North Beach & Chinatown
Like a greatest-hits album, Lai Hong's menu features remastered dim-sum classics: properly plump shrimp dumplings, crisp Peking duck, baked barbecue-pork…
Must-see restaurants in The Bay Area
San Francisco
Upgrade from drive-thru dinners at Super Duper, serving made-to-order burgers with top-quality, humanely raised beef, non-GMO fries, and dreamy milkshakes…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Equal parts bar and grill, Balboa is a mainstay for classic cooking in a pub operational since 1913. The decor retains an old-world look, with massive oak…
Marin County
At this vintage 1930s roadhouse perched over Tomales Bay, trophy heads are mounted on knotty-pine walls and there's a roaring fireplace. Book a window…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Escape down an SF alleyway to a sleek French cafe, with zinc bar, umbrella tables outside and staff chattering en français. Lunch is served all day and…
Marin County
A chef-run roadside restaurant with a sophisticated menu and decor, Saltwater's offerings change with the seasons; savor roasted quail with rhubarb…
San Francisco
Bite into your ice-cream cone and get instant brain freeze, plus a hit of nostalgia – this is the original Swensen's ice-cream shop, opened in 1948. Oooh…
San Jose
Always busy, this indoor/outdoor marketplace downtown showcases a few shining local food stars such as Pizza Bocca Lupo, Konjoe Burger Bar, Treatbot ice…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Food is secondary to people-watching at this glass-pavilion cafe perched atop Union Sq – stake out a prime outdoor table and order snacks at the counter…
North Beach & Chinatown
Meekly suggest an interest in seafood, nothing deep-fried, maybe some greens? – and your server will nod brusquely, grab the menu and return laden with…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Riches beyond your wildest dreams: butter-golden pains au chocolat, cappuccinos with ferns drawn in dense foam and croque monsieurs turbo-loaded with ham,…
San Francisco
Foodies, rejoice: here's one deli where they won't blink if you request aged, drunken chèvre instead of provolone on your sandwich. The specialty is…
Berkeley
Grégoire has an interesting theme going – French comfort sandwiches, salads and such (ie fries and puffs) available on the go, and for relatively cheap…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
The hero of the downtrodden and burrito deprived, Pancho Villa supplies tinfoil-wrapped burritos the girth of your forearm and lets you add ammunition at…
Berkeley
This stylish little cafe offers a very Berkeley take on diner comfort food, serving up rib-sticking favorites with slight (yummy) twists such as apple and…
Sausalito
You can practically dangle your legs out over the water on the sunny back deck, which has spectacular bay views. It's a short dash from the ferry terminal…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Gott's keeps it simple with juicy hamburgers made from local, sustainably farmed Niman Ranch beef, plus tasty Cobb salads, mini corn dogs for kids, and…
Excelsior
Hwaro is here to scratch your Korean fried chicken itch – it has three versions (original, sweet and spicy and honey garlic). If super crispy fried bird…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Your posse is hungry, but one of you is vegan, another demands tacos with beer, and another craves Korean fried chicken. So what do you do? First:…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
This is one Greek restaurant where you'll want to lick your plate instead of break it, with starters like chargrilled octopus with a zing of lemon and…
San Francisco
Life is always sweet at Genki, with packaged Japanese gummy candies nonsensically boasting pineapple flavor 'imposing as a southern island king,' ten…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Toasted sesame, sloe gin, maple black pepper and salted mango are among the many savory, seasonal, miscellaneous flavors that make this ice creamery worth…
North Beach & Chinatown
When you see shining faces around the table, that's the sign of a happy family – or Spicy King hot pot. Generous dishes are made to share, so you can…
San Francisco
Bright, fresh flavors and comforting Thai classics make Thai House a foggy-day staple, and attention is also paid to tasty $10 lunchtime rice plates – a…
Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights
Skip spa treatments and get that Pac Heights glow the natural way at Jane - home to improbably tasty Paleo chicken salads and dragonfruit smoothie bowls…
The Peninsula
Though the no-holds-barred flavor combinations would make a traditional Japanese sushi chef faint, these burrito-style wraps with rice and Mexican-Asian…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Consider yourself lucky if you wait outside less than half an hour and get hit up for change only once – but fresh-baked goods come to those who wait at…
Sausalito
Chow down on seafood sandwiches, BBQ oysters or a Dungeness-crab roll at redwood picnic tables facing Richardson Bay. A local leader in promoting fresh…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Gourmet burgers have taken SF by storm, but In-N-Out has had a good thing going for more than 60 years: prime chuck beef processed on-site, plus fries and…
Berkeley
Big, delicious bowls of acai are the name of the game here, served in a well lit space that's popular with the kids. Options include acai bases overlaid…
San Francisco
Get cozy at this bay-window osteria with a sunny disposition, feel-good handmade pastas, excellent DOC Italian wines by the glass, and banquettes that…
Oakland
The name promises what's good: pho ga, Vietnamese chicken noodle soup, served here with a side of ginger scallion sauce that feels like it came straight…
Marin County
Stinson Beach's oldest establishment isn't on the beach but there's a great outdoor patio, local vibe, live jazz every night of the week and live…
North Beach & Chinatown
Take a seat in the sunny dining room and make way for carts loaded with delicate shrimp and leek dumplings, garlicky Chinese broccoli, tangy spareribs,…
Marin County
Enjoy the best pizza in town (wood-fired, crispy, thin but perfectly risen crust with locally sourced toppings) in the best setting in town (a convivial…
San Francisco
Fog banks and cold wars are no match for the heartwarming powers of the Cinderella, serving traditional treats since 1953. Join SF's Russian community in…
Marin County
Stop at this sweet spot for sandwiches, burgers and noodle bowls alongside beer on tap and some decent wines by the glass. It's the kind of place where…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Tucked into a small marketplace, this Thai spot's toe-tingling, heartwarming spicy dishes hit the spot on blustery Bernal days. Mae Krua's menu regularly…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
This quick-eats hole-in-the-wall place makes one dish (with a vegetarian variation) – khao mun gai (Thai-style chicken and rice), made with organic…
Marin County
Order at the counter for quick bites that are as good as what you'd get after a long wait in a restaurant. The specialty here is slow-cooked local meat…
