29 Best Restaurants in San Francisco, California

The creation of lauded chef Daniel Patterson, this pretty restaurant has creativity to rival that of Patterson's Michelin-starred Coi, but a much less formal vibe. A 25-seat circular bar dominates the dining room, while small plates dominate the menu. The fried brussels sprouts are pure crunchy bliss, while the delicate homemade pierogi is a mainstay but with seasonal accents, like pumpkin. Located across from the Twitter and Uber HQs, it attracts the hoodies, but also the pretheater crowd. This is one of the city's few great food experiences after midnight on weekends.

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.

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.

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.

Regardless of the time of year, Melissa Perello’s upscale restaurant is a perennial favorite for diners seeking out what California cuisine really tastes like. The warm, immaculate dining room is a perfect setting for edgier dishes like the chilled squid-ink noodles starter, along with more comforting produce-driven small plates and entrées. Imaginative desserts and a top-tier wine program round out what is one of San Francisco's definitive dining experiences.

Sardine chips and porcini doughnuts are popular bites at co-chef Evan and Sarah Rich's lively, creative restaurant; mains are also clever stunners, including pastas like the sea urchin cacio e pepe. The room's weathered-wood wallboards, repurposed from a Northern California sawmill, give it a homey vibe. There's a nice selection of wines by the glass and artisanal cocktails. Reservations are not an easy acquisition, but twelve bar seats are available for walk-ins. Try their fast-casual option a block away, RT Rotisserie, if you need a quick pre-theater sandwich or roast chicken plate.

Thad Vogler's second endeavor (Bar Agricole was the first) delivers a fun boozy evening in stunning surroundings. Located off the lobby of the art deco–era Pacific Telephone building, it excels at house-cured salami and charcuterie and classic cocktails. Arancini, seasonal salads and pickles, and mains of burgers and fresh fish round out the offerings. An enclosed patio reads like a Parisian garden conservatory. Unfortunately, noise is a real issue out there, since it's an after-work escape.

Hardly just a plan B for those who didn't score a table at its sibling, Lazy Bear, this excellent cocktail bar and creative small-plates restaurant by the same people offers intriguing combinations and endless conversation starters in a cool modern setting. Menu standouts include California halibut ceviche and fried hen-of-the-woods mushrooms. Don't-miss drinks on the cocktail side include the signature "In the Pines, Under the Palms," a smooth sipper of toasted coconut rye, Terroir gin, and vermouth, garnished with a small redwood sprout.

After one bite of Zuni's succulent brick-oven-roasted whole chicken with warm bread salad, you'll understand why the two-floor café is a perennial star. Its long copper bar is a hub for a disparate mix of patrons who commune over oysters on the half shell and cocktails and wine. Nearly as famous as the chicken are the Caesar salad with house-cured anchovies and the chocolatey flourless gâteau Victoire. The most cheerful spot to sit is at the tip of the pyramid window near the bar, easier to score if you plan a late lunch.

This sharply designed spot is just as notable for its food menu as its renowned mixed drinks. Owner Thad Vogler is the city's leading voice on single-origin spirits, so any visit should include a few sips of Bar Agricole's own spirits. To go with the beverages, the culinary side is fresh and fun, often uniquely partnering global influences with local ingredients.

Thanks to celebrated bartender/owner Thad Vogler, this sleek LEED-certified spot is a haven for cocktail hounds. Be sure to enjoy the creative libations, but don't neglect the terrific food, either. Settle in at a table, set with recycled denim napkins, either on the leafy patio or in the real looker of a dining room that uses reclaimed whiskey barrels as wall slats. The Cal-Med cuisine with local ingredients showcases land-and-sea snacks like salumi and fresh oysters. The bar gets boisterous at night, but the sophistication of the space entices all age groups. A downstairs room can seat larger groups.

Classic films are projected on the wall of a large inner courtyard in this hip, loftlike space while you're served stellar seasonal California cooking, and weekend brunch brings throngs fighting for a spot on the patio for some of the city's best egg dishes and Bloody Marys. The majestic atmosphere enhances plates of perfectly shucked oysters on the half shell and sesame fried chicken.

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.

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 three-decade-old favorite for business lunches and special dinners, this white-tablecloth spot caters to suits brokering deals and well-dressed romantic dates, who carve their way through upscale dishes accented by local produce and often intricate sauces. Its menu skews seasonal and meaty, and its largish bar, which offers its own food menu of New York deli–style dishes and numerous cocktails, is popular for Financial District/pre-commute happy hour.

In an immaculate setting boasting a long communal table, firewood as decor, and an enormous open kitchen, chef-owner Seth Stowaway's complex and invigorating tasting menus change their concept every few weeks. However, the firewood is a hint at the overarching theme of every experience: live-fire cooking incorporated into every dish. That touch of flames might be demonstrated by a more subtle smoke influence in a sauce or delicate, direct grilling for an elaborate meat or seafood centerpiece.

This contemporary-minded younger sibling of Boulevard, one of the city's most beloved dining institutions, deserves to be known for its own virtues. The food menu rotates frequently based on the seasons and is a nice mix of elevated snacks like outrageously good chicken-fried oysters and more refined small plates, entrées, and pastas. Cocktails are a particular strength at the lively bar, led by the "Prospector" (scotch, Madeira, and Bénédictine). 

This two-Michelin-starred restaurant is one of the city's greatest dining destinations. The culinary team teases the deepest flavors from premium ingredients in a tasting-menu that may highlight fire-grilled duck followed by a broth of its grilled bones, or the signature, showstopping sea urchin on grilled bread. Cocktails are equally special and served in glasses handblown in Japan. Located in a brick-and-timber 19th-century building, this is definitely a special, high-wire-act dining experience.

This elegant restaurant caters to an older crowd who sink happily into its oversized faux-ostrich leather chairs. The tasting menu is equally refined, with ingredients often sourced from the restaurant's farm south of the city and charcuterie made in-house; celeriac velouté with brandied-chestnut mousseline and salmon with horseradish soubise reflect the contemporary Californian menu's elegant French leanings. Excellent, artistic desserts are some of the most spectacular ways to end a meal in the city. The adjacent takeaway counter serves cookies, a popular English-muffin burger, and coffee drinks.

The eastern Mission's seasonal Californian charmer is a delightful stop for a concise menu of "won't ever leave the menu" dishes, plus a few always-changing farmers' market–driven creations. Owner Paul Einbund is one of the city's top sommeliers, so, on cue, the wine list is particularly impressive, and so is the industrial yet cheery dining room and impressive parklet. The bathroom is a trip—literally—where the decor is film footage of a countryside drive set to a soothing musical score.

Most of the early pandemic pop-ups and pivots in San Francisco slowly faded away back to their previous selves in 2021 and 2022. However, this "Garden" concept (really a tented patio on part of the spacious plaza of one of SF's tallest skyscrapers) is a permanent fixture featuring excellent seasonal California cuisine and a few elevated comfort classics that help lift this destination into the upper tier of SF dining options. And the garden's indoor sibling, the Vault Steakhouse, is well worth a visit for excellent steaks and martinis.