I grew up just half an hour away from San Francisco, so for decades my parents would take me to San Francisco for weekend outings. Even before I was born, my parents lived in and around many bay area cities, so visiting with them was always trips down memory lane. And what’s not to love about this city! San Francisco is jam-packed with history, art, third wave coffee, the best pastries I’ve had outside of Paris, incredible food, and it’s home to 29 restaurants that have at least 1 Michelin star (as of 2026.)
We visit the city at least a few times a year, and there’s so much food here there’s no way we could ever try everything. But we’ve tried a lot. And it’s not in every city we can say this: this city is home to world-class cuisines at the top of its game, definitely worthy of visiting even if it’s just for the food.
1. Rintaro – izakaya
Rintaro is a necessary stop if you love yakitori and Japanese food. You know a place is a favorite when you buy their cookbook in the middle of your dinner–and Rintaro is that good. Chef Sylvan Mishima Brackett describes Rintaro as a blend of Tokyo and Californian cuisines–izakaya dishes with local Californian harvests. One of my favorite dishes is the ika no nuta appetizer, which features plump squid from Monterey Bay, sweet Japanese turnips, sliced apples, and mizuna greens, all dressed in a mustardy white miso sauce.
Rintaro also has daily yakitori options, and I highly recommend ordering these. Some of my favorites were crunchy pieces like chicken knee or chicken cartilage. If you like sweets, definitely try the hojicha panna cotta. It comes with a light custard dessert topped with hojicha syrup and a homemade almond cookie for extra texture. Many of these dishes are featured in the Rintaro cookbook, and we’ve actually made the dessert for a party that everyone loved.
Type of food: Japanese Yakitori / Izakaya
Price: $$ ($85 pp)
What to order: Hojicha panna cotta, daily yakitori, ika no nuta (squid and turnip salad),
Neighborhood: Mission District
Address: 82 14th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Website | Yelp
2. Maison Nico – bakery
Maison Nico is a necessary bakery to visit on every SF trip. This French-style viennoiserie is in the middle of the Financial District with a bright pink exterior and matching chairs outside. After visiting Paris, we’ve quickly learned that finding a good croissant in America is hard to come by, but Maison Nico is one of our favorite spots.
Pastries we order every time we’re here are the pain au chocolat (along with the butter croissant) with buttery, flaky layers and dark chocolate melting with every bite, the crispy canele crusts with rich, custardy centers, and their seasonal choux (my favorite is the spiced apple variety during the fall). I always try to grab a jar of their homemade duck and pork pâtés to eat at home, too!
Type of food: bakery
Price: $ ($20 pp)
What to order: pain au chocolat, canelé, choux, pâté, sandwiches
Neighborhood: Financial District
Address: 710 Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94111
Website | Yelp
3. Aji Kiji – sushi take out
Aji Kiji is one of the best takeout sushi spots we’ve had outside of Japan. It’s a simple concept: sushi bentos made as fresh as possible at affordable pricing for anyone to enjoy. Aji Kiji was started by Chef Jinwoong Lim, who wanted to make good sushi accessible without having to eat at a chef’s counter or make an impossible reservation.
We tried the omakase box, which included an array of fresh fish, including sake, ootoro, hotate, and maki, along with tangy preserved pickles and ginger. The staff at Aki Kiji told us to wait at least 15 minutes for the rice to warm a bit and reach room temperature, since we were eating it soon; otherwise, keep the bento in the fridge until serving. It was beautifully wrapped in a bamboo box and came with soy sauce and wasabi. Eating this set was as good as eating at a dine-in sushi restaurant, and if we lived closer, it would be a staple.
Aji Kiji also offers donburi, maki, and drinks. By the time we arrived in late afternoon, they were almost sold out, so make sure to stop by earlier in the day for more selections. You can also order online for pickup. Since we’ve tried Aji Kiji, they have moved from Japantown to the Financial District.
Type of food: sushi bento
Price: $$ ($40 pp)
What to order: omakase bento
Neighborhood: Financial District
Address: 359 Kearny Street, San Francisco, CA
Website | Yelp
4. Outta Sight Pizza II – pizza
We’ve visited Outta Sight Pizza II a few times, and it always hits the spot. There are two locations, and we like the Chinatown location because they offer Peking Duck and Butter Chicken pies, while their Tenderloin location offers sandwiches and other specials.
Outta Sight Pizza makes pan and thin-style crusts with a variety of traditional and fun toppings. I appreciate that they let you buy slices or whole pies. And some of the slices, like the Peking Duck, are stacked with toppings such as succulent duck, fresh cilantro, fried shallots, and lots of cheese, on a thick, crispy, pan-style crust that reminded me of focaccia.
The Chinatown location is pretty small and offers counter seating for up to 8 people, so it’s a fast-service spot. They also offer delivery.
Type of food: pizza, slices
Price: $ ($15 pp)
What to order: Peking duck, butter chicken
Neighborhood: Chinatown and Civic Center
Address: 643 Clay St, San Francisco, CA 94111 (Chinatown) or 422 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102 (Civic Center)
Website | Yelp
5. Butter & Crumble – bakery
If you have the opportunity to grab any pastry at Butter & Crumble, you’ll be lucky. The first and only time we were able to get some of these very popular and innovative pastries, we waited about 30 minutes in line, which we didn’t realize was on the short end.
Butter & Crumble is known for its savory, unique pastries, so it’s important to try its new monthly flavors. We tried the “Morty P,” a laminated pastry filled with thinly sliced Mortadella, pistachio pesto, and tangy gruyere. Every bite was full of meaty, rich, cheesy flavor. Don’t skimp on the sweets! We also loved the mango-orange-vanilla cruffin, filled with fruity, citrusy cream and rolled in more cinnamon sugar.
There is a preorder link available that drops on Tuesdays before the weekend, but it’s such a hot commodity that pastry boxes sell out within a few minutes of dropping. You’re better off arriving on a weekday for a better chance at getting some goods. Butter & Crumble asks that you not start waiting in line until 7:45 AM to not disturb neighbors in the area.
Type of food: bakery
Price: $ ($20 pp)
What to order: seasonal items
Neighborhood: North Beach
Address: 271 Francisco St, San Francisco, CA 94133
Website | Yelp
6. Benu – fine dining
For a special fine dining experience, visit Benu. This 3-star Michelin restaurant offers contemporary Korean American cuisine with a rotating tasting menu. Chef Corey Lee opened Benu in 2010, and since then, he has garnered a lot of praise for his innovative dishes, like my favorite japchae course, which layers each ingredient inside a hollowed mussel.
When you first walk towards the entrance, you’ll find rows and rows of traditional fermented jars called oongi along the patio, which house all of the homemade kimchi and miso that Benu makes in-house. Like many award-winning restaurants, the experience begins with the amazing hospitality. The staff at Benu welcomes you so warmly, and their easygoing nature isn’t lost amid the professionalism in their service. The tasting menu is on the high end of the dinners we’ve experienced, but it definitely reflects precise execution in both taste and service.
We went for a birthday, and our host made us feel right at home with a personalized menu, and I even got to turn a custom music box to the tune of “Happy Birthday” before the server lifted it and unveiled a special dessert!
Type of food: Contemporary Korean American
Price: $$$$ ($425 pp)
What to order: tasting menu
Neighborhood: Financial District
Address: 22 Hawthorne St., San Francisco, CA 94105
Website | Yelp
7. Nari – Thai
Nari gained popularity for its contemporary Thai menu, which features regional California ingredients and flavors. Chef Pim Techamuanvivit used the name Nari, which means “women” in Sanskrit-derived Thai, to honor the Thai women who came before her. And she’s definitely made them proud by receiving a Michelin star in 2023.
Nari is meant to be family-style meals, so we ordered a few dishes to share. My top pick is the squid & pork jowl dish, which has seared Monterey squid and braised pork jowl pieces dressed with sweet and tangy chili-lime dressing. This dish was a big surprise, and we loved the fresh al dente squid paired with the succulent pieces of pork–they tasted similar to smokey burnt ends. Nari also offers a chef’s tasting menu that’s $145 pp if you want to try different dishes.
You’ll find Nari next to Hotel Kabuki in Japantown, and they are open for dinner only. They do offer walk-in dining, but this is only at the bar and mezzanine. If you want a table in the main dining room, reservations are required.
Type of food: Thai Californian
Price: $$$ ($100 pp)
What to order: squid and pork jowl, seasonal items
Neighborhood: Japantown
Address: 1625 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94115
Website | Yelp
8. Ox + Tiger – fine dining
Visiting Filipino American restaurants is quickly becoming a hobby, so I jumped at the chance to make a reservation at Ox + Tiger. This Filipino-Japanese fusion restaurant is run by the chef couple EJ Macayan and Hitomi Wada. What started as pop-ups led to Ox + Tiger, a four-course intimate dinner where each meal is a chef ‘s-counter experience.
There are only 8 seats per seating, and EJ and Hitomi make you feel so comfortable during such a fine-dining meal. Each menu changes throughout the seasons and is very personal for both chefs. Our menu was called 40 Wada, marking Hitomi’s milestone 40th birthday and representing her life and journey with food. Growing up in the Bay Area as an immigrant, you really learned about her favorite food memories. Her love of salad influenced the first course (my favorite of the night), which included savory pieces of mackerel, purple leafy greens, a creamy dressing, and crispy pinipig (Filipino crispy grains with nuts).
This was the most down-to-earth tasting menu I’ve ever done, and I would gladly go again. Ox + Tiger offers innovative dishes that showcase a really interesting and nuanced way to celebrate Filipino, Japanese, and American cuisines without being pretentious. The entire meal took just under 2 hours, which is perfect for someone who doesn’t like sitting down for too long. I also love that they give you a menu with a barcode that shows the playlist for the menu (created by Chef EJ’s brother!).
Type of food: Filipino Japanese fusion
Price: $$$ ($120 pp)
What to order: tasting menu
Neighborhood: Tenderloin
Address: 552 Jones St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Website | Yelp
9. Smuggler’s Cove – cocktails
After visiting a dozen tiki bars across the country, Smuggler’s Cove is one of my favorites because they offer an extensive menu and it doesn’t feel pretentious. Smuggler’s Cove is a small, three-level bar with two bar areas and seating throughout.
I tried a new creation called the Flotsam Fizz with rum, fresh lemon, coconut, passion fruit, pineapple, and cola — it was so refreshing and juicy. If you don’t want a strong rum flavor, this is the way to go. It also came with a tiki mug for $25; it felt like robbery! The bartenders are very knowledgeable and friendly, helping you figure out what you like to drink.
Smuggler’s Cove takes tiki very seriously; they even have their own club called the Rumbustion Society–a social club that celebrates rum! When we visited, the club members were in attendance, celebrating a member’s milestone of sampling a certain number of rum variants. The vibes here are fun and nerdy! Note that when you visit Smuggler’s Cove, it is very dark inside, so make sure your eyes adjust before walking in too far, as there is a staircase on the right side of the entrance.
Type of food: Tiki bar
Price: $ ($30 pp)
What to order: seasonal drinks, Flotsam Fizz
Neighborhood: Fillmore
Address: 650 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Website | Yelp
10. Four Kings – Cantonese American
Four Kings started as a pop-up from two former Mister Jiu’s chefs and is now a very popular Chinatown restaurant that celebrates Cantonese cuisine and Hong Kong nostalgia.
And Four Kings is very popular! We pulled up on a Saturday night to a line out the door. If you don’t want to wait over an hour for a seat, make a reservation! Spots open up 3 weeks in advance, and I would stick with small groups because the space is limited. Our table of three was seated in a two-top, and it was tight when we ordered two appetizers and two entrees.
With each meal, you get free bites of well-seasoned, salty-and-sweet roasted peanuts and pickled cucumbers. We loved the claypot rice, especially the crispy pieces of toasted rice along the bottom of the claypot and the sweet, plump pieces of Chinese sausage. I love snails, and I couldn’t pass up the XO escargot, which was coated in a bright red chili and savory seasoning and paired with super-soft milk bread.
Lastly, squab. Yes, a type of pigeon, and it was some of the most tender and dark pieces of poultry we’ve ever had. It was like eating a blend of duck and chicken, except better. They also offer a smaller-sized squab if you can’t finish the regular size, too. Don’t forget their specials for the night — we ordered the chili crab, which was on the spicier side and served with a TON (way too much) of bread, but the seasoning was good, and the Dungeness crab was tender and fresh.
Type of food: Cantonese American
Price: $$ ($60 pp)
What to order: XO escargot, fried squab, claypot rice with Chinese sausage and bacon
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Address: 710 Commercial St, San Francisco, CA 94108
Website | Yelp
11. B Patisserie – bakery
We first tried B Patisserie in Oahu before we even went to the SF location because we heard of their amazing kouign-amans. We’ve tried many, many kouign-amann since 2018 and can confirm that B Patisserie has the best ones because they’re light, airy, and have interesting flavors of passion fruit, black sesame, and more. B Patisserie offers savory items, like tartines and sandwiches, too.
B Patisserie showcases Belinda Leong’s creativity in pastry, and you can definitely see the innovative flavors on display. Even after a decade of opening the restaurant, you can still see Leong behind the counter! And no matter which location you’re visiting (Oahu or San Francisco), there is a line out the door.
Type of food: bakery
Price: $ ($20 pp)
What to order: kouign-amann, seasonal pastries
Neighborhood: Lower Pacific Heights
Address: 2821 California St, San Francisco, CA 94115
Website | Yelp
12. San Ho Won – Korean BBQ
San Ho Won is a great place if you want a fancier KBBQ experience without the three-star price tag of its sister restaurant, Benu. San Ho Won offers a preset menu where you can choose what you want from each course or an à la carte menu.
Each piece of high-quality meat is cooked over charcoal, giving it a nice smoky aroma – unlike gas grills, which are much more common in California. Our table of three ordered house-cut galbi (Korean-style), mushrooms, sweet corn with honey butter, and lettuce wrapping sides. The galbi was very delicious, with a deep, smoky flavor and a succulent, sweet marinade. Unlike the all-you-can-eat spots in the US, San Ho Won’s presentation reminded me more of eating KBBQ in Seoul, where the cuts of meat are higher quality, and the variety of kimchi is plentiful.
Sidenote: I recently found out that San Ho Won collaborated with Jongo on prepackaged kimchi and sold it at H Mart. It’s deliciously savory without too much pungent flavor. They also serve this kimchi in the restaurant. Now, when I host KBBQ at home, I always make sure to grab a bag from the store and pretend I’m eating at San Ho Won.
Type of food: Korean BBQ
Price: $$$ ($100 pp)
What to order: house-cut galbi, SHW kimchi, sweet corn,
Neighborhood: Mission District
Address: 2170 Bryant St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Website | Yelp
13. Parachute – bakery
Parachute Bakery is located in the Ferry Building, and on weekends, you’ll find a long line, but they do accept preorders 48 hours in advance. I really liked their savory offerings, and it reminded me of Butter & Crumble options.
Parachute is known for its savory foods, so we had to get their Wagyu pastrami Reuben croissant. This pastry was the best thing we tried, and it was delicious. It reminded me of an elevated ham-and-cheese croissant, but better because of the rich, flaky pastry layers, tender Wagyu pastrami layered with a sauce made from garlic bechamel, Gruyère, and mustard, and tangy sauerkraut.
We also tried their pain au chocolat, which came in a fun rectangular shape I’ve never seen before, but the flaky, rich layers and dark chocolate center were very good. The canelé included brown butter & black Okinawa sugar. This had a good texture, although I still prefer Maison Nico’s traditional canele. Parachute’s canele had a more pronounced rum flavor.
We would definitely go back to try more of their savory pastries because these were the best items. In 2026, Parachute won the title of “Best Croissant” in San Francisco by Frenchly, in an annual competition. I would imagine their lines getting even longer now.
Type of food: bakery
Price: $ ($20 pp)
What to order: pain au chocolat, Wagyu pastrami Reuben croissant
Neighborhood: Embarcadero
Address: 1 Ferry Bldg, San Francisco, CA 94111
Website | Yelp
14. Shoji – restaurant / cafe
Shoji is part cafe in the morning and a cocktail bar at night. Our first experience was a dinner reservation at the beautiful Art Deco, Asian-inspired bar. Shoji’s interiors offer a moody and elevated experience, but the staff maintained a very lighthearted vibe by giving us tips on their favorites and making sure we liked our drinks. For dinner, we ordered uni amaebi donburi, crudité, pork jowl, and French fries with aioli.
The uni amaebi donburi is their crowd-pleaser. With your choice of uni type (SB or Hokkaido), you can make handrolls with crisp nori, sweet amaebi, and perfectly cooked and seasoned rice. The most surprising dish we loved was the crudité. Yes, ripe, local veggies with a fermented soybean-coconut dip really wow’d us. It was light and not too nutty, and perfectly complemented bright pea vines, crunchy cauliflower, and other greens!
We loved the cocktail bar so much at night that we ended up coming back to get matcha the next morning. For the cafe, we sat in the greenhouse glass patio in the back, and it was perfect. The matcha einspanner wasn’t too sweet and was balanced with an earthy matcha.
For dinner, we definitely recommend making reservations to secure seats by the bar or in a booth for larger groups (they probably seat at least 6 people). Shoji is located in the Financial District, so street parking is recommended.
Type of food: Japanese Thai fusion, cafe, cocktail bar
Price: $$ ($60 pp)
What to order: crudite, uni amaebi donburi, pork jowl, matcha einspanner
Neighborhood: Financial District
Address: 140 New Montgomery St, Suite 1, San Francisco, CA 94105
Website | Yelp
15. Good Mang Kok Bakery – dim sum
Good Mang Kok Bakery is a no-nonsense dim sum spot. You line up at the door and obediently yell your order to the staff as quickly as possible so they can box it up and get you on your way. The service might feel a little brash, but these vibes make for a pretty authentic dim sum experience sans steaming carts (a sad reality post-pandemic).
My favorite items we ordered were the baked BBQ buns, filled with sautéed and seasoned char siu; the fresh, steaming shumai, which come in a pack of three per order; and the scallion baked buns, which were savory and very fluffy.
There is usually a line out the door, so be sure to check the menu to see what to order to keep the line moving. Good Mang Kok Bakery accepts cash and cards, but there is a card fee, so it’s best to use cash. It’s a good spot for a cheap and filling breakfast!
Type of food: dim sum
Price: $ ($10 pp)
What to order: baked BBQ bun, shumai, scallion baked bun
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Address: 1039 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94108
Yelp
16. Teahouse (inside Japanese Tea Garden)
The Teahouse is located inside the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. You’ll need a ticket to get inside the Teahouse, and it’s definitely worth paying to walk through the peaceful walkways and have a small snack over the majestic lakes.
The Teahouse is a first-come, first-served cafe and has open seating. It’s designed around a traditional family-style table called an “irori.” They offer a variety of refreshments, such as hojicha, matcha, and buckwheat teas, as well as snacks like daifuku, warabi mochi, tamago sando, and udon. Just make sure to watch out for hungry and very friendly squirrels that aren’t afraid to take a bite of your snacks, though!
Type of food: Japanese teahouse
Price: $ ($20 pp)
What to order: matcha, warabi mochi, daifuku
Neighborhood: Golden Gate Park
Address: 75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA
Website | Yelp
17. Blind Pig Speakeasy – cocktails
These days, people label anything as a “speakeasy” to jump on the bandwagon, but Blind Pig Speakeasy actually takes this to heart. You’ll need to follow them on social media for the weekly password when you buzz the front door–without this password, you won’t be let in, and, trust me, we’ve witnessed a handful of people get rejected by the bartender!
It’s an extra step to get the password, but the drinks are among the most interesting flavors we’ve tasted in cocktails. First of all, the menu itself comes on a handwritten wooden fan, and the drinks include ingredients like five-spice powder, ma po tofu spices, and yellow mustard. Some of my favorites are the “Blind Pig,” which had a sweet, spiced flavor from the ma po tofu cordial and mango vodka, and the “Pig Steals my Purple Corn,” with mezcal, pineapple, citrus, rhubarb, and nuts.
Type of food: speakeasy, cocktail bar
Price: $ ($30 pp)
What to order: Blind Pig, Pig Steals my Purple Corn
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Address: 1113 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Website | Yelp
18. Sohn – coffee/cafe
Sohn is more than just a cafe; they consider themselves a gathering space to host events and workshops. Sohn is inside a refurbished warehouse in the Dogpatch, with an espresso bar at the center of many seating and dining areas.
Since it is a cafe, you can dine in or order takeout, with each option having its own line at the door. If you want to enjoy your meal inside, the staff will take you to a specific seat, and from there you can order via a barcode on a mobile app. Food comes out fairly quickly, and so do drinks!
They sell cafe menu items with Korean influence. We ordered the galbi patty melt, and it was surprisingly very good. Imagine a sandwich with a flaky pastry puff as the bread, filled with ripe, tangy kimchi and sweet, tender galbi meat. It was heaven in a sandwich. Sohn’s drinks are also very good. We got the hojicha cream top and matcha cream top, and both were very good quality and not too sweet. We’d definitely come again to visit Sohn.
Type of food: Korean American cafe, bakery
Price: $ ($30 pp)
What to order: galbi patty melt, matcha cream top, hojicha
Neighborhood: Dogpatch
Address: 2535 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94107
Website | Yelp
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