Restaurants In San Francisco | San Francisco Restaurant Directory |
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San Francisco RestaurantsWelcome to Restaurants In San Francisco! The San Francisco Restaurant Guide and Directory of San Francisco Restaurants.
Upscale nightclubs with live music in the hotels along the San Francisco Fishermans Wharf and
Founded during the gold rush years with a colorful economy that included brothels and wiskey joints, San Francisco was a strong fortress against the threat of the Japanese during WWII. Today, you'll remember San Francisco for everything it has to offer, from historic buildings to unbeatable nightlife and a burgeoning art scene. Visitors enjoy the restaurants, bars and hotels that make up the scenic Fishermans Wharf along the San Francisco Embarcadero. Other attractions include Golden Gate Park, the San Francisco Museum of Art, and The Golden Gate Bridge.  WhiteLight Whitens Teeth!
Whether your taste is for festive Mexican food served to you at one of the best San Francisco Mission restaurants, a quick lunch dining near the
convention center or in a San Francisco hotel, or even a hot dog at the Mustards Last Stand .. you'll find restaurant menu variety for any taste!
Perhaps you are visiting California and staying in a San Francisco Bed Breakfast and now want to get out to some local San Francisco attractions like Fiesta California , Sea World, the Fishermans Wharf, or just see what's available tourism wise. While on your San Francisco vacation you may want to check out a local golf course or take in a play at the Majestic Theater. Enjoy your time here, and remember walk slowly and drink plenty of water if the temperatures are warm. San Francisco Climate
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Trading Company is located in the heart of downtown San Francisco just a block off Union Square. This exciting restaurant is perfect for fun cocktails, a romantic dinner or a gathering with friends and family.
Daffodil Restaurant Daffodil Restaurant, just steps from the heart of San Francisco’s Union Square, 
La Terrasse "Elegance - Comfort - Integrity" 
Green Friendly Mindset with a Mediterranean Flair
Franciscan Crab Restaurant
Tsunami Sushi and Sake Bar
Tapas, drinks and cool atmosphere, in the theatre district blocks from Union
Square
A hidden treasure, South of Market—presenting elegant French cuisine with
cozy indoor and outdoor seating! Chez Spencer
SOMA's Top Destination: Open Kitchen, Multilevel Dining, a celebratory dinner, casual Friday lunch, late-night snack, or just a fun night out, Bacar offers a warehouse full of wine and culinary adventures. This vibrant South of Market (SoMa) restaurant features Northern California cuisine in a welcoming atmosphere. Book a Table at Bacar
Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine
Prime Steak House with Sizzle Named "Best Bay Area Seafood"
$$$. An expense account destination, Aqua is the crown jewel of Charles
Condy's empire, which includes Charles Nob Hill, Redwood Park, and Pisces. This
upscale eatery will cater to peculiar dietary needs with color and creativity. A
wonderful fish entrée or veggie plate upon special request can be topped off
with any of a variety of "to die for" nonfat or low-fat dessert options.
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Housed in the historic 1889 Audiffried Building (a rare survivor of the 1906
San Francisco earthquake), Boulevard is a waterfront San Francisco restaurant
with views of the Bay Bridge, a grand, Belle Epoque feel and Zagat-praised
contemporary American cuisine. Portions are generous and the presentation
artful, while the pastries and desserts are made in house.
After a destructive fire in 2000 that left the Fleur de Lys a charred shell,
this downtown San Francisco restaurant went back to the drawing board and fully
renovated their downtown San Francisco location. The new dining room (more
beautiful than ever) is a red, rich and chandeliered space, a luxe setting for
caviar, French cheeses and four course gourmet dinners including meat, game,
seafood and a new emphasis on vegetarian options.
Located in Ghirardelli Square (near Fisherman's Wharf), McCormick and
Kuleto's is a chain restaurant that's a popular tourist destination in San
Francisco. With over thirty seafood specialties and a stadium-seating setup
affording panoramic views of the Bay and Alcatraz Island for all diners
simultaneously, it's easy to see why.
Wolfgang Puck's original NorCal outpost continues to garner rave reviews and
industry accolades thanks to the culinary prowess of Steve and Mitchell
Rosenthal. Luckily they spend as much time churning out innovative Californian
cuisine as Puck does branding pizzas.
A playful San Francisco restaurant for contemporary Asian cuisine, Ponzu,
located in San Francisco's Theater District downtown near Union Sqaure, attracts
both a bar crowd and a dining crowd looking for creative cocktails and bold and
bright entrees and appetizers that take tastes from Thai, Malaysian, Japanese,
Chinese, and Vietnamese ingredients and cooking styles. The three illuminated
125-gallon salt water tanks back the bar and lend to the slick and fun
ambiance. Just a half a block from Union Square, Scala's Bistro is bustling with Old
World ambiance, from original murals and a warm atmosphere done in deep, rich
tones to a pan-Mediterranean menu. The open kitchen pours out aromas from Italy,
Spain and France while the service is just as warm as the decor. After dinner,
Harry Denton's Starlight Room is the place for a cocktail on the twenty-first
floor of the Sir France Drake hotel overlooking downtown San Francisco's city
lights.
Tucked between the Financial District and North Beach, this restaurant is an
inviting oasis that offers an exciting a la carte menu and encourages guests to
linger over an extensive wine list or order from the impressive raw bar.
Award-winning Chef Scott Howard takes local, seasonal ingredients and gives old
favorites new twists. Warm and intimate decor and the restaurant's proximity to
the financial district make it an excellent choice for dining after work or en
route to a show. A Gourmet Magazine 2005 "Future Star."
TownHall
"One of San Francisco's top restaurants!"
Located in the theatre district, blocks from Union Square, this restaurant
and bar offers the best combination of tapas, drinks and cool
atmosphere.
Delicious seasonal California cuisine in small and large plates, ideal for
sharing, is featured at Daffodil Restaurant, located on the ground floor of the
Orchard Hotel. A large wine list compliments the tasty edibles on the menu, with
recommendations for parings accompanying each entrée.
Union Square's New Destination Restaurant!
Sizzle in Downtown San Francisco Anzu The best of surf and turf come together at this warm and eclectic San
Francisco restaurant in the lobby of downtown's Hotel Nikko where a Japanese
spirit meets Saloon Town. The prime aged beef, flown in from Chicago's Allen
Brothers, is served alongside the zangy and fresh sushi, made at Anzu's sushi
bar. The protein overload pairs perfectly with Anzu's inventive Saketinis and
Sakeritas.
Modern Asian. San Francisco's Cliff Hotel and its signature Redwood Room
define the sophisticated pen where chic San Francisco urbanites play. The ornate
etched mirrors and dramatic interior set the mood for people watching and whet
an appetite for the adjacent Asia de Cuba's cutting edge Asian fusion
cuisine.
The Campton Place hotel's restaurant, Campton Place, is a quiet gourmet and
has been revered by award-granting wine swillers and fine diners looking for a
classic and romantic atmosphere, elegant tableside service and a varied fine
dining menu. Conde Nast went so far to say in 2000 that the Campton Place
Restaurant has the best hotel food in the United States.
Cityscape Bar & Restaurant is located 460 feet above the ground atop the
beautiful Hilton San Francisco offering breathtaking, panoramic views of the
City and featuring California Cuisine in an elegant, but relaxed
atmosphere.
The prices are pared down at this mellow version of Beverly Hills' The Grill,
an icon of Los Angeles chic in the 1980s. The Daily Grill serves large portions
of traditional grill recipes, like Meat Loaf with mashed potatoes, Joe's Special
(a San Francisco original) and excellent Cobb Salads, all at skinny prices. San
Francisco's Daily Grill is located a half a block from Union Square and San
Francisco's best shopping.
If it weren't for Farallon's stellar seafood-centered menu, it would be easy
to dismiss the stunning 1000 Leagues Under the Sea décor of the restaurant as a
gimmick. But with an ever-inventive, always fresh seafood menu, Farallon remains
one of San Francisco's knock out restaurant. Superb service makes the high
prices worth it.
French Californian. On the fifth floor of the sleek SOMA's Hotel Palomar, the
Fifth Floor is a seasonal ode to distinctive French Californian adaptations, and
also boasts an award-winning wine list and an inspiring pastry team. The zebra
carpet and hip décor bring a chic aspect to the elevated service.
Wine was meant to be eaten! This French-cum-Californian restaurant offers an
astounding selection of wine, rich oenophilic foods and educated waitstaff to
help you get maximum enjoyment out of each.
After a destructive fire in 2000 that left the Fleur de Lys a charred shell,
this downtown San Francisco restaurant went back to the drawing board and fully
renovated their downtown San Francisco location. The new dining room (more
beautiful than ever) is a red, rich and chandeliered space, a luxe setting for
caviar, French cheeses and four course gourmet dinners including meat, game,
seafood and a new emphasis on vegetarian options.
Once the awe-inspiring carriage entrance to the turn-of-the-century Palace
Hotel, today, the domed stained glass ceiling and crystal chandeliers arch over
what is now San Francisco's Garden Court restaurant. In addition to its
magnificent Victorian-era aura, The Garden Court is most notable for its Sunday
brunch and distinguished afternoon tea.
A large cafe and bar area fronts a spacious dining room featuring whimsical sculptures and an open kitchen. Service is professional and fast, permitting an excellent meal before a nearby performance. Try lobster and shrimp ravioli in a lobster-sorrel sauce or chicken braised in pinot noir with mushrooms, smoked bacon and onions. Fr ench. Reasonably priced and inventive Japanese cuisine and fusion-style sushi is
the draw at this Union Sqaure restaurant. From fresh Manila clams steamed in
sake to Teriyaki dinners to rice dishes to noodles, this Japanese restaurant has
much more than excellent Sushi Nigiri rolls. The a la carte menu with
bacon-wrapped salmon filets and yakitori marinated scallions is full of tasty
bargains.
Italian American. Established in 1908, John's Grill is a landmark San
Francisco restaurant, both for its hearty, by-gone era Italian-fusion grill
comforts as much for its museum-esque vibe and memorabilia glorifying the
Grill's feature in Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon.
You're starving, you're shopping your buns off at Macy's, Nieman's and Ann
Taylor. What to do? Hit the bustling trattoria filled to the rafters with
gorgeous people, killer decor—lots of spun copper and blown-glass tchochkas—and
serious pastas (delicious and affordable). Also to-die-for raviolis and tons of
olive oily foccacia. There's a smart little espresso annex next door too, where
you can load up on pastries.
Californian. Located in the Theatre District's Warwick hotel, La Scene San
Francisco restaurant has a flair for the dramatic with portraits of famous San
Francisco performers adorning the walls. Part of an international network of
hotels, La Scene cuisine caters to an eclectic palate grounded in California.
Indochine. Located in a quaint, stand apart building on a side street in San
Francisco's theatre district, Le Colonial feels like a French chateau in a
romanticized colonial Vietnam era (the outdoor seating feels like a lush Saigon
sidewalk café). The bar features live jazz and palm fronds while the service is
upscale and the cuisine fresh and inventive.
Masa's, located in the Vintage Court hotel, Union Square's boutique ode to
Napa Valley wines, offers a colorful France meets the World fusion cuisine with
standouts like steamed lobster under leaves of sweet and sour
vinaigrette-braised turnip and rack of lamb with a pinot noir sauce. The prix
fixe menu is $75 and includes a range of appetizers, entrees and desserts all
served in an elegant setting (where jackets are required for
men).
Michael Mina's culinary holdings have grown to eight restaurants but his
eponymous San Francisco restaurant is the flagship. Mina's inventive,
multi-course menus highlight different ingredients prepared several ways.
Located in the Westin St. Francis hotel on Union Square, the dining room is as
elegant and refined and the food.
Vegetarian and vegan cuisine isn't just for protesters anymore. San
Francisco's Millennium, located in the Savoy Hotel, features a completely
animal-free menu and serves artfully presented and deliciously gourmet
vegetarian cuisine that spans the culinary gamut from Black Bean Feijoada to
Carrot Lasagnette in an classy dining room open to dressing up or down. Wild
mushrooms and chickpeas are common, saffrons and chutneys spice up veggie
concoctions and the dessert menu includes dairy-free delights such as Vanilla
Cinnamon Sorbet and Bananas Flambe. Millennium also takes eco-friendliness to a
new level with a selection of organic wines.
Located in downtown San Francisco's luxury Pan Pacific Hotel near Union
Square on the fashionable Post Street, the hotel's Pacific Restaurant is a
perfect pre-theatre fine dining locale. With a Pacific Rim menu, the Pacific
Restaurant and Bar's ambiance is also pacific with live piano music, a crackling
fire and indoor fountains.
A playful San Francisco restaurant for contemporary Asian cuisine, Ponzu,
located in San Francisco's Theater District downtown near Union Sqaure, attracts
both a bar crowd and a dining crowd looking for creative cocktails and bold and
bright entrees and appetizers that take tastes from Thai, Malaysian, Japanese,
Chinese, and Vietnamese ingredients and cooking styles. The three illuminated
125-gallon salt water tanks back the bar and lend to the slick and fun
ambiance.
Wolfgang Puck's original NorCal outpost continues to garner rave reviews and
industry accolades thanks to the culinary prowess of Steve and Mitchell
Rosenthal. Luckily they spend as much time churning out innovative Californian
cuisine as Puck does branding pizzas.
Popovers with strawberry butter and chicken consumme start of every meal at
this grandladies-who-lunch stop at the top of Neiman Marcus. Lobster salads and
unhurried butternut risottos are enjoyed in a gilded setting for half the price
of a DKNY top.
Just a half a block from Union Square, Scala's Bistro is bustling with Old
World ambiance, from original murals and a warm atmosphere done in deep, rich
tones to a pan-Mediterranean menu. The open kitchen pours out aromas from Italy,
Spain and France while the service is just as warm as the decor. After dinner,
Harry Denton's Starlight Room is the place for a cocktail on the twenty-first
floor of the Sir France Drake hotel overlooking downtown San Francisco's city
lights.
One block from Union Square, Zingari is an inexpensive San Francisco
restaurant for Northern Italian cuisine and seafood, as well as offering live
jazz and gypsy violinists (Zingari means "gypsy" in Italian) on Wednesday and
Saturdays. Like its namesake, Zingari is relaxed and charming San Francisco
restaurant with simple and satisfying dishes, as well as a steal of an early
bird pre-fixe menu for $30 from 5:30 to 6:30pm. Alfre
d's $$$. Steak reigns here, but there is consideration of other tastes with a
little seafood and some Italian pastas. Comfortable and quiet, it's a good place
for a little business wrap-up, a romantic kickoff or a party. $100 dinner for
two.
$$$. An expense account destination, Aqua is the crown jewel of Charles Condy's empire, which includes Charles Nob Hill, Redwood Park, and Pisces. This upscale eatery will cater to peculiar dietary needs with color and creativity. A wonderful fish entrée or veggie plate upon special request can be topped off with any of a variety of "to die for" nonfat or low-fat dessert options.
Hidden on a quiet alley in the Financial District, Bix feels like you've stumbled across a speakeasy from San Francisco's bawdy old days. Live jazz coupled with inventive but straight ahead American fare makes Bix one of San Francisco's most distinctive restaurants.
Steak. With high-backed chairs and rich wood paneling, Bob's Steak House in
San Francisco's Omni Hotel feels like an iconic steak house, sans the Western
vibe. With views of downtown San Francisco, Bob's Steak and Chop House delivers
stiff martinis alongside award-winning steak and chops.
Continental. Getting high in San Francisco isn't that hard. Ride to the 52nd
floor of the Bank of America building for old money California-American cuisine
with outstanding San Francisco views.
Italian. In the Financial District's Levi's Plaza, Il Fornaio is a chain
restaurant that breaks away from the chain gang with rustic, Northern Italian
fare. The pastas and wood-fired pizzas and breads are standouts at this very
business lunch friendly restaurant (Il Fornaio means "oven" in Italian, after
all).
Located in San Francisco's Sheraton Place Hotel Restaurant Kyo-Ya caters to
Japanese businessmen when they are away from home. The restaurant is spare in
decor but artful in presentation. A dish of scattered sushi is gorgeously
presented in a stacked bento box. The freshest of fish glistens and shimmers in
various shades of opal, coral, and ruby. Other optionsat Kyo-Ya abound from rice
and noodles to Japanese-style steaks.
You would never believe you were in San Francisco's financial district when
you step through the door of L'Olivier, a romantic French restaurant.
L'Olivier's traditional menu features plates like smoked trout with lentils
ravigotte, herbed rack of lamb and Sonoma County rabbit with mustard
sauce.
With a gorgeous mosaic tile floor and rich wood paneling, Maxfield's Bar
& Gill provides a rich clubby atmosphere in San Francisco's financial
district. Maxfield's is also home to the Pied Piper Bar where famed artist
Maxfield Parrish's mural "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" dominates the decor. The
bar was voted one of the "World's Seven Greatest Bars." Maxfield's Bar &
Grill t serves up elegant martinis and Californian cuisine with dishes like
olive oil poached wild salmon with black pepper potatoes, roasted saba tomato,
zucchini, and Brentwood corn sauce or Sonoma rack of lamb with pistachio crust,
minted lamb jus, ratatouille timbale, tomato confit, and carrot
mousse.
Opened with great acclaim by one of Gary Danko's proteges, Myth has leapt to
the forefront of San Francisco restaurants. An eclectic menu that covers
everything from fresh pizzas, to pasta with a luxurious foie gras cream sauce,
to braised beef cheeks with sauteed spaetzle, Myth offers something for everyone
with a user-friendly menu adapted for small and large plates, and dishes to
share with the entire table. An extensive wine list guarantees an ideal wine to
pair with your food.
Housed in the downtown San Francisco's Park Hyatt hotel, the Park Grill is
known for friendly service, a conversation-ready dining room with vivacious
frescoes and gourmet Neo-American cuisine (perfect for a power
lunch).
"Perbacco" is an Italian word to accentuate positive comments. It can also be
an expression of pleasure and surprise. Perbacco then is a fitting name for this
San Francisco restaurant that showcases an artful blend of classic Italian
cuisine with a modern sensibility. Perbacco's seasonal Northern Italian menu
focuses on the refined cuisine found in the Piedmonte region, with a touch of
Liguria and Provence.
Chef-owner Gerald Hirigoyen has made a splash with Piperade, a Financial
District restaurant that celebrates his Basque homeland. The lively dining room,
which features a large communal table at the center, is the setting for a menu
of hearty, bold food like the daily specials of roasted pork tenderloin confit,
braised veal sweetbreads and a lively seafood soup. Rubicon's dazzling, French-inspired menu garnered one Michelin star and the
restaurant continues draw raves for its eclectic food and chic décor. In
addition to world-class food, Rubicon's wine list has won numerous accolades
including the prestigious "Grand Award" from Wine Spectator every year since
1998. There are over 1,600 different selections on the wine list and over 17,000
bottles in the cellar. A chef's tasting menu with wine pairings is available as
well as an a la carte menu.
French Californian. San Francisco's SF Chronicle puts the Scott Howard on its
"must-visit list," most definitely for Scott Howard's top-tier seasonal cuisine
that balances heavier dishes, like Venison and Pork Bellies, with a fresh touch.
The adjoining Mahogany Bar is a swank but understated spot for a pre-dinner
libation.
A San Francisco restaurant (in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel) with an elegant
and formal dining room that attracts high-end corporate lunch goers to its
business-central address on Sansome and California. While the Asia meets
California cooking works well for both dinner and lunch, the under-appreciated
for dinner hour makes for quiet evenings and romantic dinners for
two.
Tucked away in a secluded alley in downtown San Francisco, Tiramisu is a
small, Northern Italian style bistro known for its namesake, heavenly layers of
expresso-drenched lady fingers. The pasta is homemade and the menu changes daily
to offer the freshest seafood available.
In a setting far removed from the surrounding financial district, Tommy Toy's
brings Imperial Chinese cuisine in an imperial setting. The dining room is
decorated with 300-year-old tapestries, glass panels, carved wooden archways,
silk draperies, and Chinese fans. An appropriate setting for the elegant Chinese
cuisine fused with French style, technique, and presentation. Signature dishes
include fresh Maine lobster sauteed with fresh mushrooms, young chives, and a
light peppercorn sauce served on a bed of Chinese angel-hair crystal noodles and
Mongolian barbequed lamb with hoisin sauce and fresh mint on a bed of marinated
spinach. Cote Sud An all organic menu is enough to make Cote Sud stand out among San Francisco
restaurants, but the creative presentations, including towers of succulent
bites, artistic dollops of colorful sauces and jaunty herb sprigs embellishing
dinners and desserts, elevate the ingredients.
An ultra-sylish and ornately colonial San Francisco restaurant serving
authentic and inventive Nuevo Latinio cuisine at affordable, tapa-sized prives.
The wine list includes Riojas and the food, ever since its recent opening, have
kept San Francisco diners loyal with tapas, seafood dishes and creative Latino
fusion desserts.
American Comfort. At the busy intersection of Market and Church, Home is a
small refuge of comfort. The covered outdoor patio and bar is an intimate spot
for happy hour cocktails in the Castro and signature dishes like Macaroni and
Cheese and Iceberg wedge salads make Home a broken-in, neighborhood
haunt.
Italian, yes. Spaghetti and meatballs, no. Incanto chef Chris Cosentino has
created one of San Francisco's premier Itlaian restaurants by focusing on often
laborious, regional and lesser-known dishes like sardines with pickled peppers,
capers and garlic and roasted lamb neck, potato and fennel. The deep Italian
wine list boggles the mind. American. A hip San Francisco restaurant, Luna Park is popular with locals
and serves French-inspired American food, with Asian accents just for good
measure, all at reasonable prices. A comfort food favorite, Luna Park also has a
lively bar scene.
A see-and-be-seen San Francisco restaurant famous for its industrial-chic
vibe and patchwork cuisine. While the stark, steel furnishings and low lighting
are great for a few cocktails, plush side tables are perfect for supping Mecca's
high-concept California cuisine.
Fusion. A small, bustling corner restaurant in the Mission, Andalu offers a
fusion version of small plates for tapas fans. In a nightlife hub of the
Mission, Andalu presents bites for hip, slightly tipsy patrons looking start the
night out right (or keep it going). Standouts include the brussel sprouts and
white wine sangria.
Quality, regional Italian food is not limited to North Beach. Located in San Francisco's Noe Valley neighborhood, Pescheria is turning out some of the city's most dependably delicious seafood in a setting that is unpretentious yet elegant with dishes like baked stuffed clams, halibut baked in parchment and lemon-marinated tuna with cranberry beans. The outdoor patio adds to the appeal of this restaurant.
San Franciscans feel at home at Range, a simple, warm addition to the fertile
Castro/Mission restaurant gulch. The Californa cuisine isn't shocking, and
neither are the prices, but Range manages to be a delightful San Francisco
restaurant choice with elegant offerings and a stellar international wine
list. Spiazzino Italian. Modern Italian cuisine meets San Francisco at this inventive San
Francisco restaurant featuring roasted meats and vegetables, hearty sauces and
house-made pasta, to say nothing of reasonable prices.
Indian. Cod and Coconut ceviches, curried lamb chops and House-Cured duck
with carmelized pineapple served in bright French provincial plates characterize
this fresh fusion San Francisco restaurant.
An upper market noodle and bun house specializing in Asian fusion with hot splashes of fire and flavor. Keihl-smooth waitstaff are controversially lacking in Castro attitude, a welcome change in an over-hyped and under-served neighborhood.
Sixties pop meets Sino-America cuisine at this showy sushi den in the
Mission. The top-quality sake flows a bit freely, so keep your wits about you,
if only to remember that excellent miso'd sea
bass. Gorgeous lobster martinis and a giddy fondness for truffles makes the
Franco-Chinese restaurant a standout in the often anemic Mission dining scene.
Classic French service and more foie gras than you can shake a protest sign
at. Chez Spencer A hidden treasure, South of Market—presenting elegant French cuisine with
cozy indoor and outdoor seating! Bacar SOMA's Top Destination: Open Kitchen, Multilevel Dining,
An all American steak and chop house right at the AT&T Park baseball
stadium. It features organic veggies and grass-fed, planet-friendly beef without
annoying hormones and antibiotics. In addition to happy cows, entrees include
lamb, pork, duck and catch of the day, served with all-American side dishes like
baked potatoes, onion rings, macaroni and cheese, and creamed spinach.
Appetizers include clams, oysters and cracked crab. Among the bar specialties:
regional wines, single malt scotches, cognacs and armagnacs.
Celebrated Napa Valley chef Hiro Sone opened San Francisco's Ame restaurant in the St. Regis Hotel to great acclaim. Ame's seasonal menu reflects a refined blending of local ingredients with the flavors of southern France and northern Italy, filtered through Hiro's Japanese culinary sensibilities. The food is as beautiful as the setting.
Annabelle's Bar and Bistro is a classic San Francisco restaurant nestled
between Union Square, Sony Metreon and Yerba Buena Gardens. The warm dining room
dates back to the early 1900s and features spacious high ceilings and ornate
columns. Annabelle's has a full bar and a relaxed and lively atmosphere,
complete with white linens and antique tile floors, and is open late for
post-Metreon dining.
French Asian. Sister restaurant to the next-door LuLu's, Azie excels at chic,
Asian fusion cuisine in a minimal, modern setting buffered by soaring beams and
muted lighting. Curried calamari and other Asian touches to well-prepared dishes
served family-style, in addition to attentive and knowlegable service, have
secured Azie a place on the San Francisco destination restaurant list.
French for "little kiss," Bizou is an unpretentious French fusion bistro
housed in a historical San Francisco building (it's been everything from a
saloon to a bookie house) in South of Market at Pac Bell Park baseball stadium.
The menu features bistro favorites like oysters on the half shell, inventive
salads and Frenchified meats, seafood and game for tasteful and nuanced entrees.
The flatbreads, especially the Harvest Pizza (with Champagne grapes and bacon),
are excellent and affordable choices.
A kitschy place for Italian immigrant flavor and food in South of Market near
the Moscone Convention Center and the SF Museum of Modern Art. Carafes of wine
keep flowing (not the vintner's choicest, but certainly the cheapest) and the
menu covers the family style favorites like garlic bread, ravioli, hearty
pennes, cheesy lasagna and meaty sauces. The atmosphere is boisterous and fun,
with red gingham tablecloths and a veritable explosion of Italian-American
paraphernalia adorning the walls. Buca di Beppo also has a full bar and is an
excellent San Francisco restaurant for large groups and birthday
parties.
In the home of the former Bizou, COCO 500 Chef Loretta Keller has revamped
the menu, the idea, and the decor. Now catering to ballgame fans and a younger,
hipper clientele, COCO 500 still prepares old favorites like the tempura fried
green beans with a daily changing dipping sauce, wood oven flat breads and
pizzas and the braised beef cheeks. COCO 500 offers the same dedication to
fresh, local, organic, ingredients, but with a bright new modern look, an
updated menu, and a new bar serving signature cocktails.
The newest addition to the Plumpjack group, Jack Falstaff brings slow food and fine wine together. The menu at Jackk Falstaff focuses on fresh organic ingredients from local producers in dishes like Vandenberg Farms beef carpaccio with pickled onions, Parmesan, DaVero extra virgin olive oil, crostini, and mustard sauce, or coriander crusted tombo tuna with braised romano beans, Early Girl tomato and saffron vinaigrette, white corn fritters, and spicy remoulade. Popular with the after work crowd and with the pre-game baseball fans, Jack Falstaff restaurant offers plenty of seats at the bar and on an outside heated patio.
$$. Relax and order a goat cheese and roasted pepper salad or go straight to
a main course of halibut with tomato confit with a sorrel beurre blanc. Dinner
for two with wine is about $50. An $18 three-course prix fixe dinner is
available.
Located at the top of Potrero Hill, this groovy restaurant and lounge feels
like a tropical oasis in the city. Executive Chef Ann Thephakay blends the
freshest local ingredients with traditional spices to create delicious,
contemporary Thai cuisine. Lingba also features unique tropical cocktails and
nightly DJs, to a backdrop of palm trees and hanging plants. (Description
provided by Opentable.com)
A dark atmospheric martini club with live jazz perched on the second floor of
the Metreon, LJ's Martini Club & Grille offers a full martini menu with such
tempting concoctions including the blood orange crush with Charbay blood orange
vodka, triple sec, and fresh orange juice or the kaffir lime gimlet featuring
Hangar One kaffir lime vodka. Complement the drinks at LJ's Martini Club &
Grille with dishes from the restaurant menu which features organic ingredient
and dishes ranging from hamburgers to a seared ahi Napoleon and Cajun-style
jambalaya.
Maya restaurant elevates Mexican food to new heights with its sleek, modern
take on classic dishes like tamales and enchiladas as well as more inventive
fare like braised pork shoulder with red onion-orange habanero escabeche and
grilled hanger steak with a chile de arbol vinaigrette. Right across the street from San Francisco's SBC park, MoMo's is a
destination for pre- or post-game dining. Try standout dishes like the Dungeness
crab cakes with sweet corn salsa and chipotle aioli or the country barbeque baby
back ribs with french fries and cole slaw. The extensive menu goes beyond our
continental borders offering pizza, risotto, and other dishes alongside the
American classics. Outdoor dining in San Francisco MoMo's is hard to beat with
its large outdoor decks in one of San Francisco's sunniest
nooks.
American. In the same historic brick building as Slim's, the Public is a well
kept San Francisco restaurant secret in SOMA with a paradoxically romantic and
industrial setting. The menu changes frequently to reflect meticulously crafted
twists on American cuisine. The Duck Sugo is a house specialty.
Tucked away on the quaint Hawthorne Lane, newcomer Roe Restaurant is a punchy
addition to the SoMa restaurant scene. A live jazz band plays every night and
lends a romantic mood to the passion fruit cocktails and extensive champagne
list. Inventive Burmese-Japanese fusion cuisine pairs seafood curries with
sushi.
Roy's Hawaiian-Asian-fusion cuisine is, in a word, sumptuous. From scallops
to mahi mahi to a divine chocolate fudge explosion for dessert, Roy's offers
surprising combinations from its open kitchen while the wine list is impeccably
tailored to complement the cuisine (or try the Earth-Wind-Fire-Air Sake
sampler). Close to Market St. in SOMA and popular at lunch with a Financial
District crowd, Roy's has a dark wood dining room with touches of Hawaii and a
staff that really exudes a warm, Island hospitality.
Shanghai was once the "Paris of the East," and this glamorous and sultry SOMA
supper club is an ode to the jazzy glitz of bygone times. The doorman is in
period gear, the cocktails are more nostalgic here than elsewhere and the
Chinese cuisine gets a chic twist.
Sushi. Almost unnoticeable from the outside, Sushi Groove is a hip, industrial hideaway across from Slim's in SOMA's Folsom club corridor. With a live DJ nightly and signature sake cocktails, locals flock to Sushi Groove South for excellent, inventive sushi and a bustling, in-the-know atmosphere.
Spanish. A casual, approachable SOMA spot for house-brewed beer and small, Spanish-inspired tapas. Perennially packed during Happy Hour, Thirsty Bear Brewing Company is a favorite among the working crowd and students at the nearby Academy of Art.
American. An extension of San Francisco's famous (and expensive) Hawthorne
Lane restaurant, TWO signifies the restaurant's two, top tier chefs. This new
San Francisco restaurant incarnation features funky but sophisticated design,
inventive cuisine and attentive service in a secluded and romantic setting on
the hideaway Hawthorne Lane.
Fusion. Located on the ground floor of the W Hotel San Francisco, xyz is a
sleek space for chic cuisine in a modern, DJ-lounge setting. Mellow, ambient
beats fill the air while a knowledgeable staff serves seasonal cuisine, fine
wines and cocktails. The xyz restaurant San Francisco is now open for weekend
brunch. Buca Giovani Known for his eclectic, post-modern cuisine, Daniel Patterson's highly
celebrated Coi is a one-of-kind San Francisco restaurant. Drawing inspiration
for New York's WD-50 and Chicago's Alinea, Coi creates a menu that challenges
and pleasures the sense with boundary pushing but delicious culinary creations
like a stew of morel mushrooms and nettles with oloroso sherry cream and toasted
almonds and ocean trout with yuzu, scarlet turnips, Bloomsdale spinach, and
preserved lemon. Figaro Ristorante Italiano Italian. With a long history in North Beach, San Francisco's Little Italy, Figaro Ristorante is a casual and kitschy San Francisco Italian restaurant specializing in gnocchi, Italy's famous potato dumplings. The heated outdoor patio is a romantic spot for Italian-style, street side dining. Overlooking Washington Square Park in North Beach through floor-to-ceiling
French doors (watch old Tai Chi masters transfer energy in the park at lunch),
Moose's has been a local North Beach watering hole for celebs, political people,
journalists and out-of-towners since the 1970s. Live jazz every night of the
week, Gin Fizzes at lunch and smart contemporary American menu (with a new
frugal prix-fix menu daily) can't hurt Moose's San Francisco
reputation. Ligurian cuisine, with touches of the North Beach locale that's given it
continued success. Rich cioppino (a classic San Fran-talian seafood stew),
earthy fava beans and fennel accents make this informal classic a creative and
rewarding respite from the Columbus Avenue shuffle. Trattoria Contadina Photo-montage walls, old-fashioned linoleum and hand-painted china give this North Beach restaurant a cozy, grandmaternal feel. Welcoming and neighborly (the Cable Car line connecting downtown San Francisco and Fisherman's Wharf passes right outside), the Trattoria Contadina (opened in 1983) has a lively mood and simple and eclectic menu of traditional pastas, grilled meats and seafood.
Bar Crudo Seafood, raw and cooked, especially raw, is the name of the game at tiny but
hugely popular Bar Crudo. Tucked in a hideaway above Union Square, Bar Crudo is
the perfect place to ditch the shopping masses below and meet over oysters and a
glass of cava.
Although it looks like little more than lunch counter, 20-seat Canteen has become a must stop for savvy food lovers. Chef Dennis Leary creates an engaging, personal menu that has included hearty yet refined dishes as spicy seafood soup with crab dumplings, pork tenderloin with lentils and black cod with spinach and artichoke chips.
Just walking into the colossal 1909 Nob Hill landmark building the Ritz
Carlton hotel calls home is an experience in Nob Hill capital accumulation. The
hotel's Dining Room is no less sophisticated. In a sumptous candlelit
atmosphere, Chef Sylvian Portay's fine French dining is designed to "enliven the
senses—sight, touch, taste, scent and sound," or at least impress a dinner date.
Add regal service, and it's no wonder Food & Wine Magazine just dubbed San
Francisco's Dining Room on the the top fifty restaurants in the country. Fournou's Ovens An intimate, Mediteranean-style Nob Hill restaurant with two towering
European-style roasting ovens in full view of posh diners. The restaurant's vast
wine cellar, stocked with world-class wines, is one of the Wine Spectator's San
Francisco favorites. Fournou's Ovens, housed in Nob Hill's commanding Stanford
Court hotel, also offers a conspicuously consumptive Champagne Brunch on
Saturdays and Sundays.
California Asian. An exciting addition to the Nob Hill restaurant scene,
Sparrow is a well-designed space with modern, Asian elements, like an electric
blue Buddha head and private, Zen-like booths. The inventive cuisine lives up to
its fusion claims with gourmet hybrids. Across from Grace Cathedral, Sparrow
caters to well-heeled patrons.
Home to San Francisco's best happy hour, The Tonga Room and Hurricane bar are
a little tropical oasis on the top of Nob Hill. Done up like a rain forest
including thunder and periodic rain storms, the Tonga Room serves Pacific Rim
Pan Asian cuisine with tropical drinks and other libations from the full bar.
Don't miss the Mai Tai voted San Francisco's best by Conde Nast
Traveler.
The Top of the Mark, a mahogany sky bar and lounge literally on top of the
Mark Hopkins hotel, has one of San Francisco's most signature views: a
staggering 360 degree bird's eye view of San Francisco and the Bay. Dip into a
cocktail and light fine dining and then take a spin in the clouds on the Top's
elevated dance floor.
Italian. A romantic, neighborhood restaurant hidden on a quiet street atop
Nob Hill, Venticello serves classic and comforting Italian cuisine.
Cafe Arguello Finest Basque & Spanish Comfort Foods in the City
Burger Joint These are burgers you'll dream about if you ever move away from the city. We drove back, over 1800 miles once, to experience them again.
Baraka One of San Francisco's "rising star chefs" (San Francisco Chronicle 2005),
David Bazrigan, creates a menu inspired by French Mediterranean and Moroccan
fare. Baraka brings energy and flavor to comfy Potrero Hill. The restaurant's
menu features small and large plates to share; try the warm pistachio crusted
goat cheese with onion jam and honey or the Dungeness crab cake with harissa
hollandaise. House specialties include a seafood paella with mussels, clams,
prawns, salmon, chorizo and saffron rice and a lamb tagine with prunes, marcona
almonds, chick peas, and couscous.
Chow restaurant, which now has three locations in the Bay Area, has hit on a winning combination with high-quality comfort food, great prices, and a casual, friendly setting. The original on Church Street offers hard to resist dishes like meat loaf, Thai noodles, pizza, and steamed mussels.
When it opened in 1988, Delfina was supposed to be a low-key neighborhood restaurant. But the quality of the food and cozy appeal of the dining room has made it one of San Francisco's most celebrated restaurants. The rustic Italian food at this always-crowded restaurant manages to be both simple and extravagantly good at the same time. Now the restaurant runs an equally popular pizzeria next door.
Seafood. A spot of artsy urban chic in the Mission District, Foreign Cinema
is an industrial space with exposed brick walls and high iron-beam ceilings,
perfect for projecting the night's foreign film. With fresh oysters from the
Oyster Bar and an international menu of approachable new favorites, Foreign
Cinema is one of San Francisco's most beloved restaurants. The adjoining Laszlo
Bar is a hip spot for a Brazilian caipirinha.
Located at the top of Potrero Hill, this groovy restaurant and lounge feels
like a tropical oasis in the city. Executive Chef Ann Thephakay blends the
freshest local ingredients with traditional spices to create delicious,
contemporary Thai cuisine. Lingba also features unique tropical cocktails and
nightly DJs, to a backdrop of palm trees and hanging plants. (Description
provided by Opentable.com)
Limon has been wowing diners with its inventive California-inspired Peruvian
food since it opened several years ago. Now located in a bigger, more stylish
location in Valencia Street, Limon still packs them in with its excellent
ceviches, fried chicken, and braised scallops, calamari, shrimp, mussels, clams
served with diced potatoes in a Peruvian adresso cream sauce.
You would never guess that this hip and seductive restaurant was once in the
no man's land of San Francisco's Mission District. Medjool is just one of the
restaurants helping to revitalize the area. A swank and sexy bar gives way to a
crowded dining room handing out Italian, French, Spanish, Moroccan, Tunisian and
Middle Eastern small plates to share with your companions. Options range from a
Middle Eastern mezze plate featuring hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh; to
the Tunisian tombo tuna with egg briouats. A separate cafe menu serves food all
day long. You can come to the Medjool restaurant for an espresso and an omelette
in the morning or a panini at lunch. You can even take a dip in the pool or stay
the night if you stay at the hostel upstairs.
Range restaurant seems to have it all—cool, stylish interior, great prices
and a superb, ever-changing menu. The menu features seasonal contemporary
cuisine with appetizers such as marinated fennel with roasted peaches and chevre
and raw albacore, watermelon, avocado and Hawaiian salt. Entrées include halibut
with braised artichokes, almonds, and cooked egg tartar sauce. A selection of
eclectic wines and specialty cocktails flow from the striking bar.
A smart and always crowded neighborhood bistro that showcases voluptuous pastas, slow-cooked seafood creations and rustically Italian-style salads. The food of the season inspires this kitchen , like arugula and asparagus salads, penned with porcini, shiitake and winter wild mushrooms, amazing squash soups, baked polenta slathered with gorgonzola, mascarpone, pecorino and assorted greens. All the food, every bit of it, is loaded with fresh flavor—and so is the eclectic wine list. Stellar service—make reservations.
Down-home American comfort food such as pork sandwiches, big burgers, fried chicken, scones, French toast and, of course, biscuits and gravy.
The sushi here is fresh and artful; try the briefly deep-fried Ritsu roll. Other nonsushi dishes are not necessarily of the same quality, but the hip atmosphere is a hit for groups.
$. The kulfi is a concoction which must be tried, but the made-on-premises
ice creams are the delicate backbone of the B., in such flavors as fig and
rose. $. The Mission is sprouting little Italian restaurants at an increasing rate. Caffe Ponte Vecchio is the newest and the cheapest, and some dishes here, like the individual casserole-baked lasagna, are splendid.
$$ Bold pan-Latin. The flavors are simple and bright, in interesting
combinations. Full service bar at Mission location. This new place has yet to find a groove, but meanwhile it's serving huge, delicious soups at rock-bottom prices. The space is small yet airy, but the music can be annoying.
$$. A California kind of Hunan restaurant, and while the food certainly
deserves the imperial designation, the atmosphere doesn't.
$. Contemporary northern Chinese cuisine in a beautiful and intimate setting
laced with red-beaded lights and old photos. The menu features many spicy dishes
and rarities that show a respect for tradition without following the pack. A
neighborhood crowd of regulars keeps Firecracker popping.
Tasty vegan cuisine in a colorful, attractive environment. This Mission District dining room serves California staples like organic produce and fresh juices, along with Middle Eastern and Indian dishes like kebabs, bread with zahatar spice and curried vegetables over brown or white rice.
$. As the name implies, Jay's serves cheesesteaks, both traditional and vegetarian (seitan) varieties—lovingly prepared, filling and juicy. Sirron Norris's artwork adds bouyancy and color to an otherwise simple decor.
A bona fide Mission District classic with live music later in the evening, the bustling La Rondalla serves the first-rate, authentic Mexican fare you'd expect in a neighborhood like this. Recommended dishes include burritos, huevos rancheros, pozole, and beef tongue in tomato sauce. This ode-to-everything-opera is a small family-owned restaurant where the waiters speak Italian, the bread is baked in the kitchen, the pasta's al dente, and the sauces and entrees are as rich as the opera music playing overhead.
The Slow Club has always been something of a local secret. Located in Multimedia Gulch, the Slow Club oozes urban cool. More than a decade after it opened, the place is still hip and sexy. The casual, yet refined décor and moody lighting are the perfect setting for the restaurant's top-notch American and Mediterranean comfort food. The dinner menu easily fits on one page, with eight appetizers and six main courses, including the popular burger. The bar is a scene all its own.
Sunflower Authentic Vietnamese Restaurant offers a heavier interpretation of Vietnamese cuisine that is rich and grabbing despite its occasionally greasy undertones. The mint and spinach imperial rolls, a staple of Vietnamese cuisine, are light and enjoyable here, with split prawns to provide depth to the cellophane- bound appetizer. Try it before or after a night at the Roxy.
Sunny and airy, decorated with orchids and tropical fish tanks, Thanya & Salee serves well-seasoned, flavorful dishes. The curry queen and Phad Thai dishes are highly recommended. Partners in spice with the next-door Lingba Lounge.
A tiny café amidst the Mission's warehouses serves up some of the city's most memorable food in an eye-catching, stark industrial setting. The menu courts locals with confident Mediterranean flavors like truffles, bold cheeses and robust Spanish riojas. Standouts on our last visit included the beet salad and grilled flat bread covered with assorted toppings. Vegetarian friendly.
$$$. Ignore the tiny room's often smothering heat from the oven, and the roar
of the freeway just a few paces away, and sink into the Garden's wonderful,
creative food. It's worth a little discomfort.
A top restaurant in Fisherman's Wharf, perfect for large parties!
A. Sabella's For 82 years, A. Sabella's has been a classic Fisherman's Wharf restaurant.
With an old-time feel and postcard perfect views of Golden Gate Bridge and
Fisherman's Wharf, A. Sabella's is still an iconic Fisherman's Wharf restaurant
known for fresh seafood (the 1,000 gallon tank makes it so), a long,
reasonably-price wine list and a vibe tourist-trap Fisherman's Wharf restaurants
have long tried to emulate.
Alioto's A classic San Francisco restaurant, three generation of the Alioto family
have been serving up Sicilian-style seafood at Alioto's since 1925. Dine on
local calamari and fresh Dungeness crab as you watch the boats come in under the
Golden Gate Bridge. The views of the San Francisco Bay and the marina from
Alioto's three-tiered dining room with its wall of windows are not to be
missed.
Vietnamese. One of San Francisco's best restaurants, the beautiful Ana
Mandara arguably serves San Francisco's best Vietnamese food in a modern and
exotic setting. Lush silks, orchids and dark woods permeate the scene while the
menu takes traditional Vietnamese cuisine to a gourmet level. The award-winning
wine list features standouts from all over the globe.
Not just a Crosby Stills & Nash song, wooden ships hang from Cafe Pescatore's ceiling as part of its nautical, kid-friendly theme. A sidewalk cafe in Fisherman's Wharf great for Wharf-watching, Cafe Pescatore has an open kitchen that churns out wood-fired pizzas and the selection of seafood holds its own in a San Francisco neighborhood known for seafood restaurants. The Steamed Mussels, Grilled Herbed pressed Swordfish or Pan-Roasted Salmon are standouts.
McCormick & Kuleto's Seafood Restaurant Located in Ghirardelli Square (near Fisherman's Wharf), McCormick and
Kuleto's is a chain restaurant that's a popular tourist destination in San
Francisco. With over thirty seafood specialties and a stadium-seating setup
affording panoramic views of the Bay and Alcatraz Island for all diners
simultaneously, it's easy to see why.
The Mandarin $$$. Try the pot stickers, the appetizer sampler plate and the spare ribs.
The atmosphere is worthy of a mandarin, even if the food is lesser.
Fort Mason Restaurants $$. Just the view of Alcatraz alone from this spectacularly located landmark helps whet the appetite of admirers from around the world. One of the rare sophisticated dining spots that offers a splendid meatless menu, Greens is always packed. Make reservations and bring an adventurous palate. Everything is delicious and sparkling fresh.
Greens Front Counter $. While the restaurant proper at this gorgeous bayview location inside historic Fort Mason has become justly famous for serving cutting-edge vegetarian fare prepared by kung fu-trained monks, most people walk right past the pastry and coffee counter up front to hustle to their seats, and that's too bad. With a great selection of baked goods, caffeinated beverages and the expected Odwalla juices, Greens' counter is the ideal place to fuel up before or Fort Mason events. And though sitting inside with your goodies isn't really an option, who needs to when surrounded by Fort Mason's spectacular vistas? Cradling a cup of coffee while watching a gigantic cargo ship slide past Alcatraz sounds like my idea of heaven.
Restaurant Gary Danko Delicious, stunning and expensive, Restaurant Gary Danko ranks as one of San
Francisco's premier dining destinations. The menu, three to five courses,
promises whatever time of year you eat the food will be seasonal, expertly
prepared and superbly presented with the professional service and wine list to
match. Gary Danko offers a truly one-of-a-kind restaurant experience.
A top restaurant in Fisherman's Wharf, perfect for large parties!
For 82 years, A. Sabella's has been a classic Fisherman's Wharf restaurant.
With an old-time feel and postcard perfect views of Golden Gate Bridge and
Fisherman's Wharf, A. Sabella's is still an iconic Fisherman's Wharf restaurant
known for fresh seafood (the 1,000 gallon tank makes it so), a long,
reasonably-price wine list and a vibe tourist-trap Fisherman's Wharf restaurants
have long tried to emulate.
A classic San Francisco restaurant, three generation of the Alioto family
have been serving up Sicilian-style seafood at Alioto's since 1925. Dine on
local calamari and fresh Dungeness crab as you watch the boats come in under the
Golden Gate Bridge. The views of the San Francisco Bay and the marina from
Alioto's three-tiered dining room with its wall of windows are not to be
missed.
Vietnamese. One of San Francisco's best restaurants, the beautiful Ana
Mandara arguably serves San Francisco's best Vietnamese food in a modern and
exotic setting. Lush silks, orchids and dark woods permeate the scene while the
menu takes traditional Vietnamese cuisine to a gourmet level. The award-winning
wine list features standouts from all over the globe.
Not just a Crosby Stills & Nash song, wooden ships hang from Cafe
Pescatore's ceiling as part of its nautical, kid-friendly theme. A sidewalk cafe
in Fisherman's Wharf great for Wharf-watching, Cafe Pescatore has an open
kitchen that churns out wood-fired pizzas and the selection of seafood holds its
own in a San Francisco neighborhood known for seafood restaurants. The Steamed
Mussels, Grilled Herbed pressed Swordfish or Pan-Roasted Salmon are
standouts.
Located in Ghirardelli Square (near Fisherman's Wharf), McCormick and
Kuleto's is a chain restaurant that's a popular tourist destination in San
Francisco. With over thirty seafood specialties and a stadium-seating setup
affording panoramic views of the Bay and Alcatraz Island for all diners
simultaneously, it's easy to see why.
$$$. Try the pot stickers, the appetizer sampler plate and the spare ribs.
The atmosphere is worthy of a mandarin, even if the food is lesser.
$$. Just the view of Alcatraz alone from this spectacularly located landmark helps whet the appetite of admirers from around the world. One of the rare sophisticated dining spots that offers a splendid meatless menu, Greens is always packed. Make reservations and bring an adventurous palate. Everything is delicious and sparkling fresh.
$. While the restaurant proper at this gorgeous bayview location inside historic Fort Mason has become justly famous for serving cutting-edge vegetarian fare prepared by kung fu-trained monks, most people walk right past the pastry and coffee counter up front to hustle to their seats, and that's too bad. With a great selection of baked goods, caffeinated beverages and the expected Odwalla juices, Greens' counter is the ideal place to fuel up before or Fort Mason events. And though sitting inside with your goodies isn't really an option, who needs to when surrounded by Fort Mason's spectacular vistas? Cradling a cup of coffee while watching a gigantic cargo ship slide past Alcatraz sounds like my idea of heaven.
Delicious, stunning and expensive, Restaurant Gary Danko ranks as one of San
Francisco's premier dining destinations. The menu, three to five courses,
promises whatever time of year you eat the food will be seasonal, expertly
prepared and superbly presented with the professional service and wine list to
match. Gary Danko offers a truly one-of-a-kind restaurant experience.
Frascati A Russian Hill neighborhood attraction, this is a cozy, high-end Mediterranean and Californian hybrid that just underwent a recent renovation and grabbed a new chef. But the service is still amazing and this Russian Hill restaurant is still full of locals.
Harris' Meat's meat, and a man's gotta eat. The dry-aged, well-marbled cuts of beef at Harris' define the dining which may not be what the doctor ordered, unless of course, it's Dr. Atkins.
Hyde Street Bistro Fisherman's Wharf may have sullied its name by selling out to the mediocre masses, but the classically chic Hyde Street Seafood House is still the real deal. Snapper and shrimp louis, dungeness crab and lobster bisque are standard orders at this fresh, no-nonsense, fish depot.
Hyde Street Seafood House & Raw Bar A specialty San Francisco restaurant, Hyde Street Seafood House & Raw Bar takes the French technique of baking in parchment paper, "En Papilotte," to a new level. More casual than its micro-cuisine might suggest, expect an expensive array of delectably baked textures and tastes.
La Folie Roland Passot has created a mini-empire with his popular Left Bank restaurants but for 20 years and counting La Folie has defined his style of comfortable, elegant, delicious and decidedly French dining with dishes like quail and squab stuffed with mushrooms, crispy potato strings and a sauce of jus with truffles and venison chop with roasted fall fruits, root vegetables and sauce poivrade.
Le Petit Robert
Pesce
Sushi Groove
Seafood, seafood and more seafood at this off-the-restaurant-radar Russian
Hill restaurant known for excellent fish (one of the best seafood restaurants in
town, and that's not an overstatement, even for San Francisco), a raw bar with
eight kinds of oysters available by the dozen, and a wine list meant to bring
out the subtle flavors of Yabbie's pescatarian favorites. Sizzling Prime Steaks in Downtown
Absinthe Bar & Brasserie Consistent and classy, Absinthe Brasserie and Bar is a Hayes Valley favorite, busy on almost any night of the week and steps from the San Francisco Symphony and Opera House. With a full bar (stocked with single malts), accesible French fare (the leg of lamb is stellar) and an excellent dessert menu (the Lavender Creme Brullee is our favorite), Absinthe has it all in one dark and rich atmosphere.
Acquerello Acquerello is known for its extensive collection of Italian wines and fine dishes to match such as sea bass carpaccio with Sicilian olive oil, lemon zest and green onion, or the ridged pasta with foie gras and black truffles. Tender pillows of Swiss chard and ricotta malfatti served with brown butter, sage, and shaved Parmigiano are not to be missed. One of the best Italian restaurants in the country. Caffe Delle Stelle Italian cuisine in Hayes Valley close to the San Fancisco opera, symphony, and ballet. Caffe Delle Stelle serves rustic Italian fare, both the expected classics and traditional dishes that often don't make it onto American menus like Pastitsio, a baked pasta dish with a hearty meat sauce and cheese. Casual dining and friendly service make Caffe Delle Stelle popular with locals and symphony goers alike.
For diners who peak at the dessert menu before appetizers, San Francisco's established Citizen Cake restaurant is where it is. In addition to dessert at the successful patisserie/restaurant/bar hybrid, lunch and dinner and decidedly eclectic, with Kobe beef offerings next to tamarind samosas. And for dessert, choose from cakes of all shades. Espetus Churrascaria Brazilian. For lovers of Brazilian steakhouses, where the all-you-can-eat salty meat comes on skewers hot from the flames, and the salad bar features delights like pao de queijo (cheese bread) and fresh Brazilian sides, Espetus Churrascaria is a classy San Francisco spot for what is affectionately known as a meat ambush.
Indigo Within the dark azure walls socialites and opera buffs dine pre-fixe with performance anticipation. New American favorites like asparagus soup and tamarind glazed chicken breast make Indigo a well-traveled stop on the San Francisco dining circuit.
Jardinière In the shadow of San Francisco's golden-domed Civic Center, Jardinière is a glamorous restaurant housed in a landmark brick and glass San Francisco building. Inside, one of the most extensive wine lists in the city pairs seamlessly with the seasonal French cuisine. Millennium Vegetarian and vegan cuisine isn't just for protesters anymore. San Francisco's Millennium, located in the Savoy Hotel, features a completely animal-free menu and serves artfully presented and deliciously gourmet vegetarian cuisine that spans the culinary gamut from Black Bean Feijoada to Carrot Lasagnette in an classy dining room open to dressing up or down. Wild mushrooms and chickpeas are common, saffrons and chutneys spice up veggie concoctions and the dessert menu includes dairy-free delights such as Vanilla Cinnamon Sorbet and Bananas Flambe. Millennium also takes eco-friendliness to a new level with a selection of organic wines.
O'Reilly's Holy Grail Despite the name, O'Reilly's Holy Grail is no Irish pub. This is a dining destination known for its raw seafood and hous- smoked meats. Try the signature peat-smoked pork shank with cranberry beans, garlic confit and fig-mustard sauce. Live music nightly on the ebony grand piano, stained glass windows, forged copper cathedral ceilings and you just might be enjoying a feast with the knights at your own round table at O'Reilly's Holy Grail.
Paul K. Mediterranean. With a bistro ambiance, Paul K serves Mediterranean cuisine with a sleek and exotic twist. Dishes like Syrian spiced duck breast and Eggplant Napoleon take the cuisine beyond that at traditional Mediterranean restaurants into the realm of modern Mediterranean. Paul K also boasts a full bar and wine list with choice selections from California and France.
If you had just one lunch to eat in San Francisco you could do worse than Swan Oyster Depot. Much worse. The intimate seafood restaurant and retail shop attracts a loyal following for its bracingly fresh seafood (especially the oysters and crab) as well as its friendly staff. The restaurant dates back to 1912 and is now run by the wisecracking sons and grandsons of the original owner. This is old school San Francisco and it's never tasted so good.
Polynesian. A colonial Polynesian-themed San Francisco restaurant (who's owner is famous for inventing the Mai Tai in 1932), Trader Vic's is a kitschy institution serving tropical drinks and island-themed cuisine.
Zuni Café Zuni Café has been called the quintessential San Francisco restaurant. Many
of the best-loved dishes like the roasted chicken, bread salad and burger are
simple, but oh so good. The rest of menu delivers too with boldly flavored takes
on American and Mediterranean fare. The big, window fronted bar attracts
tourists, models and politicos alike. La Terrasse "Elegance - Comfort - Integrity"
Chef and owner Mourad Lahlou has elevated Moroccan food at Aziza from clichés of belly dancing and couscous to create one of San Francisco's most desirable dining destinations. Aziza's menu combines artisinal products and organic ingredients, intense flavors and stunning presentations combined with a Californian influence. Aziza's gracious service and romantic ambience presents fine dining in a warm, sexy and intimate setting.
Clementine Located in a neighborhood better known for its Asian food, Clementine is one of San Francisco's exemplars of classic French food served in an elegant, yet immediately welcoming atmosphere. While the food is tradition based, it's far from staid. Try the pan roasted halibut with fava beans, sorrel and chorizo cumin sauce or roasted duck breast with mushroom râgout, baby turnips and foie gras sauce to see why Clementine is a darling of a restaurant.
Sociale Italian. An exceptionally fresh Italian restaurant known for house made pastas, pastries and gelato, Sociale chef Tia Harrison also sources organic and sustainable ingredients for an inventive and satisfying takes on Italian cuisine. Sociale staff also hand tastes a select and rotating selection of Italian wines.
Garibaldi's California-Mediterranean. A casual, if pricey, Laurel Heights restaurant,
Garibaldi's is a neighborhood favorite for consistently excellent and upscale
fusion fare. The selective wine list favors European wines over Californian
options.
California. With an unassuming name for an exceptional Pacific Heights restaurant, Annie's Bistro constantly surprises with its intimate, wine-cellar atmosphere (stocked with choice Californian wines) and sophisticated takes on Californian cuisine.
American. Located in Pacific Height's charming Hotel Majestic (once a gilded residence), the Café Majestic has a turn of the century vibe with pale green velvet booths, Victorian details and clean, white linens. The cuisine features straightforward classics with a seasonal twist.
Florio From the owners of Market Bar at Ferry Plaza and Bix, the eminent downtown supper club, Florio restaurant provides a good meal on happening Fillmore Street. Even though the location designates a Pacific Heights location, Florio would be at home in any neighborhood. Part French bistro, and part Italian trattoria, Florio keeps it simple serving up classic dishes like chicken liver pate, steak frites, roast chicken, spaghetti bolognese and house made gelato. This is just the type of place Fillmore Street—and the rest of San Francisco—needs.
Godzila Sushi For fresh California-style sushi this is probably the most inexpensive place around.Try the spicy tuna roll. Arrive early; this place gets packed.
Jackson Fillmore This trattoria borrows ambiance from diner traditions, but the food can't be beat. Sit at the counter if it's crowded; try gnocchi if it's available
$$$. La Folie is a cheerful bistro with top-notch, inventive, luxurious food
courtesy of the highly skilled Roland Passot. Lighter and more-lemony hummus than most local offerings, in a cozy setting, and inexpensive, too. A wider variety of dishes, most of them good, than your average Middle Eastern restaurant.
Quince Nestled in a residential section of Pacific Heights, Quince is the labor of love of chef Michael Tusk, a talented chef schooled by Alice Waters and Oakland Italian master Paul Bertoli. Quince's bold but refined menu specializes in the regional, lesser-known dishes of Italy.
$$. The ice cream is made at the Fillmore store, in both typical and unusual flavors, and has an almost sticky consistency. The blueberry cabernet is a favorite.
Italian cuisine in Hayes Valley close to the San Fancisco opera, symphony, and ballet. Caffe Delle Stelle serves rustic Italian fare, both the expected classics and traditional dishes that often don't make it onto American menus like pastitsio, a baked pasta dish with a hearty meat sauce and cheese. Casual dining and friendly service make Caffe Delle Stelle popular with locals and symphony goers alike.
Citizen Cake Dazzling works of confectionary art are the centerpieces of this airy, loftlike Hayes Valley bakery-cum-restaurant, but the savory menu items are equally impressive. Try the simple, satisfying roasted chicken with succotash and polenta; seared bavette steak with wasabi-edged mashed potatoes and caramelized turnips; or a juicy, spicy marinated pork sandwich with house-made pickles and havarti. Top dessert choices include a rich huckleberry-ginger financier and an addictive peanut butter-caramel tart. Wheelchair accessible. (review: SF Weekly)
Absinthe Brasserie and Bar Consistent and classy, Absinthe Brasserie and Bar is a Hayes Valley favorite, busy on almost any night of the week and steps from the San Francisco Symphony and Opera House. With a full bar (stocked with single malts), accesible French fare (the leg of lamb is stellar) and an excellent dessert menu (the Lavendar Creme Brullee is our favorite), Absinthe has it all in one dark and rich atmosphere.
Hayes St. Grill That just might be Umberto Eco, or perhaps Joan Baez dining cozily in the corner of this highly regarded home of classic SF-style California dining. A hotspot for before or after theater and opera, Hayes Street can't be touched in the fresh seafood department, and creates straightforward dishes so flavorful you could cry. Prime celebrity watching comes with the turf.
Nopa, named after its north of the Panhandle neighborhood, is the new
millennium's answer to Zuni Café—a classic neighborhood restaurant that is
casual and welcoming and serves uncommonly good food like nine-hour Bolognese,
grass-fed burgers and braised lamb shank.
Poleng Lounge is a tea house, food Mecca, and dance club all in one. Chef Tim
Luym, formerly of Fifth Floor, is serious about the food on his menu, delivering
a selection of exquisitely fresh Southeast Asian street food. Standouts include
perkedel jagung corn fritters with sweet chile sauce—little pancakes with whole
kernels of sweet corn served with Thai dipping sauce $$. Any soul your friends may be lacking will be restored with an infusion of Powell's soul food—the fried chicken and the greens are highly satisfying. Don't overlook dessert, though.
Stelline If you're thinking of going to Caffe Delle Stelle, go here instead. The lemon-caper chicken is highly recommended.
American. A few blocks from Hayes Valley in the Art Deco gulch of central Market Street, Zuni is worth the short trek from Hayes Valley restaurant offerings. In a glass, triangular corner building, Zuni became famous during the Dot Com era for its masterful American cuisine and cocktails in an open, industrial space. Today, Zuni Café continues to have a strong San Francisco culinary following.
Named "Best Bay Area Seafood"
Betelnut Long before it become commonplace, San Francisco's Betelnut was melding flavors from throughout Asia to create a pan-Asian restaurant that still packs them in more than a decade after it opened. The sexy bar and equally sexy crowd that packs the place adds to Betelnut's appeal.
Eos Asian Fusion. Named for the Greek goddess of the Dawn, Eos embraces the spirit of wine and sake as the great rejuvenators with an extensive wine and sake list and a menu boasting eclectic dishes meant for sharing and pairing. Open nightly, Eos is an intimate space with rotating art on the walls and a neighborhood hub in the Haight and Cole neighborhoods.
Ali Baba's Cave For a fast, cheap lunch on the go, Ali Baba's Cave has a host of Haight fans. The falafel and shawarma are the biggest draws, in addition to Middle Eastern salads, eggplant dishes, and sandwiches in this dimly-lit nook.
Casual, tasty Ethiopian for cheap. The service can be unbelievably slow, but the food is consistently delicious and filling. Particularly good on a chilly night.
$$ Bold pan-Latin. The flavors are simple and bright, in interesting combinations. Full service bar at Mission location.
"One of San Francisco's top restaurants!"
Alfred's $$$. Steak reigns here, but there is consideration of other tastes with a little seafood and some Italian pastas. Comfortable and quiet, it's a good place for a little business wrap-up, a romantic kickoff or a party. $100 dinner for two.
Aqua $$$. An expense account destination, Aqua is the crown jewel of Charles Condy's empire, which includes Charles Nob Hill, Redwood Park, and Pisces. This upscale eatery will cater to peculiar dietary needs with color and creativity. A wonderful fish entrée or veggie plate upon special request can be topped off with any of a variety of "to die for" nonfat or low-fat dessert options.
Bix Hidden on a quiet alley in the Financial District, Bix feels like you've stumbled across a speakeasy from San Francisco's bawdy old days. Live jazz coupled with inventive but straight ahead American fare makes Bix one of San Francisco's most distinctive restaurants.
Bob's Steak & Chop House: Omni San Francisco Hotel Steak. With high-backed chairs and rich wood paneling, Bob's Steak House in San Francisco's Omni Hotel feels like an iconic steak house, sans the Western vibe. With views of downtown San Francisco, Bob's Steak and Chop House delivers stiff martinis alongside award-winning steak and chops.
Carnelian Room Continental. Getting high in San Francisco isn't that hard. Ride to the 52nd floor of the Bank of America building for old money California-American cuisine with outstanding San Francisco views.
Il Fornaio - San Francisco Italian. In the Financial District's Levi's Plaza, Il Fornaio is a chain restaurant that breaks away from the chain gang with rustic, Northern Italian fare. The pastas and wood-fired pizzas and breads are standouts at this very business lunch friendly restaurant (Il Fornaio means "oven" in Italian, after all).
Located in San Francisco's Sheraton Place Hotel Restaurant Kyo-Ya caters to Japanese businessmen when they are away from home. The restaurant is spare in decor but artful in presentation. A dish of scattered sushi is gorgeously presented in a stacked bento box. The freshest of fish glistens and shimmers in various shades of opal, coral, and ruby. Other optionsat Kyo-Ya abound from rice and noodles to Japanese-style steaks.
L'Olivier You would never believe you were in San Francisco's financial district when you step through the door of L'Olivier, a romantic French restaurant. L'Olivier's traditional menu features plates like smoked trout with lentils ravigotte, herbed rack of lamb and Sonoma County rabbit with mustard sauce.
Maxfield's Bar & Grill With a gorgeous mosaic tile floor and rich wood paneling, Maxfield's Bar & Gill provides a rich clubby atmosphere in San Francisco's financial district. Maxfield's is also home to the Pied Piper Bar where famed artist Maxfield Parrish's mural "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" dominates the decor. The bar was voted one of the "World's Seven Greatest Bars." Maxfield's Bar & Grill t serves up elegant martinis and Californian cuisine with dishes like olive oil poached wild salmon with black pepper potatoes, roasted saba tomato, zucchini, and Brentwood corn sauce or Sonoma rack of lamb with pistachio crust, minted lamb jus, ratatouille timbale, tomato confit, and carrot mousse.
Myth Opened with great acclaim by one of Gary Danko's proteges, Myth has leapt to the forefront of San Francisco restaurants. An eclectic menu that covers everything from fresh pizzas, to pasta with a luxurious foie gras cream sauce, to braised beef cheeks with sauteed spaetzle, Myth offers something for everyone with a user-friendly menu adapted for small and large plates, and dishes to share with the entire table. An extensive wine list guarantees an ideal wine to pair with your food.
Palio d'Asti
Park Grill Housed in the downtown San Francisco's Park Hyatt hotel, the Park Grill is known for friendly service, a conversation-ready dining room with vivacious frescoes and gourmet Neo-American cuisine (perfect for a power lunch).
Perbacco "Perbacco" is an Italian word to accentuate positive comments. It can also be an expression of pleasure and surprise. Perbacco then is a fitting name for this San Francisco restaurant that showcases an artful blend of classic Italian cuisine with a modern sensibility. Perbacco's seasonal Northern Italian menu focuses on the refined cuisine found in the Piedmonte region, with a touch of Liguria and Provence.
Piperade Chef-owner Gerald Hirigoyen has made a splash with Piperade, a Financial District restaurant that celebrates his Basque homeland. The lively dining room, which features a large communal table at the center, is the setting for a menu of hearty, bold food like the daily specials of roasted pork tenderloin confit, braised veal sweetbreads and a lively seafood soup.
Rubicon Rubicon's dazzling, French-inspired menu garnered one Michelin star and the restaurant continues draw raves for its eclectic food and chic décor. In addition to world-class food, Rubicon's wine list has won numerous accolades including the prestigious "Grand Award" from Wine Spectator every year since 1998. There are over 1,600 different selections on the wine list and over 17,000 bottles in the cellar. A chef's tasting menu with wine pairings is available as well as an a la carte menu.
Scott Howard French Californian. San Francisco's SF Chronicle puts the Scott Howard on its "must-visit list," most definitely for Scott Howard's top-tier seasonal cuisine that balances heavier dishes, like Venison and Pork Bellies, with a fresh touch. The adjoining Mahogany Bar is a swank but understated spot for a pre-dinner libation.
Silks A San Francisco restaurant (in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel) with an elegant and formal dining room that attracts high-end corporate lunch goers to its business-central address on Sansome and California. While the Asia meets California cooking works well for both dinner and lunch, the under-appreciated for dinner hour makes for quiet evenings and romantic dinners for two.
Tiramisu Tucked away in a secluded alley in downtown San Francisco, Tiramisu is a small, Northern Italian style bistro known for its namesake, heavenly layers of expresso-drenched lady fingers. The pasta is homemade and the menu changes daily to offer the freshest seafood available.
Tommy Toy's In a setting far removed from the surrounding financial district, Tommy Toy's
brings Imperial Chinese cuisine in an imperial setting. The dining room is
decorated with 300-year-old tapestries, glass panels, carved wooden archways,
silk draperies, and Chinese fans. An appropriate setting for the elegant Chinese
cuisine fused with French style, technique, and presentation. Signature dishes
include fresh Maine lobster sauteed with fresh mushrooms, young chives, and a
light peppercorn sauce served on a bed of Chinese angel-hair crystal noodles and
Mongolian barbequed lamb with hoisin sauce and fresh mint on a bed of marinated
spinach.
Brandy Ho's $. A real neighborhood Hunan place. You will enjoy smoked ham with bamboo shoots, calamari with black bean sauce, and chicken curry with garlic and hot sauce.
Gold Mountain $. Northeastern chinese dim sum breakfast and lunch is a plus here.
Golden Pagoda $$. Dishes of Chiu chow (aka Chao Chow), a small area not far from Canton. Try the oyster omelet or the pan-fried pomfret.
House of Nanking $. Come early or come late, or join the crowd for a notoriously worthwhile wait on the sidewalk.
$$. A Hong Kong-style barbecue house. The barbecued chicken and pork loin are good, as are the prawns in spicy salt. Vegetarian is available.
$$. Specialties here are dim sum and dishes like soup with mushrooms, cloud-ears and bamboo pith; rice porridge with vegetarian ham, mushrooms, water chestnuts, carrots, snow peas and sea moss.
$$. One hundred percent vegetarian, in the Buddhist tradition (read: excellent ersatz meats), and at least that delicious. The portions are quite large, as is the menu.
$. Lucky indeed are the fans of gluten. Dim sum is available, and try the fat choi noodles with black mushrooms and bean curd rolls; spicy shrimp balls in hot sauce; and braised eggplant with carrots in clay pot.
$$. A good selection of dim sum (try any of the dumplings or rolls), followed by an excellent dinner menu with prawns and scallops in garlic with sizzling platter and baked crab with spicy salt and pepper.
$$. Expect a choice of dishes with eyes, fins, spines, tentacles and feelers. My particular favorites here are dishes like stir-fried sea whelk/geoduck clam with chives, braised two squabs in clay pot and braised live crab with spicy salt.
$. Everyone has to go to Sam Wo once in this life to share the San Francisco experience, to eat late or to save a bundle. No alcohol (but get beer across street).
$$. Roast chicken, roast pork, and noodles, noodles, noodles ... and you're expected to slurp.
$$. Your fish will probably still be breathing as it's carried to the pan. This is a top spot for late dining. Bring your own wine. I love the salt and pepper squid.
Named "Best Bay Area Seafood"
Italian. A16 is a modernist San Francisco restaurant and wine bar with a paradoxically rustic edge that brings to San Francisco the delicious and hospitable traditions of lively Campania—the Italian region that is home to Naples and wood-fired pizza.
Bistro Aix At Bistro Aix, Chef-owner Jonathan Beard has created one of San Francisco's most beloved neighborhood restaurants. Classically French yet refreshingly unpretentious, Bistro Aix delivers elegant, simply prepared bistro fare that has been drawing savvy locals for more than a decade. Steak. Boboquivari's is a stylish twist on the traditional steakhouse. With antiqued red walls, colored glass light fixtures and striped tablecloths, the restaurant is like a plush Venetian jewel box. Executive Chef Andrea Froncillo has created a delectable menu that showcases his signature Italian-Asian fusion.
Cozmo's Corner Grill Half bustling bar filled with Marina singles sipping martinis and (of course) Cosmos, and half upscale grill, Cozmo's is a lively Marina neighborhood favorite. The menu features an upscale twist on grill staples, including Pork Tenderloin with Fig-Apple-Blue sauce and Truffle Ricotta Pizza. Try peak hours for people watching: just after sundown on weekends.
Eastside West In the heart of the Marina's chic nightlife zone, Eastside West is the perfect San Francisco restaurant for pre-party dining in the area. Part bar itself (there's a live DJ from Thursday to Saturday nights), Eastside West offers fine American dining with an East coast twist.
Emporio Rulli Gran Caffe Italian. Covered in frescoes for an Italian villa vibe, Emporio Rulli Gran Caffe doesn't look all that different from romantic street cafes in Northern Italy. Chef Angelino Aureliano, born and trained in Italy, crafts distinctive Italian cuisine prompting Esquire Magazine to claim in 2004 that Emporio Rulli Gran Caffe "is the best Italian restaurant to open in the US in years."
Home Union Street American Comfort. As much of a gathering spot as Home's sister restaurant in the Castro, Home on Union boasts a street side outdoor seating area and the same combination of comfort food and cocktails that makes Home a San Francisco neighborhood favorite.
Luisa's On trendy Union Street in San Francisco, Luisa's restaurant is a throwback to old school Italian home cooking. In a classic rough hewn dining room with straw wrapped bottles dangling from the ceiling Luisa serves up the same old family recipes she has been preparing in restaurants since 1959. Veal and seafood are specialties at Luisa's, and pastas are homemade. During good weather dine alfresco on the outdoor heated patio. The menu focuses on northern and central Italian cuisine.
Mas Sake Freestyle Sushi Sushi. A happening Marina hot spot known as much for the hip, ambient music and good-looking staff as for the inventive sushi, Mas Sake also host a full service bar in addition to an excellent selection of sake and sake cocktails.
Plumpjack Café Plumpjack Café has gone from a good neighborhood restaurant to a destination thanks to the inventive and unfailingly delicious menu created by James Syhabout. Add a great wine list and skilled staff, and it's easy to why Plumpjack Café's star shines so bright.
$$. A little place, dimly lit, with home-style American food, featuring flavors borrowed creatively from Japan, Italy and elsewhere.
It's a chain of tourist sushi restaurants, and the food sails by on boats. But the sushi, which is pretty much all you can get here (except for sake and T-shirts), is good quality and a good deal, and the boats are about as good as restaurant entertainment gets.
Beach Chalet Brewery & Restaurant
Chou Chou
Cliff House
PJ's Oyster Bed
$$. A clean, open, neighborhood place with top Mandarin food and an extensive menu.
Try the daily sashimi specials, if you can get a seat at this unpretentious but all-the-rage place.The tempura is exquisitely light. If you can't get a seat, try the maki-to-go.
Ha's $$. The food's not as fiery as some people like, but try the dumpling with Sichuan sauce, shredded beef in hot sauce, and spiced prawns in red garlic sauce.
$$. In case you've forgotten, the draw here is twofold. One is an excellent menu of South African fusion cuisine from the Cape Malay area. The other is the excellent wines from South Africa.
Chow restaurant, which now has three locations in the Bay Area, has hit on a winning combination with high-quality comfort food, great prices, and a casual, friendly setting. The inner Sunset location continues to please the crowds with down home and darn good dishes like meat loaf, Thai noodles, pizza, and steamed mussels. Lively Thai dishes prepared with care and fresh herbs. Try porpia savoey (mushrooms, chicken, onion, potato, corn, carrot and glass noodles wrapped in a thin pancake and deep fried) or tom kah gai (chicken in coconut milk soup with lemon juice, chile, mushroom and galangal).
The Seafood and Beverage Co. at the Cliff House $$$. You'll rediscover the range of excellent dishes, all the way from hamburgers to chicken stuffed with crab meat and teriyaki swordfish. Like the name implies, you can't get any closer to the Pacific Ocean.
For 30 years and counting, Ton Kiang has been one of San Francisco's premier dim sum restaurants. At lunch the cavernous dining room is like rush hour as waiters wheel carts of ornate and delicious dim sum creations for your choosing. At night the restaurant serves Hakka-inspired specialties and more dim sum.
$$. You can smell the smoke blocks away—the best BBQ in town.
$. As the name implies, Jay's serves cheesesteaks, both traditional and vegetarian (seitan) varieties—lovingly prepared, filling and juicy. Sirron Norris's artwork adds bouyancy and color to an otherwise simple decor.
Ethiopian, with jazz nightly. The food couldn't be better, although the
combination of loud jazz and canvas-draped ceilings can be a little disorienting
on a full stomach. |
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the convention center in San Francisco are available to entertain you no matter which San Francisco Hotel you are a guest of.
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