43 Best Restaurants in San Francisco, California

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.

Folks line up on weekends for the amazing breakfast sandwiches here: fluffy eggs, thick bacon, pepper jack, avocado, and lemon-garlic aioli on a melt-in-your-mouth buttermilk biscuit. Made-to-order beignets are another favorite. Lunch options include chicken curry salad sandwiches, BLTs, and a seasonal soup of the day. Browse the bakery's selection of used books from local favorite Green Apple while you wait, and if you can't get a spot among the limited sidewalk seating, the beach is close by. A second location in the Outer Richmond ( 3619 Balboa St.) has the same crowd and delectable menu, but parking is much easier here.

This modern Italian favorite continues to be a special destination for chef Matthew Accarrino's inventive seasonal cooking. The five-course tasting menu includes tempting antipasti, superlative pastas like mustard capellini with guinea hen ragù, and a few hearty secondi; save space for the fantastic desserts. The Italian wine list is also full of gems and divided by region, providing a great education with your bottle. The polished yet relaxed atmosphere, with travel posters on the wall, attracts a dedicated neighborhood following of all ages. Singles and walk-in couples can sit at the two counters (one looks into the galley kitchen). Doughnuts and coffee are served weekends for Fillmore's steady stream of power shoppers and walkers.

Hardly just a plan B for those who didn't score a table at its sibling, Lazy Bear, this excellent cocktail bar and creative small-plates restaurant by the same people offers intriguing combinations and endless conversation starters in a cool modern setting. Menu standouts include California halibut ceviche and fried hen-of-the-woods mushrooms. Don't-miss drinks on the cocktail side include the signature "In the Pines, Under the Palms," a smooth sipper of toasted coconut rye, Terroir gin, and vermouth, garnished with a small redwood sprout.

After one bite of Zuni's succulent brick-oven-roasted whole chicken with warm bread salad, you'll understand why the two-floor café is a perennial star. Its long copper bar is a hub for a disparate mix of patrons who commune over oysters on the half shell and cocktails and wine. Nearly as famous as the chicken are the Caesar salad with house-cured anchovies and the chocolatey flourless gâteau Victoire. The most cheerful spot to sit is at the tip of the pyramid window near the bar, easier to score if you plan a late lunch.

At this sleek Presidio Heights daytime café, the wellness-centric menu manages to be so delicious that guests often don't notice how virtuous the dishes are. Bread for the open-faced sandwiches is gluten-free and baked in-house; several items are vegetarian and/or vegan; and even the pappardelle is made of zucchini ribbons instead of wheat. The white-tiled and white-painted interior looks more like a luxury Beverly Hills boutique than an eatery.

Your search for the perfect kouign-amann (a traditional glazed, butter-enriched Breton pastry made of croissant dough) ends in this buzzy café from baking wizard Belinda Leong.

A perch on the second floor of a 1920s building provides first-rate views of Ocean Beach across the Great Highway (it used to be a changing room for beachgoers). But the service is just okay, and the food is basic American—burgers, chowders, and steak. Beach Chalet brews its own beers on-site and the atmosphere makes you feel a million miles away from urbanity.

Robin's-egg-blue banquettes and metal chairs in different colors add to the cheer at this sunny spot. Drop in for hearty local coffee and excellent breakfast and lunch sandwiches, including those on the popular cragel, a combination of a croissant and a bagel.

Every night is a party with excellent cocktails and vegetarian dishes from chef-owner Heena Patel's home state of Gujarat, on the western coast of India. A graduate of the La Cocina kitchen incubator, Patel is a truly gifted cook, carefully paying attention to the smallest details on the menu, like the spice level and tartness of the various pickles and chutneys, or the ideal texture for homemade paneer cheese. Most of the traditional and creative dishes can't be found anywhere else in the Bay Area. The restaurant is attached to the Minnesota Street Project and showcases a wall-sized mural from pop artist Maria Qamar.

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.

Creative, Asian-inspired takes on homey pastries made with elevated ingredients such as bee pollen and Maldon sea salt (with prices to match) draw enthusiastic crowds to this small storefront. The Kaya Toast—bright green coconut-pandan jam on the café's signature milk bread—is a must try. Several sandwiches round out the limited menu, including an egg salad with kabocha squash tempura, yuzu shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice), and cucumber pickle on light-as-a-cloud pandesal (a Filipino roll). Creativity extends to the short drink menu, which includes egg coffee and a substantial black sesame cappuccino. A few outdoor tables are available, but otherwise it's takeout only.

The good times roll at the city's definitive choice for New Orleans cooking. Brunch is the preferred meal here---it's worth the trip for the five $5 breakfast sandwich options---but it's just as good to come for a weekday lunch of gumbo or a fried chicken dinner when the scene is a little more subdued.

San Francisco has plenty of great food options and coffee destinations, but rarely do the two merge together as well as they do at this Mission Bay roastery, which excels at sandwiches on terrific focaccia, virtuous lunch bowls, and coffee in myriad forms. With tall ceilings, ample windows, and a pleasant parklet, the café almost has a Parisian indoor-outdoor feel. Don't miss the juice shots for a quick, powerful jolt minus caffeine.

There are two personalities to Chestnut Street’s sleek grown-up diner—the double-stack burger that draws burger hounds from dozens of miles away, and the rest of the honest, spruced-up comfort-food menu. It's a local institution that feels partially like a bistro and partially like a modern tavern, and a place where the buzz from the innovative cocktails and delicious eats never disappears.

After an 18-year run near Union Square, this city favorite moved across town in 2022 to a beautiful adobe dining room and firepit–adorned patio in the Presidio Officers' Club. Guacamole and margaritas are must-orders, but the menu jumps much further into regional Mexican specialties as well. The spacious patio is a favorite pre- or post-hike stop for visitors and is nicely heated even on chilly nights.

In the lobby of the New People building, this mini tea shop looks like a little girl's fantasy, with pretty flowered and polka-dotted tablecloths, fancy settings, and nods to the British royal family. Most guests opt for high tea with scones, crumpets, and finger sandwiches, or you can stop in for a sandwich or salad.

Classic films are projected on the wall of a large inner courtyard in this hip, loftlike space while you're served stellar seasonal California cooking, and weekend brunch brings throngs fighting for a spot on the patio for some of the city's best egg dishes and Bloody Marys. The majestic atmosphere enhances plates of perfectly shucked oysters on the half shell and sesame fried chicken.

Even as diet trends come and go, this vegetable-focused icon (opened in 1979) continues to be a steadfast favorite for carnivores and vegetarians alike. Despite the lack of meat, the hearty and creative dishes—such as griddle cakes with crimson lentils and spiced cashew cream—really satisfy, and floor-to-ceiling windows give diners a sweeping view of the Marina and the Golden Gate Bridge.

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.

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.

This excellent, festive restaurant (part of celebrity chef Gastón Acurio's global group) presents a concise menu of Peru culinary staples like ceviche and flaky empanadas. You won't miss the obligatory pisco sour (Jaranita doesn't have a full liquor license), because the "Nikkei Sour" with citrus sake is just as special.

Whether you're looking for a New Orleans-, Mexican-, or California-inspired breakfast or lunch, this beloved café is the place for you. The signature pillowy beignets deserve all the considerable hype and people drive an hour just to try them. But there's no going wrong on the extensive menu, served in a warm, welcoming space that feels like a modern diner. Weekends get quite festive when the pint-sized mimosas are flowing.

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.

Paris's joie de vivre is everywhere at this teahouse-patisserie-bakery that looks like it should be in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The sweets and baked goods are just as magnificent as the vintage Parisian atmosphere. Come early for a croissant, but come back for a leisurely lunch and take home (or to the hotel) a baguette and a few ornate desserts.

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.

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.

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.