The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink Near Buddy
-
Rank 1. Lazy Bear
Contemporary
A warehouse dressed as a hunting lodge stages nightly tastings that toggle between nostalgia and ambition—oysters arrive two ways, one bright with gooseberry, another charred and glazed; butter-soft A5 ribeye meets oxtail and sour cherry tart with architectural precision. The cooking trades subtlety for swagger, and it lands.
-
Rank 2. Foreign Cinema
Californian New American
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- The Infatuation The 21 Best Outdoor Dining Spots In SF
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
-
Rank 3. True Laurel
Modern Cocktail Bar
- The Pinnacle Guide 2 Pins
- 50 Best 2025 · #64 · World's 50 Best Bars
- 50 Best 2026 · #14 · North America's 50 Best Bars
-
Rank 4. Sons & Daughters
Contemporary
Harrison Cheney's tasting menu moves through fermented vegetables, foraged mushrooms, and carefully butchered seafood with the precision of Nordic technique and the warmth of British comfort—a quail egg wrapped in sausage, rutabaga noodles glossed in pork fat and brown butter. Service matches the cooking's generosity.
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Best Chef: California · Harrison Cheney
-
- Punch Industry Icon
- Food & Wine 2025 · The 10 Top Bars in the US
- 50 Best 2026 · #100 · North America's 50 Best Bars
-
Rank 6. Taquería El Farolito
Mexican
- The Infatuation The 11 Best Burritos In San Francisco
- The Infatuation #5 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Meals For Under $15 In SF
-
Rank 7. Itria
Modern Italian
Chef Daniel Evers strips Italian cooking to its essence—dayboat scallops with preserved lemon, house-made mafaldine with pecorino—letting simplicity speak. A welcoming Mission spot where modern technique and classical restraint make each dish feel inevitable rather than fussy.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Infatuation The 13 Best Pasta Restaurants In SF
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #72 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 8. Mijoté
French
Chef Kosuke Tada simmers local ingredients with quiet French restraint at this Mission bistro, letting quality speak without fuss. The seasonal prix fixe and natural wine list feel less like ambition than honest neighborhood cooking.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Kosuke Tada
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best Chef: California · Kosuke Tada
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
-
-
Rank 10. Reem’s
Middle Eastern
- Eater The All-Time Eater 38
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
-
Rank 11. La Taqueria
Mexican
The line outside Miguel Jara's Mission Street counter never quite disappears, a mix of neighborhood regulars and Sunday families drawn by carne asada burritos that need no introduction. Order the off-menu Dorado taco—a corn tortilla crisped on the plancha, doubled with cheese, then loaded—and you understand why simplicity, when executed this well, requires no apology.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- The Infatuation The 11 Best Burritos In San Francisco
-
Rank 12. Flour + Water
Californian Italian
Handmade pastas marry California ingredients with Italian technique in this perpetually crowded Mission dining room. Each dish—sea lettuce chitarra, ginger-filled caramelle—demonstrates the kitchen's restless creativity within disciplined simplicity.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Infatuation #9 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
-
Rank 13. San Ho Won
Korean
At this minimalist room where Corey Lee and Jeong-In Hwang command the grill, the crowd hums with the electricity of a place that's difficult to book for good reason. Refined technique marries Korean tradition with novelty—kimchi arrives with surpassing depth, beef with purity, pork jowl with the weight of home cooking.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Eater 2022 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Jeong-In Hwang
-
- Time Out The best bakeries in America
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
- The Infatuation The 19 Best Pizza Places In San Francisco
-
Rank 15. Loló
Californian Mexican
- Esquire 2024 · Mandarini · The Best Martinis in America
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar – U.S. West
- Time Out The 12 best restaurants in the Mission
-
Rank 16. Regalito El Mil Amores
Mexico City-style Mexican
- The Infatuation #21 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
- The Infatuation 2025 · #12 · San Francisco’s Best New Restaurants
-
Rank 17. Prubechu
Guamanian
- The Infatuation #25 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
- The Infatuation The 21 Best Outdoor Dining Spots In SF
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #53 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
-
- Esquire 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #56 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation 2025 · #9 · San Francisco’s Best New Restaurants
-
Rank 19. The Morris
New American
A former sommelier's Mission bistro named for his father, where wine knowledge and warm service frame unfussy California cooking built on house-made charcuterie, grilled squid, and a signature smoked duck with burnished skin and silken meat that justifies its reputation.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service · Paul Einbund
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
-
Rank 20. Ernest
Contemporary
Finding the entrance requires a scavenger hunt, but inside this Mission corner spot, Chef Brandon Rice's playful cooking rewards the effort: kaluga caviar crowns tater tots, oysters share a menu with snacks, mains pivot on seasonal ingredients. The kitchen's family-style format lets you taste nearly everything; the bar takes walk-ins for cocktails.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Brandon Rice
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #89 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
-
-
Rank 22. La Vaca Birria
Mexican
- San Francisco Chronicle 2025 · #40 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Top San Francisco Restaurants
-
Rank 23. York Street Collective
South Asian
-
- Bon Appétit 2023 · America's Best New Restaurants
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
- Esquire 2022 · #34 · The Best New Restaurants in America
-
Rank 25. Donaji
Oaxacan Mexican
Chef Isai Cuevas brings his farmer's market tamales into a cheerful brick storefront, where masa-forward Oaxacan cooking unfolds with the precision of a man who has mastered his craft over years. The handmade tortillas and deeply layered mole negro that bind the enchiladas together suggest a kitchen that understands restraint and flavor as the same thing.
-
-
Rank 27. Taqueria Cancún
Mexican
- The Infatuation The 11 Best Burritos In San Francisco
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
-
Rank 28. Pizzeria Delfina
Neapolitan Pizza
- Sunset 2025 · California Classics · Where to Eat and Drink
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
- Time Out The 12 best restaurants in the Mission
-
Rank 29. Lunette
Cambodian
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Nite Yun
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
-
Rank 30. Mission Chinese Food
Chinese
-
-
Rank 32. Basa Seafood Express
Seafood
-
Rank 33. Good Good Culture Club
American
Southeast Asian flavors collide with California ingredients in small plates like fried chicken wings stuffed with egg roll filling and mango-glazed. The open kitchen hums with energy, and a walk-in bar seat rewards early arrivals with creative cocktails and a version of halo halo topped with shiso ice.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The Infatuation The 21 Best Outdoor Dining Spots In SF
- Bon Appétit 2022 · America's Best New Restaurants
-
Rank 34. Californios
Mexican
In a cavernous room alive with color and music, Chef Val M. Cantú channels Mexico's culinary depths through meticulous technique and daring reinvention. Tortillas—whether sourdough crisped with mezcal-battered cod or corn kissed with sesame—become the vehicle for a vision of Mexican cooking that feels both rooted and urgent.
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- 50 Best 2025 · #14 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Val M. Cantú
-
Rank 35. Piglet & Co
Taiwanese
A narrow Mission storefront conjures the clatter and steam of a Taipei night market, serving reimagined Asian comfort food that tastes both familiar and surprising. The brunch menu, studded with house-made dumplings and tender braised pork, arrives in quick succession, each plate a small vindication of nostalgia.
- Eater 2023 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
-
Rank 36. Base Camp
Nepali
-
Rank 37. Rintaro
Japanese
At Izakaya Rintaro, redwood and cedar enclose a kitchen that treats humble ingredients with reverence: crispy chicken wings dusted with sansho pepper, charcoal-grilled tsukune, soft tofu infused with bergamot. The approach is produce-centric and precise, each plate a small argument for restraint and care.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Sylvan Mishima Brackett
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
-
Rank 38. Wildhawk
Cocktail Bar
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. West
- The Infatuation The Best Martinis In San Francisco
-
Rank 39. Stonemill Matcha
Japanese
- The Infatuation Matcha Cream Pie · The San Francisco Dessert Bucket List
- The Infatuation The Best Matcha Lattes In San Francisco
-
Rank 40. Marigold
Coffee
- Wine Enthusiast 2024 · Forward 50 Restaurants
- The Infatuation The Best Matcha Lattes In San Francisco
-
A sleek izakaya where every plate is vegan, yet the kitchen's technical command is unmistakable: tofuna rolls crackling with chili and topped with avocado arrive as compelling as their seafood predecessors, while tempura shiitake mushrooms stuffed with plant-based crab sing with umami depth. The place earns its seat at the table regardless of dietary conviction.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #99 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle 2025 · #99 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
-
- US Coffee Championships 2025 · #2 · U.S. Latte Art Championship · Weian "Andy" Liang
- Eater The Absolute Best San Francisco Coffee Shops
-
Rank 43. Do-Re-Mi
Japanese
-
Rank 44. La Espiga De Oro
Mexican
-
Rank 45. El Metate
Mexican
-
-
Rank 47. Penny Roma
Italian
-
Rank 48. La Palma Mexicatessen
Mexican
-
Rank 49. Niku Steakhouse
Japanese Steakhouse
A gold door admits you to Niku, where Chef Dustin Falcon tends his coals behind an 18-seat counter in a wood-lined room designed for theater. The beef tartare and bone marrow are preludes to steaks—a Tomahawk for two, an Imperial Wagyu filet with aged kimchi and bordelaise—executed with the precision of someone who understands that luxury steakhouse cooking is about restraint, not excess.
- World's 101 Best #49 · World's Best Steak Restaurants
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- The Infatuation #20 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
-
Rank 50. Hi Hat
Pizza
-
-
Rank 52. Yamo
Burmese
-
Rank 53. Anatolian Table
Turkish
-
Rank 54. Fu Hui Hua
Chinese/Japanese/French
-
Rank 55. Taqueria El Buen Sabor
Mexican
-
-
Rank 57. Delfina
California Italian
-
Rank 58. La Ciccia
Sardinian Italian
A narrow Sardinian room in Noe Valley where the kitchen moves with unhurried precision, each dish arriving as though the chef has been considering it all morning. The handmade pasta here tastes of somewhere specific—sea urchin, guanciale, the weight of tradition—and demands a reservation weeks ahead.
- The Infatuation The 13 Best Pasta Restaurants In SF
- San Francisco Chronicle 2025 · #33 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Top San Francisco Restaurants
-
Rank 59. El Buen Comer
Mexico City Mexican
Isabel Caudillo's Mission outpost trades technique for the unhurried pleasures of Mexico City home cooking—pork ribs braised until they collapse into salsa verde, chiles rellenos, warm corn tortillas meant for mopping. The menu is small and deliberate; the chocoflan alone justifies the trip.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
-
-
Rank 61. Barberio Osteria
Californian Italian
-
-
Rank 63. Anchor Oyster Bar
Old-School Seafood
Diners queue out the door of this bare-bones Castro seafront, where a stool at the counter remains the best seat in the house. The menu is small but precise: briny oysters need no mignonette, Dungeness crab arrives on a sesame bun, and the cioppino—rich, silken, paired with garlic bread—justifies the wait. A place that has earned its reputation through constancy rather than pretense.
-
Rank 64. Panchita’s #2
Salvadoran
-
Rank 65. Saru Sushi Bar
Sushi
A narrow Noe Valley sushi counter where the energy builds as you squeeze in: nigiri of kampachi and snow crab, seared ankimo with scallions, a tempura-fried seaweed cracker topped with spicy tuna. The kitchen respects Japanese foundations while slipping in a grilled shishito with ponzu, the kind of small gesture that suggests confidence rather than confusion about what it is.
-
Rank 66. Nieves Cinco De Mayo
Ice Cream
-
-
Rank 68. Blue Plate
American
-
-
Rank 70. Chicken Dog Bagels
Bakery
- Bon Appétit The Very Best Bagels in the US (Yes, Outside New York)
- San Francisco Chronicle Top Bagels in the Bay Area
-
Rank 71. Beit Rima
Palestinian Middle Eastern
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
- The Infatuation #18 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
- San Francisco Chronicle Top San Francisco Restaurants
-
Rank 72. Angie’s Pizza
Pizza
A narrow storefront on 16th Street holds the kind of casual Mission romance that unfolds over thin crust and wood smoke. The pizzas arrive properly charred, the sundaes arrive properly cold, and the whole affair feels engineered for the particular pleasure of two people sharing.
-
-
-
Rank 75. The Front Porch
Southern
-
Rank 76. Limón
Modern Peruvian
-
Rank 77. Baklavastory
Turkish
-
-
Rank 79. Painted Leopard Coffee
Salvadoran
-
Rank 80. Zuni Café
California New American
A copper-barred corner institution where wood-fired chicken and Caesar salad draw San Francisco regulars, though the reputation sometimes outpaces the meal. The space—angular, art-lined, perpetually crowded—matters as much as what arrives from the kitchen.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- San Francisco Chronicle 2025 · #10 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 81. 3rd Cousin
New American
Greg Lutes's Bernal Heights dining room sits quietly uphill from the city's noise, where hand-rolled pastas and unexpected luxuries—uni crème brûlée with caviar, Wagyu with maitake—signal a chef uninterested in convention. The intimacy here feels earned, built on the steady work of someone who knows how to close a meal, whether with truffle ravioli or pistachio cake.
-
Rank 82. Hamano Sushi
Sushi
At Hamano, a neighborhood sushi counter in Noe Valley splits into two distinct experiences: casual diners order à la carte maki and sashimi in the open room, while omakase devotees at the front bar watch Chef Jiro Lin dress salt-cured tile fish and aged hamachi with assertive wasabi and chili. Both tiers demand respect for their ingredient quality, though only one asks for boldness in return.
-
Rank 83. Frances
Californian New American
Melissa Perello's neighborhood spot moves with the seasons, serving California produce in Mediterranean-leaning dishes—roasted beets with chickpea dukkah, whole wheat pasta with ramp pesto—that favor rustic satisfaction over technique for its own sake. The cozy room fills nightly with families and couples alike, drawn to food that tastes like careful cooking rather than ambition.
-
Rank 84. Thorough Bread & Pastry
Bakery/Cafe
-
Rank 85. Poesia
Italian
-
Rank 86. Benu
Asian
Chef Corey Lee's tasting menu unfolds with technical precision, each course a miniature study in restraint and refinement. A roasted quail, glazed tableside with maple and soy, epitomizes his gift for marrying tradition with invention.
-
Rank 87. Damansara
Malaysian
-
Rank 88. Jules
Sourdough Pizza
- Esquire 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- The Infatuation The 19 Best Pizza Places In San Francisco
- The Infatuation 2025 · #3 · San Francisco’s Best New Restaurants
-
Rank 89. Fable
American
-
Rank 90. Kiln
Nordic New American
Chef John Wesley's spare warehouse tasting menu channels Nordic preservation techniques—curing, drying, fermentation—into deceptively simple dishes of intricate craft. A puffed beef tendon or squab lacquered in burnt honey reveals the kitchen's balance of rusticity and refinement across each course.
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- Condé Nast Traveler 2024 · The best new restaurants in the world
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
-
Rank 91. GADA
Sandwiches
-
Rank 92. Saison
Californian New American
A warehouse devoted to the hearth, where Chef Richard Lee orchestrates playful, earnest cooking—tuna tartlette, rabbit with morels, antelope with blueberries—for San Francisco's elite. The wine program is exceptionally deep, the crowd studiously cool, the setting rustically refined.
-
- The Infatuation The Hit List: New San Francisco Restaurants To Try Right Now
- The Infatuation The 13 Best Pasta Restaurants In SF
-
Rank 94. Rich Table
Californian New American
A compact Hayes Valley room with distressed wood and farmhouse ease fills nightly without pretense. The kitchen moves Californian ingredients through global techniques—salmon tostada with avocado purée, lobster chow mein with charred corn—with the precision of fine dining and none of its stuffiness. Arrive at the bar if a table is gone.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- San Francisco Chronicle 2025 · #3 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 95. Kantine
Scandanavian-Inspired
-
Rank 96. El Castillito
Mexican
-
Rank 97. Atelier Crenn
Contemporary French
Crenn's white-walled atelier channels a painter's precision, each seafood course glazed in silken sauces that speak to her Breton roots and California present. A grandmother's brioche and vegetables from Sonoma orchards anchor the pescatarian tasting menu in something tactile and real, even as desserts from Juan Contreras push toward pure invention.
-
Rank 98. SHOWA
Japanese
-
Rank 99. The Happy Crane
Modern Chinese
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
- Eater 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- The Infatuation The Hit List: New San Francisco Restaurants To Try Right Now
-
Rank 100. Quince
Contemporary
In a refreshed early 1900s room in Jackson Square, Chef Michael Tusk builds menus from his partner farm's seasonal bounty with surgical precision: silky broth married to guanciale and clam, agnolotti tender with white asparagus, lamb from the fireplace scattered with favas and edible flowers. The cooking is restrained and confident, letting each ingredient declare itself.