129 Best Restaurants in San Francisco, California

Enjoying the barbecue pork buns and curry chicken at this Chinatown icon dating to 1920 is a bite into both culinary history and San Francisco's past. Located on an alley, it's one of the smaller, more homey, and less frenetic sit-down dim sum choices in the city, with a small dining room simply decorated with pieces of Chinese art and a few Bruce Lee movie posters.

You'll snag a table if you arrive at this longtime (since 1979) standby just as music lovers are folding their napkins and heading off for a show at the nearby Opera House or SFJAZZ Center. Fresh, sustainable, often local seafood lures the faithful here, as well as peak seasonal produce from the nearby region. Much of the fish—yellowtail, salmon, swordfish—is grilled and served with a choice of sauces, from beurre blanc to lemon-and-caper butter. Brass coat hooks, white tablecloths, a long bar, and a mix of banquettes and tables define the traditional San Francisco look.

Sandwich lovers build up their appetite with a hike up the steep hill and then are greeted with some of the city's consistently excellent sandwiches at this small, friendly shop where the menu seems bigger than the actual space. If you're not in a sandwich mood, there are also a few other items like breakfast scrambles, fish tacos, and salads. Plan on taking your food elsewhere since seating is limited outside.

Everything feels like a Roaring '20s party at the FiDi's go-to glamorous restaurant-bar for power lunches and celebratory happy hours (there are switches at each table to summon champagne and martini carts), except it actually only opened in a different '20s decade (2023). The food could coast in mediocrity because of the elegant, eye-catching environs; but thankfully it doesn't, thanks to sharp dishes like a fantastic petrale sole with hazelnut brown butter that will win over any skeptic of that oft-ignored flaky fish. The adjacent glass-ceiling atrium, known as the Conservatory at One Sansome, is utterly spectacular and often used for extra seating.

This quaint, family-run Korean fried chicken–focused establishment serves quite possibly the leading wings in the city. Cover the crispy, tender wings with your choice of more than a dozen sauces, from tangy lime-fish to fiery habanero-mango, and take them to go.

Francesco Covucci brings his concept for a modern, casual Italian pizzeria with quality-driven imported Italian ingredients to storied North Beach. Although hailing from Calabria (an agricultural region of Southern Italy neighboring Campania, Italy's pizza bastion), he has created an authentic Neapolitan-style pizzeria. Also look for appetizers involving imported buffalo milk mozzarella and burrata. There's a second location in the Castro.

Serving pizza, café staples, and some grab-and-go options, Il Parco is a newer spot with incredible views in the Tunnel Tops park. The faster items are also among the more tasty. The pizza is not a traditional style and feels closer to bread than crust. The desserts and bakery items are fresh and delicious.

One of North Beach's last blue-collar eateries has immense character, as if a rosticceria (a type of casual roast meat eat-in or take-away) was plopped here from a small quarter of Rome. This is a simple spot to get classic, hearty meals like half a roasted chicken and sides. Known as a beacon for chicken, Il Pollaio also does roast rabbit, lamb, pork, and rib eyes. They have a few simple wine options but allow BYOB in case you have a bottle snagged from a day of browsing among the neighborhood's independent food and bottle shops. There's another location in the Mission.

In Italy, the bastion of fresh pasta is Emilia-Romagna, and a trio of entrepreneurs hailing from the region give respect to its claim to carb fame in a mini-empire of fast-casual pasta eateries, with the one in North Beach as its flagship. Come for treats like slabs of lasagna that fool you into thinking you're calorie-loading in Bologna, as well as stuffed ravioli and gnocchi. The space itself is nothing fancy and looks like a deli, but grab your cutlery and a seat and enjoy your feast. While much of North Beach's Italian identity has eroded over the years, new-generation businesses like this one are bringing some of that soul back.

Stop into this bright spot for their famous avocado mash, homemade baked goods and cookies, and coffee from beans roasted in-house. Look for other Janes around the city, including on Larkin Street in the Tenderloin and Jane the Bakery on Geary Street in Japantown.

San Francisco has a handful of Peruvian restaurants, but this uber-hip Union Street spot is the first Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) restaurant. Skip the pedestrian appetizers and have fun sampling around the tiraditos (dishes with raw fish) and sushi rolls. Much of the seating is at the bar or on the sidewalk terrace, so be prepared for some high decibels.

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 most well-known—and quite possibly the best—of the burrito choices around town forgoes rice in the filling (almost all burritos in the Mission include rice) to focus on tender meats. The carne asada is the house favorite, but you can't go wrong with the carnitas either. While the burritos deservedly get the hype, the tacos and quesadillas are also worth trying.

Enormous tortas (Mexican sandwiches with meat, avocado, queso fresco, and refried beans on a soft-interior/crunchy-exterior roll) are a culinary specialty of the state of Puebla in Mexico, and they're also the signature item of this Mission District daytime favorite. The tortas come in two sizes (you likely only need the smaller one). Beyond the must-order house specialty, the extensive menu includes everything from coffee and breakfast to tostadas and tacos.

Neighborhood residents love the dauntless Le Beau, one of the few remaining family-run grocery stores in the city. It's fun to browse around, and their sandwiches are a highlight. If you've never had a sandwich on Dutch Crunch bread (a semisweet, softer, baguette-like roll with a spotted crust thanks to a topping of rice flour), this is a perfect place to pick one up to go.

Try something beyond the same old pad thai at this authentic Thai standby. Thai herb sausage and papaya salad with salted egg are good appetizers to share, while the pork belly with crispy rind and basil leaves and duck larb (meat salad) come packed with flavor and heat. The food is such a hit that the restaurant has two other spots in the Mission and Hayes Valley. It's a favorite for late-night dining.

The Soracco family has been baking Liguria's focaccia genovese for more than a century, and their fresh-baked Italian flatbreads (such as plain, rosemary, and tomato slathered with green onions, and on Saturday, pesto) are the city's best. Bring cash and arrive before noon: when the focaccia is gone, the bakery closes.

The tearoom is a homey jumble, with its lace-covered tables, couches, and mismatched chairs set among the antiques for sale. High tea and cream tea are served, along with traditional English-tearoom "fayre," such as crustless sandwiches, scones, crumpets, and shepherd's pie. It's all quite cozy. The antiques shop across the street is a fun browse for teas and vintage teacups.

Hungry Marina residents gather daily to order excellent, often enormous sandwiches at this neighborhood legend. It's the signature takeaway spot for Marina Green and Crissy Field picnic-goers and has been around since the days of the Hoover Administration. Beyond sandwiches, the deli specializes in hearty homemade Italian specialties like lasagna and meatballs. 

Two long years elapsed between the closure of acclaimed chef Nite Yun's Oakland restaurant, Nyum Bai, and (to the relief of many Bay Area diners) the 2024 opening of its successor across the bay in the Ferry Building, Lunette. Like most Ferry Building venues, it's a fast-casual operation but thankfully more of a relaxed experience given that it's a little tucked away from the main (hectic) passageways. Cambodian cuisine-inspired noodle soups and rice plates are the main features of a small but tempting menu that invites repeat visits to try everything.

This intimate, triangular spot with a beautiful antique oak bar serves great hot focaccia sandwiches, sourcing from nearby Liguria Bakery. Try the toasted combo (ham, salami, cheese), the breaded eggplant, or the meatball drenched in marinara. On sunny days, take your order across the street to Washington Square for a San Francisco picnic.

Hearty American bistro fare and hip design draw crowds to this neighborhood favorite that's ambitious enough to be a citywide draw. The menu boasts one of the city's best burgers, and the dining room gleams with white penny-tile floors and marble countertops. Weekend brunch is always a draw for candied bacon and Parmesan gougères (cheese pastries). The weekday lunch-only crispy fried chicken sandwich deserves to be in the city's sandwich hall of fame.  Avoid the crowds and order a burger at the bar.

Hakata-style tonkotsu (pork) and extra-intense chicken paitan ramen are the specialties of this modern-looking Japan Center restaurant that serves what many consider the city's finest bowl of ramen and has expanded into a 10-location chain. Long lines here can be daunting, but tables move pretty quickly inside the bustling yet relaxed space decorated with wood design elements and dangling Edison bulbs. A few izakaya small bites, rice bowls, beer, and both Japanese and locally made sake round out the menu.

With a spacious front bar and dining area and an excellent rear patio, it's easy to just call this Oracle Park–area establishment one of the leading places for a pre-Giants game meal. However, the food and cocktails are so good that it's a neighborhood favorite even when it's the middle of baseball's offseason. Taco Tuesday with 10 different choices is always popular, but regulars love to come for multiple courses, maybe starting with ceviche, followed by pozole verde with slow-cooked pork or a plate of grilled octopus al pastor, then churros with chocolate dulce de leche for dessert.

SoMa's dining scene took a major hit when Deanna Sison's unique contemporary Filipino concept closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened in its original home. Luckily, Mestiza 2.0 was unveiled in 2024 and is in an even better location, just a block from Oracle Park. Guests fill the delightful patio for "plant-forward dishes" (but not always vegetarian) like mixed vegetable coconut curry bowls and mushroom tofu sisig roti wraps at lunch, and jammy five-spice eggs and braised pork adobo in the evening.

Fresh seafood and waterfront views are some of the many reasons to swing by this fun restaurant in the shadow of the Chase Center (which, confusingly, is not within the Mission Rock development at the other end of the Mission Bay neighborhood). Everything here is casual but is also a big step above typical pub grub, from local rockfish in the ceviche and fish-and-chips to Dungeness crab on the deviled eggs. Some tables go for a proper multicourse meal, while others enjoy all of the tempting small plates tapas-style. Even if it isn't a sunny day, patio heaters and awnings keep diners (mostly) warm.

Those in the mood for a fresh take on both common and seldom-seen Mexican dishes will adore Nopa's nearby little sibling. All the tortillas are made from organic house-ground masa, and Mexico's peppers find their way into many of the spice-filled offerings. Standout dishes include a robust, tender plate of carnitas and a powerful fish-filled ceviche verde. The casual atmosphere is popular with families, while adults adore the margaritas and tequila selection. Reservations aren't accepted and waits can be daunting at peak times, so plan strategically.

A three-decade-old favorite for business lunches and special dinners, this white-tablecloth spot caters to suits brokering deals and well-dressed romantic dates, who carve their way through upscale dishes accented by local produce and often intricate sauces. Its menu skews seasonal and meaty, and its largish front bar is popular for Financial District/pre-commute happy hour. At lunch, New York-style deli sandwiches and smoked salmon-topped latkes (originally a COVID-19 pandemic pivot that proved so popular it couldn't subsequently leave) take center stage.

It's hard to describe this ode to France's many culinary specialties without a map diagram, as this is a full six-story, four-concept venue just a block from Union Square. The shimmering gem of the house is upstairs, the exquisite fine-dining tasting menu space O' by Claude Le Tohic (tasting menu from $210); the other floors house a modern cocktail bar (Elements), a ground-floor bakery and patisserie, and a more casual and worthwhile bistro and grill.