The Top 100 Places to Eat Near The Hotel Castro
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Rank 1. Anchor Oyster Bar
Old-School Seafood
This Castro seafood counter has been around forever, and the line out the door on any given night tells you everything you need to know. It's tiny, cash-register-and-checkered-tablecloth old-school, better suited for a date than a group. The oysters are the real deal, the cioppino is the reason regulars never open the menu, and the Bib Gourmand keeps the secret only barely a secret.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- San Francisco Chronicle Best seafood restaurants in the Bay Area
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 2. 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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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 4. Beit Rima
Palestinian Middle Eastern
Beit Rima is a Middle Eastern small-plates spot where the room is as loud and maximalist as the food, giant pink roses on the walls, vintage plates everywhere, a Turkish coffee set hanging from the ceiling. The chef grew up eating this food, and it shows: Lebanese, Palestinian, and Jordanian flavors that feel personal rather than generic. Order a bunch of things and share them, which is exactly what everyone in here is already doing.
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Middle Eastern restaurants in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation #18 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
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Rank 5. Ken
Omakase Japanese
Six seats, no sign on the door, and a chef who genuinely seems to enjoy surprising you. Ken is an omakase counter in the Lower Haight where the nigiri leans creative without being weird about it, and the small plates tend to steal the show anyway. The room is intimate in the way that actually means intimate, not just small. Expect a crowd that researched this pretty carefully before showing up.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Infatuation #6 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Sushi Restaurants in San Francisco Bay Area
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Rank 6. Good Good Culture Club
Southeast Asian Vietnamese
The neon sign above the open kitchen asks "did you eat yet?" and the correct answer, upon arrival, is definitely no. This buzzy Mission small-plates spot earns its Bib Gourmand by running Southeast Asian flavors through a very California lens, and the results feel genuinely inventive without being precious about it. Reservations go fast, but bar seats are fair game early or late, and the tropical cocktails are a solid reason to linger.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Bon Appétit 2022 · America's Best New Restaurants
- San Francisco Chronicle Best restaurants for outdoor dining in the Bay Area
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Rank 7. Pizzeria Delfina
Neapolitan Pizza
- Sunset 2025 · California Classics · Where to Eat and Drink
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
- Time Out The 12 best restaurants in the Mission
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Rank 8. Loló
Californian Mexican
- Esquire 2024 · Mandarini · The Best Martinis in America
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar – U.S. West
- Time Out The 12 best restaurants in the Mission
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Rank 9. 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
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
- San Francisco Chronicle Best seafood restaurants in the Bay Area
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Rank 10. Mission Chinese Food
Chinese
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Rank 11. Delfina
Italian
Delfina is the neighborhood trattoria that basically invented the Mission's restaurant scene, and it's been quietly excellent ever since. The room is warm and unhurried, full of regulars who know exactly what they're ordering before they sit down. The pasta is the kind of simple that takes years to get right, and the anchovy dishes have a cult following for good reason. Cash in your carb credits before you show up.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Italian food and restaurants in SF Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #28 · 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 12. 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
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Rank 13. Sandy's
NOLA sandwiches
A tiny sandwich shop on Haight that does one thing the rest of San Francisco mostly ignores: the New Orleans muffuletta. You're choosing between meat or mushroom, both stacked with olive spread and pressed into a tidy triangle that looks like a slice of pie. The crowd is mostly locals who've quietly decided this beats the burrito place. Grab a seat inside if you can, or just take it to the park like everyone else.
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #23 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best sandwich spots in the Bay Area
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 14. Jules
Pizza
- Esquire 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #12 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation 2025 · #3 · San Francisco’s Best New Restaurants
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Rank 15. 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 vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the SF Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Sushi Restaurants in San Francisco Bay Area
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Rank 16. Frances
Californian New American
Frances is a cozy neighborhood spot in the Castro that somehow feels both effortlessly local and genuinely special. The seasonal menu leans Californian with a Mediterranean drift, and everything tastes like someone's very talented aunt made it, which is the highest compliment. The crowd is a mix of regulars who've memorized the menu and date-nighters who just discovered it. Book ahead, it fills up fast.
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Rank 17. 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 18. 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 19. 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 20. Schlok's
Bagels
Schlok's is a proper bagel shop off the Panhandle that cures and smokes its own salmon in-house, which tells you everything about how seriously these people take a classic. The bagels are malty and thin-crusted, the schmear is aggressively briny in the best way, and the lox sandwich is the move. The line on weekends is mostly locals who already know this, plus a few visitors who found it online and feel very smug about it.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best bagels in the San Francisco Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 18 Best Restaurants In NoPa
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Rank 21. 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 22. GADA
Sandwiches
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Rank 23. 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 24. jū-ni
Omakase Sushi
A twelve-seat omakase counter just off Divisadero where the energy is younger and looser than the format usually allows. The team moves with the kind of confidence that makes a long tasting feel like a party rather than a ceremony. It draws the neighborhood's well-paid creative class, all smart-casual, leaning in. The nigiri is the heart of it, carefully sourced and precise without being stuffy about it.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Sushi Restaurants in San Francisco Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 18 Best Restaurants In NoPa
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- Esquire 2023 · Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- The Infatuation The Best Martinis In San Francisco
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Rank 26. 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 27. 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 28. 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 29. Beit Rima
Middle Eastern
A cozy Middle Eastern spot in Duboce Triangle that genuinely feels like someone's mom invited you over, mostly because that's the whole point. The name means "Rima's Home," and the team leans into it hard, with floral murals, Arab pop art, and portraits of legendary singers covering the walls. Come hungry and order mezze to share with whoever you dragged along. The crowd is neighborhood regulars who clearly never considered eating anywhere else.
- Condé Nast Traveler The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco for Casual Diners, Twelve-Course Tasting Counters, and Late-Night Eats
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 30. Piglet & Co
Taiwanese
- Eater 2023 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
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Rank 31. Fable
American
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Rank 32. 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 33. Lucinda's Deli
Sandwiches
Lucinda's is a takeout sandwich shop in NoPa with exactly zero interest in your modifications, which you'll forgive the moment you bite in. The sandwiches sound simple but the details are doing real work, think bagna cauda mayo and balsamic reductions on soppressata. Grab your order and walk five minutes to Alamo Square Park, where you'll eat on the grass next to people who definitely planned this better than you did.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best sandwich spots in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 18 Best Restaurants In NoPa
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Rank 34. Poesia
Calabrian Italian
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Rank 35. Itria
Italian
Fine dining on 24th Street that somehow doesn't feel like fine dining, just really good Italian food in a room full of people who seem genuinely happy to be there. The chef keeps things light and uncluttered, letting fresh seafood and excellent house-made pasta do the talking. It's the kind of place where you eat too much, order one more glass, and don't regret either decision.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Italian food and restaurants in SF Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #72 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
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Rank 36. Nopalito
Mexican
Nopalito is a cheerful, no-reservations Mexican spot in the Lower Haight where neighborhood families and couples packed into a snug, wood-accented room share plates without much ceremony. The kitchen takes a genuinely sustainable approach to the classics, so the food tastes more considered than your average taqueria. Go hungry and order widely, because the menu rewards it. Expect a wait, but the kind you'll stop minding once the food arrives.
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Rank 37. 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 38. Taqueria Cancún
Mexican
- The Infatuation The 11 Best Burritos In San Francisco
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Francisco
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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. 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 41. 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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A sunny, easygoing brunch spot in NoPa with antique stained glass and the kind of vibe that makes you linger way past your second cup. The Southern-leaning menu means French toast loaded with seasonal fruit and a rotating doughnut worth ordering while you wait. The owner wanders the room with a coffee pot like someone who genuinely wants you to stay. Weekend warriors and neighborhood regulars pack the place, all equally unhurried.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best brunch restaurants in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
- The Infatuation The 18 Best Restaurants In NoPa
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Rank 43. 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 44. Hamano Sushi
Sushi
Two restaurants share the same Noe Valley address here: a relaxed à la carte sushi spot up front, and a reservation-only omakase counter where the chef gets genuinely adventurous with aged fish, wasabi heat, and some funkier ingredients you won't see at your neighborhood roll joint. The wine list is surprisingly serious for a sushi place. Commit to the counter if your budget allows; the casual side is solid but a different experience entirely.
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Rank 45. Che Fico
Italian
Che Fico is a lively Italian taverna on Divisadero that somehow pulls off "rustic" while looking genuinely cool, with a crowd of stylish regulars who definitely had to fight for their reservation. The wood-fired oven does real work here, and the house-made salumi and pastas are the kind of thing that makes you order one more round just to keep eating. No walk-in table? Grab a bar seat and let the cocktail menu make that decision feel inspired.
- Bon Appétit 2018 · #7 · America's Best New Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · David Nayfeld
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 46. Saru Sushi Bar
Sushi
A lively neighborhood sushi bar in Noe Valley that draws a loyal crowd of locals who know to show up early because Saru doesn't take reservations. The menu leans traditional Japanese with a few California instincts worked in, and the nigiri is where regulars put their faith. A few omakase options give you a reason to just hand over the wheel and let the kitchen decide.
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Rank 47. 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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This cozy Duboce Triangle bistro feels like someone teleported a family-run Burgundy hotel to a quiet SF corner. You pass through a literal red velvet curtain to reach the candlelit room, and suddenly coq au vin and housemade pâté make complete sense. The menu plays a short rotation of French classics and plays them well, so just pick something and trust it. Regulars look like they found their spot years ago and never reconsidered.
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Rank 49. 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 50. 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 51. 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 52. Loquat
Jewish Bakery
Loquat is a cozy Jewish diaspora-inspired bakery on Gough that earned its chef a James Beard Award, which feels right the moment you walk in. The babka and pistachio cream puffs alone justify the trip, and every drink comes with a little cube of halva like it's the most normal thing in the world. The crowd is mostly Hayes Valley locals with good taste in tote bags, taking their time about it.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best bakeries in San Francisco Bay Area
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Kristina Costa
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Rank 53. 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 54. 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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- Bon Appétit 2023 · America's Best New Restaurants
- Esquire 2022 · #34 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
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Rank 56. Nightbird
Californian New American
A tasting menu spot in Hayes Valley where the food is as considered as the carved owl on the front door. The chef changes the menu with the seasons, so whatever lands on the table feels intentional rather than tired. Arrive early and duck into the adjacent Linden Room for a cocktail first, because the crowd here, the kind who wear a blazer like it was their idea, knows that's part of the deal.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Kim Alter
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Vegan Japanese that actually tastes like Japanese food, not a compromise. Cha-Ya has been around forever on Valencia, drawing the kind of Mission regulars who've long since stopped explaining why they're here to skeptical friends. Brothy soups, deep-fried tofu in dashi, sushi rolls with real textural payoff, all of it rustic and comforting rather than preachy. Grab a sidewalk table and order more than you think you need.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Japanese restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the SF Bay Area
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Rank 58. 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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Rank 59. 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 60. 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
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
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Rank 61. Neighbor's Corner
Coffee
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Rank 62. 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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Rank 63. 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 64. Kantine
Scandanavian-Inspired
A Scandinavian café on Market Street that takes baked goods very seriously, which is exactly the energy you want at 9am. The cardamom buns and gingery caramel cookies taste like someone spent a long, dark winter perfecting them. Grab a tartine on sprouted rye or post up on the sidewalk with coffee and watch the full spectrum of San Francisco walk past. The crowd is relaxed, laptop-friendly, and definitely in no rush.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best brunch restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best bakeries in San Francisco Bay Area
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Rank 65. 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 66. 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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Billingsgate is a seafood counter and market in Noe Valley where you can grab a bowl of poke or pick up something to cook at home, depending on how ambitious you're feeling. The ahi tuna poke is the thing people line up for, buttery and barely dressed, exactly as it should be. The crowd skews neighborhood regulars who look like they've been coming here since before you moved to the city.
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Rank 68. Marigold
Coffee
- Wine Enthusiast 2024 · Forward 50 Restaurants
- The Infatuation The Best Matcha Lattes In San Francisco
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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
- The New York Times 2021 · The Restaurant List
- Esquire 2021 · #15 · The Best New Restaurants in America
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Rank 70. 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 72. La Ciccia
Sardinian Italian
Noe Valley's favorite Sardinian spot is the kind of neighborhood restaurant that people genuinely panic about losing, and the new owner, a regular herself, kept everything intact. It's a cozy, intimate dinner-out kind of place where the menu is short, the seafood is serious, and bottarga shows up in ways that make you reconsider pasta entirely. Ask your server to steer you toward something from the Sardinian wine list and let them take it from there.
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Italian food and restaurants in SF Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best seafood restaurants in the Bay Area
- The Infatuation The 13 Best Pasta Restaurants In SF
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Norte 54 is a pop-up bakery doing elevated Mexican pastries across a few spots in the city, including the Mission Mercado farmers' market. The menu rotates, so you never quite know what you'll find, but the conchas alone are worth hunting it down. The crowd skews locals who actually know what a good concha tastes like, which tells you everything. Cash in hand, no dress code required.
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Rank 74. Barberio Osteria
Californian Italian
The team behind AltoVino opened this California-Italian osteria on Valencia, and it earns its place on a street full of strong opinions. The handmade pastas are the draw, but the kitchen treats every vegetable like it has something to prove, which is not something you can say about most pasta spots. It pulls a neighborhood crowd that actually lives nearby, which in the Mission still counts for something.
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Rank 75. 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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A family-run counter-service spot on Haight where the shawarma is carved from vertical spits and the hummus is absurdly smooth and creamy. The Ramallah-style falafel shatters the way good falafel should, and the portions are generous enough that you'll question your life choices trying to finish. Murals of desert scenes and camels cover the walls, and the whole vibe fits Haight Street perfectly: laid-back, unpretentious, and actually good.
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Rank 77. 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 78. Thorough Bread & Pastry
French-style Bakery
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Rank 79. El Buen Comer
Mexico City Mexican
Homestyle Mexico City cooking on the outer edge of the Mission, where the crowd is mostly neighbors who already know to get the guisados. The chef came up through La Cocina and runs a focused, no-fuss menu built around slow-braised mains, handmade corn tortillas, and salsas that actually have opinions. It's the kind of place where you mop the plate clean and then order dessert without feeling weird about it.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Mexican restaurants in the Bay Area
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in San Francisco Right Now
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Rank 80. 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 81. Dumpling Home
Chinese
Soup dumplings are the whole point at this casual dumpling shop in Hayes Valley, and the Michelin Bib Gourmand crowd eating elbow-to-elbow knows it. The skins are thin and the broth inside is genuinely good, with fillings beyond the standard pork, including a Sichuan numbing version that earns its spot on the menu. Everything is folded by hand, all day, and the bamboo steamers stacked on every table tell you exactly where you are.
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Rank 82. Nieves Cinco De Mayo
Dessert
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Rank 83. 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 84. El Castillito
Mexican
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Rank 85. Angie’s Pizza
Wood-fired Pizza
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Rank 86. 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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A proper taco stand on Mission Street with a spinning trompo out front, which in this city is not something you take for granted. The al pastor is the move, shaved thin and finished with a shard of pineapple the way it should be. Ask for the tripas doraditas if you're feeling bold. Three salsas on the counter, ranging from tangy to genuinely fiery. Regulars look like they've never once second-guessed their order.
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Rank 89. Stonemill Matcha
Japanese
- The Infatuation Matcha Cream Pie · The San Francisco Dessert Bucket List
- The Infatuation The Best Matcha Lattes In San Francisco
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A pink-and-purple pastry shop in Potrero Hill where French technique gets a tropical passport. The canelés are the thing: deeply caramelized shells giving way to a custardy rum-and-vanilla center that makes you briefly reconsider your whole life. Beyond that, the menu rotates through flavors most bakeries wouldn't dare touch. The crowd is mostly locals who look like they biked here and will absolutely be back tomorrow.
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Rank 91. 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 92. Woods Cole Valley
Beer Bar
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Rank 93. 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 94. Noodle in a Haystack
Ramen Noodles
A ramen omakase in the Richmond that landed on the New York Times restaurant list, which is a sentence you'll want to read twice. The team walks you through a multi-course tasting menu built entirely around noodles, and somehow it never feels gimmicky. The room is small, the tickets aren't cheap, and the crowd looks like people who planned this dinner weeks out and are thrilled they did.
- 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 95. 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
- The Infatuation Soft Serve Sundae · The San Francisco Dessert Bucket List
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Rank 96. Anatolian Table
Turkish
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A compact Mission taqueria that earns its stripes by going full Yucatecan instead of playing it safe. The cochinita pibil tacos are the move, slow-roasted pork with a tart punch and habanero heat that actually means business. Purple ube tortillas made in-house set the vibe, and the pastor negro, pork in black adobo, is the kind of thing regulars order without looking up. Bring cash and a little curiosity.
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Rank 98. 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 99. Taqueria El Buen Sabor
Mexican
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Rank 100. RT Rotisserie
New American
A casual rotisserie spot spun off from one of SF's most reliably good restaurants, RT does chicken in a way that makes you wonder why anyone bothers with anything else. The fried chicken sandwich has a devoted following for good reason, and the porcini fries are the kind of side dish that upstages the main. Grab food to go and find a patch of grass nearby, because that's exactly what the regulars already figured out.
- Bon Appétit 2018 · America's Best New Restaurants
- San Francisco Chronicle Best fried chicken restaurants in the Bay Area