3 Best Restaurants in San Francisco, California

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.

At a primo location across from Dolores Park, chef Dennis Lee serves innovative, satisfying dishes inspired both by Korean tradition and Northern Californian ingredients such as mushrooms accompanied by tofu and ricotta, and a burger anointed with pickled daikon and bacon jam. Delicate items, like shiitake dumplings, are plentiful, vegan options abound, and many of the ingredients come from the restaurant's own farm.

A lychee wood charcoal grill in the open kitchen is the star of this excellent contemporary Korean dining destination. Most of the menu is similar to its Korean barbecue peers but given a little twist—homemade soondae (blood sausage) adorns green-onion pancakes and unique banchan (pickled items) like jellyfish and hot mustard. The modern wood-and-concrete-accented room is always bustling and split between counter seats overlooking the grill and generously sized tables.