47 Best Restaurants in San Francisco, California

Chef and co-owner Suzette Gresham has elicited swoons over the years with high-end but soulful Italian cooking that is worth every penny. Her cuttlefish "tagliatelle" is a star of the menu, which features both classic and cutting-edge dishes. Dinners are prix fixe, with three, four, or five courses and several choices within each course. Co-owner Giancarlo Paterlini oversees the service, and his son Gianpaolo presides over the roughly 2,000-bottle list of Italian wines. The room, in a former chapel, with a vaulted ceiling and terra-cotta and pale-ocher palette, is refined but never stuffy.

Chef Corey Lee's three-Michelin-star fine dining mecca is a must-stop for those who hop from city to city collecting memorable meals. Lee, formerly of French Laundry, meticulously ties together cooking techniques and ingredients commonly seen in different cuisines of Asia—such as xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and kimchi—with a deft gastronomic touch. You may find spectacular dishes like an haute take on barbecued quail with black truffle steamed buns, or charcoal noodles with caviar and giant squid. Bare-wood tables and a hip, minimalistic interior guarantee concentration on the plate. The tasting menu is mandatory and memorable, with a couple of choices for diners in the final two large presentation savory courses.

Despite its gritty location a block from Market Street's roughest section (take a cab or rideshare directly to the restaurant), this sweeping, elaborate tasting-menu restaurant with a refined forest-wilderness theme is a destination for discerning fine-dining lovers from all over the country. Chef and co-owner Christopher Bleidorn spread his wings here at his first solo project after working in the kitchen at some of San Francisco's top kitchens (Atelier Crenn, Saison, Benu), and each of the 11 or so dishes he and his team creates is a masterpiece in presentation and taste. Diners are usually still dreaming about the magnificent caviar and cornbread course months later. The superb wine program and sharp service further elevate the experience.

Celebrated local chef Nancy Oakes' high-profile, high-priced eatery in the historic 1889 Audiffred Building has been attracting well-dressed locals and flush out-of-towners since 1993. A striking belle époque interior (originally designed by Pat Kuleto and later touched up by Ken Fulk, both star local architects) is the setting for sophisticated American food with a French accent and a distinct local California produce twist. The main dining room has a three-course set menu with several options in each course, while most of that menu is available à la carte in the bar area.

This Californian-Mexican tasting-menu concept by chef Val M. Cantu continues to be one of the hottest tickets in the entire Bay Area. Cantu and his team's creations, along with Charlotte Randolph's acclaimed wine program, remain as special as ever (the restaurant had a great run in smaller Mission District digs before moving to SoMa), crafting what is possibly the country's leading Mexican-influenced fine dining experience. As wonderful as what's on the table is, the posh black-walled setting with contemporary art and dramatic chandeliers is just as notable. It's also possible to make a reservation for some tequila and mezcal cocktails in the front bar (no food, just drinks), allowing guests to feel the mystique without spending hundreds on dinner.

Although Daniel Patterson no longer presides over the kitchen, under chef Erik Anderson his Michelin three-star restaurant is still a can't-miss destination for exquisite, rarefied dining in a womblike space that features natural linens, soft lighting, and hand-crafted pottery. The eight-course tasting menu focuses on seafood and prizes obsessively sourced, highly seasonal ingredients in dishes such as Dungeness crab with grapefruit, Champagne, and bay leaf.

Chef-owner Marc Zimmerman's first personal restaurant project is the city's most compelling beef-centric dining experience. Elaborate small dishes, several of which incorporate prestigious Wagyu beef elements (blood, fat, or obscure parts, for example), make up a captivating tasting menu served to diners, most of whom are seated at a U-shaped counter that overlooks a centerpiece robata grill.

There’s no end to the buzz around chef David Barzelay’s 12-plus-course prix-fixe seasonal and imagination-driven dinners, which might include guinea hen with English peas and morel mushrooms or delicate "sandwiches" of Wagyu 'nduja pimento cheese and fried green heirloom tomatoes. An ode to the Western lodge, the high-ceilinged, spacious dining room includes a fireplace, charred wood walls, and wooden rafters. The upstairs "Den" could be the movie set for a luxury countryside estate's living room, complete with camping-themed decorative items.

Inspired but not defined by the chef's native Hawaii, Ravi Kapur's lively restaurant is known for big-hearted, high-spirited cooking. It offers contemporary riffs on staples like poke and Spam, as well as squid served with crispy tripe and manila clams in coconut curry. The dining room and front bar area are perpetually packed, and are dominated by an enormous photo of a beaming woman who happens to be none other than the chef's mother.

Chef-owner Kim Alter's solo debut is this small, charming, seasonally focused tasting-menu destination that is an oasis of calm away from the frantic traffic of Gough Street. The five-course-plus-five-bite menus are beautifully orchestrated, served by a staff that seems to always anticipate the next question or request, making this one of the more relaxed splurges of San Francisco's gastronomic elite restaurants.

The constantly evolving tasting menu that chef-owner Teague Moriarty serves at his standout, Michelin-star restaurant serves as a primer for how to do highly seasonal cuisine right. Though the preparations are intricate and often luxurious, there is a pretension-free, contemporary elegance that makes this one of the most relaxed (and fun) fine-dining experiences in the city. The accompanying wine list is equally stellar.

This modern Italian favorite continues to be a special destination for chef Matthew Accarrino's inventive seasonal cooking. The five-course tasting menu includes tempting antipasti, superlative pastas like mustard capellini with guinea hen ragù, and a few hearty secondi; save space for the fantastic desserts. The Italian wine list is also full of gems and divided by region, providing a great education with your bottle. The polished yet relaxed atmosphere, with travel posters on the wall, attracts a dedicated neighborhood following of all ages. Singles and walk-in couples can sit at the two counters (one looks into the galley kitchen). Accarrino's fried chicken on Sundays is worth planning your day around. And doughnuts and coffee are served during the daytime for Fillmore's steady stream of weekend power shoppers and walkers.

The title of "best omakase" has many worthwhile contenders in the city, but many would name this newcomer as the most captivating sushi-centric tasting menu. It's undoubtedly a splurge and can feel a little Vegas-flashy, yet the raw and gently torched fish nigiri preparations are nothing short of remarkable. Service, glassware, ceramics and the ultra-polished, wood-heavy design centered on an abstract triangle-shaped sushi bar are of the highest level of contemporary luxury.

This ever-popular specialist in kalbijjim, a Korean braised beef short rib soup, is set in an industrial-feeling space, with serene images of mountains on the walls. Each soup is large enough to feed a small family and comes with a choice of toppings, like rice cakes or oozing cheese (melted tableside, it's an Instagram sensation). Be prepared to wait at peak times.

"Epic" describes it all, from the outsize dining room and the mile-wide bay view to the slabs of meat grilled over an open fire, and, alas, the prices. For an Epic experience at a fraction of the price, head upstairs to the Quiver bar for the "3 B's," a half-pound burger, a brownie, and a Bud.

One of Downtown San Francisco's most storied restaurant spaces is now on a permanent Mediterranean vacation. After a longtime tenure as Aqua (where Michael Mina's legendary career began) and later as Mina's flagship namesake restaurant, the prominent California Street dining room's latest concept looks towards Greece and Mina's Egyptian heritage. With soft white tones and plush, oversized booths opposite a bustling bar, it's a great place to dress up for a leisurely dinner centered around the oak-grilled fish offerings, yet also relaxed enough for a few happy hour cocktails and bites.

One of the hottest tickets in town, chef Melissa Perello's simple, sublime restaurant is a consummate date-night destination. Perello's seasonal California-French cooking is its own enduring love affair, with standouts including the savory bavette steak, grilled Sakura pork chop, and panisse frites. For dessert, the lumberjack cake is a perennial favorite. The space has a limited number of tables, the tasting menu changes weekly, and service is professional and warm.

This classic for prix-fixe dining has earned legions of fans—and a Michelin star—for its refined and creative seasonal California cooking, displayed in dishes like glazed oysters with Ossetra caviar and juniper-crusted venison. The banquette-lined rooms, with stunning floral arrangements, are as memorable as the food and impeccable service. The cost of a meal is pegged to the number of courses, from three to five, with several choices in each course. The wine list is immense.

Red-meat connoisseurs will appreciate this old-school restaurant, home to some of the best dry-aged steaks in town, including Kobe-style Wagyu rib eye. Enjoy a generous martini or Manhattan and you'll feel transported back in time at one of the city's few lavish, wood-paneled classic steak houses. You can also pick up raw steaks to go at the well-stocked beef counter.

Van Ness's temple to a British Sunday roast is one of San Francisco's most timeless dinner experiences. Waiters continuously wheel prime rib carving stations around a sprawling complex that feels like the vast dining hall of a Cotswolds manor, complete with fireplaces and chandeliers. The prime rib dinners, including potatoes, creamed spinach, and Yorkshire pudding, are bountiful and consistently excellent. Meanwhile, the martinis are reliably large and stiff (complete with a sidecar), adding to the whole mystique.

Famed chef Traci Des Jardins’ restaurant is so sophisticated you may as well be eating at the nearby Opera House. An eye-catching curving staircase leads to an oval atrium, where locals and out-of-towners alike indulge in French-Californian dishes, such as foie gras terrine or sorrel soup. Downstairs is the bar, with artisanal cocktails and smaller plates.

Satisfy your craving for outstanding Greek taverna food—albeit at luxe steak house prices—from a dizzying selection of mezes such as stuffed grape leaves to main courses that showcase Athenian standards like moussaka, lemon-oregano chicken, and grilled lamb chops. There’s a lively after-work scene in this chic farmhouse setting with wood-beamed ceilings, a roaring wood oven, and candlelight. Service is doting for its many well-heeled regulars (but tends to be less so for other guests).

Chef-owner Roland Passot's whimsical cuisine takes center stage at this small, très Parisian establishment. The dining room is decorated in warm woods and copper tones, while the prix-fixe menus are served in three, four, or five courses. Dishes may include John Dory with artichoke barigoule and a sunchoke fritter, or a terrine of pig's feet, lobster, and sweetbreads. Vegetarians will be happy to discover a menu of their own. La Folie Lounge next door has cocktails and small plates on the menu—you can also order à la carte off La Folie's menu.

Right on the water's edge, this casually chic outpost, global mega-chef Gastón Acurio's first outside Peru, imports the signature flavors of his home country's cuisine to San Francisco. Fresh seafood is a big draw here, including a long list of ceviches and the can't-miss causas (whipped potatoes topped with a choice of fish, shellfish, or vegetable salads).

High-priced Vietnamese food meets high style at this French-colonial time machine. Stamped-tin ceilings, period photographs, and tropical plants are the backdrop for the menu, which includes a selection of fried or fresh appetizer rolls. Downstairs are two large and rather formal dining rooms. Anything goes upstairs in the lively lounge: you can eat appetizers, listen to live music, or just sip a cocktail and take in the scene. Plenty of locals find the dining room stuffy—and expensive—but are quick to defend the lounge.

This California-cuisine-centric restaurant might be named after the architect of the nearby Palace of Fine Arts, but it's very much a hip place for contemporary cooking. The menu wildly varies in terms of inspiration, from charred avocado to truffle spaghetti, but each dish is compelling and consistently executed perfectly. A horseshoe-shaped bar anchors the dining room and produces some of the neighborhood's finest cocktails. 

A splashy contemporary steak house attached to a basketball arena? It sounds like a bizarre combination, but it truly works at chef Tyler Florence's restaurant on the side of the Chase Center. Servers wear suits, the Caesar for two is tossed tableside, and French onion soup is adorned with shaved truffles, yet the restaurant is hardly stuffy and really emphasizes seasonal ingredients more than decadence. Pricey dry-aged steaks might be the menu centerpiece, but there are many tempting options for diners not interested in beef.