Top 25 restaurants in San Francisco
Creating a list of top restaurants in a city like San Francisco is a controversial effort.
Everybody has their favorites, and there are said to be more than 4,000 restaurants to choose from. In fact, according to Trulia, San Francisco has more bars and restaurants per capita than any other city in the United States.
To say there’s a restaurant on every block is a complete understatement. And new places are opening up every day.
Dining out here is the thing to do. It’s a topic of conversation, and it’s a big part of life.
In fact, you’ll almost always find Dave and me out to dinner Saturday night (well, you would, before we had a baby and moved to the East Bay). Trying new restaurants is one of our favorite activities.
Top 25 restaurants in San Francisco
That being said, we’ve dined at more than 200 restaurants in the Bay Area. But I’m not judging all of those experiences here today. In order to keep it manageable, I’ve created a list of restaurants located strictly in San Francisco city proper.
My criteria for selecting restaurants:
- I’ve been to the restaurant with Dave for a sit-down dinner. Fast-casual spots are not included, nor are brunch or lunch-only spots.
- I enjoyed everything I ate and drank. That means one stand-out dish does not qualify a restaurant if something else we ordered was lacking.
- I had a good experience there and would want to return.
I’ve been to plenty of “big-name” San Francisco restaurants that I didn’t love. But all of the following wowed me with great food, good settings and excellent customer service.
So let’s get to it …
Arranged in no particular order, here are my top choices for restaurants in San Francisco.
I got Dave’s input on this list, and he agreed with me.
Since moving to the West Coast, we’ve become major foodies, and it’s clear this is a trend we’ll keep building on!
The best restaurants in #SanFrancisco ... Click To TweetQuestions of the day
Do you keep track of the places where you eat dinner?
What’s your favorite San Francisco restaurant?
Now if I ever make my way out west I will have a list of restaurants to eat at!
Great list! You should also try Elephant Sushi if you liked Zushi Puzzle 🙂 I love so many on your list, and am reminded to go to others (like Zare, District, Ozumo… the list goes on!)
Hi Lauryn, I’ve walked by Elephant Sushi before and love the looks of it. Thanks for the tip!
Glad to see one of my faves made the cut – Zare at Fly Trap! 🙂
Hi Suki, Oh yes, I’ve been there a couple of times. What’s your favorite restaurant in SF? Thanks for stopping by the blog!
Great list (Nopa was the place my husband and I had our very first date, after meeting at Ruby Skye 😡 )! My absolute favorite place for both dinner and cocktails (the most amazing, imaginative, well-balanced concoctions I’ve ever had) is Saison. It’s a place to go if you love seafood and have reason to seriously splurge. 🙂
EyeForElegance.com
Hi Laurie, Oh my gosh I want to go to Saison. Maybe one day. Thanks for stopping by, glad to be connected!
p.s. Just added you on bloglovin – I’m at http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4920029, if interested. 🙂
Out of all of these, I’ve only been to 2-3… guess I have some eating to do!! Thanks for sharing!
You should check out my friend Karen’s list of ten things to eat in SF before you die. She’s a lifelong San Franciscan and some of her tips are more casual than your list, but I’d love to hear what you think. http://www.offthemeathook.com/2015/01/13/sf-10-things-to-eat-in-san-francisco-before-you-die/
Thanks, Heather! I just took a look at her list and definitely agree with some of them. I sampled many of her suggestions during a couple walking tours of SF neighborhoods. So much good food! Thanks for sharing that link! 🙂