The Best Places to Eat and Drink in San Francisco
Sections
- Eat , on. Turn off 829 Only Eat
- Drink , on. Turn off 88 Only Drink
- Stay , off. Turn on 61 Only Stay
- Do , off. Turn on 26 Only Do
Tap to add or drop a section. At least one stays on. All sections
-
Rank 460. GADA
Sandwich Shop
The awards
-
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 18 Best Sports Bars In SF
-
Rank 460. Golden Era
Vegan Vietnamese Noodle Shop
The pho broth here is light and fragrant with onion and ginger, and the soy-protein brisket has enough chew to make you question your assumptions. This all-vegan Asian restaurant, connected to the Loving Hut network, runs through a long menu of pad Thai, wonton soup, and claypot rice without any of it feeling like a consolation prize. It's a Civic Center lunch spot with real intentions and very reasonable prices.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the SF Bay Area
-
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 18 Best Sports Bars In SF
-
Rank 460. Goldenette
American
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
-
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: The Best Coffee in the Bay Area
-
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 18 Best Sports Bars In SF
-
Rank 460. Haleluya Ethiopian Gourmet
Ethiopian
A smoothie shop and casual Ethiopian eatery sharing the same strip-mall storefront in Fremont, which sounds like a contradiction until you're sitting under the art with a flavored latte and a plate of lamb tibs on injera. Breakfast runs to spiced fava beans and jalapeño-flecked scrambles, and the apricot smoothie does real work against the heat. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's best Ethiopian spots.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Ethiopian restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Pinball machines, vintage hats for sale, and bags of Flossie cotton candy set the tone at this neighborhood deli, which leans hard into sandwich-shop whimsy, pun names and all. The menu takes vegetarians seriously, not as an afterthought but as an actual mission, with options built around wild mushrooms and goat cheese rather than just meat subtracted. Sandwiches with names like Shrooms over My Hammy, rosemary and all, do the arguing for the rest.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best sandwich spots in the Bay Area
-
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: The Best Coffee in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Healthyish Republic
Turkish
A weekend Turkish breakfast served in a Mission lifestyle café is a good thing to keep quiet about. Healthyish Republic pitches itself at the keto-and-paleo crowd, but on Fridays through Sundays it sets out a spread of cheeses, vegetables, and dips across a dozen small dishes, portioned for two. The kaymak, clotted cream pooled in honey and dusted with pistachio, sits somewhere between yogurt and cream cheese and goes on warm pita.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best brunch restaurants in the Bay Area
-
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: The Best Coffee in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Hi Tops
Beer Bar
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 18 Best Sports Bars In SF
-
Rank 460. Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood
Cantonese
Perched at the water's edge in Emeryville with a full view of the San Francisco skyline, this dim sum restaurant leans hard into old-school banquet hall grandeur, crystal chandeliers, guardian lion statues, and furniture that screams wedding reception. The classics anchor the menu, barbecue buns, siu mai, lotus leaf sticky rice, and the salt and pepper calamari that nobody expects but everyone orders twice. Dim sum runs into the evening, which is rarer than you'd think.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best dim sum restaurants in the SF Bay Area
-
A takeout window on Hyde with over two dozen sauce options for chicken wings, which is either a gift or a crisis depending on your decisiveness. The Korean buldak runs genuinely hot, and the lemon pepper wet fans of "Atlanta" will recognize the reference. Cheeky aphorisms and house rules cover the windows, so there's something to read while you decide. Cash in hand, no seat required.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best fried chicken restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. ID Cafe
Indian
Sixteen dosa configurations is the move at this South Indian casual spot inside Stoneridge Mall, where the crepes come out shatteringly crisp and the kitchen doesn't treat mall traffic as an excuse to coast. The Hyderabad bandi dosa, stuffed with chopped vegetables in a lentil-ginger sauce, arrives with a tomato chutney worth ordering extra. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's top South Asian restaurants, which is a lot to carry for a food court neighbor.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Indian, Pakistani, and South Asian restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Hanging ivies, bamboo lanterns, and a menu that opens with raw blue crab tucked into an Isaan papaya salad, which is either the dish that converts you or sends you to the safer side of the menu. This Thai restaurant in San Carlos leans hard into northeastern Thailand, where the food runs funky, sour, and intensely aromatic. The grilled pork jowl with its house fish sauce dip is the kind of thing regulars order before they sit down.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Thai restaurants in the SF Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Izakaya An
Japanese
An izakaya tucked into a Concord strip mall, with the emphasis firmly on kobachi, the small bites meant to be eaten slowly alongside sake or shochu. The menu front-loads little plates that pair well with drinks, while heartier bento sets and grilled meats occupy the back half for anyone who came hungry. When you order a shochu sour, the proprietor walks over and squeezes the citrus at your table, which sets the tone immediately.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Japanese restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Jungdon Katsu
Japanese
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best fried chicken restaurants in the Bay Area
-
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: The Best Coffee in the Bay Area
-
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 18 Best Sports Bars In SF
-
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: The Best Coffee in the Bay Area
-
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: The Best Coffee in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. L'Ardoise
French
A red velvet curtain meets you at the door of this Duboce Triangle bistro, fully separating the street from a dim, burgundy-and-dark-wood room that could pass for a family hotel in Dijon. Coq au vin, duck confit, and house-made pâtés hold down the menu, and the île flottante is the kind of dessert that makes you briefly forget you're in San Francisco. Stepping back through that curtain afterward feels like returning from somewhere farther away.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best French restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. La Casita Chilanga
Mexican
A torta shop on the Peninsula with over 20 variations stacked into crusty telera bread, grilled until the crust is crosshatched and the inside is a soft collapse of queso fresco, refried beans, caramelized onion, avocado, and chipotle. The Cubana piles on breaded steak, ham, pork leg, chorizo, and turkey sausage, which is either excess or the point, depending on your appetite. Seating is sparse, so most people take theirs to go.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Mexican restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. La Parilla Loca
Tijuana Taqueria
The charcoal grill at this Oakland taco truck runs hot enough to split chorizo links open for maximum char, which tells you everything about the priorities here. Tijuana-style tacos, asada at the center, the smoke doing real work on every bite. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's best tacos, which tracks when you're standing in the little line that forms between the truck and the grill.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best tacos in the SF Bay Area
-
A Mexican grocery and taqueria that has been making its own tortillas and masa since forever, La Tapatia is the kind of place where the carnitas come out of trays in the front and into your burrito in the back. The chile relleno burrito, built around a melty cheese-stuffed poblano, is the move. Everything is made in-house, it's takeout only, and the San Francisco Chronicle has called it one of the Bay Area's finest.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Mexican restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Lavash
Persian
Persian cooking is rare in San Francisco, and Lavash has been one of the city's few serious addresses for it. The kebab plates arrive piled over rice on wide sheets of flatbread, which is both a practical move and a slightly theatrical one. The tahdig, all crackle and crust, is the thing regulars come back for. Tables spill into a roofed parklet when the Sunset fog cooperates, which is optimistic but charming.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Middle Eastern restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Le Central
French
Le Central's neon sign above Bush Street has been announcing the cassoulet day count for what feels like forever, and the number is well into the five figures. This is an old-school French bistro, white tablecloths against exposed brick, curved booths, faux stained glass overhead. The cassoulet, duck and sausage and beans in a sauce that folds in a bit of the previous day's batch, is the reason regulars never open the menu.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best French restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Le Dix-Sept
French Bakery
A pink-and-purple French bakery in Potrero Hill where the canelés arrive with a deeply caramelized crust and a custardy, rum-scented interior. The menu rotates around French technique with a tropical detour: passion fruit, calamansi, coconut lavender. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's best bakeries, which feels obvious the moment the smell of vanilla and rum reaches you at the door.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best bakeries in San Francisco Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Le Parc Bistrobar
French
Bruno Chemel ran one of the Peninsula's more ambitious tasting-menu restaurants for years; this is not that. Le Parc Bistrobar, tucked into a hotel near Union Square, is a French bistro and cocktail bar that leans classic, with oxtails braised in red wine until the meat nearly dissolves into the sauce. Christie Chemel's cocktail list runs deep on Chartreuse and Pineau des Charentes, which is either a selling point or a warning depending on your relationship with French liqueurs.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best French restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Little Lucca
Italian
The garlic sauce at this South San Francisco sandwich shop has its own cult following, which tells you something about the commitment level here. The sandwiches are legendarily large, large enough that ordering two for yourself draws concerned looks from strangers. Bread holds everything together with more authority than the deli meats deserve. A San Francisco Chronicle pick for the Bay Area's best sandwich spots, and a genuine test of anyone nearby.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best sandwich spots in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Lou's
Californian Pan-Asian
A J-shaped yellow bar and a handful of stools are the entire dining room at this takeout-only shack in San Rafael, and most people just grab their box and go. The menu changes constantly, sometimes the morning of, and things sell out. The chef pulls from various Asian cuisines and California seasonality, so one week it's pork in black vinegar caramel over rice, the next it's ceviche salad. Call ahead or arrive early, and arrive with no fixed idea of what you want.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: #60 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best restaurants in Marin County: Sausalito, Novato and San Rafael
- San Francisco Chronicle #60 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best restaurants in Marin County: Sausalito, Novato and San Rafael
-
Rank 460. Lucia's Craft Sandwich
Italian
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best sandwich spots in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Masterpiece Coffee
Chinese Coffee Shop
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: The Best Coffee in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Mela Bistro
Ethiopian
Tuna kitfo is the order that sets this Ethiopian bistro apart, raw minced fish in place of the usual beef, melting in a way that earns the detour to Uptown Oakland. The vegetarian platter covers the classics well, and if you make it to dessert, the teff chocolate cake is a quietly clever use of injera's starring grain. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's best Ethiopian spots, which tracks.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Ethiopian restaurants in the Bay Area
-
The fried oyster mushrooms arrive tempura-crisp and somehow juicy underneath, which is the kind of thing that makes you stop mid-sentence. Millennium is a full-service vegan restaurant in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood, been around forever, and still the kind of place where the menu takes real technique seriously rather than just swapping out the meat. A la carte most nights, prix fixe on weekends.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the SF Bay Area
-
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: The Best Coffee in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Mirchi Cafe
Pakistani
Fried chicken ordered to order is the move at this Pakistani-American fast-casual mini-chain, a longtime staple for the halal community in the East Bay. The bird comes out of the fryer with a bumpy, spiced coating and buttermilk-tender meat underneath. The menu wanders cheerfully into chicken tikka pizza and Desi-style burgers, and the Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's top fried chicken spots.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best fried chicken restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Mujiri
Sushi
Each day's fish selection goes up on Instagram before you order, which is either the future of sushi or just a very good system. Mujiri is a takeout-only sushi shop in Oakland where the fish comes in from Japan and arrives in a wooden box arranged on bamboo leaves. The nigiri combo is a tight, concise menu done with real care, and the squid is cut to look like a feather boa, which sounds absurd until you see it.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Sushi Restaurants in San Francisco Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Munch India
Indian
A wok that produces real smoky hei on Indo-Chinese noodles is a good sign you're not at a standard curry house. Munch India is a casual South Asian restaurant in Berkeley that draws from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, with California produce and the occasional Japanese ingredient folded into the mix. The menu rotates monthly, kebabs go over hardwood charcoal, and everything is available for takeout and delivery.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Indian, Pakistani, and South Asian restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Mymy
American
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
-
Rank 460. Naranjos Taqueria
Michoacán Taqueria
The barbacoa draws the crowd to this Michoacan-style taqueria in Redwood City, but the deeper menu rewards regulars who order cachete or nervio, the latter sticky with gelatinous fat in a way that takes some commitment. Everything arrives folded on yellow corn tortillas with a tangy salsa verde. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's finest tacos. It's small, parking is a project, and the whole experience costs almost nothing.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best tacos in the SF Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Nieves Cinco De Mayo
Dessert
The awards
-
Rank 460. Norte 54
Mexican Bakery
Conchas that are fluffy with just enough density to feel substantial without tipping into sweet are Norte 54's calling card, and they're worth tracking down. This pop-up bakery rotates through Mexican pastries and desserts: buñuelos one week, tres leches cake the next, all rooted in nostalgia and sharpened by pastry technique. Catch it at Mission Mercado, Grand Coffee, or Nopalito, depending on the week.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best bakeries in San Francisco Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Northern China BBQ
Northern Chinese
Meat on a stick is the organizing principle here, and the sticks arrive loaded, ten pieces high, with lamb cubes, duck tongues, and frog legs all in the rotation. This Jilin-style BBQ spot in the Inner Sunset is the kind of place that makes vegetarianism feel like a personal attack, though the potato discs and tofu skins are quietly essential. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's best Chinese restaurants.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Chinese food and restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Oakland Flea Market
Mexican
Every weekend, a sprawling outdoor food market assembles near the Oakland Flea Market, and the density of good options is almost unfair. A towering al pastor trompo gets shaved to order, while a stand called Las Cazuelas works through a rotation of clay-pot guisados that taste like someone's grandmother is running the operation. Carnitas, chicharron by the pound, stuffed gorditas. Bring cash, bring an appetite, and resist the urge to commit to a plan.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Mexican restaurants in the Bay Area
-
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: The Best Coffee in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. One Piece Lamian
Chinese Muslim Noodle Shop
A Lanzhou-style hand-pulled noodle shop in a Fremont strip mall where the broth is somehow both chile-fierce and quietly soothing at the same time. The signature beef noodle soup comes with stretchy flat noodles pulled to your chosen width, tender beef, and floating coins of radish. Start with the pigs ears in chile oil if you know what's good for you. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's best Chinese restaurants.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Chinese food and restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Pacific Lighthouse
Cantonese
Floor-to-ceiling windows face the marina, and the room leans into it with a chandelier big enough to mean business. This is a dim sum hall in Alameda, the check-box slip-and-tray kind, with a menu that mixes traditional and modern. The baked pork puffs, shiny and sesame-flecked, are the thing to track down when the cart comes by. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's best dim sum.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best dim sum restaurants in the SF Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Pakwan Restaurant
Indian
Halal tandoori from a wood-fired oven and curries priced so low you'll order three things you didn't plan to, at a Pakistani-Indian restaurant that's been a Tenderloin fixture long enough to feel like infrastructure. The chickpea masala and chicken tikka masala are the moves, with naan arriving in quantities that suggest the kitchen is rooting for you. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the top South Asian spots in the Bay Area.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Indian, Pakistani, and South Asian restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Papas Con Pollo El Buen Gusto
Food Truck
A Guatemalan street food stand on International Boulevard in Fruitvale, where thin-coated fried chicken goes into the fryer after you order it, and the fries come out zigzagged with mayo, ketchup, and Picamas, a tangy green salsa. The crowd reflects the neighborhood's Guatemalan community, and the San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's top fried chicken spots. Bring cash.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best fried chicken restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Parekoy Lutong Pinoy
Authentic Filipino
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best brunch restaurants in the Bay Area
-
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best bakeries in San Francisco Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Pâtisserie Rotha
French Bakery
The doors close at 11 a.m. and the croissants are often gone well before that, which means showing up to this small French patisserie in Albany is a bit like gambling, but with better odds if you arrive early. The plain croissant is the one people reorganize their mornings for, thin-layered and butter-crisp. Canelés, kouign amann, and egg custard tarts fill out the short menu until they don't.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best bakeries in San Francisco Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Pearl Bay Tea House
Dim sum Chinese
Lazy Susans on every large table and clubby blue ceiling lights give this San Leandro dim sum house more party energy than you'd expect from a shopping plaza. The menu runs through the classics: taro cakes, pork siu mai, rice rolls stuffed with shrimp and yellow chives. The shrimp balls arrive so crunchy that staff split them tableside with scissors, which is a small performance worth witnessing. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's top dim sum spots.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best dim sum restaurants in the SF Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Petite Lil's
French
The North Beach spot that used to be the legendary Washbag is now Petite Lil's, a French bistro that seems perpetually mid-renovation, with paint swatches on the walls and a sawhorse in the corner whose handler has quietly relocated to a barstool. The menu leans French, running from a proper omelet to a tomahawk steak with anchovy butter, and bone marrow arrives with an optional green Chartreuse luge, which is exactly the kind of upsell you say yes to.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best French restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Pho Auntie 7
Vietnamese
Pho Auntie 7 started as a home kitchen before becoming Castro Valley's go-to Vietnamese spot, and the soul of that origin still shows. It's a casual sit-down restaurant where the soups are good but the street food is the reason to linger: crispy banh xeo crepes stuffed with pork and shrimp, and chewy steamed banh beo rice cakes. Wash either down with fresh sugarcane juice or a salty plum soda and you're in no rush to leave.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: The best Vietnamese restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Ponsford's Place
Bakery
A one-baker whole-grain bakery in San Rafael that runs on a newsletter, pre-orders, and the constant threat of selling out before you've finished your coffee. The baker behind it competed at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie, which is the bread Olympics, and he won, but the menu here is squarely about whole grains, not trophies. Stock changes weekly, walk-ins get what's left, and the San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's best bakeries.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best bakeries in San Francisco Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Porridge & Things
Teochew
Teochew rice porridge, served in a clay pot, is what draws people to this casual Millbrae spot, and it does the job quietly and well. The gingery porridge is technically for two but has a way of multiplying when chive pancakes and an order of Chinese doughnuts join the table. Pick your add-ons, crab and prawn being the house move, then customize the bowl with scallions and preserved olive vegetables at the table.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Chinese food and restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Punjabi Kitchen
Indian
Punjabi Kitchen is tucked inside an Indian grocery and beer store, which means you could walk right past it and just buy a six-pack. Don't. The family-run dining room doubles as a craft beer taproom, and the combination of vegetable biryani, potato-stuffed parathas, and a flight of local ales turns out to feel completely logical. El Sobrante is not exactly a dining destination, which is exactly why the regulars here look so pleased with themselves.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Indian, Pakistani, and South Asian restaurants in the Bay Area
-
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 18 Best Sports Bars In SF
-
Rank 460. Rico Rico Taco
Mexican
The handmade corn tortillas here taste like an actual ear of corn decided to become a taco, and they're sturdy enough to hold the juiciest fillings without folding on you. This taqueria sits near Lake Merritt, which makes eating outside feel less like a picnic and more like a civic event. Classic fillings, snappy carrot pickles, and carnitas that manage to be both chewy and crisp, from a team that grew up in East Oakland taco royalty.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Mexican restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Rose La Moon Thai Food & Desserts
Southern Thai
Hat Yai-style fried chicken is the reason to know this casual Berkeley Thai spot, where a rice flour batter does double duty as marinade and delivers a thin, shattering crust topped with fried shallots. You order from a touch screen, the staff will walk you through the menu, and the sweet chile sauce that comes alongside is fine, but the prik nam pla is the move.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best fried chicken restaurants in the Bay Area
-
A photo of Keanu Reeves in the window is this Tenderloin Thai spot's unofficial marquee, and the barbecued pork shoulder is the reason he keeps coming back. The fish sauce marinade gets charred on a grill and turns up three ways: over fried rice, in a salad with toasted rice powder, or straight with a dipping sauce. A cash-and-plastic neighborhood joint where the regulars look comfortable enough to be furniture.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Thai restaurants in the SF Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Salam Halal Market
Yemeni
A halal market in West Oakland where the grocery aisles give way to a dining room out back serving pita sandwiches, mixed grill plates, and a rotating spread of Yemeni specialties. The saltah, a lamb and fenugreek soup served in a stone bowl, arrives bubbling and practically orders the flatbread for you. Stock your pantry, grab lunch, or do both, which most people here seem to be doing.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Middle Eastern restaurants in the Bay Area
-
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 18 Best Sports Bars In SF
-
Rank 460. Sandwich Board
American
The squat brick building on Webb Avenue smells like Thanksgiving every single day, because Sandwich Board roasts its turkey in-house and has been doing so forever. This old-school deli counter is an Alameda institution, and regulars have been known to walk in, say nothing, and walk out with exactly what they wanted. The Dutch crunch sandwiches are the move, loaded with that carved turkey alongside avocado and pepperoncinis.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best sandwich spots in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. SanJalisco
Mexican
The name itself tells the story: "San" for San Francisco, "Jalisco" for the Mexican state where the family's roots are. This homey, generations-run breakfast and lunch spot on South Van Ness has been feeding the Mission's hangovers with chilaquiles and huevos rancheros for decades. The weekend birria special draws its own crowd, served either as a rich stew or dry with the broth alongside, which is the move.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Mexican restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Smoke Soul Kitchen
Southern
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
-
A cioppino so loaded with Dungeness crab, mussels, scallops, and clams that the bowl barely closes is the reason most people show up to this old-school North Beach seafood house. The parklet on Green Street buzzes like the neighborhood's living room, and the Boston clam chowder travels home in quart containers for those who plan ahead. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's top seafood restaurants.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best seafood restaurants in the Bay Area
-
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 18 Best Sports Bars In SF
-
The orange dining room sits next door to a movie theater, which the regulars treat as a snack-supply opportunity. Star Chaat is a cheerful, family-packed Indian chaat restaurant with a vast vegetarian menu, the kind of place where the whole wheat chaat baskets and a coriander-heavy veggie burger keep the tables full without any help from the multiplex. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's best South Asian restaurants.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Indian, Pakistani, and South Asian restaurants in the Bay Area
-
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 18 Best Sports Bars In SF
-
Rank 460. Stella Pastry
Italian Bakery
The awards
-
Rank 460. Suruki Supermarket
Japanese
The sashimi-grade fish counter is the reason most people make the drive to this Japanese grocery and prepared-foods shop in San Mateo. Pick up hand-rolled onigirazu stuffed with Spam and egg, seaweed salad by the pound, or one of around twenty bento options at lunch. Pre-cut sashimi gets discounted toward closing, which the regulars have long figured out.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Japanese restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Tacos Al Pastor Estilo Puebla
Pueblan Taqueria
A trompo of ruby-red pork spins under a blue canopy near the Oakland Flea Market, sliced thin onto tortillas with a technique that keeps the edges crisp every time. This Pueblan taco stand tops each one with a slab of pineapple that pulls the chile marinade into focus. Get there early while the spit is still full. The gringa, a small al pastor quesadilla on flour tortilla, is worth the detour too.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best tacos in the SF Bay Area
-
A cart outside a Cardenas grocery store in East Oakland, where the vendor shouts "Tacos! Tacos de canasta!" loud enough to settle the question of where lunch is. Tacos de canasta are a Mexico City staple rarely spotted in the Bay, and this stand does them straight: steamed basket tacos stuffed with chicharron, pollo con mole, or papas con chorizo, pulled from baskets lined in red picnic cloth, with pickled veggies and a chimichurri aioli that overperform for the price.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best tacos in the SF Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Tacos El Charro
Mexican
A spinning trompo in the window is the whole argument for this Mission District taco stand. Thin-shaved al pastor lands straight from the spit onto the tortilla, pineapple shard included, with three salsas on the side ranging from tangy to genuinely punishing. The tripas are the quiet move, especially ordered doraditas, fried until crispy. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the best tacos in the Bay Area, which feels about right from the sidewalk.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best tacos in the SF Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Tacos El Panzon
Chavinda-style Mexican
The salsa flies through the air here, literally flicked by spoon onto your tacos in a move that's part performance, part seasoning strategy. This Chavinda-style taqueria in Richmond cooks its meats together in one enormous steel cauldron, so the chorizo, al pastor, and beef all end up in each other's business. Mix and match fillings at no extra cost. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's finest tacos, which explains the weekend wait.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best tacos in the SF Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Tacos Gonzalez
Tijuana Taqueria
Mesquite smoke is the advertisement here, drifting into Foothill Boulevard long before you spot the food truck parked in a doughnut shop lot. This is a Tijuana-style taqueria, the charcoal grill set up out front where it can do the most damage. Meats come properly baptized in smoke, wrapped in paper the traditional way, with thick guacamole on the side. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's finest tacos, and the line makes that case without any help.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best tacos in the SF Bay Area
-
The awards
- Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times: The 101 Best Restaurants in California
-
Rank 460. Tacos Mi Reynita
Mexican
Mesquite coals keep the asada lightly charred and the chorizo properly crisp at this Oakland taco truck, and the tortillas are pressed by hand, which changes the math on everything else. The Villa family runs it Tijuana-style, so each taco arrives wrapped in a paper cone with a thick scoop of guacamole. The grilled meats draw the crowd, but the fatty cabeza with salsa verde is what the regulars know to order.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Mexican restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Tacos Mi Reynita
Mexican
Mesquite coals do the heavy lifting at this taqueria in San Lorenzo, where the smoke gets into the chorizo and the asada before anything else happens. The Villa family presses tortillas by hand and wraps each taco into a paper cone Tijuana-style, with a thick scoop of guacamole tucked in. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the best tacos in the Bay Area. The fatty cabeza with salsa verde is the one regulars order without looking up.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best tacos in the SF Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Tacos Oscar
Mexican
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: #19 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Tane Vegan Izakaya
Vegan Sushi
Tomato nigiri, marinated and roasted until it snaps like fish, is probably the argument you'd make to a skeptic. Tane is a vegan izakaya and sushi spot in Berkeley, a sibling to San Francisco's Shizen, where the rice is taken seriously and the plant-based fills lean toward smoked beets and pickled fruit rather than an avocado-forward shrug. The crowd skews Berkeley in all the ways you'd expect, but the food is doing something more interesting than the neighborhood cliché suggests.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the SF Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Taqueria La Venganza
Vegan Mexican
The wheat-fiber "asada" is marinated in beer and smoke until it tastes like a backyard grill, which is a reasonable way to open an argument. This snug Oakland taqueria makes the case that vegan tacos don't need an asterisk, with in-house fillings, mushroom carnitas with real richness, and horchata that holds its own. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the best tacos in the Bay Area, vegan or otherwise implied.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best tacos in the SF Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Tây Hồ
Vietnamese
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: The best Vietnamese restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Tekka
Sushi
An 11-seat sushi bar in the Inner Richmond where the nigiri run thick enough to make you reconsider everything you thought you knew about portion sizes. There's no menu to study; you sit down and eat what the kitchen sends out. The hand-written notes covering the walls suggest regulars have feelings about this. A line forms well before the 6 p.m. seating, so arriving early is less a tip than a requirement.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Sushi Restaurants in San Francisco Bay Area
-
Rank 460. Terra Cotta Warrior
Shaanxi
The biang-biang noodles here get their name from the sound of dough hitting the counter, which tells you something about the kitchen's priorities. This Outer Sunset restaurant serves Shaanxi cooking, wheat-forward and spiced from the Silk Road, with lamb playing a starring role across the menu. The owner, a former photographer from Xi'an, hung the mauve walls with art and a large shot of the terracotta army, giving the room more personality than the neighborhood expects.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Chinese food and restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. The Big Four
Old-school American
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Hit List: New San Francisco Restaurants To Try Right Now
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Martinis In San Francisco
- The Infatuation The Hit List: New San Francisco Restaurants To Try Right Now
- The Infatuation The Best Martinis In San Francisco
-
Rank 460. The Bird
Fried chicken American
The spicy fried chicken sandwich here comes dressed with apple slaw and pickles, hot enough to make you notice but not so hot you regret your choices. This casual counter-service chicken shack on Hayes Street keeps a line at lunch, though two self-serve kiosks move things along. Wings come with drum, flat, and tip still attached, which purists appreciate. Outdoor tables handle the overflow when the compact room fills up.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best fried chicken restaurants in the Bay Area
-
The Boardroom is a North Beach sports bar that seems to have more screens than anywhere else in the neighborhood, yet the walls hold surfboards and skateboards instead of signed jerseys, with slushy machines standing in for a trophy case. It feels closer to a casual meet-up than a game-day shrine, so you can show up without a team allegiance. On Monday Night Football the wings drop to 50 cents each, and the honey garlic is the move.
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 18 Best Sports Bars In SF
-
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: The Best Coffee in the Bay Area
-
Chimaek, the Korean pairing of fried chicken and cold beer, is the whole point at this Castro Valley spot. Wings come out of the fryer already tossed in sauce, which means the glaze sets into a proper crunch rather than going soggy. Soy garlic and gochujang are the crowd favorites, and the pickled radish on the side does real work against the sweetness. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's best fried chicken spots.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best fried chicken restaurants in the Bay Area
-
Rank 460. The Front Porch
Southern
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 20 Best Brunch Spots In SF
-
Rank 460. The Lark Bar
Detroit-style Pizzeria
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 18 Best Sports Bars In SF
-
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: #17 · The 25 Best Restaurants In SF
-
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 18 Best Sports Bars In SF
-
Rank 460. Tio's Mediterranean Grill
Middle Eastern
Two Latino chefs who spent careers in Mediterranean kitchens run this casual East Bay restaurant, which wanders freely across Persian, Iraqi, and Afghani cooking without planting a flag in any one of them. The menu splits into grilled and sautéed plates, both arriving with vivid yellow basmati rice. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's top Middle Eastern spots, which tracks for a room this unpretentious doing food this specific.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Middle Eastern restaurants in the Bay Area
Page 6 of 10