TOP 15 RESTAURANTS
It was hard to pick only 15 restaurants as SF has so many excellent dining establishments, but I tried to pick my top ones across cuisines, neighborhoods and price ranges.
01
Souvla (Hayes Valley, Divis, coming soon in the Marina)
Souvla tops the list with authentic, fresh & healthy Greek salads and wraps - perfect for sit-down as well as take-out. Their frozen yogurt (with honey or olive oil) is a MUST. And if it's good enough for Michelle Obama, it's good enough for me.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/souvla-san-francisco
02
Tony's (North Beach)
Pro-tip: go for early dinner on a weekday or lunch to avoid the 1.5 - 2 hour wait. One of the best thin-crust pizzeria in SF. What to get? Everything. Everything is great here.
If you're hangry and can't manage the hour+ wait, go down a few blocks to Il Casaro.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/tonys-pizza-napoletana-san-francisco
https://www.yelp.com/biz/il-casaro-pizzeria-and-mozzarella-bar-san-francisco
03
Elephant Sushi (Russian Hill)
You like fresh salmon sashimi? Tuna avocado rolls? Poke? On-fire-flaming halibut? Yes, yes, yes and yes! Pro-tip: put your name down, go across the street to Union Larder for a glass of wine, come back 30-45 min later, indulge in raw fish galore!
https://www.yelp.com/biz/elephant-sushi-san-francisco
04
The Commissary (Presidio)
Oh my! If you want to treat yourself to a special occasion dinner, make reservations at the back counter so can watch the chefs work in the open kitchen. New American master pieces from chef Traci Des Jardins will delight your eyes and stomach. Menu changes seasonally.
ps: When putting into Google maps, make sure it's taking you to the Presidio and not FiDi.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/he-commissary-san-francisco
05
Mandalay (Inner Richmond)
Authentic Burmese food that takes reservations for large groups. I'd recommend getting a group of 8-10 people and ordering everything to share. If you can't get everything, then at least get the tea leaf salad, Mandalay special moodle and the pumpkin curry chicken.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/mandalay-san-francisco
06
B Star (Inner Richmond)
Yes, another Burmese place in the Inner Richmond makes my list. Only because I don't want you to wait over an hour for Burma Superstar when their sister restaurant is equally good with no wait. Rainbow salad, chicken satay, garlic noodles & lamb curry are solid go-to's.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/b-star-bar-san-francisco
07
SPQR (Fillmore)
If you want authentic, fresh Italian pasta and an extensive wine list, this is the place to splurge. Can't go wrong with the squid ink spaghetti, sage brown butter bucatini or the meyer lemon linguine. Save room for gelato.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/spqr-san-francisco
08
Lavash (Inner Sunset)
NOTE: Looks like they haven't re-opened yet since a fire damaged the restaurant :(
This Mediterranean restaurant is one of my favorite places! This is what you should get: Lavash salad, cucumber yogurt salad, prawn or lamb kebob, jeweled rice & mint tea.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/lavash-restaurant-san-francisco
09
Delarosa (Marina and SOMA)
A frequent dinner spot of mine for casual Italian food with great burrata, calamari, meatballs, pizza and pasta to share and creative cocktails. Good for groups or solo dining and perfect for people watching.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/delarosa-san-francisco
10
Tacolicious (Marina, Mission, North Beach)
If you want authentic burritos, go to El Farolito or La Taqueria. If you want delicious tacos, ceviche and sangria in a trendier restaurant, it's a great sit-down spot. No, I don't mind that it's a "chain" (does 3 locations even qualify as a chain?).
https://www.yelp.com/biz/tacolicious-san-francisco-7
11
Liholiho Yacht Club (Tendernob)
Having been open for over 3 years, surprisingly, this trendy Hawaiian-Asian-fusion place still books up weeks in advance. Another place that's good to go with groups so you can order and share all the things, incl. beef carpaccio, scallops & pork belly, roasted octopus and tuna poke.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/liholiho-yacht-club-san-francisco-2
12
Statebird Provisions (Fillmore/Lower Pac Heights)
Similar review as above: hard to get reservations at this trendy New American fusion eatery. Bring a group. Order all the small-plates. Indulge in seasonally-changing favorites, like the duck liver mousse, lamb merguez, jerk octopus and guinea hen dumpling.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/state-bird-provisions-san-francisco
13
City View Dim Sum (Chinatown)
It's a giant restaurant with a wide variety of dim sum selection. Service is quick - waiters roll their carts of fresh-out-of-the-kitchen dishes around the restaurant and you just ask for all the things you want. That's right - get.all.the.things. That's the whole point of dim sum. Pro-tip: get there before 10am to be seated right away, or be ready to wait 30-60 min on a weekend.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/city-view-restaurant-san-francisco
14
Chubby Noodle (Marina & North Beach)
If you like your garlic noodles with a side of loud 90s club music in a dark space, then come here. This Asian fusion spot has a great vibe on a Saturday evening before a night out on the town. Doesn't matter what you order, you're not here for the food anyway. You're here for the scene. But the food isn't bad either. Go to the Marina location. Next stop: Tipsy Pig.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/chubby-noodle-san-francisco-3
15
Ike's (Tenderloin)
Ike's sandwiches are God's greatest gift to the world. They're fast, fresh and sizable portions. And Ike is an awesome Bay Area entrepreneur with over 25 locations all over CA. Whatever you get, make sure you get it on Dutch Crunch. Fun fact: all the prices are palindromes, like $12.21, $13.31, $9.99 or $7.97. In SF, it's all even dollar numbers, except for $11.11.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/ikes-love-and-sandwiches-san-francisco-3
