The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink Near Lou's Cafe
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Rank 1. Lou's Cafe
Sandwiches
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Meals For Under $15 In SF
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Restaurants In The Richmond
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Rank 2. Noodle in a Haystack
Ramen Noodles
A narrow counter in the Richmond seats eight across from the open kitchen, where the chef builds each bowl as a composed tasting. The ramen here—broth calibrated across hours, noodles cut to order—arrives as something between comfort and ceremony.
- The Infatuation Infatuation’s Highest-Rated Restaurants In America
- Bon Appétit 2023 · America's Best New Restaurants
- The New York Times 2023 · The Restaurant List
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Rank 3. Breadbelly
Bakery
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- San Francisco Chronicle 2025 · #8 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
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Rank 4. Hong Kong Lounge
Dim Sum
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Restaurants In The Richmond
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- US Coffee Championships 2025 · #5 · U.S. Barista Championship · Circle Chan
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Coffee in the Bay Area
- Eater The Absolute Best San Francisco Coffee Shops
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Rank 6. Lokma
Turkish
- The Infatuation The Best Turkish Restaurants In SF
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Restaurants In The Richmond
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Rank 7. Volcano
Japanese
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Meals For Under $15 In SF
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Restaurants In The Richmond
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- Sprudgie Awards 2024 · Finalist · Best New Cafe
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Coffee in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation The Best Coffee Shops In SF
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Rank 9. Aziza
Moroccan
Chef Mourad Lahlou returns with pale interiors and a restless menu that folds California ingredients into Moroccan spices—the phyllo-wrapped basteeya with chicken and almonds proves some dishes need no reinvention. Bone-in chicken thigh arrives with crisp potato and house curry, a dish that tastes like a chef remembering what he does best.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- 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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Rank 10. Kitchen Istanbul
Turkish
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- The Infatuation The Best Turkish Restaurants In SF
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #55 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
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Rank 11. Mandalay
Burmese
A narrow dining room on California Street fills nightly with the particular warmth of a place that has earned its regulars over four decades. Mandalay's kitchen moves through Burmese cuisine with the confidence of long practice, each plate arriving as proof of that steadiness.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Winner · America's Classics: California
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- The Infatuation #4 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
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Rank 13. Cinderella Bakery
Russian Bakery
- The Infatuation Honey Cake · The San Francisco Dessert Bucket List
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Classic Restaurants in San Francisco
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 14. My Tofu House
Korean
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Rank 15. Pizzetta 211
Pizza
- The Infatuation The 19 Best Pizza Places In San Francisco
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Restaurants In The Richmond
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Rank 16. Pearl 6101
Cal- Italian
A lively neighborhood spot housed in a vintage drugstore, Pearl 6101 pairs an airy dining room and warm service with a sharp Italian wine list and Cal-Italian cooking. Handkerchief pastas swim in creamy Bolognese, caramelle burst with crescenza, and roasted sweet potato arrives dressed in miso tahini—each plate feels both rustic and considered.
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Rank 17. Kiss of Matcha
Japanese
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Rank 18. Pasta Supply Co
Pasta
- The Infatuation The 13 Best Pasta Restaurants In SF
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Restaurants In The Richmond
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Rank 19. Rose Pizzeria
Pizza
- The Infatuation The Hit List: New San Francisco Restaurants To Try Right Now
- The Infatuation The 19 Best Pizza Places In San Francisco
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Rank 20. Lily
Vietnamese
- San Francisco Chronicle 2025 · #45 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Restaurants In The Richmond
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Rank 21. Lung Fung Bakery
Chinese
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Rank 22. Arsicault Bakery
Bakery/Cafe
- San Francisco Chronicle Top Bakeries of the Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Restaurants In The Richmond
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Rank 23. Spruce
Modern New American
Spruce pairs California's seasonal bounty with refined technique, as in roasted duck breast crusted with coriander and pistachio. Dinner elevates the experience with careful balance; lunch keeps things approachable, anchored by impeccable ingredients.
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Rank 24. Good Luck Dim Sum
Dim Sum
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Rank 25. Han Il Kwan
Korean
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Rank 26. Moku Yakitori-Ya
Japanese
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Rank 27. Dragon Beaux
Dim Sum
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Rank 28. Kissaten HiFi
Coffee
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Rank 29. Tommy’s
Mexican
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Rank 30. MuuKaTa6395
Thai
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Rank 31. Cantina Los Mayas
Mexican
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Rank 32. Le Soleil
Contemporary Asian
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Rank 34. Wako
Japanese
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Rank 35. Yuanbao Jiaozi
Chinese
- The Infatuation #13 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Restaurants In The Sunset
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Rank 36. Caché
Seafood French
- The Infatuation 2025 · #7 · San Francisco’s Best New Restaurants
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Restaurants In The Sunset
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Rank 37. Pineapple King Bakery
Chinese
- San Francisco Chronicle Top Bakeries of the Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Restaurants In The Sunset
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Rank 38. Arizmendi Bakery
Bakery/Cafe
- The Infatuation The 19 Best Pizza Places In San Francisco
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Restaurants In The Sunset
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Rank 39. um.ma
Korean
The patio at Um.ma, tucked into the Inner Sunset, hums with the kind of casual energy that makes strangers feel like regulars. Korean classics arrive with the confidence of a kitchen that knows what it's doing, each plate a small argument for why this corner matters.
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Rank 40. Atelier Crenn
Contemporary French
Crenn's white-walled atelier channels a painter's precision, each seafood course glazed in silken sauces that speak to her Breton roots and California present. A grandmother's brioche and vegetables from Sonoma orchards anchor the pescatarian tasting menu in something tactile and real, even as desserts from Juan Contreras push toward pure invention.
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Rank 41. Fiorella Sunset
Italian
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Rank 42. The Laundromat
Pizza
- San Francisco Chronicle Top Bagels in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 19 Best Pizza Places In San Francisco
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #85 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
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Rank 43. Prik Hom
Thai
Siblings run this quiet Geary Boulevard newcomer with a compact menu that distills Bangkok fine-dining technique into vibrant, approachable Thai food. Hand-pounded curry pastes and a smoke-finished coconut ice cream signal a kitchen attuned to aroma and detail.
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Rank 44. Benu
Asian
Chef Corey Lee's tasting menu unfolds with technical precision, each course a miniature study in restraint and refinement. A roasted quail, glazed tableside with maple and soy, epitomizes his gift for marrying tradition with invention.
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Rank 45. Dalida
Eastern Mediterranean
In the Presidio's leafy quiet, Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz have built something unmissable: a restaurant where Istanbul's flavors—borek, short rib kebabs with sweetbreads, a rolling spread of olives and pickles—arrive at tables meant for sharing. The pita, baked to order in the hearth, arrives pillowy and toasty, a small daily miracle that sets the tone for everything that follows.
- Esquire 2023 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Laura Ozyilmaz and Sayat Ozyilmaz
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar – U.S. West
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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 47. San Tung
Chinese
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Rank 48. New Eritrea Restaurant
Eritrean
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Rank 49. Manna
Korean
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Rank 50. Yo También! Cantina
Mexican
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Rank 51. Gary Danko
Contemporary French
The dining room glows with the formality of another era: dark-suited servers, a towering cheese trolley, an wine list of serious depth. Chef Danko's prix-fixe menu lets you build your own path through French-inflected cooking with global detours—or surrender to his tasting menu. Since 1999, the place has remained a steady draw for occasions that call for ceremony and restraint.
- AAA Five Diamonds
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
- Wine Enthusiast The Wine Restaurant Hall of Fame
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Rank 52. Banh Mi Crunch
Vietnamese
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Rank 53. Kevin & Chris’s Noodle House
Vietnamese
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Rank 54. Quince
Contemporary
In a refreshed early 1900s room in Jackson Square, Chef Michael Tusk builds menus from his partner farm's seasonal bounty with surgical precision: silky broth married to guanciale and clam, agnolotti tender with white asparagus, lamb from the fireplace scattered with favas and edible flowers. The cooking is restrained and confident, letting each ingredient declare itself.
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Rank 55. Lazy Bear
Contemporary
A warehouse dressed as a hunting lodge stages nightly tastings that toggle between nostalgia and ambition—oysters arrive two ways, one bright with gooseberry, another charred and glazed; butter-soft A5 ribeye meets oxtail and sour cherry tart with architectural precision. The cooking trades subtlety for swagger, and it lands.
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Rank 56. Acquerello
Italian
Suzette Gresham's A-frame dining room has sheltered ambitious Italian cooking since 1989, where handmade pastas and pristine seafood arrive with equal finesse and daring. The mignardises cart alone—stacked with housemade chocolates and caramels—suggests a kitchen that understands generosity as a form of rigor.
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · North America's Best Italian Cuisine Restaurant
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Rank 60. Mini Potstickers
Chinese
A narrow Sunset storefront where pan-fried pork buns arrive no bigger than a thumbnail, each one a vehicle for rendered fat and ginger-forward filling. The dumplings here—steamed, boiled, fried—suggest a kitchen that has spent decades perfecting pleats and ratios rather than chasing trends.
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Rank 61. State Bird Provisions
Californian New American
At State Bird Provisions, carts wheel through a packed dining room while diners pluck small plates in real time—dumplings, liver mousse, savory pancakes—assembling their own sequence of California cooking. The choreography of choice matters as much as the thoughtful, shifting menu itself.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski - Atomic Workshop
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski - Atomic Workshop
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Rank 62. The Progress
Nordic-Californian New American
Sunlit and wood-lined near the Fillmore Theater, The Progress marries California ingredients with Nordic sensibility in boldly seasoned, share-friendly dishes. Burrata arrives with fried butter beans and strawberries; seaweed noodles swim in brown butter and dashi. The Liberty Farms duck, crowned with crispy peanut fried rice, is a showstopper designed to turn heads.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski - Atomic Workshop
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
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Rank 63. The Yellow Submarine
Sandwiches
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Rank 64. Sorrel
Contemporary
Chef Alexander Hong coaxes uncommon depth from pasta—smoky zlikrofi with plum mostarda, silken gnudi crowned with fried sage—using herbs from the rooftop garden. Duck breast arrives with crackling skin and kuri squash; the small plates show equal restraint and precision.
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Rank 65. Saison
Californian New American
A warehouse devoted to the hearth, where Chef Richard Lee orchestrates playful, earnest cooking—tuna tartlette, rabbit with morels, antelope with blueberries—for San Francisco's elite. The wine program is exceptionally deep, the crowd studiously cool, the setting rustically refined.
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Rank 66. Cielito Lindo
Mexican
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Rank 69. Sons & Daughters
Contemporary
Harrison Cheney's tasting menu moves through fermented vegetables, foraged mushrooms, and carefully butchered seafood with the precision of Nordic technique and the warmth of British comfort—a quail egg wrapped in sausage, rutabaga noodles glossed in pork fat and brown butter. Service matches the cooking's generosity.
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- AAA Four Diamonds
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Best Chef: California · Harrison Cheney
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Rank 70. Zentarou
Sushi
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Rank 71. Sandy's
Cajun & Creole
- San Francisco Chronicle 2025 · #22 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Top San Francisco Restaurants
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 72. True Laurel
Modern Cocktail Bar
- The Pinnacle Guide 2 Pins
- 50 Best 2025 · #64 · World's 50 Best Bars
- 50 Best 2026 · #14 · North America's 50 Best Bars
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Rank 73. Manitas Cafe
Salvadoran
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- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski - Atomic Workshop
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski - Atomic Workshop
- Eater 2021 · The Best New Restaurants in America
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Rank 75. Californios
Mexican
In a cavernous room alive with color and music, Chef Val M. Cantú channels Mexico's culinary depths through meticulous technique and daring reinvention. Tortillas—whether sourdough crisped with mezcal-battered cod or corn kissed with sesame—become the vehicle for a vision of Mexican cooking that feels both rooted and urgent.
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- 50 Best 2025 · #14 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Val M. Cantú
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- 50 Best 2026 · #41 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service · Kevin Diedrich
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Outstanding Bar
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Rank 77. Zazie
French
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
- The Infatuation The 21 Best Outdoor Dining Spots In SF
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- Punch Industry Icon
- Food & Wine 2025 · The 10 Top Bars in the US
- 50 Best 2026 · #100 · North America's 50 Best Bars
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Rank 79. Mister Jiu's
Modern Chinese
Brandon Jew's Cantonese cooking at Waverly Place marries Bay Area seasonality with classical technique—scallion milk bread that dissolves on the tongue, silken tofu studded with maitake and Sichuan pepper. His Peking duck arrives with whipped liver mousse, a flourish that captures his gift for taking tradition seriously without pretending it needs apology.
- 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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Rank 81. House of Prime Rib
Steakhouse
- Esquire 2025 · Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Hospitality
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Hospitality
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Rank 82. Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement
Southern
- 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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Rank 83. Copra
Kerala Indian
Chef Srijith Gopinathan channels Kerala's coastal traditions in a lush Fillmore Street dining room designed for lingering. A shell-on Konkan crab curry glistens with tamarind and dried chiles; fried chicken carries the perfume of street-food memory. The food wears its nostalgia unselfconsciously, indifferent to the room's contemporary gloss.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Srijith Gopinathan and Ayesha Thapar
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Srijith “Sri” Gopinathan
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 84. 7 Adams
Californian New American
Serena and David Fisher cook with unhurried confidence in this railway-style room, where a seasonal menu balances technique with restraint. Handmade pasta and carefully calibrated broths reveal a distinctly Californian sensibility, one that favors support over spectacle.
- 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 85. The Happy Crane
Modern Chinese
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
- Eater 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- The Infatuation The Hit List: New San Francisco Restaurants To Try Right Now
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Rank 86. Nari
Contemporary Thai
A dramatic room inside Hotel Kabuki sets the stage for Chef Pim Techamuanvivit's refined take on Thai cooking, where California ingredients meet intense aromatics and a deft hand with heat. A brick-red bumbai curry arrives with crispy fried eggplant and ethereal roti; grilled squid shares the plate with sticky-sweet pork jowl and chili-lime dressing. Family-style dining elevated.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- The Infatuation Dreaming of Lod Chong · The San Francisco Dessert Bucket List
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
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Rank 87. Niku Steakhouse
Japanese Steakhouse
A gold door admits you to Niku, where Chef Dustin Falcon tends his coals behind an 18-seat counter in a wood-lined room designed for theater. The beef tartare and bone marrow are preludes to steaks—a Tomahawk for two, an Imperial Wagyu filet with aged kimchi and bordelaise—executed with the precision of someone who understands that luxury steakhouse cooking is about restraint, not excess.
- World's 101 Best #49 · World's Best Steak Restaurants
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- The Infatuation #20 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
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Rank 88. Kiln
Nordic New American
Chef John Wesley's spare warehouse tasting menu channels Nordic preservation techniques—curing, drying, fermentation—into deceptively simple dishes of intricate craft. A puffed beef tendon or squab lacquered in burnt honey reveals the kitchen's balance of rusticity and refinement across each course.
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- Condé Nast Traveler 2024 · The best new restaurants in the world
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
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Rank 89. Zam Zam
Bar
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The modest storefront in NoPa fills with the smell of wood smoke and yeast by seven in the morning, its counter lined with bagels and challah pulled from an in-house oven. Nearly everything arrives from the kitchen—the bacon, the butter, the ambition—which gives the place the feeling of a breakfast operation that refuses to outsource its care.
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Rank 91. Maria Isabel
Mexican
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Rank 92. Izzy's
Steakhouse
A San Francisco steakhouse that has preserved its original warmth while refining itself for a new era, with dry-aged beef cooked over open flame and a bar that anchors the neighborhood's social life. The dining room balances timber and brass against understated polish, though service can waver.
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Rank 93. Jules
Sourdough Pizza
- Esquire 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- The Infatuation The 19 Best Pizza Places In San Francisco
- The Infatuation 2025 · #3 · San Francisco’s Best New Restaurants
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Rank 95. Presidio Kebab
Mediterranean
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Rank 96. Outerlands
American
At the edge of the city, in a weathered wood room, Outerlands bakes sourdough that draws pilgrims from across San Francisco—mahogany-dark, thickly sliced, served with house-cultured butter. The seasonal kitchen keeps things simple: roasted chicken with market vegetables, ragu Bolognese with tagliatelle, weekend pastries—each dish a vehicle for ingredient quality rather than technique.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 97. Birdsong
Contemporary
Open flames and assembly-at-table theatrics define Christopher Bleidorn's cooking, where lacquered quail arrives with grilled rolls to be built like Peking duck. The whimsy persists through each course—from creek trout roe suspended in kelp kombucha to lemon mochi concealing blueberries and crème fraîche—a kitchen that treats fire and precision as equal partners.
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Rank 98. Ken
Japanese
An unmarked door on Divisadero opens into Chef Ken Ngai's six-seat counter, where Hong Kong training meets Bay Area sensibility through nigiri topped with cured egg yolk and preserved plum alongside composed plates of silky chawanmushi and poached ikura in ume broth. The cozy intimacy here feels earned rather than affected.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Infatuation #6 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
- The Infatuation The 14 Best Restaurants In The Lower Haight
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Rank 99. Routier
French
On California Street, Routier marries French bistro traditions with what the Bay Area grows best: Dungeness crab atop buttery potato pavé, pork cheeks on creamy lentils with mustard greens and apple. Chef JP Carmona's cooking is casual yet precise, the room welcoming, and the desserts—sourced from neighboring B. Patisserie—deserve their own reservation.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Infatuation Chocolate Mousse · The San Francisco Dessert Bucket List
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Rank 100. Alexander's Steakhouse
American/Japanese