01
Best overall pick
Zuni Café
Market Street / Civic Center • Iconic California Bistro With A Wood-Fired Hearth • Classic San Francisco Landmark
A timeless, bustling bistro known for its legendary roast chicken and perfectly made cocktails.
Zuni feels like the platonic ideal of a San Francisco restaurant, with sunlight, marble-topped tables, and a confident menu that never tries too hard. The brick oven roast chicken for two, with warm bread salad, is a rite of passage and worth the wait. Book ahead for dinner, or slip in at off-hours to enjoy oysters and a Negroni at the bar.
02
Most inventive menu
State Bird Provisions
Western Addition / Fillmore • Playful, Progressive American Small-Plates Restaurant • Best For Adventurous Eaters
A dim-sum-style parade of inventive small plates that keeps even seasoned diners on their toes.
At State Bird Provisions, servers weave through the dining room with trays and carts, offering an ever-changing lineup of seasonal dishes you choose on the fly. Expect combinations like fried quail, silky crudos, and vegetable plates that steal the show. Reservations are snapped up quickly, so plan ahead or try for early or late seatings at the bar.
03
Neighborhood go-to
Nopa
Nopa / Divisadero Corridor • Lively Urban Rustic Spot Focused On Wood-Fired California Cuisine • Best Late-Night Kitchen
A high-energy room turning out deeply flavored, wood-fired dishes until impressively late by local standards.
Nopa anchors the Divisadero corridor with a big, open kitchen and a menu that’s comforting without feeling heavy. The pork chop and the flatbread are perennial favorites, and the cocktails are as carefully considered as the plates. It’s one of the few upscale spots serving a full menu late, making it a go-to after a show or a long day of exploring.
04
Essential seafood counter
Swan Oyster Depot
Polk Gulch / Nob Hill • Old-School Seafood Counter • Iconic Lunch-Only Stop
A narrow, no-frills counter serving pristine seafood to patient regulars and in-the-know visitors.
Swan Oyster Depot is the kind of place where the line forms before opening and nobody complains, because the payoff is that good. The move is to order a mix of oysters, cracked crab in season, and one of the generous seafood salads, then chat with the staff behind the counter. Go early on a weekday if you can, and treat the wait as part of the experience.
05
Best special-occasion spot
Mister Jiu's
Chinatown • Modern Chinese Restaurant In A Historic Banquet Hall • Refined Tasting-Menu Experience
A polished, deeply rooted take on Chinese-American cooking with a strong sense of place.
Mister Jiu’s reimagines classic Chinatown dishes with peak-season California produce and thoughtful technique, all in a beautifully restored space overlooking Portsmouth Square. The set menus might feature whole roast duck, delicate dumplings, and layered vegetable dishes that feel both familiar and new. It’s ideal for a lingering dinner with a group that appreciates both history and modern cooking.