165 Best Restaurants in San Francisco, California

This energetic Japanese dining venue (part of Michael Mina's high-powered group) is a sleek, wonderful place that hosts both date nights and business deals at its tables and cocktail bar. The substantial menu can be overwhelming, so it's best to just graze around the sushi rolls, charcoal grill items, and a few small and large plates like seafood chawanmushi (egg custard) and spicy cod roe spaghetti.

In what's described as "Cal-Tropic" flair, Palm House serves atmospheric and colorful vibes. The drinks are smoky and competently worldly, and the menu is a vacation in and of itself.

A small, colorful space, Parada 22 serves up heaping plates of home-style Puerto Rican cuisine—think plantains, seafood, and slow-roasted pork. There's also plenty of vegetarian fare on offer. The brick-walled interior is accented by old framed photographs, potted plants, and strings of Christmas lights.

From the idyllic vitello tonnato (slow-roasted veal with tuna sauce) to the pappardelle with short rib ragù, California Street's longtime power dining favorite's menu is a delectable paean to northern Italy. With a long marble bar and open kitchen, the brick-lined, ultra-polished space oozes big-city charm, attracting business types and Italian food aficionados alike to the FiDi well after evening rush hour ends.

This shoebox-size spot puts together thin-crust pies topped with the kinds of ingredients that are worth the constant wait. Almost half the menu changes on a biweekly basis, while dependable favorites include the tomato, basil, and mozzarella pizza; the Sardinian cheese, pine nut, and rosemary pie; and the San Marzano tomato sauce, wild arugula, and mascarpone pizza.

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.

American comfort classics meet seasonal California cooking in this restaurant in an old barracks building at the eastern edge of the Presidio. The restaurant has a blend of the nostalgic past and the trendy present (deviled eggs with smoked salmon and furikake; grilled beef liver and onions; homemade cheesecake), as well as a lively bar and ample patio seating that allows diners to soak up the Presidio's outdoor beauty.

The second, grander restaurant from the chef-owners of State Bird Provisions is hardly just a little sibling: it features its own type of exciting, seasonally driven cooking, with no shortage of global influences. The lofty, bustling setting within an early-20th-century theater is a stunner of a backdrop, and some regulars love to sit at the small, cheery bar at the front and enjoy their dinner like an audience watching a grand dining-room stage.

San Francisco's only Guam-inspired restaurant is always an outdoor party with a South Pacific–evoking, picnic table–filled patio in an old parking lot. The extensive, contemporary Guam-Californian menu can be a little overwhelming but is always satisfying. Most tables start with a few lighter bites like Chamorro sweet rolls or empanadas before continuing towards the barbecue items and coconut braised beef tinaktak, accompanied by a number of homemade sauces.

Salt-and-pepper Dungeness crab is a delicious draw at this bright, three-level Cantonese eatery that always has a packed crowd for its crustacean specialties—crab portions can easily be split for three—and dim sum. A menu with photographs will help you sort through other Hong Kong specialties, including Peking duck and shrimp-stuffed bean curd. Much of the seafood is fresh from the tank.

This waterfront, outdoor gathering place brings diners from all over town for sunny day brunches and a beachy-bohemian Key West vibe. This is San Francisco's definitive destination for leisurely daytime eating and drinking—always slinging beers, burgers, and fish tacos to guests fighting hangovers or just relaxing after a busy day of work.

This colorful Spanish-style tapas/pintxos bar deserves a spot especially if you need a quick bite with an appetite-stimulating vermouth-based aperitif before heading off to dinner. The food is delicious, with delightful ambience, and it's a not-to-miss for anyone who could use a night off from Italian. Try the fun pintxos bites like jamon croquetas and sobrasada bocadillo, a paprika-spiced soft salumi (sobresada) slathered on a roll and wedged with nutty Manchego cheese.

All the burgers at this laid-back spot, part of a popular Bay Area mini-chain, are responsibly sourced, and the beef is 100% grass-fed. Choose a patty (beef, bison, vegetarian, elk, or turkey), then select a preset "style" or invent your own from the many creative toppings. The homemade quinoa-, brown rice-, and black bean-based vegetarian burger might be the finest of that increasingly competitive genre in San Francisco. A market salad rotates frequently as a solid option for the burger-averse. Kombucha, shakes, house-made sodas, and beer and wine are also available, as is a kids' menu.

The classic Japanese omakase experience (the chefs select the sushi and other small bites) gets a seasonal Californian influence at Adam Tortosa's hip, modern restaurant. The raw fish preparations are magnificent, and it's a relative deal where diners can name the price between $109 and $209, depending on their desire to splurge.

Traditional Indian dishes get a captivating, innovative spin at this hot spot near Oracle Park. Look for curry leaf–dusted dosas with wild mushrooms and chicken pepper fry tacos, complemented by equally inventive cocktails (the Negroni includes goat cheese and truffle oil) and a splashy, colorful space. Sometimes the noise can reach lounge-like levels, but there's no doubt that this is more of a proper sit-down restaurant where the food is the main focus. Note that there is an equally great location in Palo Alto, as well.

Although it's open morning until night, this cozy café is most synonymous with brunch. Sleepy-headed locals turn up for delights like the smoked ham, fried egg, and Gruyère breakfast sandwich; evening favorites lean toward roast chicken, pastas, and seasonal-rustic fare. The ingredients are top-notch, the service is friendly, and the seating is in comfortable booths and at tables and a counter. Heaters above the outdoor tables keep things toasty when the temperature dips.

This charming establishment from an all-star chef trio has quickly become a favorite for classic bistro cooking with plenty of unique elements. A vintage Parisian dining room and marble-topped bar set the stage for fresh takes on French cuisine with a Californian accent. Dungeness crab potato pavé bites are the early signature starter; then there are equally magic mains, like black cod with lobster sauce and miso creamed leeks.

This two-Michelin-starred restaurant is one of the city's greatest dining destinations and might even deserve the very highest honor. The culinary team, led by executive chef Richard Lee, teases the deepest flavors from premium ingredients in a tasting menu that focuses on open-fire hearth cooking. (Saison was a leader of this trend at a gastronomic level over a decade ago.) The wine program and cocktails from the suave bar are as good as it gets in the city. Located in a brick-and-timber 19th-century building, this is definitely a special, high-wire-act dining experience.

When you're not quite sure what you want, pop into this brand-new two-story food hall by IKEA's sister company and see what the 11 food businesses are serving up. Downstairs, a beer bar, burger place, bakery/sandwich shop, and soft-serve counter are permanent installations. Upstairs you'll find two bars and five local food purveyors, which may change. Current offerings include vegan Puerto Rican food at Casa Borinquena, spicy Chinese at Momo Noodle, and Curry Up Now's Indo-Californian cuisine. Open market hall-style seating means you don't have to select just one.

A lychee-wood charcoal grill in the open kitchen is the star of this excellent contemporary Korean dining destination. Most of the menu is similar to its Korean barbecue peers but given a little twist—homemade soondae (blood sausage) adorns green-onion pancakes and unique banchan (side dishes) like jellyfish and hot mustard. The modern wood-and-concrete-accented room is always bustling and split between counter seats overlooking the grill and generously sized tables.

The food of China's northeastern province of Shandong is the draw at this bare-bones storefront restaurant where specialties include steamed dumplings—shrimp and leek dumplings are the most popular—and hand-pulled noodles in soup or stir-fried. Especially popular are the platters of excellent dry-fried chicken wings, a cult dish in the city.

This sun-filled, family-run restaurant has been a neighborhood favorite since 1988, and not only because it serves breakfast all day—though the hearty chilaquiles always hits the spot. On weekends, regulars opt for birria, a spicy barbecued goat stew, or menudo, a tongue-searing soup made from beef tripe, complemented by beer and sangria.

Japantown has a host of sushi options at all price points, but this longtime staple on the second floor of the Japan Center stands out for its excellent rolls, nigiri, and sashimi. The omakase menu, with eight pieces of sushi and nigiri, is a fraction of the cost of its downtown peers, but close to equal in quality and diner satisfaction. The mellow, wood-paneled space is a striking contrast to the constant chatter and mall activity outside.

This longtime Italian favorite is spacious and lively, with consistently excellent contemporary-upscale Italian cuisine and a superb wine list. It has many local regulars for good reason but is also one of the city's most popular restaurants with visiting celebrities and athletes.

It's never pleasant to think about food waste, but it's an unfortunate reality in our world today—there is an enormous amount of perfectly fine food thrown away. This colorful, quirky, purposefully over the top restaurant embraces the concept of food waste as a key centerpiece of a pizza-centric menu (the crust is made of discarded whey and oat flour). Guests aren't lectured about the issue; instead, they'll learn from the plates about how oft-neglected or discarded ingredients can be absolutely delicious.

The COVID-19 pandemic's outdoor dining requirement led San Franciscans to discover the city's premier patios—like the one at this Presidio Heights stalwart. Whether you're dining on that patio or in the elegant dining room, Italian and seasonal Californian cooking mingle together on the menu. Each night's selections mix staple dishes—game hen cooked under a brick, tagliatelle Bolognese—and creations like Dungeness crab with tarragon oil and dragon fruit. The wine list showcases several excellent choices from across California and Italy, but the real strength comes from its collection of northern Italian bottles.

Join the lines, get ready to Instagram, and enjoy the superb Cali-Greek pita sandwiches and salads at the flagship of this fast-casual (or self-described "fast-fine") concept. The menu keeps it simple with four proteins (roasted white sweet potato or a trio of spit-roasted meats), but the secret to the magic is how each protein is pre-partnered with captivating sauces and fresh garnishes, turning a simple-sounding white sweet potato sandwich into a stellar meal. If you want to try all four proteins at all five locations, then plan a trip around town to the counterpart Souvla locations in the Marina, NoPa (North of the Panhandle), the Mission, and Dogpatch.

This elegant restaurant caters to an older crowd who sink happily into its oversized faux-ostrich leather chairs. The tasting menu is equally refined, with ingredients often sourced from the restaurant's farm south of the city and charcuterie made in-house; celeriac velouté with brandied-chestnut mousseline and salmon with horseradish soubise reflect the contemporary Californian menu's elegant French leanings. Excellent, artistic desserts are some of the most spectacular ways to end a meal in the city. The adjacent takeaway counter serves cookies, a popular English-muffin burger, and coffee drinks.

Nobody goes hungry—and no beer drinker goes thirsty—at this lively, hip outpost of simple German cooking. The hearty food—bratwurst and sauerkraut, potato pancakes with house-made applesauce, meat loaf, braised beef, pork loin, schnitzel, spaetzle—is tasty and kind to your wallet, and the imported brews are first-rate. When the room gets crowded, which it regularly does, strangers sit together at unfinished pine tables. Servers are quick and efficient and keep the pace moving along.  The same management runs Biergarten (424 Octavia Street), a charming outdoor spot just a block away that serves bratwurst, pretzels, and German beers.