Order chef Brian Fernando’s mulligatawny soup, rich with coconut milk, curry, a kick of heat, and a juicy roulade of chicken confit. Read more.
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.
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 corn & leek soup and the smoked gouda orzo are delights. And don't miss out on the extensive cocktail list! (Click the link to read the IJ's review) Read more.
There is just something fun about having the server mix up the 22 ingredients of your rainbow salad in front of you that makes a meal an adventure. - Inspector
If the weather is nice be sure to request a table in the lovely side garden. - Inspector
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.
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.
Enjoy as the aroma of spit-roasting pork fills the rustic dining room. The pastas include a raviolo filled with ricotta and an egg yolk that breaks under your knife to bleed into a brown-butter sauce. Read more.
If you love spicy food, this is the place! The Szechwan specialties will be sure to knock your socks off. - 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.
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.
Try Chef White's Texan-CA cuisine with the maple-infused, chile-spiked chicken & waffle. Read more.
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.
Try the xacuti, a fiery Goan dry curry laced with coconut, white poppy seeds and a pantry's worth of spices. Read more.
One word: “vegetable charcuterie”. OK, it’s two words and evokes five senses, but just order it. - Inspector
Just of the Sonoma Plaza, the local wine tasting pop in here for their broad selection of cheeses. They offer half glasses of wine so you can experience more responsibly. - Inspector
Not only a great Mediterranean sit down restaurant, the deli-style take-out counter near the back offers lots of pastries and savories to-go. - Inspector
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.
After a cathartic Greek meal, enjoy a Greek coffee cooked over hot sand, but leave that last sip for the gods. Oh, and you could probably stand up in that fireplace, but don’t try it. - Inspector
If the weather is nice, head out onto the cliff-side patio overlooking the Pacific. If the weather is cold, ask for a table along the wall of glass for prime views. - Inspector
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
Marin IJ dining review: Marinitas as vibrant in its tastes as in its look (follow link) Read more.
What do we like more, the Marlowe burger or those fried Brussels sprouts chips? Don't make us choose! Read more.
Shopping centers in all over the country should be like this one in wine country. Slurp fresh shucked oysters while meats rotate hypnotically over an open fire on the rotisserie. - Inspector
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
A northern Chinese delicacy impossible to find: noodles made from a giant housemade wheat-flour crepe sliced into thin ribbons, then stir-fried with onions, cloud ear fungus, vegetables and egg.
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.
Veggies rule at Daniel Patterson's Oakland spot. Try oyster and parsley root stew or carrots with brown butter. 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.
Go for the Pollo Regalito (roasted chicken, sauteed greens or roasted potatoes) and leave with the Churros y chocolate. Read more.
Not for those looking for red paper lanterns and linoleum. This Chinese cuisine is as contemporary as the sleek black and white room. - Inspector
Chef Guiliana Valesi proves fried food is good for you in the form of her fritto misto. Good for your pleasure sensors anyway. A symphony of sizzle. - Inspector
Check out their online Wine Line before you arrive to bone up on your wine knowledge and their wine list. Reserve a wine and plan your dinner around the bottle. - 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.
Weather permitting, this is one of the most tranquil Italian dining experiences in the city that can be had in the charming interior courtyard. - Inspector
If you are having trouble deciding what to order, let the chef’s nightly omakase do the choosing for you. - Inspector
Level of spicy goodness is graded from one to four stars. Westerners beware; asking for four star heat will get you “Are you sure?” in response. - Inspector
The international selections of creative small plates are best shared on the enclosed patio year round at this quaint roadhouse. - Inspector
Grab a seat at the concrete chef’s counter if you are a fan of close up cooking and how butter is supposed to be used; over, and over, and over again. - Inspector
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
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
Set the mood by ordering up the roasted lamb loin with bacon-wrapped veggies. Read more.
Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani have crafted one of the most underrated East/West dining experiences in town. The space is a looker too. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
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.
We all love truffle fries, but if a restaurant like Bouchon can enslave with its poulet rôti you can only imagine the pleasures of other French classics like Boudin Blanc and Coquilles St. Jacques. Read more.
Even on the busiest nights, you're likely to still get a table at the bar - highly recommended as Boulevard fills up fast and thoroughly. Refreshing fine dining, with no foams, gels or whistles. 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
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
There's a huge 5,000-bottle wine list here, which means you could try a new bottle of wine every day for the next 13.7 years. If you start blogging your quest to do just this, let us know. 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.
Expensive California cuisine at the Michelin-starred restaurant at Rosewood Sand Hill hotel.
Top recommended: Passion fruit panna cotta, Dungeness crab tortellini, and the mini grilled cheese amuse-bouches. 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
Moderate portions let you curate your own 4, 5, or 6-course menu. Try crisp pig trotter croquettes and phyllo bisteeya. – Green Guide Editor
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
Dishes tell stories: "A Walk in the Forest" is an edible diorama of local mushrooms with white pine-dusted meringue. – Green Guide Editor
The menu is a list of ingredients for a modernist French meal, from cauliflower + mussels to beef fillet to pistachio cake. – Green Guide Editor
Look for deliciously conceptual dishes like "earth and sea," combining tofu with sea water, trout roe, and flowers. – Green Guide Editor
The prix-fixe offers seasonal ingredients in perfectly cooked, complex combinations. House made pastas are a highlight. – Green Guide Editor
No menus here, just chef's selections like Parmesan custard, cod in coconut curry, or morels stuffed with pigeon farci. – Green Guide Editor
Taking over what had been a good but far simpler restaurant, chef Thomas Keller approached contemporary American food with French technique and established new standards for fine dining in America. Read more.
Among the local ingredient highlights are garden crudité, oyster tartare, coal-roasted sturgeon, + "stages of grape." – Green Guide Editor
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.
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.
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]
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.
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.
Try their take on a cubano: a pressed sandwich filled with pork, pale-green pickles and melted Wagon Wheel cheese: Read more.
Come Monday-Thursday for a daily changing three-course menu that costs around $29. Read more.
Great food paired with the sleek, Mission-hip atmosphere, reasonable prices for the high-end fare, and the charitable outreach of the space, it's a hard combination not to love. [Eater 38 Member]
Unwind with happy hour in the lounge every night from 4:30–7 PM, where snacks and drinks are each $6.
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.
You’ll want to sink your teeth into Gitane’s luscious, richly textured interior, but save yourself for rare lamb tartare, Mediterranean flatbreads & a seasonal selection of tajines. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
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
