The Most Romantic Restaurants in San Francisco

New Akikos is better than ever.

‍

Since re-opening in it’s gorgeous new space in January 2023, 1987 family classic, Akikos, has evolved into a world class sushi bar… the elegant and striking new space, along with consummate service and sushi, make it one of SF’s sushi destinations.

Sorrel is a gem of a neighborhood restaurant in San Francisco's Pacific Heights. Alex Hong’s menu has a solid core of pasta and it’s easy to see the influence Quince’s Michael Tusk had on him.

Focaccia di recco at Cotogna — bite for bite one of my favorite things to eat in San Francisco. It’s cmc™—crispy melty cheesy—all the hallmarks for a trend dish if you think about it (detroit style pizza? cmc. patty melts a couple years ago? cmc. quesabirria and smashburgs? cmcaf)It’s less what you’d think of as fluffy focaccia and more like a thin flatbread stuffed with salty stracchino cheese—kinda reminds me of a melty stretchy halloumi. You might recognize this dish if you’re from Liguria where it originated or more likely from chi spacca if you’re an angeleno. Fun fact: Nancy Silverton actually brought this dish to a popup at Cotogna a few years ago, and Michael Tusk kept it on the menu since (he tells me Nancy borrowed his ravioli du uovo so it was a fair trade).I love this dish so much — ate this outside their beautiful heated outdoor parklet underneath the olive trees a couple weeks ago. hadn’t been in years but was reminded why I need to get there sooner—pfg all around.

San Francisco’s hipster sushi destination. Where many of San Francisco’s sushi havens are hard-core, intimate and Japan-reminiscent, Robin is hip, funky, sleek ans memorable with an excellent sake selection and hip-hop attitude married to superb cuts of fish.

With this many hits on the menu you want to bring many friends and share it all.An awesome and fun SF restaurant from Ravi Kapur (RN74) and Jeff Hanak (NoPa) that loosely celebrates Hawaiian heritage. A great Bar + Wine program compliment a solid line up of snacks and more traditional fare. Can’t miss the Beef Tongue buns, the homemade Spam Fried Rice, the Tuna Poké or the Baked hawaiian dessert…with this many hits on the menu you want to bring many friends and share it all.

A San Francisco treasure. Perfect souffles from a menu of only savory and sweet souffles.A city treasure and one-of-a-kind in any city for over 40 years, Jacqueline Margulis has been serving perfect souffles from a menu of only savory and sweet souffles in her tiny North Beach restaurant. Now in her 80s, she's back after a long pandemic closure and we have yet a little more time with her eggy souffle perfection [No website; must call for reservations].

Amazing Middle Eastern food.Great spot for a relaxed dinner of shared mezze - the baba ganoush is to die for! Cheap and cheerful and delicious as well.

Beautiful bistronomy style fare from a Michelin starred chefHeavy bistronomy vibes coming out of the corner of 20th and Harrison. Say hey to mijote, the french-ish restaurant from the talented kosuke tada in the mission.Housed in the old sasaki sushi spot, the food/format is much akin to those new wave bistros in Paris—places like clown bar, le chateaubriand, etc.—likely because chef spent years studying the classic cuisine/technique and cooking its modern version in Paris, where he was head chef at le Paul Bert (love the bistro!). 4-course set menu changes daily—get the cheese supplement. Lots of fun wines fairly priced.This is actually the closest I’ve felt to eating at all the fun spots in Paris I love while in San Francisco. My meal from two nights pictured below. Can’t wait to come back—maybe, just maybe might be a reg here for once in my life

The Japanese tasting menu by David Yoshimura is full of incredible surprises. This one is destined for awards. Nisei just passed the year mark as it opened last year. It is very Japanese with tasting menu only, but the chef, second generation Japanese-American David Yoshimura, calls his food Cal Japanese. The flavours are bold and fascinating - they are traditional Japanese ethos, but absolutely not traditional in flavour. This one is destined for awards and other accolades. The tasting menu is full of incredible surprises, like the signature dish Dorayaki, little Japanese pancakes that are stuffed traditionally with red beans, but he stuffs them with banana and tops them with caviar. They're incredibly playful and decadent and this dish epitomises the direction Yoshimura is going, with a tasting menu always full of surprises. They also serve a saké pairing and a sake and wine combo adds even more layers.

One of the best bars anywhere. Incredibly creative, but casual and the food is also stellar. True Laurel is one of the best bars anywhere. It’s a bar and a casual restaurant from the two Michelin star Lazy Bear crew. It's hip and fun and there's vintage spirits, which I love. The cocktails are some of the most creative in the world, and I've been saying that from day one. Nic Torres, the bar manager, does incredible things, fermenting California fruits and making wine out of them as a base for cocktails. It’s textures and layers, but not fussy. The menu sounds straightforward and then you find out all the layers and details that are in it. The food is also excellent: an aged beef burger, seasonal salads and fruits, seasonal crudos, an incredible chicken liver mousse, pistachio dukkah and mission fig compote. This is “just bar food” that’s really incredible. It's just incredibly creative, but casual. And the food is also stellar.

SF to Japan in Kusakabe's Intimate Sushi Bar.I am transported back to Japan with the sleek, blond-wood lines of the intimate sushi bar offering only omakase/chef’s choice menus at Kusakabe, from Mitsunori (aka Nori) Kusakabe whose sushi I’ve long loved at legendary Sushi Ran in Sausalito. He’s taken things up another level here with nigiri and a few cooked dishes.

An intimate, Michelin-starred, Edomae-style sushi restaurant/bar in SF.

‍

Omakase opened mid-2015, garnering a Michelin star in its first year, truly an Edomae-style restaurant with only 14 seats at the sushi bar, fish flown in from Tsukiji Fish Market and gracious chef Jackson Yu explaining each course.SF's Michelin-starred Omakase serves only omakase tasting menus with saké pairings and custom Japanese plating, including antique plates from Japan’s Meiji era (1868-1912). Chef Jackson Yu sources fish from Japan and is happy to explain technique and provenance along the way.

Nancy Oakes classic Californian with a French accent. the restaurant is coming up on 30 years(!) #classic. they remodeled not long ago and it’s rad. Sit at the chef’s counter and watch the cooks collaborate and plate and create; the expo is a pro.

Singular chef driven Regional Indian cookingThere’s nothing like Heena Patel’s food. Her menu of regional Indian dishes from regions like Surat and Jaipur will have you eating things in a unique and new way.