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The Bay Area is home to popular, innovative restaurants such as Chez Panisse in Berkeley and Commis in Oakland—for which reservations must be made well in advance. Expect an emphasis on locally grown produce, hormone-free meats, and California wines. Many Marin cafés don't serve dinner, and dinner service ends on the early side. (No 10 pm reservations in that neck of the woods.)
The Station House Café has been a stalwart venue for local music and a staunch supporter of local farms and food artisans. The community-centric eatery serves a blend of modern and classic California dishes comprised of organic seasonal ingredients, sustainable hormone-free meats, and wild-caught seafood. Creative and classic cocktails are a bonus here—a great way to wind down the day after lots of hiking or kayaking.
Sushi aficionados swear that this tiny, stylish restaurant is the Bay Area's finest option for raw fish, but don't overlook the excellent Pacific Rim fusions, a melding of Japanese ingredients and French techniques. Book in advance or expect a wait, which you can soften by sipping one of the bar's 30 by-the-glass sakes.
Arguably the most talked-about tacos in the entire Bay Area are at this colorful, cheery spot in an alley in between Uptown, Temescal, and Piedmont Ave. The fresh corn tortillas are so tender—almost a revelation. Fillings are always packed with flavor, complemented by dialed-in salsas like a peanut-arbol chile one with carefully charred broccoli. There are always multiple tempting vegan tacos offered, which is extremely rare to find.
A jazz combo often entertains the line that snakes down the block outside Cheese Board Pizza; it's that good. The cooperatively owned vegetarian and vegan takeout spot and restaurant draws devoted customers with the smell of just-baked garlic on the pie of the day. For just a nibble, the Cheese Board Bakery & Cheese shop next door sells cookies, bialys, and some of the best sourdough baguettes in town.
It's oyster bliss at this very friendly daytime restaurant along Tomales Bay. There are a few indoor seats, but the in-demand spots are on the outside deck, where heaters keep guests somewhat warm even on the chilliest days. It's the restaurant wing of the Tomales Bay Oyster Company, so every table has one or more kind of oyster preparation (grilled, smoked, or raw). House-smoked fish and meats as plates or sandwiches round out the menu since it's probably best not to only eat oysters for lunch.
This Woodside institution actually is a Michelin-starred fine dining destination; the only similarity with an actual pub is that the bar has its own casual menu (the main dining room is prix-fixe with multiple choices per each course) and is frequently a gathering place for well-heeled regulars. The suave dining room with red velvet chairs and booths is a beautiful backdrop for intricate dishes that often feature produce from the nearby organic SMIP Ranch. It's the flagship restaurant for a local group that includes the acclaimed Spruce in San Francisco,
Taking its name from the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, this nonprofit coffee shop is inspired and powered by refugees. In addition to serving high-caliber coffee drinks, local pastries, and savory bites, the colorful café also serves as an advocacy space and barista training center for refugees.
This hot spot is all about seasonal and globe-spanning small plates, family-style eating, and excellent drinks. Intimate dining nooks, natural light, and a heated patio make this an ideal destination for couples, families, and the after-work crowd.
San Jose’s only Michelin-starred restaurant and the most ambitious destination for Portuguese-influenced cuisine in the Bay Area is this fantastic tasting menu-only spot. Seven-course dinners weave together meat and seafood plates, where the Portuguese fish staple of bacalhau (codfish) might be incorporated into a cannelloni, before leading to a delicately seared A5 Wagyu dish. Each plate is meticulously composed and presented. The sharp design carries over to the pleasantly quiet bistro-like space with fine glassware, tablecloth-free tables, a glass-enclosed wine cellar, and a striking blue-and-white tile mosaic covering one wall.
At the prominent intersection of Skyline Boulevard and Highway 84, this indoor-outdoor restaurant is a landmark for weekend breakfast and lunch. Alice's is surrounded by redwood trees, so sitting outside at the picnic benches is beautiful but almost always on the chilly side. The inside is like a cozy alpine diner situated in a wooden cabin.
Exposed brick walls, maps of Louisiana, ceiling fans, and New Orleans music create a festive atmosphere at Angeline's. Specialties include Voo Doo Shrimp, crawfish étouffée, and buttermilk fried chicken.
Tucked along the restaurant row of Caledonia Street, Arawan Thai is a stalwart destination for some of the tastiest Thai dishes in Marin County. The elegant and cozy interior lends an intimate quality to this hidden gem known for its generous variety of authentic soups, salads, and grilled specialties, along with shareable dishes, such as spicy angel wings (stuffed chicken wings) and prawn and cream cheese puffs. There's a wide selection of local and regional wines, and traditional beverages like Thai iced tea and iced coffee are not to be missed.
"Purveyors of ethnic confusions," this family-run Marin minichain offers California Indian fusion combinations that locals revere. The warmth of service, willingness to cater to dietary needs, creativity of the food, and reasonable prices more than make up for the uninspired space.
The lines can get long at this hole-in-the-wall, no-frills kitchen, where Indian curries are served burrito-style while you wait. Punjabi burritos or rice plates come with savory lamb, chicken, fish, vegetarian, and vegan ingredients flavored with seasonal fruit chutneys, tamarind sauce, and aromatic blends. A few tables allow for inside dining, but most people take their burritos to go.
Palo Alto’s eclectic past meets its digital present at California Avenue’s outdoor-only coffee shop/roaster that is hidden from the main street by a narrow alleyway. With plenty of mismatched tables, lo-fi jazz on the stereo, and flowers growing on a wall next to a wall with drawings of its many regular dog visitors, it’s easy to feel Palo Alto’s old bohemian personality alive and well here. At the same time, most of the crowd is typing away on their laptops under the shade tent or discussing the latest tech merger by a little fountain.
Nothing elevates wood-fired food more than beachside tables and a blazing fire pit ... except maybe a game of bocce. Modern Californian cuisine, local beer, and signature sangria are served inside the snazzy bar and out on the patio, which opens to Richardson Bay.
Bay Area residents could debate for days about who truly makes the region's greatest pasta, but this Rockridge shop and restaurant from pasta whisperer Michele Belotti is more often than not on that short list. It's a perfect blend of traditional and comforting with modern influences. Soft potato gnocchi is joined by a Bolognese sauce made of six meats, while wild boar sugo is soaked with grappa and sangiovese wine, then served with tagliatelle. It's not unheard of to see more pasta dishes on a table than diners around it.
As one of the few Georgian restaurants in the Bay Area, many diners from around the region come to this small, cheery spot to learn all about the Caucasus Mountains–region country’s important culinary heritage. Every table has an order of the two iconic dishes from Georgia: kinkhali (juicy dumplings filled with various meats) and the “cheese boat” of khachapuri, which is a trapezoid-shaped, ultra-moist, somewhat puffy bread with cheese in the center and an egg yolk. Georgia's esteemed wine regions are considered possibly the oldest in the world.
It’s a little strange for a chic, contemporary-minded restaurant to be best known for an avocado dish. However, that’s the case at chef Robbie Wilson’s suave downtown restaurant where the delicately grilled avocado has its own devoted following. The avocado has gentle grill grate marks and a ponzu sauce in the center. When a diner gets a forkful of the components, it’s a symphonic duet of creamy texture and umami-packed flavor. The bar is a popular spot for after-hours networking, while the dining room is a little more buttoned-up.
One of the Peninsula’s leading examples of a small, farm-to-table-driven, local ingredients–centric establishment is this homey dining room with sidewalk seating just off California Avenue. For more than 25 years, Bistro Elan has been the understated gathering place for many business and celebratory meals, where professors, CEOs, and longtime residents enjoy the signature potato waffle with smoked salmon and a smartly curated wine list. This is a perfect example of a Californian-French bistro, where a Parisian staple like duck confit is almost always on the menu. but the duck is sourced from a nearby farm and the ingredients change based on what is in peak season nearby.
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