2 Best Restaurants in San Francisco, California

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.

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.