The Best Nordic Food in San Francisco
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The best Nordic food in San Francisco, according to the experts: the Michelin Guide, AAA, and The 50 have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Sons & Daughters comes out on top.
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Rank 1. Sons & Daughters
Nordic
Wood-paneled walls and an open kitchen that puts the chefs on something like a stage set the scene at this Mission District tasting menu restaurant, where Harrison Cheney runs a Nordic-inflected program on Californian ingredients. Ferments, pickles, and smoked things do a lot of the work alongside hyper-seasonal produce. It holds two Michelin stars and a spot on North America's 50 Best list at number 45.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: 2 Stars
- AAA AAA: Four Diamonds
- The 50 The 50: #45 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
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Rank 2. Kiln
Modern Nordic
Hip-hop rattles through a spare warehouse space while tattooed cooks walk each course to the table, and that tension is the whole point of Kiln. Chef John Wesley runs a two-and-a-half-hour tasting menu that leans Nordic, leaning hard on curing, fermentation, and drying, though France and Japan show up too. It holds two Michelin stars, and the room, white tablecloths and all, takes absolutely none of that seriously.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: 2 Stars
- Condé Nast Traveler Condé Nast Traveler: The best new restaurants in the world
- Esquire Esquire: The Best New Restaurants in America
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- Condé Nast Traveler The best new restaurants in the world
- Esquire The Best New Restaurants in America
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Rank 3. Kantine
Nordic Bakery
Cardamom buns, jumbo jam thumbprints, and gingery caramel cookies set the tone at this Scandinavian café and bakery on Market Street. The menu leans seasonal, with tartines on sprouted rye and both sweet and savory porridges, but the flaky seed-topped pastry stuffed with soft scrambled eggs and molten havarti is what brings people back. Grab a sidewalk table and let the Market Street parade do its thing.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best brunch restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best bakeries in San Francisco Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best brunch restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best bakeries in San Francisco Bay Area