The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink Near Hot Sauce and Panko
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Rank 1. Acquerello
Italian
Acquerello is the kind of two-Michelin-star Italian fine dining room that actually earns the fuss, with handmade pasta and bold, precise cooking that makes other places feel like they're just trying. The vibe is warm and grown-up, full of people who dressed up and mean it. The Italian wine cellar goes embarrassingly deep, and when the mignardises cart rolls over at the end, you'll understand why everyone looks so smug.
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- AAA Four Diamonds
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · North America's Best Italian Cuisine Restaurant
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A takeout window on Hyde that serves chicken wings in over two dozen flavors, and yes, that number is real. The crowd is whoever was smart enough to look it up, standing on the sidewalk with a paper bag. The Korean buldak will rearrange your face, and if you watched "Atlanta" and always wondered about lemon pepper wet, this is your answer. The window itself is plastered in cheeky aphorisms that feel like a group chat you actually want to be in.
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Rank 3. Quince
Fine dining
Three Michelin stars in a beautifully restored Jackson Square room, Quince is as serious as San Francisco fine dining gets. The chef and his team are obsessed with what's growing right now, most of it from their own farm, and the seasonal Italian-leaning menu shows it. The crowd is dressed up and unhurried, the kind of night that stretches past midnight without anyone noticing. Budget accordingly, and book well ahead.
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Rank 4. House of Prime Rib
Steakhouse
A classic SF steakhouse that's been around forever and shows zero interest in changing. The drill is simple: a salad spun tableside in an icy metal bowl, then a carving cart rolls up and someone in a white coat slices you a serious slab of roast beef with potato and gravy. The room is dark, the martinis are cold, and everyone is dressed like they're celebrating something, even if they're not.
- Esquire 2025 · Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Nominee · Outstanding Hospitality
- San Francisco Chronicle Best classic San Francisco restaurants
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Rank 5. Gary Danko
Contemporary French
Fine dining at its most old-school San Francisco, Gary Danko is the kind of place where the servers wear dark suits and wheel an actual cheese trolley to your table. The prix-fixe menu runs three to five courses of contemporary French cooking with global touches, and the room is full of anniversaries being celebrated, deals being closed, and someone's parents in town looking very pleased with themselves.
- AAA Five Diamonds
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
- Wine Enthusiast The Wine Restaurant Hall of Fame
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Rank 6. Friends Only
Sushi
Once technically invite-only, this intimate omakase counter in the Tendernob is now open to anyone willing to pay for the privilege, and the price is genuinely bracing. What you get is a long, unhurried parade of impeccably sourced seafood, much of it dry-aged in house, plus cocktails that feel like they belong here rather than at the bar next door. The crowd dresses up and pretends not to notice the bill.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #16 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Sushi Restaurants in San Francisco Bay Area
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Rank 7. Atelier Crenn
Fine dining
Dominique Crenn is one of those chefs even non-food people have heard of, and her three Michelin stars make this pescatarian tasting menu one of the most serious meals you can have in the city. The cooking is rooted in Brittany but grown up in California, so everything feels refined without being stuffy. The room draws the kind of crowd that dressed intentionally for tonight and plans to talk about it for weeks.
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Rank 9. Mister Jiu's
Chinese
Mister Jiu's is a Michelin-starred fine dining room in the heart of Chinatown that does something genuinely hard: it makes modern California cooking feel completely at home in Cantonese tradition. The crowd skews date-night and special-occasion, everyone dressed just enough. The Peking duck is the move, and the cocktails are serious enough to linger over. Go hungry, go with someone you want to impress.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · North America's Best Chinese Cuisine Restaurant
- Time Out The best Chinese restaurants in America
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- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Outstanding Bar
- 50 Best 2026 · #41 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Bar Team
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Rank 11. Cordon Bleu
Vietnamese
Tiny counter-diner on California Street that's been around forever and runs almost entirely on one woman's cooking. Katie Yu works the charbroiler like she could do it in her sleep, and the smoke coming off the five-spice chicken is reason enough to find a stool. The combo plates feed you properly for next to nothing, and the imperial rolls are the crunchiest thing you'll eat all week. Twelve seats total, so don't be precious about sharing space with strangers.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best classic San Francisco restaurants
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Meals For Under $15 In SF
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Classic Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 12. Swan Oyster Depot
San Francisco
Cash only, no website, and the line starts before most people have finished their coffee. Swan Oyster Depot is an old-school seafood counter that's been around forever, and it has absolutely no interest in modernizing for you. Once you're on a stool at the marble counter, cracking into a pile of fresh shellfish with a cold beer, you'll understand why the regulars look so smug.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best classic San Francisco restaurants
- San Francisco Chronicle Best seafood restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Classic Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 13. Ssal
Modern Korean
A Michelin-starred tasting menu that takes modern Korean cooking seriously without taking itself too seriously. The couple behind it spotted a real gap in SF's dining scene and built something refined but grounded in flavors that feel genuinely familiar. The room runs small and intimate, the kind of place where couples lean in close and everyone seems slightly dressed up. Korean tradition and French technique share the table here, and neither one is showing off.
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Collina is a neighborhood Italian spot on Hyde Street where the cooking is comfort-forward but quietly clever, the kind of place where the pasta is made in-house and even a side of broccolini makes you pay attention. The room is dressed in deep blue and draws a relaxed, wine-curious crowd who treat the by-the-glass list like a puzzle worth solving. Go hungry enough to order widely, because the small plates earn their place just as much as the mains.
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Rank 15. Benu
Korean
Corey Lee's three-Michelin-star tasting menu in SoMa is the kind of meal people fly to San Francisco specifically to eat. The cooking is deeply technical but rooted in Asian flavors, and the progression from tiny precise bites to full courses feels almost architectural. The room is quiet and grown-up, full of people who booked months out and are absolutely keeping the receipt. Plan your whole evening around it.
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- Sprudgie Awards 2025 · Honoree · Sustainable Cafe or Coffee Roaster
- Sprudgie Awards 2025 · Honoree · Sustainable Cafe or Coffee Roaster
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Rank 17. Hilda & Jesse
Fine dining
A Michelin-starred brunch spot where the menu is a surprise, because they don't hand you one. The team has serious fine dining pedigree, and it shows in a cooking style that's bold and a little chaotic in the best way, big flavors and genuinely unexpected combinations. The room feels like a modernist diner, bright and unpretentious, and the crowd shows up dressed like they might have places to be later but aren't sure.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- San Francisco Chronicle Best brunch restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #32 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
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Rank 18. Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Neapolitan Pizza
- 50 Top Pizza 2025 · #3 · 50 Top Pizza USA
- Sunset 2025 · Inspired Italian · Where to Eat and Drink
- The Infatuation The 19 Best Pizza Places In San Francisco
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Rank 19. Liholiho Yacht Club
American
Hawaiian soul meets California cool at this lively restaurant on Sutter, where the kitchen blurs the line between the two in ways that actually make sense. Shareable plates and strong cocktails keep the mood loose, and the room fills with groups who came for a good time and stayed for another round. The house-made Spam dish is a genuine flex, and ordering it is basically a personality test.
- Eater 2015 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
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Rank 20. Sorella
Northern Italian
Sorella is the younger, louder sibling of the legendary Acquerello, and it brings the same serious cooking in a room that actually wants you to have fun. It's a Northern Italian spot on Polk Street where the crowd skews date-night and the cocktails are genuinely good. Snack on cicchetti at the bar or settle in for housemade pasta and California-inflected Italian done with real care. The family talent clearly runs deep.
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Rank 21. Alexander's Steakhouse
American/Japanese
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- Esquire 2024 · The Best Bars in America
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. West
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. West
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- US Coffee Championships 2025 · #3 · U.S. Barista Championship · Jason Yeo
- The Infatuation The Best Coffee Shops In SF
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Rank 24. Capital
Cantonese
A no-frills Cantonese restaurant in Chinatown that's been around forever, Capital earns its spot on every local list with salt-and-pepper chicken wings that have genuine cult status. Wok-tossed with garlic and jalapeño, the crunch is loud enough to embarrass you in public, which is part of the charm. The crowd is a mix of regulars who come specifically for those wings and families working through the full menu, nobody dressed up, everyone happy.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Chinese food and restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best fried chicken restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #97 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
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Rank 25. Four Kings
Cantonese
Snagging a reservation here is basically a sport, and if you lose, you line up outside before doors open and hope for the best. This buzzy Chinatown spot does contemporary Cantonese in a lively, quirky room where the crowd is young, loud, and very pleased with themselves for getting in. The cooking leans on traditional flavors but wears them loosely, and somehow that formula just works.
- Food & Wine 2024 · Squab · Best Dishes Our Editors Ate This Year
- The New York Times 2024 · The Restaurant List
- Esquire 2024 · Restaurant of the Year · The Best New Restaurants in America
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Rank 26. Kin Khao
Thai
Michelin-starred Thai in a hotel lobby sounds like a trap, but Kin Khao is the real deal. The room is nothing to write home about, yet the cooking is genuinely exciting, drawing on Thai tradition while leaning hard into Northern California produce. It's creative without being precious, and the spice levels are no joke. The crowd skews adventurous eater over tourist, which tells you something.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Thai restaurants in the SF Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #58 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
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Rank 27. The Big Four
Old-school American
- The Infatuation The Hit List: New San Francisco Restaurants To Try Right Now
- The Infatuation The Best Martinis In San Francisco
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Rank 28. Good Mong Kok
Chinese
A no-frills dim sum counter in Chinatown where the aunties behind the glass will absolutely judge how long you take to order, and rightly so. The siu mai and har gow are the reason everyone queues out the door without complaint. Grab a bag, walk two minutes to Portsmouth Square, and eat on a bench like a local. It's cheap, fast, and genuinely good, which is a harder combination to pull off than it sounds.
- The Infatuation #15 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
- San Francisco Chronicle Best dim sum restaurants in the SF Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Meals For Under $15 In SF
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Rank 29. Mymy
American
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Rank 30. Goldenette
Diner
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Rank 31. Nari
Thai
Nari is a Michelin-starred prix-fixe spot inside Hotel Kabuki where the cooking genuinely earns the dramatic room it's served in. The chef runs contemporary Thai through a California filter, and the results are sharper and more interesting than that sounds. Dishes come family-style, which loosens things up nicely. The curries alone are worth the trip. Expect well-dressed couples and food-curious locals who definitely Googled the menu beforehand.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Nominee · Best Chef: California · Pim Techamuanvivit
- The New York Times 2021 · The Restaurant List
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Rank 32. The Coffee Movement
Coffee
- US Coffee Championships 2025 · #5 · U.S. Barista Championship · Circle Chan
- The Infatuation The Best Matcha Lattes In San Francisco
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Rank 33. Verjus
French wine bar
Reservations here are tough to score, so show up early and charm your way onto a barstool. Verjus is a French wine bar and bistro tucked near the Transamerica Pyramid, where the crowd leans into natural wine with the conviction of people who've given it real thought. The kitchen keeps things deceptively simple, leaning on great seafood and whatever's in season, and the duck pâté en croûte has become something of a reason to return.
- The Infatuation 2025 · #9 · The Top-Rated New Restaurants
- Eater 2019 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
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Rank 35. Azalina's
Malaysian
Malaysian cuisine done with real California soul, in a prix fixe format that changes often enough to keep regulars guessing. The room feels like a tropical escape, which is a genuinely funny trick to pull off in the Tenderloin. The chef grew up eating this food, and it shows in every handmade detail. Expect a crowd that came specifically for this, not just to fill a table, and dessert that proves pastry training never goes to waste.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #64 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
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Rank 36. Kusakabe
Sushi
Omakase done with real conviction in the Financial District, where a live-edge elm counter sets the tone for a meal that moves through techniques you didn't expect from a sushi spot. The kitchen keeps things precise without feeling cold, and the crowd tends to be date-night serious, the kind of people who put their phones away after the first photo. Come hungry and ready to let the team surprise you.
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The Sichuan spot in Chinatown that has tourists and locals alike waiting an hour just to get a table, which tells you everything. This is a full-on restaurant where the chile heat and numbing tingle of Sichuan peppercorns do serious work, and your lips will remind you about it for a while after. Get the Dungeness crab when it's in season and prepare to dig in with both hands. Spice-averse friends are not totally lost here, but they should know what they're walking into.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best seafood restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Chinese food and restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best restaurants in San Francisco's Chinatown
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Rank 38. Sam Wo Restaurant
Chinese
Sam Wo has been an institution in Chinatown forever, the kind of place that closed, broke a few hearts, and then quietly came back under new ownership like nothing happened. It's a casual, no-frills Chinese spot where the rice noodle rolls with char siu are still the move, served with enough hot mustard to rearrange your sinuses. The crowd runs local and loyal, which is usually a good sign.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best classic San Francisco restaurants
- San Francisco Chronicle Best restaurants in San Francisco's Chinatown
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Classic Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 39. Taishan Cuisine
Cantonese
One of the tastiest Chinese restaurants in the city, Taishan Cuisine is also about the only late-night spot left in Chinatown, holding it down until 2 a.m. when almost everywhere else has called it. The crowd runs from international students in head-to-toe designer gear to off-duty chefs who know exactly where to eat after a long service. Order the Taishan roast chicken, cooked to order and dramatically dismembered tableside by hand.
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #11 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Chinese food and restaurants in the Bay Area
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Rank 40. Bombay Brasserie
Indian
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Rank 41. China Live
Chinese
China Live is a whole building dedicated to Chinese food, which sounds like a gimmick until you're inside and it's clearly not. The main floor is a sprawling casual eatery buzzing with sizzling woks and tourists who wandered in and accidentally had a great time. Upstairs there's fine dining and a cocktail bar that looks like it was designed on a movie set. Come hungry, bring people, and let the room do the work.
- Sunset 2024 · Markets and Bakeries · Where to Eat and Drink
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Chinese food and restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best restaurants in San Francisco's Chinatown
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Rank 42. Bodega SF
Northern Vietnamese
Northern Vietnamese with an upscale edge, Bodega SF sits in the middle of downtown and draws the after-work crowd in from the cold. The wood-heavy room feels genuinely polished without trying too hard, and the menu earns it, running from solid lunch phở to dinner dishes where turmeric cakes arrive topped with caviar. The family behind it has been doing this for years, and it shows in how composed everything feels.
- The Infatuation #11 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
- San Francisco Chronicle The best Vietnamese restaurants in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation Mochi Pandan Bar · The San Francisco Dessert Bucket List
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Rank 43. Cotogna
Italian
Cotogna is the kind of Italian spot where the pasta alone justifies the reservation, and the wood-fired meats make you wish you'd ordered more. It's a convivial, mid-upscale trattoria with exposed brick, a copper bar, and an open kitchen that keeps the room buzzing. The crowd runs from Pacific Heights regulars who know the menu cold to date-nighters who feel very sophisticated. Michael Tusk also runs the fancy place next door, so the pedigree is real.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Italian food and restaurants in SF Bay Area
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- The Infatuation The 19 Best Pizza Places In San Francisco
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Meals For Under $15 In SF
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 45. Restaurant Naides
Modern Filipino
Modern Filipino tasting menu done with genuine heart, tucked into a cozy jewel box room on Bush Street. The cooking pulls traditional flavors into something fresh and beautifully plated, leaning on Californian foraged ingredients without ever losing the plot on what makes Filipino food so satisfying. The crowd is adventurous and date-night-dressy, the service warm and sharp. This one earns its Michelin nod the old-fashioned way, by actually delivering.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Infatuation The Hit List: New San Francisco Restaurants To Try Right Now
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Rank 46. Prelude
Southern Cocktail Bar
Tucked into the ground floor of the Jay Hotel, Prelude is a dimly lit cocktail bar with serious Southern food running underneath all that atmosphere. The kitchen draws on Alabama roots to turn comfort classics into something a little more composed, and the crowd seems to dress accordingly. It pulls the kind of people who'd rather linger over small plates than rush anywhere, which is pretty much the correct approach here.
- Bon Appétit 2025 · America's Best New Bars
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 47. O' by Claude Le Tohic
Fine French
Perched on the fifth floor of a six-story French food complex, this Michelin-starred tasting room is the serious, quiet-down-everyone capstone of the whole operation. The chef pulls off something genuinely tricky: classic French technique grounded in California ingredients, with results that feel neither fussy nor casual. The room runs on polished, unhurried service, and the crowd dresses accordingly.
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A Hong Kong-style seafood spot in Chinatown that's been around forever and somehow manages to be both a total dive and a celebrity haunt at the same time. The front is plastered with photos of the original owner with Jackie Chan and Jacques Pépin, which tells you everything. Late-night crowds and post-bar regulars pack in for stir-fried prawns and salt-and-pepper calamari straight from a screaming-hot wok.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best seafood restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best restaurants in San Francisco's Chinatown
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Rank 49. Outta Sight Pizza
Thin-crust Pizza
Outta Sight is a slice shop with actual personality, the kind of place where the walls are covered in skate photos and a Mos Def painting, and the pizza is good enough that nobody's just there for the vibe. The thin, New York-style pies are the move, but the sandwiches pull real weight too. It draws a creative, laid-back crowd who know a good thing when they find it, and they keep coming back.
- The Infatuation #19 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
- San Francisco Chronicle Best sandwich spots in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Meals For Under $15 In SF
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Rank 50. Abacá
Filipino
Filipino cooking done with real creativity, not just nostalgia. Abacá sits inside the Kimpton Alton Hotel in Fisherman's Wharf, and it draws the kind of crowd that actually dresses for dinner but keeps things relaxed. The kitchen roots itself in traditional flavors and techniques, then goes somewhere interesting from there. If you can't decide, let them decide for you and go family-style. You'll eat well either way.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Vince Bugtong
- The New York Times 2022 · The Restaurant List
- Esquire 2021 · #28 · The Best New Restaurants in America
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Rank 51. Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store Cafe
Italian Wine Bar
A North Beach institution that's been around forever, Mario's is a tiny, sun-faded cafe where the walls are plastered with old photos and the focaccia sandwiches are the reason people keep coming back. The meatball on focaccia is legitimately great, and the bread gets toasted in a little oven behind the bar, which is exactly the kind of low-key detail that separates a real neighborhood spot from everything else. Regulars, tourists who did their homework, and very little pretension.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best classic San Francisco restaurants
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Classic Restaurants in San Francisco
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The line down the block in North Beach is your first clue that something good is happening inside this pastry shop. Butter and Crumble does laminated doughs with real obsession, turning out croissants so flaky they should come with a bib. Flavors rotate constantly, so regulars always have an excuse to come back. It's mostly a grab-and-go situation, which is fine because you'll be eating yours on the sidewalk before you even realize it.
- The Infatuation Our Favorite Bakeries In The Country Right Now
- San Francisco Chronicle Best bakeries in San Francisco Bay Area
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Rank 53. Original Joe's
Italian
- The Infatuation Zanze’s Cheesecake · The San Francisco Dessert Bucket List
- The Infatuation The 13 Best Pasta Restaurants In SF
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- Eater Best New Bar · The 2025 Eater San Francisco Award Winners
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best New Bar
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Rank 55. Sungho
Traditional Korean
A homey Korean spot in the Tenderloin doing slow-simmered stews and hand-cut noodle soups that taste like someone's grandmother actually cared about you. The menu leans into dishes you won't easily find elsewhere in the Bay, the portions are built for sharing, and the house-made kimchi is the real deal. Regulars, curious neighbors, and the occasional K-pop fan fill the room, all of them looking very content about it.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Infatuation 2025 · #10 · San Francisco’s Best New Restaurants
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R&G Lounge is the Chinatown institution you bring out-of-towners to when you want them to feel like they've actually seen San Francisco. It's a classic Chinese seafood restaurant with live tanks lining the walls, which means the fish is genuinely fresh and the crab is the real deal. The crowd skews celebratory, lots of big family tables and people who clearly planned this meal weeks in advance. Order the Dungeness crab and don't overthink the rest.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best seafood restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best restaurants in San Francisco's Chinatown
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A cozy Cal-Italian spot on Russian Hill where all the pasta is made in-house and the cooking leans into the rich, slow-simmered flavors of central Italy. The crowd runs toward neighborhood regulars who already know what they're ordering before they sit down. It's the kind of place where a proper Bolognese, built from multiple cuts of meat and cooked most of the day, makes you understand why shortcuts are a crime.
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Rank 58. Copra
South Indian
Kerala cuisine finally gets the swanky Fillmore treatment at Copra, where the chef channels his home region of southwestern India into a menu built for sharing. The room is lush, the lighting is great, and the crowd knows it, so expect a few people angling for the shot. Order generously, because the portions reward ambition, and maybe reconsider your white shirt before the crab curry arrives.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Srijith Gopinathan and Ayesha Thapar
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
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Rank 59. Hon’s Wun-Tun House
Cantonese Chinese
A Chinatown institution that's been around forever, Hon's is a Hong Kong-style noodle shop where the steamed-up windows alone will make you feel like you wandered into a better movie. The wonton noodle soup is the whole reason you're here, with a broth that smells like it has opinions. The crowd is regulars who know exactly what they're ordering and tourists who wisely follow their lead.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best classic San Francisco restaurants
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Classic Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 60. 7 Adams
Californian New American
A Michelin-starred tasting menu in a slim, railway-style room on Sutter, where the open kitchen runs so quietly it makes everywhere else feel chaotic by comparison. The cooking is Californian in the best sense, technically sharp and totally unshowy, the kind of meal where every course feels inevitable rather than clever. Couples on milestone dinners and serious food people who actually dress for the occasion tend to fill the seats.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Esquire 2024 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
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Rank 61. Maison Nico
Modern French
A proper French patisserie tucked into the Financial District, Maison Nico turns out the kind of pastries that make you question every sad desk lunch you've ever eaten. The canelés alone are worth the detour, all crackly shell and custardy middle. The quiche comes as its own little pie, which is the correct amount of quiche. Expect laptop workers, suits grabbing something flaky, and people pretending they're just browsing before ordering three things.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best French restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best bakeries in San Francisco Bay Area
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Rank 62. Birdsong
Contemporary
Live fire runs through everything at this two-Michelin-star tasting menu spot in SoMa, where the chef somehow makes open-flame cooking feel playful rather than primal. The room is tall and elegant, the crowd is dressed up and leaning in, and the kitchen keeps finding ways to surprise you right up to dessert. It's the kind of meal where rugged technique and genuine whimsy end up in the same bite.
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Rank 63. The Progress
Californian
This Michelin-starred sharing-plates spot near the Fillmore Theater pulls off something genuinely hard: food that looks stunning and actually tastes as good as it looks. The vibe is warm and lively, two floors of wood and stone filled with people who came dressed for a proper night out. The California-meets-Nordic cooking is bold and a little unexpected, and the duck, when it crosses the room, turns heads for good reason.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Esquire 2023 · The Progress Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski - Atomic Workshop
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Rank 64. State Bird Provisions
Californian
Michelin-starred State Bird Provisions runs dim sum-style service with California cooking, meaning carts roll past your table and you grab whatever looks good. It's a genuinely fun way to eat, letting you build a meal out of whims instead of a menu. The room is loud and full of people who planned ahead, because getting a reservation takes real effort. Worth every refresh of the booking page.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski - Atomic Workshop
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #36 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
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Rank 66. Saigon Sandwich
Vietnamese
- The Infatuation #8 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Meals For Under $15 In SF
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Rank 67. Mộng Thu Cafe
Vietnamese Coffee Shop
A tiny Vietnamese soup shop on Hyde Street that earns its cult following one bowl at a time. The room is small and unpretentious, full of people who clearly know exactly what they're ordering before they sit down. The soups are the whole point, rich and fragrant in ways that remind you soup can actually be interesting. Come hungry and plan to sop up every last bit of broth with bread.
- San Francisco Chronicle The best Vietnamese restaurants in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Meals For Under $15 In SF
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Rank 68. Comstock Saloon
Cocktail Bar
- The Infatuation The Best Martinis In San Francisco
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Meals For Under $15 In SF
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Rank 69. Palette Tea House
Chinese
Upscale dim sum in Ghirardelli Square sounds like a tourist trap, but this one actually delivers. The room is genuinely gorgeous, all colorful lanterns and tiled murals, and the crowd skews more SF locals on a splurge than fanny-pack wearers consulting a map. The kitchen does beautiful work with the classics, and a few dishes are showy enough that you'll see phones out before chopsticks. Come hungry and go for more than you think you need.
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Rank 70. Holy Nata
Portuguese Bakery
Holy Nata does one thing: warm Portuguese pasteis de nata, straight out of the oven on a side street downtown. The custard filling is thick enough to make you rethink every other egg tart you've ever had, and the crust shatters exactly the way it should. Go plain, add cinnamon, or show up on a Thursday when Nutella enters the chat. The crowd is mostly people who know, plus a few lucky tourists who stumbled in.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best bakeries in San Francisco Bay Area
- The Infatuation Pastel de Nata · The San Francisco Dessert Bucket List
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Sam's Grill is an old-school seafood institution in the Financial District that makes you feel like you've stumbled into a city that still has some dignity. Tuxedoed servers, curtained back booths, and coat hooks from the hat-wearing era set the scene. The lunch crowd is regulars who know exactly what they're having before they sit down. Go on a weekday, order a martini, and don't be surprised if the guy in the next booth basically runs the city.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best classic San Francisco restaurants
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Classic Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 72. Z & Y Peking Duck
Sichuan Chinese
If your idea of a good time involves your lips going numb, Z & Y is your Chinatown spot. It's a no-frills Sichuan restaurant with a Bib Gourmand to its name and a serious commitment to heat, the kind where dried chilies aren't a garnish, they're the whole point. The room is worn-in and the vibe is relaxed, which suits the regulars just fine. Leave the car at home because parking around here is its own punishment.
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Rank 73. John's Grill
San Francisco
Dark wood, white tablecloths, staff in all black, and a replica of the Maltese Falcon watching over the second floor. John's Grill is an old-school San Francisco steakhouse that's been around forever, and it wears every year well. The menu is meat and potatoes done properly, the kind of room where you half-expect someone to be tailing you. Noir buffs and old-city romantics feel right at home here.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best classic San Francisco restaurants
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Classic Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 74. Hed 11
Thai
Regional Thai cooking done as a proper tasting menu, tucked inside the Kimpton Hotel Enso in a room that knows it looks good. The 11-course format takes you through sweet, savory, and everything blurred between, hitting flavors most Thai restaurants never bother with. The crowd is date-night dressed and quietly impressed. It's a splurge, but the pacing is more civilized banquet than marathon endurance test.
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Rank 75. Scoma's
Seafood
Scoma's is a classic waterfront seafood restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf that earns its reputation the old-fashioned way: generations of Bay Area families keep coming back, and they're not wrong to. The wood-paneled bar, white-jacketed servers, and walls of celebrity headshots set the scene. Get the cioppino or the chowder, order something from the sea, and don't overthink it.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best classic San Francisco restaurants
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #78 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Classic Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 76. Le Comptoir
Pescatarian French
A Michelin-starred counter tucked beside Atelier Crenn, where a small handful of guests each night get a front-row seat to a pescatarian French tasting menu being plated right in front of them. The marble bar, the careful pours, the intricate little courses, it all feels like a dinner party where the host is showing off, and you're genuinely glad they are. Dress like you mean it.
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Rank 77. Smuggler's Cove
Tiki Cocktail Bar
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Rank 78. Sato Omakase
Sushi
A sleek omakase counter in Japantown where the kitchen balances real luxury with real restraint, which is harder than it sounds. The crowd leans dressed-up and quietly impressed, the kind of people who did their research. Tradition and a little invention share the menu, and the more low-key bites often land harder than the showier ones. Next door, sibling spot Sushi Sato brings a looser vibe and kinder prices if you want to ease in first.
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Rank 79. Trestle
Contemporary New American
A Bib Gourmand prix fixe in the Financial District that actually leaves you feeling like you got away with something. Trestle runs a tight three-course menu that rotates with the seasons, and the room is always packed with people who figured out that "affordable" and "really good" can coexist. The vibe is lively and a little loud, the service is warm, and you walk out full and weirdly happy about what you spent.
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North Beach's most charmingly unfinished bar and French bistro, Petite Lil's occupies a legendary old room that longtime San Franciscans will recognize immediately. The kitchen is open, the bartender is genuinely friendly, and the menu leans French in the best low-key way. It has the feel of a place perpetually about to become something bigger, which somehow makes it more fun to visit right now.
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Rank 82. Yank Sing
Cantonese Chinese
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A tiny fish and wine bar from the team behind State Bird Provisions, which holds a James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur. The whole menu orbits anchovies, which sounds like a bit, but it genuinely works. The crowd leans curious and adventurous, the kind of people who actually read the menu before ordering. Wine flows freely, the room is warm, and the vibe is convivial without trying too hard.
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski - Atomic Workshop
- Esquire 2021 · #15 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- The New York Times 2021 · The Restaurant List
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Rank 84. SPQR
Italian
Fillmore's favorite loud Italian is a slim, skylighted room that somehow fits a crowd of people who all seem to know each other. The prix-fixe format keeps things moving through creative California-meets-Italy cooking that leans hard on whatever looks good at the market. The handmade pastas alone justify the trip. Dress like you made an effort, because everyone else did, and pace yourself on the wine list.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Italian food and restaurants in SF Bay Area
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Rank 86. Ararat Kebab & Gyros
Turkish
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Rank 87. Stella Pastry
Italian Bakery
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A no-frills Thai spot in the Tenderloin with the kind of loyal regulars who never bother looking at the menu. The barbecued pork shoulder is the reason people keep coming back, charred and punchy with a fish sauce marinade, and you can get it three different ways. Keanu Reeves is apparently a superfan, which the window display will remind you of constantly. Cash-and-plastic crowd, nothing fancy, just good food done right.
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A beloved halal Pakistani spot in the Tenderloin that's been around forever and somehow kept prices low enough that you'll order way more than you planned. The crowd is a good mix of regulars who know exactly what they want and first-timers loading up on tandoori platters and curries, all sharing the same slightly stunned look when the bill arrives. Grab a bunch of naan and just start ordering.
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This North Beach seafood joint has been around forever, and the cioppino alone is reason enough to show up. It's a casual, loud, elbow-on-the-table kind of place where the crowd is equal parts tourists who did their homework and locals who've never needed to look at the menu. Order the cioppino, get bread to soak up the broth, and don't wear anything you'd be upset about splashing.
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Rank 92. Rice Roll Express
Chinese
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Rank 93. Flores
Mexican
Flores is a lively Mexican restaurant on Cow Hollow's main strip that pulls off the rare trick of being genuinely good without charging you for the privilege. The handmade tortillas alone make the case. Expect a warm, mural-covered room full of families, friend groups, and Marina regulars who clearly come here a lot. It's a Bib Gourmand pick, walk-ins are common, and the mezcal margaritas make any wait feel shorter.
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City View is a dim sum spot on Portsmouth Square that got a serious makeover, trading worn carpet and fluorescent lights for polished concrete, exposed brick, and olive-green banquettes. It's sleeker than the old-school Chinatown palaces nearby, but the classics still hit. Expect weekend crowds of families, friend groups, and a few tourists who clearly did their homework. The baked pork buns alone are worth the trip.
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A San Francisco institution, Greens has been doing full-on vegetarian fine dining at Fort Mason since forever, back when that was a genuinely radical idea. The menu is entirely meat-free, so vegetarians can finally stop squinting at asterisks. The room is wide, calm, and Zen-affiliated in the most literal sense. Time it for sunset over the bay and you'll understand why people keep coming back.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best classic San Francisco restaurants
- San Francisco Chronicle Best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the SF Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Classic Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 98. Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement
Soul food
Soul food done with real love, right in the Fillmore where the chef grew up dreaming of opening this very spot. Minnie Bell's is a full-service restaurant, and the fried chicken, fragrant with rosemary and made for dunking in homemade hot sauce, is genuinely the reason people keep coming back. The mac and cheese has its own fan club too. Wash it all down with a cold beer and settle in with the neighborhood regulars who look very pleased with themselves for living nearby.
- Bon Appétit 2025 · America's Best New Restaurants
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
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Part Mexican grocery, part taqueria tucked in the back, La Tapatia has been an institution in South San Francisco for years. Carnitas, tamales, and fresh masa are made daily, and everything in your burrito or taco was made in the same building. The chile relleno burrito is the move, a melty cheese-stuffed poblano wrapped in a proper tortilla. Takeout only, cash-and-carry crowd, no fuss.
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Rank 100. Izzy's
Steakhouse
Izzy's is a classic SF steakhouse that's been around forever and somehow only gotten better with age. The bar hums with regulars who've earned their barstools, and the dining room draws the kind of crowd that actually knows how to order a steak. Open-fire dry-aged beef, timber and brass, and a genuinely warm room that doesn't try too hard. It landed on the World's Best Steak Restaurants list, which tracks.