North Beach & Chinatown
Success has been celebrated in this historic Chinatown banquet hall since the 1880s – but today, scoring a table at Mister Jiu's is reason enough for…
Must-see restaurants in Northern California
The Haight & Hayes Valley
Impossible cravings begin at Rich Table, where mind-bending dishes like porcini doughnuts, sardine chips, and burrata (mozzarella and cream) funnel cake…
SingleThread Farm-Restaurant-Inn
Healdsburg
The most ambitious project in Northern California is SingleThread, a world-class restaurant and, secondarily, an inn, where omotenashi (warm hospitality…
San Francisco
Superior flavor without the superior attitude of typical seafood restaurants. Justifiably famous since 1912 for signature oysters and crab salads, there's…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
The menu arrives in the form of a poem and then come the signature white chocolate spheres filled with a burst of apple cider. If this seems an unlikely…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
The Golden State dazzles on Al's plates, featuring homegrown heirloom ingredients, pristine Pacific seafood and grass-fed meat. Painstaking preparation…
Oakland
Yes that is the name of this place, and no, we don't know how to say it out loud (a lot of locals just call it 'El Paisa'). Honestly, we would call this…
North Coast & Redwoods
Everybody loves Larrupin, where Moroccan rugs, chocolate-brown walls, gravity-defying floral arrangements and deep-burgundy Oriental carpets create a…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
For a deliciously deep dive into the cuisine of the Japanese-Peruvian diaspora, head to Cow Hollow's most playful and inventive new restaurant, where the…
San Francisco
A converted chapel is a fitting location for feasts that turn Italian culinary purists into true believers in Cal-Italian cuisine. Chef Suzette Gresham's…
Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights
Follow the spice route into the future with Istanbul-inspired, San Francisco-invented sensations: satiny lamb belly with smoked yoghurt, nutty confit…
San Francisco
Armando Lacayo left his job in finance because he, like his Parisian grandparents before him, was obsessed with making croissants. After perfecting his…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
The landmark gallery of modern cuisine attached to SFMOMA also showcases avant-garde masterpieces – but these ones you'll lick clean. Chef Corey Lee…
San Francisco
Rebel chef-owner Melissa Perello earned a Michelin star for fine dining, then ditched downtown to start this market-inspired neighborhood bistro. Daily…
Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights
Like an unexpected first-class upgrade, Sasa delights with exceptional attention to detail. Here katsu is made with kurobuta pork, silken organic…
San Francisco
Every night is a culinary throw-down at 1760: chef Carl Foronda must find the right techniques and culinary inspirations to highlight today's star…
Napa Valley
If you couldn’t score reservations at French Laundry, fear not: Meadowood – the valley’s only other three-Michelin-star restaurant – has a slightly more…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
SF has pioneered Asian fusion cuisine for 150 years, but the pan-Pacific innovation chef-owner Corey Lee brings to the plate is gasp-inducing: foie-gras…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Parades – from Carnaval to Día de los Muertos – are a Mission specialty, and the parade of Latin-inspired flavors nightly at Californios does justice to…
North Beach & Chinatown
'If you don't see it don't ask 4 it' reads the menu – Golden Boy has kept punks in line since 1978, serving Genovese focaccia-crust pizza that's chewy,…
San Francisco
Dinners with guest star chefs like Alice Waters and this Bay Area–based crew pop up in the unlikeliest places – strawberry fields, sea caves, sand bars,…
Coastal Highway 1
A fish market, deli and great place to eat with reggae as the soundtrack, an outdoor deck near the water and an expansive menu that includes colorful and…
Napa Valley
The pinnacle of California dining, Thomas Keller’s three-Michelin-star rated French Laundry is epic, a high-wattage culinary experience on par with the…
Oakland
The East Bay's only Michelin-starred restaurant, the signless and discreet dining room counts a minimalist decor and some coveted counter real estate…
Napa
Graze at this gourmet market and plug into the Northern California food scene. Standouts: Hog Island Oyster Co; comfort cooking at celeb-chef Todd…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
What began as a baking powerhouse has evolved into a veritable smorgasbord of delicious, collaborative, artisanal everything, set within an expansive yet…
Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
Guests of all ages and backgrounds convene at this friendly eatery, decorated with adventure equipment. While sharing hiking stories, folks eat delicious,…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
This hole-in-the-wall restaurant contains just six tables and serves one of the most delicious, but least expensive, tasting menus in all of San Francisco…
Berkeley
Foodies come to worship here at the church of Alice Waters, inventor of California cuisine. Panisse is located in a lovely arts-and-crafts house in…
Central Coast
Chef Brian Collins, who once cooked at Alice Waters' revered Chez Panisse, has returned to his roots in SLO County. Out of this heart-warming restaurant's…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
Baked with organic wholegrain stone-ground on-site, hearty Josey Baker Bread sustains Haight skaters and start-uppers alike. You might think SF hipsters…
San Francisco
There's a reason you packed that puffy coat: to visit this delightful fish joint out in the windy abyss also known as the Outer Sunset. Order over a small…
Marin County
Perhaps the best cheeses made in Northern California, Marin, and probably beyond. Reserve in advance for an artisanal cheesemaker’s demonstration and…
Russian River Area
This relaxing, alfresco spot gets every fruit, vegetable and animal from local farmers or fishers and the chef knows just what to do with all of it…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
An all-star menu makes ordering mains easy – you'll find bliss with entire chickens hot off the spit, succulent lamb and pickled onions, or surprisingly…
Napa Valley
The small, frequently changing menu at this family-owned Italian place is dependent on the season and likely to include just a couple of veggies, pastas,…
Restaurant at the Boonville Hotel
Along Highway 101
Food-savvy travelers love the constantly changing, adventurous tasting menus dreamed up by renowned chef Perry Hoffman. His distinctive haute cuisine is…
San Francisco
Brunch is served with a side of hygge (cozy happiness) at Kantine. Take your pick of five to seven seasonal Scandinavian-inspired dishes – velvety bay…
Marin County
Nowhere else in Marin County do as many farmers, ranchers, fishers and gourmet-food makers gather than at this Sunday-morning farmers market, happening…
Russian River Area
Housed in a former Foster's Freeze, this local's favorite seafood restaurant is over-the-counter casual but undeniably elegant. The stylish interior is…
