The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Gelato chef Patrizia Pasqualetti was well-known in Italy for her family's gelato shop, and here in SF she's re-creating those tried-and-true flavors, only…
Must-see restaurants in Northern California
Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
With wall tapestries, oil paintings and ornate chandeliers, the Californian-French restaurant at Château du Sureau could be a castle. But you don't have…
Sausalito
Boasting a cuisine of ‘ethnic confusions,’ the Indian-fusion dishes here incorporate Mexican, Italian and Caribbean ingredients and will bowl you over…
Marin County
Ten miles north of Point Reyes Station you’ll find the salty turnout for Hog Island Oyster Company. There’s not much to see: just some picnic tables and…
Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights
Even before winning multiple James Beard Awards, State Bird attracted lines for 5:30pm seatings not seen since the Dead played neighboring Fillmore…
San Francisco
What's for lunch? Just wing it at Hot Sauce and Panko, an eccentric hilltop corner store stocking hundreds of versions of two namesake items, plus 30 (!)…
San Francisco
Chef-owner Tomoharu Nakamura's driftwood-paneled bistro is as quirkily San Franciscan as the bonsai grove at the nearby Japanese Tea Garden. Each omakase …
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Who needs yachts to be happy? Aloha abounds over Liholiho's pucker-up-tart cocktails and gleefully creative Calwaiian/Hawafornian dishes – surefire mood…
Mt Shasta Region
Simple and elegant, this cafe put Dunsmuir on the foodie map. The menu was designed by chef Brett LaMott (of Trinity Cafe fame) and changes seasonally to…
Central Coast
The Honduran heritage of chef and owner Santos MacDonal shines through at this cosmopolitan bar and bistro translating from Spanish into 'the harvest.'…
Healdsburg
You’d be hard-pressed to find a lovelier place to propose than this retro-formal Victorian mansion’s garden-view verandah – though there’s nothing old…
Gold Country
Right out of New Orleans' Garden District, Ike’s serves splendid brunch fare with a sassy charm. Sit outside under the cherry tree or in the cluttered,…
San Francisco
Break brot (bread) with friends, and share platters piled with wurst, salami and cheese. Raised by German immigrants in the Bay Area, Salome Buelow serves…
Oakland
If you have children, or love ice cream, you owe it to yourself to stop by this institution. The range of ice cream flavors is encyclopedic in range,…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
Hit the high-low sweet spot between the Upper and Lower Haight at this cozy storefront serving zesty Indian street food with inspired wine pairings…
San Francisco
Who's got the solution to cold snaps and tentative tummies? This Gai. The tender Hainan-style poached chicken here is free-range and antibiotic-free,…
Convict Lake Resort Restaurant
Eastern Sierra
Widely considered to be the best restaurant within a 100-mile radius. Expertly prepared fish and meat dishes such as beef Wellington, filet mignon, wild…
Santa Cruz
With a cult following, this artisan ice-cream shop crafts zany flavors such as bourbon-candied ginger, lemon-verbena–blueberry and ricotta apricot all…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Back-alley bounty brings ravenous crowds on Thursdays to this nonprofit, neighborhood-run market, come rain or shine. More than 30 local farmers and food…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Follow the applause: that's the sound of organic tortilla-making in progress. You've found the Mission mother lode of handmade tamales, and pupusas …
Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights
Since 1906, family-owned Benkyodo has survived earthquakes, world wars, even Japanese American internment – and still the Okamura family keeps making life…
North Beach & Chinatown
Observe this quasi-religious North Beach noontime ritual: enter Molinari, and grab a number and a crusty roll. When your number's called, let wisecracking…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
When you see happy dances break out on Mission sidewalks, you must be getting close to Mitchell's. One glance at the menu induces gleeful gluttony:…
Mammoth Lakes
Considering its more-than-mundane location in an industrial strip, Skadi comes as a surprise. Hip Swiss Alps decor and an innovative menu are the creation…
Russian River Area
From the foraging, pickling, preserving Santa Rosa couple behind the Naked Pig comes Flower + Bone. The cuisine is inspired by ancient cooking techniques,…
Calistoga
A sparsely decorated cottage surrounded by a white picket fence, Lovina is especially good for lunch in the garden. The menu changes frequently, featuring…
North Beach & Chinatown
Graduate from ho-hum sweet-and-sour and middling mu shu to sensational Sichuan dishes that go down in a blaze of glory. Warm up with spicy pork dumplings…
Mono Lake Region
This very good food truck, in the parking lot near June Lake Brewing, serves wait-worthy 'Hawaiian soul food' with a dash of Mexican fusion. It's pretty…
Lake Tahoe
With its sophisticated supper-club looks and live jazz (Thursday to Saturday evenings), this gourmet restaurant in the Truckee Hotel oozes urbane flair…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Career carnivores won't realize there's zero meat in the hearty black-bean chili, or in Greens' other flavor-packed vegetarian dishes, made using…
North Coast & Redwoods
Sit at the long redwood bar at this rustic-chic establishment and watch as experts shuck local oysters and top them off with intriguing sauces like…
North Beach & Chinatown
Ask Chinatown neighbors about their go-to dim sum and the answer is either grandma's or Good Mong Kok. Lines snake out the door of this counter bakery for…
Mono Lake Region
A restored 1922 lodge owned by the family of photographer Ansel Adams, this elegant yet casual lakefront restaurant makes everything from scratch and has…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
The name means one meaty main course plus three sides – though only superheroes finish ham steak with Creole red-eye gravy and exemplary grits, let alone…
Marin County
Open in 2015 to immediate acclaim, San Franciscans drive over the bridge for the izakaya (Japanese pub-style fare and tapas-like small dishes) paired with…
Coastal Highway 1
Mendocino’s iconic, beloved country-Cal-French restaurant occupies an 1893 farmhouse restyled into a monochromatic urban-chic dining room, perfect for…
Monterey
With 'clouds' hanging from the ceiling and tube sculptures wriggling towards them, it's apparent that much thought has gone into the design of this dining…
Oakland
Few breakfasts can match the sheer perfection of a good bagel loaded with cream cheese, salmon, tomatoes and capers, and the version at Beauty's is, well,…
Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights
No Silicon Valley technology excites as much local geekery as a bowl of Marufuku ramen. Its advantages are much discussed: tonkotsu broth cooked for 20…
San Francisco
VIP all the way: Baccarat crystal chandeliers, tawny leather chairs, rotating art collections and 2500 wines. Ladies who lunch dispense with polite…
