Shelley Lindgren has crafted one of the best Italian wine programs in the country, service is gracious and chef Liza Shaw has kept the restaurant firing on all cylinders. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
This beer-centric restaurant has a mesmerizing display of glasses of every shape and size and an equally expansive menu. Pair a black lager with your grilled bison loin.
Chef Suzette Gresham-Tognetti’s refined Italian cuisine is exquisite, but don’t miss out on the superb wine service and enjoy some exciting Italian varietals. - Inspector
California-Indian cuisine means savory cheesecake in sun-dried tomato crust or spiced sea bass on a bed of sweet corn. – Green Guide Editor
This three-story resto offers menu selections from up and down the Indian subcontinent—not just northern India. Head to the buffet and try their dosa crepes and rasam soup, both from southern India. Read more.
Mix and match items from both the hot kitchen and the sashimi bar and it’s worth checking out the daily crudo special. - Inspector
Inspired flavor combinations—think 'bbq pork' with cornbread, mustard ash and licorice root—join a cocktail program and interior design that are best in their San Francisco class. [Eater 38 Member]
Dishes tell stories: "A Walk in the Forest" is an edible diorama of local mushrooms with white pine-dusted meringue. – Green Guide Editor
If price is not a concern, take the plunge and book a room, have a cocktail on the patio, a sunset dinner on the veranda, topped off with massages before bed. Ahhh. Read more.
Mourad Lahlou is a chef that should/will soon be on the national radar. His Cal-Moroccan cuisine is only getting better with three-star chef Louis Maldonado aboard. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
The menu changes nightly, but spaghetti and housemade meat dishes are continual hits. [Eater 38 Member]
Thanks to Nick Balla's ahead-of-the-curve Eastern European menus, this rustic neighborhood staple continues to be one of the hottest reservations in town. [Eater 38 Member]
The menu is a list of ingredients for a modernist French meal, from cauliflower + mussels to beef fillet to pistachio cake. – Green Guide Editor
Tapas are perfect any time of the day at this venue. Try baked eggs with chorizo and Manchego for breakfast, grilled ham and cheese bocadillos at noon, and sautéed pimientos de pardon for latenight.
Go hearty w/ boudin blanc or pan-seared skate, or light w/ toasted barley salad. Dessert is a must: crème caramel is perfect. – Green Guide Editor
Homey flavors and unexpected touches abound in chorizo with seared scallops or pork short ribs with kabocha squash. – Green Guide Editor
This farm-to-table-style restaurant takes pristine California ingredients and roasts them over a wood-burning hearth oven. The menu constantly changes, but try to go for weekend brunch. Read more.
Contemporary tones are deliciously clear in the samosas filled with duck spiced with garam masala. Try the key lime pie. – Green Guide Editor
The Cavalier is giving you exactly what you want with an all-day, every-day breakfast and lunch that also happens to be bacon-sandwich-level delicious. Read more.
Confidently unfussy California cuisine in a canopied, elegantly industrial space from Thomas McNaughton of Flour & Water.
Before Chez Panisse, practically nobody in America served onlyfresh local foods and wrote menus according to the season, if not the day. Read more.
Creative takes on antelope filet or poached lobster are a hit, but so are standards like duck breast and tuna tartare. – Green Guide Editor
Look for deliciously conceptual dishes like "earth and sea," combining tofu with sea water, trout roe, and flowers. – Green Guide Editor
Don’t miss the irresistible, crisp-skinned Tai snapper. The whole fish is cooked on the wood grill, its flesh imbued with the flavors of smoke and herbs: Read more.
Wine pairings are very well-done here with a creative tilt and the short yet fascinating tea selection is a nice option for those not partaking. - Inspector
You can make the argument that no restaurant in the last decade has changed the dining landscape quite like Delfina and its pizzeria offshoot next door. And that's a good thing. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
Menu musts: Marinated artichoke hearts with English pea custard, Seared day boat scallops with Dapple Dandy Pluots, Green lentils with watercress and uni sabayon http://bit.ly/ngygVS
Come for seasonal, uncomplicated cooking like hamachi tartare, the famed "rabbit rabbit rabbit," or a "fig Newton." – Green Guide Editor
Since it opened, F+W has been making waves with its sophisticated pizzas and pasta, but even more impressive is that it's lived up to the hype. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
Like Zuni, a onetime trailblazer inspired by the Chez Panisse mantra. And like Zuni, a fully-fledged restaurant on all levels, from food to service. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
Melissa Perello returns with Frances, an easy-going nook with a menu to match that’s swiftly become the muse of local rags, international pubs and the James Beard Foundation. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
The setting is serene, the food very sophisticated & delicious, the service of outmost grandeur. Overall it's a very unique experience from a very caring team guided by one of the world's leading chef
Always a tough reservation, solo diners and couples can grab a seat at the small bar to enjoy the same three-, four-, or five-course tasting menus the rest of the room waited weeks for. - Inspector
Sunday brunch is excellent, but early evenings are best for watching the sun set behind the Golden Gate Bridge from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Read more.
Is this the greatest place in the universe? Nobody’s mother made roast beef like this. – Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations
ICHI Sushi only got better when it reopened in a new, bigger space. The new 30-seat sushi bar has an omakase counter, table seating, and an izakaya named Ni Bar serving booze and izakaya-style plates. Read more.
Don't fear the chicken tartare with quail egg. It sounds scary, but it's loaded with spices and chiles and scattered with radish sprouts. Read more.
With both Japanese and American influences, the menu spans sushi, miso-cured pork chops, sea urchin fettuccine, and hibachi-grilled beef tongue. It's rustic and refined at the same time.
The best dishes blend French, Californian, and Asian, like cauliflower mousse with trout roe, uni, and cherry blossom smoke. – Green Guide Editor
Not so much San Francisco Italian, as pure unadulterated regional Italian, this family-run sparkler is free of pretension and full of love. Don’t miss the sea urchin pasta. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
Industry types pop in to this richly decorated Russian Hill hideaway for table-service, well-done cocktails and gussied up bar bites, like truffled popcorn.
The 3 or 4-course prix-fixe might start with a grilled portobello, then sweet Nantucket scallops or Niman Ranch ribeye. – Green Guide Editor
Sure Lers Ros is the only authentic Thai restaurant with rabbit, frog and venison on its regular menu, but even the pad Thai rivals the best you'll find anywhere in Thailand. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
A typical prix-fixe may be a seasonal pasta, a trio of guinea hen prepared sous-vide, and a savory-sweet dessert. – Green Guide Editor
Start with frisée + greens then go to rustic chicken roasted in the wood-fired hearth, all smoky skin and juicy flesh. – Green Guide Editor
Tasting menus showcase the chef‘s brilliance with suzuki crudo, Yukon gold gnocchi, or veal. Save room for the bread. – Green Guide Editor
Great for those grasping at youth and not afraid of a little noise. They serve up dressy Mexican fare and over 60 tequilas and mescals. - Inspector
What do we like more, the Marlowe burger or those fried Brussels sprouts chips? Don't make us choose! Read more.
Pristine omakase is the name of the game at this tiny sushi spot, which boasts the talents of longtime local great Masaki Sasaki. Expect a Japanese-style sushi experience at Japanese-style prices.
Order Granados' signature suckling pig and cinnamon-cured onion tamales. They are served late into the night in authentic Oxkutzcab street style: Read more.
Whether you're in for a burger and a cocktail or a five-course extravaganza with drink pairings, you'll leave satisfied, and the buzzing energy of the dining room is hard to resist. [Eater 38 Member]
Top recommended: Passion fruit panna cotta, Dungeness crab tortellini, and the mini grilled cheese amuse-bouches. Read more.
French-trained Nicolas Delaroque and his wife Andrea opened this charming little bistro, featuring an ever-changing menu of seasonal fare. Wine lovers will dig the half-glass options.
Imagine tasty skewers of meat, and little plates like tofu with shimeji mushrooms, sugar snap peas and sesame. Wash it all down with beer, sake or wine, and you have yourself a deal. Read more.
It's an updated take on the Zuni formula, with the success to show. Both neighborhood standby and destination restaurant, Nopa continues to grow admirably under Chef Jossel. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
SF is short on dine-in Mexican restaurants where you get something that fits the city ethos, complimented by a well-done margarita. Since nailing the latter, Nopalito fits the bill. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
The quality and price for the house-made salumi platters is hard to turn down; then onto the creative, yet rustic pizza and pastas. - Inspector
Combine the Poulet Rouge with a cocktail and settle into this park-facing space: Read more.
Mature and stylish, Perbacco has quickly established itself as one of the best Italian restaurants in the city. Owner Umberto Gibin is a presence in the front of house. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
The window for the Wild Nettle and Pecorino pie is limited, but the combination of grassy nettles with salty Pecorino and creamy, buttery, almost-nutty mozzarella is killer when it's in season. Read more.
It's a global menu, Italian lamb to Asian abalone. The tasting has treats like truffled quail egg + cheesecake bonbons. – Green Guide Editor
Boulevard-honed Ravi Kapur’s painstaking attention to detail pays off in pictorially exquisite dishes with equally harmonious flavor balance. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
The Tusks took a chance on the old Myth space and simply put, hit a homerun. The new Quince has set the standard for all upcoming fine dining restaurants. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
From the cocktail program to the always solid menu, Range is one of the most consistent restaurants in town. And, for what it's worth, it's got the only Michelin star in the Mission. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
We'd never pass up a pork bun, especially one that comes as highly recommended as Redd's. While they're not a sushi restaurant, anything of the raw fish persuasion here is sure to be excellent. Read more.
Pizza is the obvious draw here, with onetime A16 chef Liza Shaw helping chef Richard Reddington, but don't miss the pastas or the fried chicken, which is available in limited supply. Read more.
Among the local ingredient highlights are garden crudité, oyster tartare, coal-roasted sturgeon, + "stages of grape." – Green Guide Editor
Try the chicken-liver mousse with pole beans and dill, topped with a crumbly cracker of pain de mie. Incongruously, it all works.
Reserve the Chef’s Table and you’ll be sitting smack in the middle of the kitchen with prime views of all the action. - Inspector
Charles Phan broke the mold for modern Vietnamese food when he opened the original, and the current incarnation remains the standard-bearer of ingredient-driven Asian cuisine. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
Request one of the tables across from the small, open kitchen. It’s a lot of fun to watch the chefs in action. - Inspector
After an autumnal whirlwind, Matt Accarrino continues to make SPQR his own. The chef counter has some of the best seats in town and the wine list remains top notch too. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
Wonder where the cool kids hang out? Not only is the food delightful, but the see-and-be-seen crowd is entertaining as well. - Inspector
If you are having trouble deciding what to order, let the chef’s nightly omakase do the choosing for you. - Inspector
Moderate portions let you curate your own 4, 5, or 6-course menu. Try crisp pig trotter croquettes and phyllo bisteeya. – Green Guide Editor
Experience hits on all levels, from the satisfying Italian food to the fun bar bites and cocktails to the deep Italian wine program. The only problem is getting in: Tosca doesn't take reservations.
Doug Washington and the Rosenthal Brothers have gone on to open Salt House and Anchor & Hope since Town Hall, but the original is still the crown jewel in their SoMa mini-empire. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
Bar bites are good, but go all out with arancino and pesto, butter-poached abalone, or the very popular roast chicken. – Green Guide Editor
Try caviar-topped shrimp, madai snapper, + tofu stuffed w/ Alaskan snow crab. Pair sashimi with a flight of dry sake. – Green Guide Editor
It’s hard to have a bad time at this frisky FiDi hotspot where solid renditions of Southern and San Francisco classics meet impressive cocktails. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
If you are not seeing the dim sum item you want coming around on carts, flag down a manager and have them order it directly from the kitchen. - Inspector
Besides "the" chicken, Zuni's burger, Caesar salad and bloody Mary have all been called the best in the city. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
Try crossing the studied, Sichuan-laced creations of a workhorse young chef with a kickback dive atmo pumped up by ghetto rap and a 60-foot dragon. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
Affordable food, from a tasty beef tartare to a top-notch kale salad to the most perfect fries, is proving to be worthy of return trips, and trendsetting in terms of local menus. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
Adam Tortosa's tasty crudos and inventive pastas are a perfect match for Christopher Longoria's creative cocktails, and the fried-duck sandwich will cure any overindulging at the nearby bars.
Have you had the chicharrons?...they're #58 on 7x7's Big Eat SF 2010. Read more.
Adam Keough has revived this bustling Hayes Valley fixture. Its lively, yet comforting brasserie scene remains, but now there’s an energized bar food program & the menu has new soul. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
If you can handle wordy descriptions and a sometimes-moody staff, your reward is a haunt for cocktail enthusiasts that serves savory bites warranting a trip on their own merit. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
Sweet tooth? Head to B. Patisserie. The treats boast fun flavors like chocolate-cherry, strawberry-vanilla-cassis, and carrot. There's even a seasonally changing macaron tree in the back of the shop. Read more.
If you’re lucky, blue-haired Betty (Alison Barakat) will be handing out free cookies. Read more.
The creative crudo spins, addictive clam chowder and airy atmosphere are always enlivening. [Eater 38 Member]
We die for the salted-caramel ice cream...it's #35 on 7x7's Big Eat SF 2010. Read more.
SF Weekly’s Best Of 2011 Winner – Editorial Pick – BEST PORK IN ALL ITS GLORYBest place in town to sample pig meat in all its succulent manifestations is the upscale takeout counter & restaurant... Read more.
Blood pudding poutine, mussels tikka masala, and fried chicken are just some of the mega-hearty options, and with classic cocktails in the mix as well, it's sure to be an industry favorite.
Oh boy, have the fried-shrimp po'boy...it's #42 on 7x7's Big Eat SF 2010. Read more.
Because Brett Emerson had a vision and he's stuck to it, creating the perfect neighborhood Bay Area-inflected Spanish restaurant. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
You must get the Rebel Within, William Werner’s most famous (or infamous) pastry from his Tell Tale Preserve Co. days--a muffin with a soft-centered egg in the middle: Read more.
This Hayes Valley fave offers a modern take on sushi. The little spot makes goldfish bowls seem spacious. Get there early, or expect a bit of a wait. - Inspector
Many favor the original Valencia location, and perhaps rightly so, but the bigger, shinier version has the same menu favorites and then some. It's beginning to hit its stride too. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
Order the spiced-chocolate doughnut with a Four Barrel coffee...it's #54 on 7x7's Big Eat SF 2010. Read more.
The idea here is to recreate Asian-style street food -- in a hip setting. The modest prices more than offset the cost of coming across the Bay to chow down. Read more.
Complement an order of raw oysters with a drink mixed with Hog & Rocks’ house-made tonic. It’s perfumed with toasted bergamot and toasted coriander: Read more.
Perch on a swiveling stool and slurp mixologist Russell Davis’s nonalcoholic sodas, shakes, and floats.
Continues to deliver one of San Francisco's most superb ramen, uni, (seasonal) shirako, and friendly service with prices that won't rock your bank account. [Eater 38 Member]
La Taqueria continues to lead the pack with unwavering rave reviews for its sublime, spot-on Mexico staples. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
When a "hole-in-the-wall" turns out to be a bright family-run stop with outrageously good tortas and super authentic Puebla eats; that's 38 material. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
Some argue that fried chicken is best enjoyed while sitting on a park bench on a summer’s day. Test that theory at this take-out window, where the chicken is paired with waffles or biscuits.
One of the few local ramen houses to make their own noodles and specialize in kuro (black garlic) ramen. Add garlic chips and housemade kimchi for some real slurping excitement. Cash only!
You can't go wrong with the Mission Burger. It's a righteous, juicy burger, almost too rich, generously anointed with caper aioli and Monterey Jack. Read more.
Satisfy your sweet tooth with some ube ice cream...it's #96 on 7x7's Big Eat SF 2010. Read more.
SF Weekly’s Best Of 2012 Winner – Editorial Pick – Best Ice CreamWhat sets the ice cream here apart is the texture and complexity: There’s no need for toppings or mix-ins because they’re already in… Read more.
Don't miss the fried rice. It’s laced with house-made kimchee, pieces of bacon, onion and 4505 Meats’ hot dogs, then topped with a shimmering fried egg: Read more.
Cumin lamb, beef pancakes, and a very generous BYOB policy are the keys to its popularity, and while it's not the place to go for health food, it's spicy and reasonably priced. [Eater 38 Member]
Jeff Krupman's pizza popup now has a brick and mortar space, with lots of room at communal picnic tables and pies topped with freshly stretched mozzarella.
You can make the argument that no restaurant in the last decade has changed the dining landscape quite like Delfina and its pizzeria offshoot next door. And that's a good thing. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
It's step up in price from the typical Chinatown joint, but the cavernous R&G is a favorite of many and the fried Dungeness has become a signature. [Eater 38 Member]
SF Weekly’s Best Of 2011 Winner – Editorial Pick – BEST SEASONAL PIZZAOne of the best of the seasonal pizza poets, Sharon Ardiana & one of her best pies this year... Read more.
Spicy garlic pork ramen with a scoop of chicken gravy is Dojo's specialty. The miso broth is also a highlight, as are the quail eggs in each ramen. Come early and prepare to wait!
You'll love the porchetta sandwich...it's #12 on 7x7's Big Eat SF 2010. Read more.
Be daring, try the Vietnamese roasted pork sandiwhces...they're #22 on 7x7's Big Eat SF 2010. Read more.
Don't miss out on the dry-fried chicken wings...they're #36 on 7x7's Big Eat SF 2010. Read more.
Founder Robyn Goldman has wheeled her way through a string of food blogs, onto national TV and into this 40-foot corrugated shipping container in Hayes Valley.
This joint contains single and double chrome-flat-top-grilled burgers that've drawn them well-deserved comparisons to In-N-Out. Read more.
It's the oldest restaurant in San Francisco, but the seafood is some of the freshest in town. Not even a fire can keep the old fella down for long. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
What's better than a loaf of bread straight out of the oven? Nothing...it's #25 on 7x7's Big Eat SF 2010. Read more.
The name is misleading, because the second restaurant from the team behind AQ is very much determined, from its all-live-fire cooking program to its extensive sherry and beer selections.
On the Filetti, crust and cheese are dotted with cherry tomatoes that pop with sweetness—particularly in summer, when just about nothing could be better than a tomato. Except one on pizza this good. Read more.
The international selections of creative small plates are best shared on the enclosed patio year round at this quaint roadhouse. - Inspector
Go for tried-and-true deli fare (matzo ball soup, pastrami sandwiches) or nouveau innovations, like the pastrami cheese fries or fried kugel with syrup. Read more.
Seekers of authentic Thai flavor will like Kin Khao. Expect housemade curry pastes and chili jam and unusual offerings like the saeng-wah salad, a ceviche-like shrimp dish over ground catfish. Read more.
Lawyer-turned-chef David Barzelay in 09' started hosting a series of underground dinners called Lazy Bear, which quickly blew up. Lazy Bear opened as a full-scale restaurant last night. Read more.
Try the soup dumplings, wings, Chinese chicken salad, and sesame noodles, and don't miss Danny Louie's fun cocktails, including alcoholic boba drinks. Read more.
Head to Pink Zebra for dinner tonight, the newest restaurant in the Mission. Diners can expect things along the lines of yakitori, pickles, Mt. Lassen ocean trout oshisushi, tonkatsu and donburi. Read more.
The menu is anchored by enough bistro workhorses such as hand-cut steak tartare, panisses with ratatouille and steak frites to please hardcore Francophiles. Read more.
