Yes, you could ask why we have chosen to highlight the great restaurants in this nearby city, 67 miles south of Napa Valley.
But San Francisco is often the visitor's gateway to Napa Valley.
As far as research, we find ourselves in San Francisco at least once a week for some reason, and hanker to try some of the great classic, or new, restaurants.
This list of "Best San Francisco Restaurants" will change and grow, but it truly answers one of the questions that we get asked all the time by visitors — "where should I eat when I get to San Francisco?"
And while we send many visitors to the great, big-name, 5-star restaurants like Jardinière, Boulevard, Farallon and Gary Danko, the restaurants that follow are the places where we love to eat, where the food is really good and more casual; these are the great, second tier, neighborhood restaurants where the locals go.
Baraka
The Bay-area is the epicenter of America’s tapas/small
plate graze craze. It started here and continues to mushroom
here (funny though, not many of the small dishes are made with
mushrooms...).
The latest entry is Baraka, a Potrero Hill neighborhood “boite”
with fewer than a dozen tables. The fare, accented with Spanish
and Moroccan flavors, is so good that visitors to the Bay-area
should think of this as a DDD – Definite Dining Destination.
Certainly the locals do.
Often, we love to sit at the bar and be guided by Lyes, a charming,
knowledgeable, on-top-of-it barkeep from Aix-en-Provence who
knows his wine list, knows what complements the food, and knows
which dishes to recommend.
Or we sit at a small table and are guided in our selections
by Richard, the owner who is charming, detail-driven and who
has just turned 30. On a recent evening, three of us sat at
a table and ordered twelve small dishes. Afterward, we commented
that the meal contained some of the tastiest dishes we have
had in San Francisco in the last few years. The fare here just
keeps getting better and better – and it started as a
94- to 96-pointer!
We began our meal with a bowl of stuffed dates, filled with
snippets of chorizo and calabres cheese, wrapped in Serrano
ham, and deep-fried just until the exterior was crackly, the
interior cheese runny. These dates are so novel and sufficiently
sweet that they could even be served as a dessert.
Highlights of our recent meal included a kickass, take-no-prisoners
fresh fava bean falafel served with a sensational tahini-yogurt
sauce. Better than the falafel I had last year in Paris at the
“ne plus ultra” falafel factory, which
locals there call ‘the best.’
We also delighted in three large, plump prawns that had been
skewered on a sprig of fresh rosemary, seasoned and grilled
to just-doneness. Move over Delfina – your squid and white
bean appetizer has been challenged, perhaps dethroned as the
city’s best squid dish, by Baraka’s grilled squid
and aioli, textured oh-so-perfectly with toasted breadcrumbs.
Sauteed scallops, done in a Catalan-style, arrived with a tangy,
tasty pine nut-currant vinaigrette. These are not to be missed.
Ditto the tagine of monkfish, clams, almonds and saffron.
We also swooned over a grilled kebab of lamb served with a salsa
verde and also talked for days afterward about a lemon- and
cumin-marinated quail served on a silver beet ‘ras
el hanout.’
To capture the Moroccan influences, be sure to order the cinnamon-scented
couscous studded with pistachios and golden raisins.
On one visit, we asked for an under $30 wine to complement our
many dishes and were pointed in the direction of a tasty Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre
blend from the Corbières region of France. Château
de Mattes-Sabran, Cuvée “Dionysos,” has a
lovely black plum color/flavor and a spicy-enough finish to
complement the fare. A good choice and it doesn’t break
the bank. On other occasions, we have thrilled to the 2000 Remelluri
Rioja for $50.
Dessert is also a menu of many possible choices. All are complemented
by the house mint tea or a glass of chilled Beaume de Venise.
Whatever you do, do NOT miss: the orange blossom beignets served
with yogurt and jam or the roasted pear volteado, served with
a lip-smacking anise chantilly. The plate is drizzled with a
honey-sugar glaze that is delicately flavored with Frangelico
and ‘crunchified’ with tasty toasted almonds. You
are delusional if you think there is a better dessert in the
city (except maybe for the Coconut Cream Pie at Buckeye Roadhouse,
but that’s another story…)
Baraka is part of a neighborhood triple-play; the same owners
operate the jubilantly celebrated Chez Papa and Chez Maman,
which are almost kitty-corner to Baraka.
You might think if you couldn’t get a table at one, you’d
just walk across the street and get into another. Think again.
Chances are, if one is bulging with bodies, so are the other
two. Go early. Or book even earlier.
Baraka, 288 Connecticut St. at 18th St. 415-255-0370
Chez Nous
This small Mediterranean tapas restaurant turns out, quite simply,
Perfect Food. Supernal Food. It-doesn't-get-any-better Food.
We prefer dining at this noisy, loud eatery for lunch; for one
thing, it's easier to get parking in the neighborhood and it's
usually easier, too, to get a table than at night.
Every dish on the short menu is a winner. The daily changing
tortilla, a potato-based, Spanish-style savory, is not to be
missed. (But this can be said of every dish at the restaurant,
so beware!) We have had it laced with porcini, had it dusted
with truffles, have had it vermiculated with oven-roasted red
peppers. It's a showstopper.
We always order the Salade Nicoise, likely the best version
of one in San Francisco. On a recent visit, the just-seared
ahi-grade tuna was encrusted with toasted cumin seeds, adding
a new level of flavor to this already perfect dish. How do you
make something perfect more perfect?
The French fries tie with those at Delfina for Best in San Francisco.
The lamb chops, cooked pinkly and perfectly, are served only
with a tantalizing lavender sea salt. I don't have enough fingers
to count the times we've had the grilled calamari salad, which
is always on target. Simon's foie gras terrine served with gingerbread
and a delicious pomegranate relish must be enjoyed with a thimble
of Bonny Doon's Muscat Vin de Glaciere.
On a cool but sunny day, the curried chickpea soup is a 100-point
success, as thick as tapioca pudding, as yellow as polenta,
as tasty as a Moroccan tajine.
Every small tapas dish here tastes different from the next,
each dish usually relying on one very focused, predominant taste.
There are bigger restaurants, there are mightier restaurants,
but there are few turning out food that is as appealing, as
rewarding, as this. Every dish makes your mouth happy.
Chez Nous, 1911 Fillmore St. 415-441-8044.
Delfina
Craig and Anne Stoll have garnered enough press, enough accolades and enough good will to become San Francisco Food Ambassadors. What don't the couple do to win your hearts? They serve exceptionally tasty Cal-Ital, a.k.a. Mediterranean-style fare at prices that look like the menus were printed in the 1970s.
Don't miss: the signature calamari appetizer, the fish special of the day and the other-worldly profiteroles for desserts. The wine list is concise but every wine on it will please you and your wallet. There are under $30 wines that work well with every dish on the menu.
At this point, a recommendation for visitors to eat at Delfina looks like a me-too suggestion on our part. But we have been dining here since the month the restaurant opened and it has never disappointed.
Visitors tip: Take a cab. Parking in the neighborhood is not hard. It is IMPOSSIBLE. Also, if you arrive a bit early for dinner, be prepared to spend 15 minutes in the Bi-Rite Food Market a few doors west of Delfina; what a wonderful, old-world charm, what wonderful new world products!
Delfina, 3621 18th St., in the Mission. 415-552-4055.
Florio
In one of the really great sections of town, on Fillmore St., this dark, warm and friendly bistro is a neighborhood haunt. The small, intimate bar, and the warmth of the staff make one think that this is the closest thing to the bar in "Cheers" that we have in San Francisco. There is something endearing, something family-like, about this restaurant.
Of the food: Check out the wonderful plateau de fruits de mer, or the Dungeness crab cakes in season. The warm frisee salad with poached egg and Hobb's bacon, studded with nuggets of Gorgonzola, is the best example of this dish that we have had in two years.
On a recent visit we enjoyed cacciucco, Florio's version of cioppino, or bouillabaisse, a seafood stew richly flavored with tomato, garlic and cilantro, filled with generous pieces of lobster, crab, shrimp, clams and mussels.
There is a compact, but functional, wine list that works to compliment the Italian-trending dishes.
Say hi to John at the host stand, or to owners Joseph or Doug, and tell them ilovenapa.com sent you.
Florio, 1915 Fillmore St. 415-775-4300.
Frascati
What Rebekah and Rich Wood have fashioned is a warm, tasty, cozy neighborhood eatery where the food just happens to make your mouth happy. Not surprisingly, the couple came from two of the best restaurants in San Francisco, Jardiniere and Scala's Bistro.
On a recent visit, we most loved the pan-roasted quail, served with a savoy cabbage ragout whose flavors were deepened by the addition of roasted whole chestnuts. We also liked the braised veal cheeks, served with a mound of horseradish-tweaked mashed potatoes.
Frascati, to my way of thinking, is home cooking without having to do the dishes.
Frascati, 1901 Hyde at Green. 707-928-1406.
The House
One of our favorite San Francisco restaurants, especially
for lunch.
There’s not much of a sign to tell you that you've arrived,
so finding this place is almost as difficult as finding a
parking space. But let us advise you in big print: IT IS WORTH
THE EFFORT TO PARK, TO WALK, TO FIND THIS RESTAURANT.
Too many restaurants attempt Fusion cooking — the combination
of Pacific rim ingredients and California technique —
but wind up with culinary Confusion. Not so The House, which
offers one of the best examples of Fusion cuisine we know
in San Francisco.
Many of the dishes are worth a detour; we have been known
to drive an hour out of our way for one of the best lunch
items in all of San Francisco — the Ahi Tuna BLT served
on buttered, grilled sourdough, shmeered with a generous wallop
of wasabi mayo. The sandwich, which produces a modest, lingering
heat, could easily make the Food Hall of Fame as The Single
Best Thing You Can Do with Iceberg Lettuce.
At night, we always order, among other specialties, the glorious
Deep-Fried Salmon Roll appetizer. If you can do something
more exciting with salmon, we don't know what it is. Here
is a "log," a veritable long strip of fresh, sushi-
grade - salmon that is rolled in nori, encased in a crisp,
lightly fried skin and cut on the bias. The thing looks as
beautiful as it tastes good. Dip in the soldering solution
(be forewarned, the Chinese Mustard Dipping Sauce is H-O-T)
and you have Palate Perfection.
There are many daily fish specials to commend and recommend.
On a recent visit, we ooohed and ahhhed over tender, flaky,
delicious, grilled Hawaiian butterfish served with a generous
mound of wasabi cream mashed potatoes.
The House, 1230 Grant at Columbus. Lunch Monday through
Sat 11.30 to 3 pm ; Dinner seven nights. 415-986-8612.
Limón
Let us say you like unusual food, unusually good food; that
you missed the rocket when Slanted Door took off in San Francisco,
becoming the city’s darling Vietnamese dining room.
Well, don’t miss the Next Big Thing; the Limón
express is about to leave the station.
This tiny, hole-in-the-wall, Peruvian, family restaurant is
about to multiply like Mr. Smith in the Matrix – there
are going to be many of them.
The Castillo family – four very charming and hard-working
brothers – opened Limón in the Mission district
just one year ago. The 45-seat pastel-colored, noisy room
is often filled so late that one diner told me, “the
place is so busy that one night, we had to wait to be seated
until after closing!” (meaning: after the 10.30-ish,
or so, hour they normally close. On a recent night, we found
ourselves still eating in a packed room at 11.30 pm –
very Peruvian, indeed!)
While there are many meat dishes on the menu served Peruvian-style,
the two signature dishes that demand attention star seameats.
Do not miss:
Ceviche Limón, a spicy, tangy, platter of acid-cured
(lime juice) fresh sea pleasures including halibut, calamari,
octopus, scallops, shrimp and mussels, tossed with cumin and
the crushed remains of a fiery Peruvian chile. The kernels
of two types of Peruvian corn are added for texture and flavor.
The dish is sufficiently large that it can be ordered by two
and split as an appetizer.
Ahi Tuna Tartare, which comes served in a patty-shaped mound
with three colossal, crackly fins of home-made cracker sticking
out; the ahi architecture looks like something Frank Gehry
might have designed; it tastes like something a three-star
chef prepared. The tuna is meaty, mighty, pink, fresh and
mixed with crunchy, toasted pine nuts and is brilliantly spiced.
A meat-based appetizer that we enjoyed: Empanada Don Walter
presents two half-moon-shaped crescents that are filled with
perfectly seasoned, sautéed beef, onions, olives, raisins
and eggs. The baked turnovers are served with a tasty, neon-orange
rocoto sauce (the secret ingredients are: softened feta cheese
and those fiery Peruvian chiles used in the ceviche).
For entrées, locals rave about the Niman Ranch pork
chop and the paella appears popular, too, but we have yet
to try them; we heartily recommend the bouillabaisse-like,
Peruvian seafood stew, served with a tomato-based broth. It
is sort of like the Noah’s Ark of Bouillabaisse –
two of everything on board… scallops, shrimp, clams,
mussels, and one large piece of strikingly fresh, firm white
fish and one very large and meaty crab leg.
To accompany dinner, there is a house-made sangria, available
by the glass or pitcher, a modest list of Mexican and South
American beers and a creative wine list with selections that
complement the fare.
Before opening Limón, each of the four Castillo brothers
worked at a revered local restaurant, including Rubicon, Slanted
Door and Aqua, which is where they picked up their serving
savvy. Not a one of them is professionally trained, not even
Martin, the brother who is chef. Fernando picked up his wine
knowledge working with Larry Stone at Rubicon and has done
a fabulous job of picking many off-brand wines for his own
list that offer value; Antonio and Eduardo picked up their
skills to apply to other restaurant concerns – accounting
and operations.
In the next short while, the Brothers Castillo are opening
two new restaurants in San Francisco, each a bit different
than Limón, but based on the same principals –
home-made quality, Peruvian flavors and fair prices. That
they just won a James Beard Award for their efforts is hardly
surprising.
Limón, 3316 17th Street. 415-252-0918.
Le Petit Robert
There's a hidden joke of sorts in the name of this outstanding French bistro, part of Pascal Rigo's burgeoning food empire in San Francisco.
In France, "Le Petit Robert" is slang for the dictionary. At this wonderful neighborhood boite, it's an ironic reference to the anything-but-petit Robert Cubberly who is tall and who is executive chef and who makes us drool with desire to return as often as possible for his tasty, seasonal bistro dishes.
We have been dining here since week one and have never been disappointed. The room is cavernous and noisy, anything but romantic and certainly not a first-date venue. But the food is tremendous and when we dine here, we wonder why we would ever get on a plane and fly ten hours to France — when the food's as good here and costs much less.
Le Petit Robert, 2300 Polk at Green. 415-922-8800.
Pizzetta 211
The place is small, magical, memorable, a bit edgy, bordering
on quirky; the pizzas are ethereal, thin, crisp, topped with
unusual and tasty ingredients and unquestionably worth the drive
to this Sunset neighborhood hangout.
Opened three years ago by Ria Ramsey, a self-taught cook
whose mother taught cooking professionally (she obviously
did a great job in her own home, too!), Pizzetta 211 offers
five different pizzas and one calzone on a menu that changes
weekly (and never weakly).
On a recent visit, we were served one of the tastiest flat
concoctions that I have ever had; a Moroccan Egg Pizza. It
featured a thin, crackly crust that was topped with a tasty
mixture of peppers, tomatoes and mozzarella, richly flavored
with smoky paprika and cumin. The pizza was topped with two
perfectly cooked fried eggs, ready to let their soft yellow
centers run sensually across the surface of the pizza with
the tiniest stab. I spent three weeks thinking about this
sensational, sublime pizza and was discouraged not to find
it on the menu when I returned. (Such are the disappointments
of a professional food reviewer - we find Perfection…
Nirvanna… the Valhalla of Victuals… and poof! It
is gone before we can return to enjoy it again!)
On another visit, we thrilled to the flavors of a Fig, Prosciutto,
Pinenut and Redwood Hill goat cheese pizza, drizzled with
a black-brown balsamic reduction. The black Mission figs were
plump, ripe, moist and delicious. The prosciutto was smoky,
the crust crisp; there was food harmony in every bite.
Ria strives for a purity of flavors in her pizzas and she
achieves this by keeping the toppings simple. She uses organic
produce, dairy and grains whenever possible and supports local
growers and businesses.
We love her work ethic, her recipes and her achievements.
One more thing: Ria must have a wicked sense of humor, certainly
it is theatrical. Don't miss the tiny, but unforgettable,
bathroom; even if you don't have to use it… be sure to
visit this tiny, red cubicle… and catch the looped video!
Pizzetta 211, at 211 23rd Avenue (at California).
415-379-9880.
Open for lunch and dinner Wednesday to Sunday, closed Monday
and Tuesday.
Postrio
Every once in a while a perfect dining experience walks into
your life. The food couldn't be better, the setting is charming
or romantic without flaw, the service is textbook perfect.
We recently had just such an experience at Postrio, now coming
up to its 14th year of operation; we had a late lunch in the
cozy, street level bar. Most diners head to the lower level
for a full meal, but years ago we discovered that one of the
best light meals in San Francisco can be had at Postrio's bar.
Today's simple late lunch consisted of two simple dishes. But
in simplicity lies Truth — because when you don't have
a hundred ingredients, flavors or sauces to hide under, your
potential flaws are usually most evident.
The exceptional Romaine salad was a perfect appetizer, doing
what a well-made appetizer should do — set you up for the
next course, not fill you up. The garlicky vinaigrette was a
tasty spill of oil and sherry wine vinegar, grainy mustard and
garlic.
One thing that chef/brothers Steven and Mitchell Rosenthal insist:
"If we serve it, we make it." So the different sausages in the
Sausage Plate are all house-made. So, too, are the soft and
chewy pretzels that are served with the sausage assortment,
each about the size of a large dinner roll.
Ahhh, the sausages. Exquisite. The Best of the wurst. Here's
a plate of three homemade bangers, splayed out like the spokes
on a Mandala wheel, each set atop its own distinctive tasting
relish. If this is, indeed, a Mandala experience, repeat this
mantra after me: "I will not place a second order… I will not,
I will not, I will not!" But believe me, you will want to.
- Wurst the first: a stunningly tasty,
juicy sausage made with lamb, served with a greenish, cilantro-wasabi
sauce.
- Sausage the second: A firm and fabulous
duck-based banger served with a chunky, raisin-apricot chutney,
aromatic and cumin-charged, reminiscent of Morocco's best
dishes.
- Sausage the third: A moist, flavorful
curried chicken achievement, served with a delicious Dijon
sauce.
The pretzels are chewy, tasty, sufficiently salty to help accentuate
the distinct flavors of each sausage.
By the way, despite the long and winding wine list at Postrio,
nothing beats beer with this sausage offering.
As for service, we must make mention of the courteous, professional
and warm table service accorded us by Neoo. Yes, this looks
like a typographical error — Neoo — or perhaps the
name of a fictional character from the movie The Matrix, but,
in fact, Neoo is the smiling, gracious, always welcoming, Burmese,
bar-area waiter who has been at Postrio for ten years. His service
is a match for the food at Postrio — top notch.
One can't talk about Postrio without mentioning its tasty signature
dish, served only at Sunday brunch: The inimitable Soft Scrambled
Eggs served with tender chunks of Maine lobster, folded with
a ribbon of satiny Mascarpone cheese, flecked to taste and color
with snippets of chives. Do not miss it; it is a Lifetime Achievement
nominee to the Food Hall of Fame.
Postrio, 545 Post St., San Francisco. 415-776-7825.
Zao Noodle Bar
The inclusion here of Zao is meant more for locals than it is for tourists - unless you are spending a good four or five days in San Francisco as a visitor and you just plain get tired of all the California-cookin', the fusion cuisine and the Con-fusion scene. Then it's time to head to Zao for a few of the tastiest, cleanest, most focused Chinese-style dishes in the city.
We love this little neo-Sino outpost (actually there are now five in the Bay-area); the menu is short, the prices are low, the service is swift.
How much do we like the food? Enough that we expressed interest in buying the nascent chain to expand it across the country. Ugh-ugh, not for sale.
We LOVE the Spicy Black Bean Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry served with rice. Less than $8 for a large portion. We are equally gaga for the Thai Green Curry with Chicken, though it is improved immeasurably by having it served with rice, not noodles. Less than $9 for a mammoth serving of chicken, bamboo shoots, green peas, galanga, kaffir lime leaf and lemongrass, all liaised with a delicious coconut sauce.
When two of us dine, we order these two plates only and two glasses of house beer and waddle away feeling full for less than $25 total, tip extra.
There's an almost addictive quality to the food; it's so pure and tasty that we find ourselves heading to Zao about every other week; it's a great break from noisy, trendy, hard-to-get-into, first and second tier restaurants.
Zao Marina, 2031 Chestnut St. 415-928-3088.
Zao Upper Fillmore, 2406 California St. 415-345-8088.
Zao Castro, 3583 16th St. 415-864-2888.
Zao Emmeryville, 5614 Bay St., Suite 234, Emmeryville.
510-595-2888.
Zao Palo Alto, 261 University Ave. Palo Alto. 650-328-1988.
Zuni Café
For more than 20 years, we have been sending friends to this culinary Mecca on Market St., this oh-so important and oh-so tasty emporium of flavors.
In a word: Chef-co-owner Judy Rodgers, who started her career in the kitchens of Troisgros, in France, later worked at Chez Panisse, and who has written the best, most authoritative, cookbook in 10 years (Zuni Café Cookbook), simply gets it.
I would never visit the Bay area from a great distance and fail to experience the food at either Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, (reserve at the upstairs café where the food and service is more casual) or at Zuni Café in San Francisco. Period.
The signature dishes here include oven-roasted chicken with bread salad (only made for two — they start your order from scratch so be prepared to wait 50 minutes. The good news: it's worth the wait!)
We love the gigantic selection of oysters, the large wine list, the bread, the butter — let's face it — everything.
Zuni Café, 1658 Market St. 415-552-2522.
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