The Top 100 Places to Eat Near LUMA Hotel San Francisco
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Rank 1. Via Aurelia
Italian
- Esquire 2025 · Via Aurelia Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #66 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- Condé Nast Traveler The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco for Casual Diners, Twelve-Course Tasting Counters, and Late-Night Eats
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Rank 2. Saison
Fine dining
Everything at this two-Michelin-star warehouse spot revolves around a roaring open hearth, which sets the mood instantly. The crowd is Bay Area tech money dressed down just enough to seem unbothered, and the kitchen matches that studied cool with wildly creative Californian cooking. The wine team is genuinely great and won't make you feel bad about your budget. Wear something nice but not a suit, and clear your evening.
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Rank 3. 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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Rank 4. Niku Steakhouse
Japanese Steakhouse
A Michelin-starred Japanese steakhouse tucked behind a gold door in the Design District, Niku takes the idea of a steakhouse seriously in ways most don't. The kitchen runs a whole-animal butchery program, ages its beef carefully, and cooks everything over a binchōtan robata grill. The crowd skews tech money and special-occasion couples who dressed up for this. Grab a counter seat if you can and watch the fire do its thing.
- World's 101 Best #49 · World's Best Steak Restaurants
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- The Infatuation #20 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
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Rank 5. Rooh
Indian
Progressive Indian in SoMa, where the menu takes the subcontinent's flavors and runs them through a very modern filter, think oysters and burrata sharing a menu with tandoori and proper spice. The cocktails are genuinely creative rather than an afterthought, and the small-plates format means you can graze widely. The crowd skews date-night and tech-adjacent, everyone dressed up just enough. Prices reflect the ambition, so come hungry and order around the table.
- Sunset 2025 · Top Tables · Where to Eat and Drink
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Indian, Pakistani, and South Asian restaurants in the Bay Area
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Rank 6. Miller & Lux
Steakhouse
Tyler Florence's elegant steakhouse near Chase Center is a genuine reason to dress up, even if the arena next door is doing its best to lower the bar. The room has quiet glamour, marble and leather, the kind of place where couples on big nights and suits celebrating deals both feel at home. The dry-aged steaks are the main event, the raw bar is serious, and the martinis arrive exactly right.
- World's 101 Best #25 · World's Best Steak Restaurants
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 7. Californios
Fine dining
Two Michelin stars for a Mexican tasting menu sounds like a fever dream, but Californios pulls it off without a trace of self-importance. The room feels more like a dinner party than a temple, with colorful art on the walls and a playlist that actually slaps. The chef takes Mexico's culinary heritage seriously and then runs with it somewhere unexpected. Dress up a little, bring someone you want to impress, and clear your evening.
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- Eater 2015 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
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Rank 8. 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 9. 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 10. Omakase
Edomae Sushi
Serious Edomae sushi in a room so small it feels like the chef is cooking just for you, because essentially they are. Fish comes straight from Tokyo's Toyosu market, cured and aged the old-school way, and the nigiri are the kind that make you put your phone down. The crowd is quiet, attentive, slightly reverent. Show up on time, or don't bother showing up at all.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Sushi Restaurants in San Francisco Bay Area
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Rank 11. Angler
Seafood
Angler is a Michelin-starred seafood spot on the Embarcadero where live fire does most of the talking. The open kitchen pulls focus the whole night, and you can taste the smoke in almost everything that comes out of it. It draws the kind of crowd that orders confidently and dresses like they mean it. The wine list is serious, and dessert is genuinely not optional. Budget accordingly, and snag a reservation.
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Condé Nast Traveler The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco for Casual Diners, Twelve-Course Tasting Counters, and Late-Night Eats
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Rank 12. Yank Sing
Dim Sum Chinese
Yank Sing has been doing dim sum in the Financial District forever, and the suits filing in at lunch alongside families with strollers are all here for the same thing: cart after cart of genuinely great dumplings. The xiao long bao and har gow are the real draw, and if a cart rolls by without what you want, the staff will radio the kitchen for you. Bib Gourmand, reasonable prices, and almost no pretension.
- Time Out The best Chinese restaurants in America
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- San Francisco Chronicle Best dim sum restaurants in the SF Bay Area
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Rank 13. HK Lounge Bistro
Cantonese Chinese
This SoMa dim sum spot has been around forever, and the regulars who pack it at lunch will make you feel like you found something real. Families, suits with their ties loosened, the whole cast. The pleated dumplings and baked pork buns are the move at lunch, while dinner shifts into bigger shared plates. It's a modest room that doesn't need to try hard, which is usually the best sign.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- San Francisco Chronicle Best dim sum restaurants in the SF Bay Area
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Rank 14. Plow
American
Plow is the kind of neighborhood breakfast spot that earns a genuine line out the door without trying too hard. The menu is short and focused, which in brunch terms means the kitchen actually knows what it's doing. The signature plate gets you eggs, potatoes, meat, and their famous lemon ricotta silver dollar pancakes, which are light and custardy in a way that'll make you rethink the whole genre. Locals in weekend clothes, nobody in a rush.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best brunch restaurants in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
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This waterfront dive has been around forever, slinging cheap burgers and beers with a Bay Bridge view that fancier spots charge triple for. The burgers come on sourdough with mustard and pickles, which sounds wrong until it isn't, and the fish and chips are genuinely great. Anthony Bourdain loved it, which tells you everything. Grab a table outside on a sunny day and watch the bay while construction workers and tourists figure out they're at the same place.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best classic San Francisco restaurants
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Classic Restaurants in San Francisco
- The Infatuation The 17 Best Restaurants Near The Embarcadero & Ferry Building
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Rank 16. JouJou
French
- The Infatuation The Hit List: New San Francisco Restaurants To Try Right Now
- Condé Nast Traveler The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco for Casual Diners, Twelve-Course Tasting Counters, and Late-Night Eats
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Rank 17. Sons & Daughters
Fine dining
Two Michelin stars in a spot that feels more like a dinner party than a temple of fine dining. Sons & Daughters does a Nordic-influenced tasting menu where vegetables and foraged things get treated with the same obsessive care as anything else on the plate. The room is roomier now, the service is genuinely world-class without being stiff, and the crowd leans creative and curious rather than expense-account.
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Rank 18. Fikscue
Indo-Tex Barbecue
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #41 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation 2025 · #8 · San Francisco’s Best New Restaurants
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Rank 19. 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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Rank 20. The Morris
New American
The wine list here is the real reason locals keep coming back to this unfussy Mission bistro, built by a sommelier who clearly knows what he's doing. The food holds its own too, leaning into California meat and seafood without any fuss. The smoked duck is genuinely worth ordering. Regulars at the bar look like they've never once glanced at the menu, which is always a good sign.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
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Rank 21. Okane
Sushi
Okane is the more relaxed sibling to the fancy omakase spot next door, which means you get fish flown in from Japan without the reverent silence and the jaw-dropping bill. It's a proper sushi bar where tech workers from the neighborhood fill the room at lunch and larger groups take over at dinner, passing sake around like they've earned it. The nigiri is clean and serious, but the small plates hold their own too.
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Rank 22. Yank Sing
Cantonese Chinese
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Rank 23. Wolfsbane
Fine dining
A sleek Dogpatch tasting menu spot where the chef brings serious fine dining chops and a genuinely personal point of view, weaving California produce through Nordic, Japanese, and French instincts without it feeling like a mood board. The cooking is precise and quietly ambitious, the kind that rewards paying attention. The crowd tends toward date-night serious and special-occasion celebratory, dressed up just enough to match the room.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Infatuation The Hit List: New San Francisco Restaurants To Try Right Now
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #71 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
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Rank 24. ATWater Tavern
American
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Rank 25. 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.
- Michelin Guide 3 Stars
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Winner · Outstanding Chef · Michael Tusk
- AAA Four Diamonds
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Rank 26. 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
- Time Out The best Chinese restaurants in America
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · North America's Best Chinese Cuisine Restaurant
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Rank 27. San Ho Won
Korean
Korean BBQ gets the Michelin star treatment here, and somehow it doesn't feel ridiculous. San Ho Won is a nice-casual spot where the cooking lands somewhere between your favorite home-cooked Korean meal and something genuinely refined, with ingredients that earn the price tag. The room is sleek and minimal, packed with people who planned ahead to get a table. Book early, because you're not the only one who heard about this place.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- The New York Times 2022 · The Restaurant List
- Eater 2022 · The Best New Restaurants in America
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Rank 28. Movida
Persian-inflected Mexican
Persian-Mexican fusion sounds like a fever dream, but Movida pulls it off in a stylishly dim restaurant-lounge near Oracle Park, complete with a DJ booth that earns its spot. The menu is small and genuinely creative, the kind of cooking where two cuisines meet and actually make sense together. Savory cocktails keep things interesting. The crowd leans date-night and pregame-dinner, both groups dressed a little better than they need to be.
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Rank 30. Kiln
Nordic New American
A two-Michelin-star tasting menu in a stark warehouse space that somehow feels warm once you're inside. The kitchen leans Nordic, leaning hard into curing, fermenting, and drying things until something quietly extraordinary comes out the other side. The food looks almost too simple, then lands with real force. The crowd tends toward people who planned the reservation months ago and are dressed just enough to feel like they earned it.
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- Condé Nast Traveler 2024 · The best new restaurants in the world
- Esquire 2023 · The Best New Restaurants in America
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Rank 31. Rintaro
Japanese
An izakaya that feels like someone built it in a forest, Rintaro holds a Bib Gourmand and earns it. The space is genuinely beautiful, all redwood and cedar, and the kitchen brings a NorCal farmers-market instinct to Japanese small plates. The crowd skews creative-class, speaking quietly over charcoal-grilled skewers and soft tofu that somehow tastes like a flex. Come hungry enough to order widely and you'll leave very happy.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Sylvan Mishima Brackett
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
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Rank 32. 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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A low-key sushi bar in SoMa where the regulars clearly have a standing reservation in their hearts. The rolls are crowd-pleasing and loaded, but the real draw is the omakase, a roughly 20-course ride that wanders well beyond sushi into lamb chops and yuzu cheesecake territory. The service is genuinely warm, which is why the neighborhood keeps coming back like it owes the place money.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Japanese restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Sushi Restaurants in San Francisco Bay Area
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Rank 34. 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.
- San Francisco Chronicle The best Vietnamese restaurants in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation Mochi Pandan Bar · The San Francisco Dessert Bucket List
- The Infatuation #11 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
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Rank 35. Boulevard
American
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Rank 37. 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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Rank 38. Kaiyō Rooftop
Peruvian Japanese
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service · Danny Louie
- The Infatuation The 21 Best Outdoor Dining Spots In SF
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- 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
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Rank 40. Lazy Bear
Fine dining
A two-Michelin-star tasting menu spot in the Mission that somehow feels like a very wealthy person's mountain cabin, and pulls it off without irony. The food is big and confident, the kind of cooking that winks at comfort and nostalgia while doing something genuinely ambitious with it. The crowd leans festive and dressed up, people celebrating something or just treating a Tuesday like it deserves a occasion.
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Rank 41. Ernest
Californian
Ernest is a Michelin-selected Mission spot where the cooking is deliberately a little unhinged, in the best way. Think caviar and tater tots sharing a plate without any apology. The crowd leans creative-class cool, the kind of people who have opinions about natural wine but won't bore you with them. Book ahead or just walk up to the bar, which is genuinely worth doing on its own.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #89 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Brandon Rice
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Rank 42. 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 43. 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.
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · North America's Best Italian Cuisine Restaurant
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Rank 44. Mijoté
French
A French prix fixe in a Mission wine bar that somehow feels like a Paris side street without any of the attitude. The chef trained in Japan and then went deep on French technique, and the cooking shows it: seasonal, ingredient-forward, nothing fussy. Natural wines pair well with pretty much everything on the table. The crowd is neighborhood regulars who know a good thing and aren't rushing anywhere.
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best Chef: California · Kosuke Tada
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
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Rank 45. Azalina's
Malaysian Indian
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 46. Alexander's Steakhouse
American/Japanese
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A little French sandwich counter tucked among the downtown towers, Cafe du Soleil is where the office crowd lines up on their lunch break, badges still clipped to their blazers. The prosciutto sandwich is the move, and the niçoise combo gives you salad credit so you feel like an adult. Seating is basically a rumor, but Yerba Buena Gardens is right there if you're willing to eat outside like a civilized person.
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Rank 48. 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 49. Marigold
Coffee
- Wine Enthusiast 2024 · Forward 50 Restaurants
- The Infatuation The Best Matcha Lattes In San Francisco
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Rank 50. Prospect
New American
Prospect is a sleek New American restaurant tucked into the ground floor of a downtown high-rise, the kind of place where the tech-adjacent crowd loosens their collars after a long week. The room is tall and airy, the tables actually have space between them, and the cocktail bar stays busy for good reason. The cooking is straightforward and well-executed, which sounds like faint praise but really isn't.
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Rank 51. Taksim
Turkish
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Rank 52. Lunette
Cambodian
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #35 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 53. Agrodolce Provisions
Italian
- The Infatuation The Hit List: New San Francisco Restaurants To Try Right Now
- The Infatuation The 13 Best Pasta Restaurants In SF
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Rank 54. Harborview
Cantonese Chinese
This is what happens when Cantonese cuisine gets a serious budget and a view to match. Harborview is a sprawling, polished restaurant inside Embarcadero Center, with sunny patio views of the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge that people will absolutely use as their phone wallpaper. Dim sum runs at lunch, and the Peking duck at dinner is the move. The crowd skews business lunch by day and date-night by evening, dressed accordingly.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Francisco Chronicle Best dim sum restaurants in the SF Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 17 Best Restaurants Near The Embarcadero & Ferry Building
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Rank 55. Flour + Water
Italian
Handmade pasta is the whole point at this Mission neighborhood restaurant, and the kitchen takes it seriously without making you feel like you should too. The room stays loud and packed with the kind of regulars who already know to order half portions so they can try more than one. It's casual enough for a Tuesday but good enough that you'll think about it the following week.
- 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
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Rank 56. 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 57. 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 58. 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
- Condé Nast Traveler The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco for Casual Diners, Twelve-Course Tasting Counters, and Late-Night Eats
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Rank 59. Mashallah Halal Pakistani Food
Pakistani
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Rank 60. 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 62. 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 63. 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 19 Best Pizza Places In San Francisco
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SanJalisco is a family-run Mexican breakfast and brunch spot that has been around for decades, and the name says it all: half San Francisco, half Jalisco, fully the real deal. The chilaquiles and huevos rancheros are the kind of morning-after cure that actually works, and the weekend birria special draws a crowd of regulars who already know to get it with the broth on the side. Small, homey, zero pretension.
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Deli Board is a takeout-only sandwich counter on Folsom that takes its pastrami very seriously, and honestly, so should you. The meat is loaded onto thick bread in a few different builds, each one leaning into a different level of chaos. Everything comes with fat pickles on the side, which you will need. It's not cheap for a sandwich, but the kind of person who finishes one never seems to complain.
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Rank 66. Zuni Café
Californian
Zuni has been around forever and it still runs the room, a California institution where the wood-burning oven perfumes the whole place and the copper bar fills up early with people who know exactly what they're doing. The brick-roasted chicken for two is the reason most of them are here, and ordering it feels like passing a test. Business lunchers, tourist converts, and locals who never need the menu all share the same sun-drenched dining room.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- San Francisco Chronicle Best classic San Francisco restaurants
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Rank 67. 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 68. 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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Rank 69. Bon Délire
French
A Paris-channeling bistro on the Embarcadero where brunch comes with a DJ and butter is basically a food group. The horseshoe bar is gorgeous, the crowd is dressed to be noticed, and the vibe runs on hip-hop and French classics done right. The team handles croque madame and steak frites with real confidence, and the baked-to-order madeleines at the end are genuinely hard to argue with.
- Sunset 2025 · Fabulous French · Where to Eat and Drink
- San Francisco Chronicle Best French restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best brunch restaurants in the Bay Area
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Rank 70. 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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Bini's Kitchen is a casual counter spot that basically put Nepalese momos on San Francisco's radar. The steamed dumplings are plump, satisfying, and come with a bright tomato-cilantro sauce that makes the whole thing feel like a proper meal for not much money. The combo plates with vegetarian stews and grilled meats are an even bigger deal. The crowd is mostly locals who've figured out the lunch math here and aren't telling anyone.
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Rank 72. Paper Son
Coffee
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Coffee in the Bay Area
- Eater The Absolute Best San Francisco Coffee Shops
- The Infatuation The Best Matcha Lattes In San Francisco
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Rank 73. Reem’s
Middle Eastern
Reem's is an Arab bakery and cafe in the Mission that earned its James Beard Award by doing something simple really well. The star is the mana'eesh, flatbreads cooked on a dome-shaped grill called a saj, thin and crisp and genuinely hard to stop eating. The bright dining room draws a neighborhood crowd that looks like it actually lives here, which in the Mission these days is saying something.
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Nominee · Outstanding Chef · Reem Assil
- Eater The All-Time Eater 38
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
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Rank 74. 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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Rank 75. Nisei
Japanese
A Michelin-starred tasting menu on Polk Street built around a genuinely interesting idea: what does Japanese cooking look like when it grows up in America. The chef is a real presence here, and the room takes the food seriously without taking itself too seriously. Couples and curious diners fill the seats, dressed up but not stiff. The sake pairing is worth doing, and the wagashi cart at the end is a lovely, unexpected touch.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Emerging Chef · David Yoshimura
- Condé Nast Traveler The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco for Casual Diners, Twelve-Course Tasting Counters, and Late-Night Eats
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Rank 76. 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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A sandwich shop that has committed fully to pork, and respects you enough not to pretend otherwise. The house porkstrami, a brined and smoked pork butt, anchors almost every sandwich on the menu, often alongside coppa, salami, or mortadella. The crowd skews toward people who did not come here to compromise. Wash it all down with novelty sodas from a bygone era, which somehow feels exactly right.
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Rank 78. 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 79. Foreign Cinema
Californian New American
Foreign Cinema is a Californian restaurant on Mission Street with a secret courtyard out back where foreign films flicker on a 35mm projector while you eat. It's romantic in a way that feels genuinely accidental rather than engineered, and it's earned a James Beard Outstanding Restaurant nod to prove it's not just atmosphere. The crowd runs heavy on first dates and anniversaries, everyone quietly pleased they found the place.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- San Francisco Chronicle Best seafood restaurants in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
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Rank 80. 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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The line out the door at this Mission District bakery isn't a fluke, it's a daily ritual. Tartine basically rewired how San Francisco thinks about sourdough, and the bread still sells out every afternoon. The crowd is a mix of locals who've been coming for years and visitors who've heard the hype and want to see if it's real. It is. Get there early, grab a morning bun, and don't overthink it.
- Time Out The best bakeries in America
- San Francisco Chronicle Best bakeries in San Francisco Bay Area
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Rank 82. 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 83. Hamburguesa Bar
American
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Rank 84. Merchant Roots
Creative
Dinner here is less a meal and more a ticketed theatrical production where the set changes every season and you're cast as the audience. It's an immersive tasting experience on Mission Street where the food, the rooms, and the whole vibe shift together around a single concept. The cooking actually holds its own amid all the spectacle, which isn't a given. Bring someone who doesn't take themselves too seriously.
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Rank 85. The Happy Crane
Cantonese
Snagging a table here is half the battle, but this chef-driven Cantonese restaurant in Hayes Valley is absolutely worth the effort. The kitchen takes the food seriously without taking itself too seriously, folding in unexpected ingredients like artichoke and fennel alongside the classics without making it weird. The room runs young and food-curious, full of people who planned this dinner a week out and are visibly pleased with themselves for getting in.
- Eater 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Chinese food and restaurants in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation The Hit List: New San Francisco Restaurants To Try Right Now
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Rank 86. El Mil Amores
Mexico City-style Mexican
El Mil Amores is a Mexico City-style brunch spot in the Mission that draws a devoted weekend crowd of locals who clearly know something you don't. The move is the chilaquiles, made with thick, dark mole instead of the usual salsa, and the kind of dish that makes you question every brunch decision you've made before now. Grab a michelada at the newer location down the street and you've got a full morning sorted.
- The Infatuation #21 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
- San Francisco Chronicle Best brunch restaurants in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
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Rank 87. 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 88. 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 89. La Taqueria
Mexican
The line outside this Mission taqueria is basically self-explanatory. Counter service, no frills, and a crowd that runs from stroller-pushing families to hoodie-wearing tech workers who have clearly found religion. The burritos are the kind that ruin other burritos for you, and if you know to ask for your taco dorado-style, crisped on the plancha with cheese, you're already ahead of most people in line.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- San Francisco Chronicle Best classic San Francisco restaurants
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Rank 90. Rich Table
American
Buzzy Hayes Valley dinner spot that books out fast and earns every reservation. The room feels like a farmhouse someone made actually cool, all distressed wood and low-key energy, with the bar crowd in their best casual eating whatever the kitchen sends out. The food is California at its core but pulls in flavors from everywhere, and the whole thing lands with way more finesse than the laid-back vibe lets on.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #8 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
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Rank 91. Mission Chinese Food
Chinese
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Rank 93. Dabao Singapore
Singaporean Chinese
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Rank 94. 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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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 96. Shoji
Japanese
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Coffee in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation The Best Matcha Lattes In San Francisco
- The Infatuation The Best Coffee Shops In SF
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Rank 97. Penny Roma
Italian
From the team behind Flour + Water, Penny Roma is a more laid-back Italian spot in the Mission where handmade pasta is the whole point. The courtyard alone is worth the trip, and the room fills up with the kind of people who dress casually but chose their outfit carefully. Stuffed pasta is where the kitchen really shines, and the focaccia arrives looking almost too good to deflate. It won't.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Italian food and restaurants in SF Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 13 Best Pasta Restaurants In SF
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Rank 98. Shizen
Vegan Sushi
The all-vegan thing sounds like a punchline until the food arrives and your skepticism quietly folds. Shizen is a lively izakaya and sushi bar in the Mission where the kitchen does genuinely clever things with tofu and vegetables, rebuilding Japanese seafood classics without the seafood. The crowd skews young and plant-curious, but plenty of committed carnivores end up here too, looking a little sheepish and very full.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Sushi Restaurants in San Francisco Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the SF Bay Area
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Rank 99. 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 100. Prubechu
Chamorro
Prubechu is almost certainly the only Chamorro restaurant you'll walk into this year, and the staff know it, so they're genuinely happy to walk you through the menu without making you feel like a tourist. It's a casual Mission spot serving the Indigenous food of Guam, heavy on coconut, grilled meats, and dishes you won't recognize but will want to reorder. The covered outdoor picnic tables, floral oilcloth and all, do their best impression of a Pacific island.
- The Infatuation #25 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
- San Francisco Chronicle Best restaurants for outdoor dining in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #53 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area