40 editor picks in San Francisco.
40 upscale places in San Francisco, editor-picked. occasion restaurants in San Francisco: destination kitchens for celebrations and visits. All San Francisco food.
Zuni Cafe in San Francisco is the city's most enduring California room: Judy Rodgers' roast chicken for two with bread salad has not left the menu since 1987.
OrderThe Judy Rodgers roast chicken for two with bread salad, ordered the moment you sit.
TipThe chicken takes an hour to fire from order; book a table and ask the server to start it as you arrive.
Verjus in San Francisco is Lindsay Tusk and Michael Tusk's Jackson Square natural-wine bar, with a Quince-trained kitchen running pasta and charcuterie.
TipThe chef-counter four-top is the seat to want; book it via Resy the morning seats release.
State Bird Provisions in San Francisco runs a small-plate dim-sum-cart format under Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, James Beard winners in 2015.
OrderThe State Bird itself, a brined and fried quail with sweet and sour onions.
TipReservations open exactly 60 days out at 7:30am Pacific; set an alarm or join the standing-room line at 5pm.
Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco is a Polk Street counter that has served cold-house Dungeness, oysters and clam chowder since 1912 in 18 stools.
OrderCrab Louie and a half-dozen Marin Miyagis on the half shell.
TipOpen 10:30-17:00 only; queue forms at 09:45 on a weekend, takes an hour at peak.
Rich Table in San Francisco is Sarah and Evan Rich's Hayes Valley California room near the opera house, holding a Michelin star and a strong house pasta menu.
OrderPorcini doughnuts with raclette for the table; the dish that put the room on the map.
TipThe bar seats see the whole pass; book one of the two and order the chef-counter pasta supplement.
Trick Dog in San Francisco is Bon Vivants' Mission cocktail bar with a twice-yearly themed menu (Pantone chips, IKEA catalogue, mural maps) and a long bar.
TipWalk in before 19:00 or after 22:30; bar seats are first-come and turn over fast.
ABV in San Francisco is Todd Smith and Erik Reichborn-Kjennerud's Mission cocktail bar with a Bywater on the menu since 2014 and the city's best bar burger.
TipSit at the bar back-bar to watch the build; the upstairs Over Proof tasting room is by appointment.
Bar Crenn in San Francisco is Dominique Crenn's Cow Hollow wine bar next door to her three-star Atelier, with a Burgundy-heavy list and a Crenn-style snack.
TipBook three weeks out; the Crenn group lets one bar reservation hold the table for 90 minutes.
Nopa in San Francisco is the neighbourhood room that defines the western Divisadero corridor: wood-grilled California food, kitchen open until 01:00.
OrderThe Nopa burger, available at the bar after the dinner rush.
TipBar seats are first-come; arrive at 17:00 or after 22:30 for the late-night menu without a wait.
Anchor Oyster Bar in San Francisco is a 22-seat Castro counter that has served Dungeness, cioppino and clam chowder the same way since 1977.
OrderThe cioppino in season, with a side of garlic bread.
TipNo bookings; arrive at 16:30 for the early seating or after 21:00 when the line thins.
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.
OrderThe cioppino for two; the kitchen's whole reputation in one bowl.
TipWear an apron, no exceptions; the cioppino is not negotiable on splatter.
Frances in San Francisco is Melissa Perello's Castro neighbourhood room, holding a Michelin star with a 40-seat dining room and a wine list priced.
OrderApplewood-smoked bacon beignets with maple chive cream.
TipReservations open 30 days out at 10:00; the bar room takes walk-ins from 17:30.
True Laurel in San Francisco is Lazy Bear's sister cocktail bar in the Mission, with Nick Roush's spec sheets and a regular World's 50 Best Bars nomination.
TipThe honeydew daiquiri only runs in melon season (July to September); ask the bar whether it is pouring tonight.
Smuggler's Cove in San Francisco is Martin Cate's three-floor tiki bar in Hayes Valley, with 500-plus rums and the most-cited tiki cocktail list.
TipThe lower floor is the quietest of the three; ask the bar for the rum tasting trio.
Pacific Cocktail Haven (PCH) in San Francisco is Kevin Diedrich's Union Square cocktail room, with a Southeast Asian flavour palette and a kaffir lime gimlet.
TipSit at the bar for Kevin's spec sheets; the room takes walk-ins after 22:00 reliably.
Kin Khao in San Francisco is Pim Techamuanvivit's Michelin-starred Thai room near Union Square, with regional cooking far from the safe pad thai script.
OrderThe rabbit green curry over jasmine rice; the dish that won the Michelin star.
TipThe bar pours a sharp Riesling list; ask for the off-menu cold larb when it is available.
Liholiho Yacht Club in San Francisco is Ravi Kapur's Hawaiian-leaning room above the Tenderloin, with one of the city's strongest fun-dinner energies.
OrderTuna poke with sesame nori chips, followed by spam fried rice.
TipThe bar room takes walk-ins; the dining room is two months out.
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.
OrderCrispy brassicas and the cocktail tasting at the bar.
TipThe 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.
OrderRoman-Jewish artichokes in spring, the pizza alla diavola otherwise.
TipThe downstairs Che Fico Alimentari is the lunch counter with the same pasta at half the price.
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.
OrderShanghai dumplings: the kitchen's most-ordered cart item for decades.
TipThe Stevenson Street original is smaller and quieter; book the Spear Street flagship only if you want carts.
Delfina in San Francisco is Craig and Annie Stoll's Mission trattoria, open since 1998, with a Tuscan-leaning pasta board and a roast chicken benchmark.
OrderSpaghetti with plum tomatoes; the Annie Stoll pasta on the menu since 1998.
TipPizzeria Delfina next door takes walk-ins and serves the same pizza dough; faster on a Friday.
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.
OrderWhatever the four set courses are on the night; the format is fixed.
TipThe State Bird kitchen door opens behind the bar; ask for the State Bird supplement if you missed the downstairs reservation.
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.
OrderThe English cut prime rib carved tableside, with horseradish cream.
TipBar seats turn over fastest and serve the full menu; book those rather than the dining room.
Ungrafted in San Francisco is Rebecca Fineman and Chris Gaither's Dogpatch wine bar, run by two Master Sommeliers, with a California-and-France list 30.
TipAsk for the staff blind-pour flight; both owners run it as a teaching service.
Foreign Cinema in San Francisco is the Mission's open-air courtyard room from Gayle Pirie and John Clark, with a film projected on the back wall after dark.
OrderBrunch fried chicken with cornmeal waffle, between a 10:30 oyster start.
TipBrunch on a sunny Saturday is the move; book the courtyard, not the indoor room.
Marlowe in San Francisco is the Anna Weinberg and Jennifer Puccio bistro south of Market, with one of the city's most reliable burgers and a Brussels sprout.
OrderThe Marlowe burger, on a Pretzel bun with Cabot cheddar.
TipSit at the bar and ask for the burger plus the kale Caesar; that is the full Marlowe order.
Tadich Grill in San Francisco is California's oldest continuously running restaurant, opened in 1849 in the Financial District, still grilling over mesquite.
OrderSand dabs grilled over mesquite, or the Hangtown Fry at lunch.
TipNo reservations except for parties of six or more; lunch counter seats turn over fastest.
Scoma's in San Francisco is the 1965 Pier 47 seafood room at Fisherman's Wharf, with the Lazy Man's cioppino served from a 60-year-old family recipe.
OrderLazy Man's cioppino, with the shells pre-cracked by the kitchen.
TipReservations open 30 days out; the bar takes walk-ins from 12:00 and is the best seat for a single diner.
Flour + Water in San Francisco is Thomas McNaughton's Mission pasta-and-pizza house, with a daily handmade pasta board and a Neapolitan oven up front.
OrderThe 5-course pasta tasting, the room's house format since 2009.
TipThe pasta tasting is the move; ordering pasta a la carte costs the same and gives you less.
Park Tavern in San Francisco is Anna Weinberg's Washington Square sister to Marlowe and the Cavalier, with the same burger and a steady neighbourhood pulse.
OrderThe Marlowe burger with Cabot cheddar on a pretzel bun.
TipSunday roast lunch sells out by 14:00; book two weeks ahead for a window seat onto the square.
Piccino in San Francisco is the Dogpatch Italian on a yellow corner, with wood-oven pizza. Priced at $$$. At 1001 Minnesota Street. Booking recommended.
OrderWood-oven mushroom and ricotta pizza, plus the seasonal pasta of the night.
TipBrunch the patio in spring; the cafe next door pours the same coffee at half the price.
Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco is the Tenderloin Prohibition-style speakeasy, with a password door, a 200-page bourbon menu and a Sazerac.
TipReserve a slot and ask for the password by email; the walk-in bar in the back room is easier than the front.
Tosca Cafe in San Francisco is the North Beach Italian American room since 1919, reopened by April Bloomfield in 2013 with a Roman chicken and the house.
TipSit at the bar for the espresso machine theatre; the roast chicken takes 40 minutes, order it first.
Comstock Saloon in San Francisco is the North Beach saloon reopened to a 19th-century template, with the Pisco Punch made to the long-lost Bank Exchange.
TipOrder the Pisco Punch and a plate of Welsh rarebit at the bar; the back dining room takes reservations.
The Snug in San Francisco is Hi Lo's Pacific Heights cocktail bar on the Fillmore corner, with a Negroni board, a long American whiskey list and a strong.
TipBar seats fill from 18:00; come at 17:30 on a weeknight for a guaranteed perch.
Specs' in San Francisco is the North Beach dive in an alley off Columbus, with maritime memorabilia, an Anchor Steam draw and 60 years of regulars holding.
TipCash only; bring a small bill, talk to whoever is at the bar, do not photograph the wall.
Sam's Grill in San Francisco is the Financial District chophouse running since 1867, with sand dabs, mahogany booths and a midday lunch tradition.
OrderSand dabs with brown butter and lemon, the room's standard since 1867.
TipBook one of the private booths upstairs at lunch; the lower-floor dining room turns louder after 12:30.
Vesuvio in San Francisco is the North Beach Beat-era cocktail and dive bar across the alley from City Lights bookshop, open since 1948 with the original wood.
TipUpstairs is quieter than the ground floor; the Jack Kerouac drink is the punchline order.
Hi Tops in San Francisco is the Castro's gay sports bar with a long Sunday brunch and the city's most-cited pickle-back, opened in 2012. Booking recommended.
TipGame days run a kitchen-set menu; pre-order at the bar to skip the queue.
The Treasury in San Francisco is the Financial District after-work bar in a 1925 vault, with a long Old Fashioned list and a snack menu that holds up.
TipFriday from 17:00 fills the bar fast; book a side booth via the website for groups of four-plus.
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