San Francisco Restaurants

We’ve compiled the best of the best in San Francisco - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.

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  • 1. Abacá

    $$

    Defeating the cliché that restaurants in hotels can't be citywide draws, chef Francis Ang's longtime Pinoy Heritage pop-up is thriving at its permanent home within the Kimpton Alton Hotel. Ang's exciting contemporary Filipino cooking has gained rave reviews from national publications and well-deserved awards. The chic space has a slight tropical edge to it and includes a small patio at the front and a bar reserved for those who can't score a reservation. 

    2700 Jones St., San Francisco, California, 94133, USA
    486–0788

    Known For

    • Any pancit noodle dish
    • Innovative desserts and terrific weekend morning pastries
    • Cocktails that are as exciting as the food

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner Sun. No lunch weekdays
  • 2. Boulevard

    $$$$

    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.

    1 Mission St., San Francisco, California, 94105, USA
    415-543–6084

    Known For

    • Any pork chop preparation
    • Polished service
    • Lively bar area

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch, Reservations essential
  • 3. GOZU

    $$$$

    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.

    201 Spear St., San Francisco, California, 94105, USA
    415-523–9745

    Known For

    • A steak restaurant that isn't a typical steak house
    • Japanese whisky list
    • Ultra high-end yet relaxed dining

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch
  • 4. Maison Nico

    $

    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.

    710 Montgomery St., San Francisco, California, 94111, USA
    415-359–1000

    Known For

    • Flaky brioche feuilleetée filled with almond paste
    • Parisian feel
    • Duck pithivier (similar to a meat pie)

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 5. Akikos

    $$$$

    The title of "best omakase" has many worthwhile contenders in the city, but many would name this newcomer 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.

    430 Folsom St., San Francisco, California, 94108, USA
    415-397–3218

    Known For

    • Shokupan (milk bread) topped with tuna and caviar
    • Superb sake and cocktail selection
    • Pricey but worth it

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Sat.
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  • 6. Angler

    $$$

    Immaculately fresh seafood and a wood-burning hearth are the centerpieces of this bustling yet luxurious sibling to Saison. The menu descriptions might be brief, but it's really all about the ingredients and impeccable technique—whether it's a grilled hand-dived scallop or the signature thinly sliced potato with Sonoma cheeses—fulfilling their full potential on the plate with a few smart embellishments.

    132 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA
    415-872–9442

    Known For

    • Taxidermy-filled back room with Bay Bridge views
    • Tuna tartare with tomato jelly
    • Instagram-favorite radicchio salad

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No lunch Sun. and Mon.
  • 7. Bar Sprezzatura

    $$$

    Guests can almost smell the Adriatic salt water–kissed air while digging into cicchetti (similar to open-faced crostini bites with various toppings) and other clever Venetian-inspired dishes at this gorgeous restaurant next to the Embarcadero Center. As delightful as the food is, the glamorous design and intricate cocktails are just as noteworthy. Mixologist Carlo Splendorini is one of the leading modern figures of the city's cocktail industry, and his drinks at this dolce vita–filled bar-restaurant are the perfect partner to the tall floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook a grand European capital-style plaza outside complete with a fountain.

    300 Clay St., San Francisco, California, 94111, USA
    628-466–0230

    Known For

    • Epic Cicchetti Martini presentation with snacks and olive brine
    • Pizza al taglio with whipped artichoke
    • Fish crudo

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed weekends
  • 8. Barbacco

    $$ | Financial District | Italian

    The busy sister restaurant to neighboring Perbacco offers affordable small Italian plates, such as the chef's salumi selection and chicken thighs alla cacciatora, as well as plenty of Italian wines to explore by the glass. Financial District workers crowd in to the chic Milanese-style room for lunch or happy hour at the communal tables and long counter.

    220 California St., San Francisco, California, 94111, USA
    415-955–1919

    Known For

    • Regional Italian food
    • Quality food in casual setting
    • Curated wine list

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch weekends, Closed Sun. No lunch Sat.
  • 9. BIX

    $$$

    With its Jazz Age vibe, live music, discreet alley location behind the Transamerica Pyramid, and spectacular bar and bi-level dining room, BIX would be worth a visit for the impressive setting alone. However, it's also one of the city's finest restaurants for special occasions that don't require a tasting menu; continental and upscale American fare get fresh modern takes, often with a few haute elements.

    56 Gold St., San Francisco, California, 94133, USA
    415-433–6300

    Known For

    • Classic cocktails
    • Potato pillows with caviar
    • Career servers who remember your name after one visit

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No lunch
  • 10. Buena Vista Café

    $ | Fisherman's Wharf | American

    Locals love the cheery Buena Vista Café, which claims to be the first place in the United States to have served Irish coffee. The bartenders serve about 2,000 Irish coffees a day, so it's always crowded; try for a table overlooking Victorian Park and its cable-car turntable. The café dishes up great breakfasts all day, including crab omelets and crab Benedict.

    2765 Hyde St., San Francisco, California, 94109, USA
    415-474–5044
  • 11. Cafe de Casa

    $

    Start the morning on the outskirts of Fisherman's Wharf with an açaí bowl and strong coffee, or enjoy puffy chicken-and-cheese-filled coxinha pastries as a lunchtime snack at this cheery stop by a quiet, grassy square. It's a breath of fresh air for visitors who are tired of crab and clam chowder. Note that seating is pretty tight inside, so it's best to sit at an outside table or take your order to-go.

    2701 Leavenworth St., San Francisco, California, 94133, USA
    345–1055

    Known For

    • Pão de queijo cheese roll
    • Fresh juices
    • Brazilian-style hot dog snack

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner
  • 12. Coqueta

    $$$

    With its Bay Bridge views and stellar Spanish tapas, celebrity chef Michael Chiarello's San Francisco restaurant is a big hit that’s equal parts rustic and chic, a lively destination for both small bites and larger meals. Toothpicked pintxos (small snacks) like quail egg with sausage are a tasty way to start, but the real draws are the inventive cocktails, luscious paella, and dazzling selection of cured meats.

    San Francisco, California, 94111, USA
    415-704–8866

    Known For

    • Smoked salmon montadito (a small sandwich)
    • Sangria from a porrón (a pitcher that people also drink from)
    • Churros with chocolate

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Reservations essential
  • 13. Cotogna

    $$$

    The draw at this urban trattoria is chef Michael Tusk's flavorful, rustic, seasonally driven Italian cooking, headlined by pastas, beautifully grilled or spit-roasted meats, and homemade gelato. The look inside and outside is comfortably chic, with wood tables, quality stemware, and fantastic Italian wines by the bottle and glass.

    490 Pacific Ave., San Francisco, California, 94133, USA
    415-775–8508

    Known For

    • Raviolo with brown butter and egg in center
    • Tough to get reservations
    • Peak seasonal produce in antipasti

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon., Reservations essential
  • 14. Epic Steak

    $$$$ | Embarcadero | Steak House

    "Epic" describes it all, from the outsize dining room and the mile-wide bay view to the slabs of meat grilled over an open fire, and, alas, the prices. For an Epic experience at a fraction of the price, head upstairs to the Quiver bar for the "3 B's," a half-pound burger, a brownie, and a Bud.

    369 Embarcadero, between Folsom and Harrison Sts., San Francisco, California, 94105, USA
    415-369–9955

    Known For

    • Bay views
    • Steakhouse favorites
    • Steak-house favorites
    • High prices
  • 15. Estiatorio Ornos

    $$$$

    One of Downtown San Francisco's most storied restaurant spaces is now on a permanent Mediterranean vacation. After a longtime tenure as Aqua (where Michael Mina's legendary career began) and later as Mina's flagship namesake restaurant, the prominent California Street dining room's latest concept looks towards Greece and Mina's Egyptian heritage. With soft white tones and plush, oversized booths opposite a bustling bar, it's a great place to dress up for a leisurely dinner centered around the oak-grilled fish offerings, yet also relaxed enough for a few happy hour cocktails and bites.

    252 California St., San Francisco, California, 94111, USA
    415-417–3969

    Known For

    • Tableside baklava cart
    • Terrific Greek wine selection
    • Must-order grilled octopus

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch
  • 16. Gary Danko

    $$$$

    This classic for prix-fixe dining has earned legions of fans—and a Michelin star—for its refined and creative seasonal California cooking, displayed in dishes like glazed oysters with Ossetra caviar and juniper-crusted venison. The 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.

    800 N. Point St., San Francisco, California, 94109, USA
    415-749–2060

    Known For

    • Table-side cheese cart
    • Soufflé for dessert
    • Reservations are hard to get

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed. No lunch, Reservations essential
  • 17. Gitane

    $$$ | Financial District | Mediterranean

    With its lush hot-house decor—red lamps, tuffeted curved seats, and oversized art—this romantic spot is a Valentine's Day favorite. It's also a great place for conversation, sangrias, and Mediterranean-inspired cooking. Tops are the bacon bonbons (bacon-wrapped prunes stuffed with goat cheese) and paella. The downstairs bar makes inventive and flavorful cocktails (many of them are sherry-based), with seats in demand. While there is outdoor seating, the interior is a seductive part of the experience here.

    6 Claude La., San Francisco, California, 94108, USA
    415-788–6686

    Known For

    • Romantic vibe
    • Bacon bonbons
    • Creative cocktails

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch
  • 18. Grande Crêperie

    $

    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 Gruyère, to more atypical choices such as cherry tomatoes and burrata.

    Ferry Bldg., San Francisco, California, 94105, USA

    Known For

    • Mushroom and cheddar galette
    • Chocolate crêpe with local fruits
    • Exquisite pastries

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner
  • 19. Hog Island Oyster Company

    $$

    A thriving oyster farm north of San Francisco in Tomales Bay serves up its harvest at this raw bar and restaurant in the Ferry Building, where devotees come for impeccably fresh oysters and clams on the half shell. Other mollusk-centered options include first-rate clam chowder, grilled oysters, and steamed mussels and clams; the kitchen also makes one of the city's best grilled cheese sandwiches.

    1 Ferry Bldg., San Francisco, California, 94111, USA
    415-391–7117

    Known For

    • Crowds slurping dozens of oysters
    • Local produce salads
    • Superior Bloody Mary

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
  • 20. International Smoke San Francisco

    $$$

    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.

    301 Mission St., San Francisco, California, 94105, USA
    415-660–2656

    Known For

    • Prix-fixe "Fuego" menu
    • Gourmands and mega sports fans eating together
    • Bacon-washed bourbon old-fashioned

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