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Benu
Pan-Asian
A courtyard full of earthenware crocks, each housing a different fermentation experiment, is how Corey Lee introduces himself before you've touched a menu. Benu is a tasting menu restaurant in SoMa holding three Michelin stars, and the dining room's monastic quiet makes the food's color and technical audacity land harder. Lee's Korean roots fold into California's pantry across a long, ever-changing progression where restraint does more work than flash.
The awards strongest first
- AAA Five Diamonds
- Michelin Guide 3 Stars
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Five Star
- The 50 #33 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- The 50 Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award 2026 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants · Corey Lee
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- San Francisco Chronicle Best fine dining restaurants in San Francisco Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle #17 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
One number, weighted & current 98
How we scoreThe dishes from the writeups
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Faux shark's fin soup
“Lee's iconic faux shark's fin soup has been known to fool even food legends like Cecilia Chang.”
The 50 -
Roasted quail
“Dishes like pheasant gun-mandu or steamed eomuk of shellfish are worthy considerations, though the roasted quail is a standout.”
Michelin Guide -
Marinated mussel
“a too-pretty to eat marinated mussel, whose insides are threaded with glass noodles and colorful bands of vegetables”
San Francisco Chronicle, 2026 -
Xiao long bao
“Faux-shark's fin and xiao long bao are a delightful classic”
Michelin Guide
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The neighbors closest first
- W San Francisco Stay · 78
- Shoji Japanese Eat · 79
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Do · 62
- The Fly Trap American Eat · 66
- Papa Noodle Chinese Noodle Shop Eat · 60
- The Bird Eat · 60
- Cafe du Soleil French Eat · 65
- The St. Regis Hotel San Francisco Stay · 91
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