The Best Restaurants in San Francisco

Simplicity, flavor and local produce focused. A San Francisco long time establishment that always deliveres. A place that works as a learning place for alot of chefs that’s new in the city. Don’t miss the Caesar salad - it’s to die for. A menu that is very produce and season focused. I’m not a sweet tooth at all, but this is a paradise even for me!

Two Michelin-starred, Californian-Mexican cuisine by talented chef Val Cantú.A chic restaurant in SoMa, Californios is where I send diners looking for a memorable, high-end dining experience in SF (it’s strangely not on everyone’s radar). It's all about the patio that makes you feel like you’re in the Condesa in Mexico City (chef-owner Val says it’s like Tulum meets Inverness). The tasting menu is an exploration of Californian and Mexican cuisines, with everything made in house. You’ll taste some of the best tortillas and masa here—just wait until you try their fish taco. The dish with grilled baby banana with savory caramel and cold-smoked caviar sounds so strange, but is deliciously unique. It’s a high-end tasting experience here but still playful, relaxed, and full of surprises (and a fun soundtrack). I love how much you eat with your hands at Californios—it gets you closer to your food, and keeps things from ever feeling stuffy. The beverage pairings from Charlotte Randolph are also very inventive and engaging.

The Greatest Raw Bar on EarthYes, you have to wait in line. Everyone waits in line at Swan Oyster. It is family run and they serve some of the best oysters, crab, scallops and raw fish you will ever have. Make sure to order a plate of Sicilian sashimi. Note: they have strange opening hours.

I had a beautiful meal at Saison in San Francisco. This was the second time I visited the place. That menu was a highlight of my trip. Saison serves a kind of Californian cuisine that is Japanese inspired, product driven but very modern. The restaurant has an open kitchen and they cook on an open wood fire.Photos: Adahlia Cole

Simply my favorite restaurant in the world, I could eat here every single day. I have eaten here 100s of times. It is a joyous place. Food is outstanding - inventive, creative and life-affirming. Chefs Stuart and Nicole created this wonderful place and have now given the reigns to the very talented and wonderful Chef Gaby. They are obviously still very much involved whilst letting Chef Gaby take it to the next level.Protip - before or after have the secret off menu prog dog at their other restaurant The Progress which is right next door.

Seafood heavenAngler is run by Joshua Skeenes and the team behind Saison. A seafood-centric restaurant focused on live-fire cooking with a great wine list.I love to start with a bottle of Pliny, some local oysters while I'm checking in the menu.Do not miss the grilled Radicchio with Radicchio X.O sauce, wonderfully smokey flavour and super tasty. Prawns or tuna from the grill and to finish the meal a Soft Serve Sundae. That's a great way to start the CA-trip.

New Akikos is better than ever.

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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.

Still high on last night’s experience at Dominique Crenn’s amazing restaurant. I was seated in Bar Crenn but got the menu from Atelier. A cascade of 19 courses. To my surprise, having eaten on this level before, there was taste! Not only perfect presentation but real taste, something that’s Dom’s hallmark. The menu is totally pescatarian and without lactose so even though the multitude I felt light and totally satisfied as I left. Dominique is taking her light and flavorful cooking to Europe to be enjoyed at The Golden Poppy in Paris. I’ve tried it. I recommend it. Go!

You can order whatever, and you will love it! When I wrote about this restaurant a few months ago for Edible San Francisco, my last line was “Mark my words, you’ll be seeing Nari pop up on local and national best-of and must-eat lists—starting with this one right here, right now.” And so it was. I also recommended ordering everything on the menu, a move that still holds true. You can come here over and over and try something different and it’s going to be f****ng delicious. Perhaps my new fav thing is the gaeng bumbai aka eggplant curry it’s so insanely deeply flavorful and the texture of the crispy/creamy eggplant is bananas and somehow, someway it’s #veganaf. Would take this over the ribeye or roti hen anyday, but thankfully they’re not mutually exclusive. Of course you know to get the dang delicious gaeng gradang and miang, mang; the lod chong dessert is also an incredibly intelligent and tasty play on the dessert drink found throughout Southeast Asia but in a sort of deconstructed ice cream form. I love it so much *still* can’t wait to go back!!

Three Atelier Crenn alum open a tiny bakery and call on their Asian traditions and influences in pastries.When three Atelier Crenn alum open a tiny bakery and call on their Asian traditions and influences in gourmet, creative pastries — from Korea to the Philippines — the results are nothing but spectacular in a city already rife with the largest number of the U.S.' best bakeries. On fluffy house milk bread, their kaya toast surpasses even the best I've had in Singapore.

Simple, well made californian comfort cuisine.The new, light & spacious location of the legendary SF bakery. Tartine Manufactory offers simple, well made californian comfort cuisine. No frills, just good food and great energy - and of course really good bread as a bonus.

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.

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

Let the kitchen cook for you for an absolute feastFor $95, you should choose the “let the kitchen cook for you” menu, which covers many of the greatest hits on the eclectic and delicious menu. It’s worth paying the supplement for the uni and jamón serrano toast, isn’t it always?

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.

A San Francisco institution and beloved dim sum house.My absolute favorite for a truly San Francisco dim sum experience. Yank Sing is a family-owned business that has been around since 1958. Everything is made fresh, and they taste all their dumplings daily to make sure it's all up to their high standards. They make some of the best Kurobuta pork xiao long bao (soup dumplings). It’s the perfect place to go for lunch, ideally with at least four people so you can taste more dishes. Enjoy their turnip cake, seafood-basil dumplings, har gow, pan-fried chicken buns, and best-in-class dan tat (egg custard tart) over a bottle of bubs. Their tea selection is also excellent, so you can enjoy some quality tea with your dim sum. Yank Sing has two locations, but the one on Stevenson Street has an outdoor patio.

This classic San Francisco at its best. This classic San Francisco at its best. Amazing ingredients, sophisticated food, yet in a casual and cozy ambience. Besides the quality of the food, there is something very unique about this place. The love for food and hospitality shines from everything you see, smell, taste and touch here: the large flower arrangements, linen blinds and chair covers, wooden counter and tables, and the tableware, kitchen utensils and pantry items organized neatly but unpretentiously on open shelves. And the food, for sure. The owners, Lori Regis and Chef Amaryll Schwertner are there every day. That reminds me of Italy where running a soulful restaurant is a lifestyle. Chef Amaryll’s food makes me feel happy, healthy and nourished. In the morning, I would have fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, freshly pressed citrus juice and maybe some toasted bread with butter. For lunch, a selection of mezze, maybe, or a fantastic pizza and some salad on the side. The last time I ate lunch in Boulettes Larder, I had a salad made of shredded roast chicken breast with some crushed walnuts, dates and chestnuts, cilantro leaves, extra virgin olive oil and little gem lettuce. Sounds too simple? It was wonderful. The sister restaurant Boulibar next door is just as lovely food wise, but for some reason, I always gravitate towards Boulettes Larder; the airy open space with all the beautiful ingredients displayed is too delicious to pass.

Such a bananas meal at Rich table—truly one of my favs in San Francisco. A good order strategy is to get most of the bites section—porcini donuts, sardine chips and beef dumpling are menu mainstays and musts—a couple pastas (hello uni cacio e pepe) , maybe a main if you have room and sarah’s off menu ode to the thin mint for dessert hashtag iykyk. I usually skip over the “appetizer” section but last night they had this burrata with cauliflower tikka masala walnut crumble with little dots of caper raisin purée and a crispy paratha that was calling my name —omg jfc so fkn good. who does that? So creative. So random. So different. So delicious. Love it so much. Don’t take it off the menu evan!

One of the best meals I had in San Francisco. Baked oysters​ and delicious fried chicken!Possibly one of the best meals I had in San Francisco. I’m still dreaming about those baked oysters​ and their delicious fried chicken! And don’t forget the sides: Mac & Cheese, grits and cream biscuits!

Bar Crenn is the relatively new sister to 3* Atelier Crenn. It’s menu features a classic French style as well as being a little more rustic, which is welcome.

Deli board in SoMa is truly one of my favorite places in San Francisco. I always tell myself I’m only gonna eat half a sando — never happens.