Sotto Mare in San Francisco is the North Beach Italian seafood room that does the city's best cioppino, a 12-table room that takes a few reservations.
Signature dishes: Cioppino for two, Linguine vongole, Sand dabs
Must order: The cioppino for two; the kitchen's whole reputation in one bowl.
Tip: Wear an apron, no exceptions; the cioppino is not negotiable on splatter.
Address: 552 Green Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
True Laurel in San Francisco is Lazy Bear's sister cocktail-and-snack bar in the Mission, with David Barzelay's kitchen plates and a strong drinks list.
Signature: Caviar service, Burger, Brassicas
Order: Crispy brassicas and the cocktail tasting at the bar.
Tip: The bar takes walk-ins; book the dining room only if you want the bigger plates.
Che Fico in San Francisco is David Nayfeld's Roman-leaning Italian on Divisadero, with Roman-Jewish artichokes, real Vesuvian pizza and a long Italian wine list.
Signature: Pizza alla diavola, Carbonara, Roman-Jewish artichokes
Order: Roman-Jewish artichokes in spring, the pizza alla diavola otherwise.
Tip: The downstairs Che Fico Alimentari is the lunch counter with the same pasta at half the price.
Octavia in San Francisco is Melissa Perello's Michelin-starred Pacific Heights room, with day-boat fish and a market-led California plate at every service.
Signature: Heirloom tomato salad, Day boat fish, Whole grilled fish
Order: Whatever whole fish the kitchen has, with whatever vegetable lands that morning.
Tip: Tuesday and Wednesday are easier seatings; the heirloom tomato course is the August set piece.
Lazy Bear in San Francisco is David Barzelay's two-Michelin-star Mission tasting room run as a dinner party for 40 guests across two communal tables.
Signature: Communal tasting, Crispy duck, Bread course
Order: The bread course with the cultured butter; ten years on it is still the marker.
Tip: Tickets release on the 1st of each month for 60 days out; sign up to the email waitlist for advance notice.
Californios in San Francisco is Val Cantu's two-Michelin-star modern Mexican tasting room, 16 seats, the most cerebral table in the city right now.
Signature: Tasting menu, Tamal, Aguachile
Order: Whatever the corn course is on the night; the kitchen sources nixtamal heirloom corns directly.
Tip: There is only one seating a night; book six weeks out for any Friday or Saturday.
Yank Sing in San Francisco is the Chan family's Cantonese dim sum institution since 1958, with a SoMa flagship and weekend lines that run to 90 minutes.
Signature: Shanghai dumplings, Peking duck buns, Har gow
Order: Shanghai dumplings: the kitchen's most-ordered cart item for decades.
Tip: The Stevenson Street original is smaller and quieter; book the Spear Street flagship only if you want carts.
