's framed as. Either way, it's always a festive vibe in the dimly lit, loud space, and the France-meets-California plates are consistently satisfying.