Fog Harbor Fish House in San Francisco is the Pier 39 upstairs room with strong clam chowder among the Wharf options, plus a long crab list in winter.
Signature dishes: Sourdough clam chowder, Crab Louie, Sand dabs
Must order: Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl with a view of the sea lions.
Tip: Book the 18:00 window seating for the sunset over Alcatraz; it is the room's whole selling point.
Address: PIER 39, 2nd level, San Francisco
Sam's Grill in San Francisco is the Financial District chophouse running since 1867, with sand dabs, mahogany booths and a midday lunch tradition.
Signature: Hangtown Fry, Sand dabs, Crab Louis
Order: Sand dabs with brown butter and lemon, the room's standard since 1867.
Tip: Book one of the private booths upstairs at lunch; the lower-floor dining room turns louder after 12:30.
Souvla in San Francisco is a counter-service Greek spit-fired meat sandwich house with four sites citywide, and the Hayes Valley original is the test kitchen.
Signature: Lamb sandwich, Pork salad, Frozen Greek yogurt
Order: Lamb sandwich with horiatiki salad and a frozen yogurt with olive oil for after.
Tip: The 12:30 lunch line is faster than 13:00; order ahead via the app to skip it altogether.
The Progress in San Francisco is State Bird Provisions' upstairs family-style sibling on Fillmore, with a four-course menu chosen by the table at the start.
Signature: Family-style menu, Bread course, Whole grain risotto
Order: Whatever the four set courses are on the night; the format is fixed.
Tip: The State Bird kitchen door opens behind the bar; ask for the State Bird supplement if you missed the downstairs reservation.
Outerlands in San Francisco is the Outer Sunset's surf-side cafe and dinner room, with house bread, a tight California menu and the fog rolling past the door.
Signature: Open-faced sandwich, Eggs in jail, Bowl
Order: Eggs in jail: thick toast with an egg cracked in the centre, griddled.
Tip: Walk-in only for breakfast and lunch; the dinner room takes reservations for parties of 4 or more.
Z & Y in San Francisco is the Chinatown Sichuan room that hosted Obama, with a benchmark dry-fried chicken and a real numbing-spice score on the page.
Signature: Chongqing chicken, Dan dan noodles, Mapo tofu
Order: Chongqing chicken: dry-fried with handfuls of Sichuan peppercorns and chillies.
Tip: Ask for the dan dan noodles 'house style' to get the version the kitchen makes for itself; off the menu.
House of Prime Rib in San Francisco is the Van Ness chophouse since 1949, with one menu (prime rib), four cuts, and a 70-day waitlist by the late 2020s.
Signature: Prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, Spinach salad
Order: The English cut prime rib carved tableside, with horseradish cream.
Tip: Bar seats turn over fastest and serve the full menu; book those rather than the dining room.
Sam's Grill in San Francisco is the Financial District chophouse running since 1867, with sand dabs, mahogany booths and a midday lunch tradition.
Signature: Hangtown Fry, Sand dabs, Crab Louis
Order: Sand dabs with brown butter and lemon, the room's standard since 1867.
Tip: Book one of the private booths upstairs at lunch; the lower-floor dining room turns louder after 12:30.
