Restaurants and Food

For all of you that know us well, you know that we LOVE food. A LOT. So we have of course compiled a list of some of our favourite places to eat in San Francisco. It is an amazing city to live in for Foodies, as SF officially de-throned New York in 2018 as the US city with the most three-Michelin-starred restaurants. SF is a great place to explore varieties of food like Italian, Mexican, Modern American, Japanese, Burmese, Chinese, and so much more. It is a competitive and ever changing landscape of new places to try and amazing food to explore: from a hole in the wall taco place to an extravagant multi-course meal ranging in the hundreds of dollars per person. A big part of the secret to SF's amazing restaurants is the access to all of the bounty of California's enormous agricultural industry. The fresh, local fruits and vegetables are fantastic and it really shows in the final dishes. Explore the many farmers' markets to get the produce straight from the source yourself.

Drinks, including beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, kombucha, and more are also very excellent in the Bay Area. In fact there's so much to cover there that we've made a separate page for the liquid pleasures.

Our big (and woefully incomplete) list below hits food from all over the world and runs the spectrum from ridiculously cheap to insanely expensive. Hopefully there is something for everyone. However, if you'd like to strike out on your own then we recommend two primary websites for research:

For those with dietary restrictions, San Francisco has you covered. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, paleo, kosher, allergies, etc. Pretty much everything is handled and you can expect servers to ask if you need accommodations.

The best restaurants in San Francisco are often very busy. For those that take reservations, it's a good idea to book a week in advance or more. For those that don't, be prepared to get in line. San Franciscans love nothing more than standing in line for food.

Without further ado, here is our big list (in no particular order)! You can also view all of these places and more on our annotated Google Map.

Food Near the Hotels

The following restaurants are located within short walking distance of one of our Wedding Hotels.

  • The Grove — cheap, easy, tasty, American comfort food, in a casual setting that stays open late
  • State Bird Provisions — seasonal American fare served dim sum style. This place is simply amazing. DEFINITELY get reservations 30 days in advance of your trip (or be willing to stand in line for over an hour before the restaurant opens to snag one of the tables reserved for walk-ins)
  • SPQR — gourmet Italian food and wine
  • Dosa — delicious South Indian food located in the Fillmore District
  • Tataki — reasonably priced, sustainable sushi relatively near both hotels
  • Hinodeya Ramen — tasty ramen near the Buchanan in Japantown
  • Nick's Crispy Tacos — Nick's Crispy Tacos serves some amazing tacos, be sure to get the tacos Nick's way, as they are like a Taco Bell Double-Decker taco, but for adults
  • De Afghanan Kabob House — delicious Afghani food
  • Pizzeria Delfina — fantastic wood-fired pizza
  • Salt & Straw — fancy new ice cream shop from Portland. Yummy seasonal flavors!
  • Smitten Ice Cream — delicious ice cream made fresh to order using liquid nitrogen
  • B. Patisserie — Fancy, tasty pastries and good coffee too!
  • Bob's Donuts — stays open late! Super yummy and has a donut eating challenge if you'd like to risk a stomach ache and a sugar coma.
  • Wise Sons Bagels — delicious classic Jewish bagels and schmear, great for breakfast!

Markets and Food Trucks

San Francisco has a ton of food markets to explore and the food truck culture is also very strong. Be sure to check some out for cheap, fresh, and innovative food.

  • Ferry Building — San Francisco's main ferry terminal is also a massive food hall, and on Saturday mornings is the site of an enormous farmers' market, one of our favourites in the city
  • Clement St Farmers' Market — Our local farmers' market that runs every Sunday morning and located just three blocks from our apartment
  • Alemany Farmers' Market — The first farmers' market in California, open Saturday
  • San Rafael Market — located just north of the city in San Rafael, this epic market is the third largest in California and a hidden gem, open Sunday mornings
  • Off the Grid — A series of food truck festivals located throughout the city, our favourites are the Presidio Picnic on Sundays on the Main Post lawn and the one at Fort Mason on Fridays...but check the website for full details of the 2018 season starting in April
  • Spark Social SF — A permanent collection of food trucks located in a newly developed neighbourhood

American/Californian

  • Zazie — great for brunch or dinner, line up for brunch starting at 9am, or make reservations for dinner
  • State Bird Provisions — seasonal American fare served dim sum style. This place is simply amazing. DEFINITELY get reservations 30 days in advance of your trip (or be willing to stand in line for over an hour before the restaurant opens to snag one of the tables reserved for walk-ins)
  • Brenda's French Soul Food — great for breakfast or dinner, be sure to get the beignets!
  • Brenda's Meat & Three — fantastic sister restaurant to Brenda's French Soul Food
  • Nopa — classic California cuisine, reservations a must
  • Zuni Cafe — a San Francisco institution, get the roast chicken for two
  • The Tipsy Pig — great gastropub
  • Soma Eats — only open on weekdays, but pairs great food with tons of beer
  • The Grove — cheap, easy, tasty, American comfort food, in a casual setting that stays open late
  • Beach Chalet — good food with fantastic view of the ocean
  • The Melt — fancy grilled cheese
  • Super Duper Burger — a San Francisco-based burger chain that is super-duper!
  • Atelier Crenn — splurge, two Michelin starred restaurant fronted by celebrity chef Dominque Crenn
  • Petit Crenn — also by Dominique Crenn, but at a much more accessible price point
  • Greens Restaurant — fantastic vegetarian/vegan fare with an amazing view of the Bay

BBQ

Chinese

German

  • Biergarten — Bavarian style outdoor beer garden with tasty pretzels and sausages and beer
  • Suppenkuche — best German food in the city

Indian

Italian & Pizza

  • SPQR — gourmet Italian food and wine
  • Sociale — fine Italian food near our apartment
  • Del Popolo — amazing wood-fired pizza
  • Pizzetta 211 — great little pizza shop, does take-away too
  • Tony's Pizza Napoletana — North Beach (little Italy) classic pizza shop
  • Little Star Pizza — great deep-dish pizza (if that's your thing)
  • A16 — fantastic pizza and Italian food, and spectacular Italian wine
  • Delarosa — solid pizza and Italian food
  • Flour + Water — super busy Italian in the Mission
  • Pizzeria Delfina — delicious wood-fired pizza
  • Cheeseboard Pizzeria — amazing pizza collective in Berkeley, serving a single flavour of veggie pizza each day, worth the line!

Japanese

  • Hinodeya Ramen — tasty ramen near the Buchanan in Japantown
  • Mensho Tokyo — Tokyo-based ramen chain, now in SF, expect long lines
  • Tataki — reasonably priced, sustainable sushi relatively near both hotels
  • Mizutani Sushi Bar — Excellent sushi in a family friendly neighbourhood setting
  • Sushi Ran — classic sushi spot in Sausalito

Mexican

  • Nick's Crispy Tacos — cheap and fast; get the "Nick's Way" tacos for maximum deliciousness
  • The Taco Shop — sister restaurant to Nick's Crispy Tacos...shares the same menu and deliciousness
  • Tacko — sister restaurant to Nick's Crispy Tacos...shares the same menu and deliciousness
  • El Farolito — our favourite "Mission Style" burritos
  • La Taqueria — the other "best Mission Style burrito place" in the city
  • Arguello — amazing Mexican food in the Presidio by Traci Des Jardins
  • Tacolicious — amazing tacos, as advertised
  • Padrecito — excellent seasonal, fresh Mexican food
  • Taqueria Los Mayas — fun, fast, Yucatecan restaurant near our apartment
  • Californios — splurge, two Michelin Star, fancy Mexican restaurant serving nightly 16-course prix-fixe meals
  • Nopalito — one of our favourite sit-down Mexican restaurants, and caterer for the wedding!
  • Gracias Madre — tasty vegetarian/vegan Mexican food
  • Papalote Mexican Grill — excellent food with amazing salsas and sauces

Thai

  • Lers Ros — solid, affordable Thai food
  • Kin Khao — spectacular, authentic Thai food, with one Michelin Star
  • Marnee Thai — if there was such a thing as Thai comfort food, this would be it!

Other

Desserts and Bakeries

  • The Mill — Delicious toast with homemade spreads and yummy coffee
  • Arsicault — AMAZING croissants. The line is TOTALLY worth it, as this place was named best new bakery in the US by Bon Appetit in 2016. Go early, as they close at 2pm every day and sometimes sell out before closing.
  • Salt & Straw — Fancy new ice cream shop from Portland. Yummy seasonal flavors!
  • Smitten Ice Cream — delicious ice cream made fresh to order using liquid nitrogen
  • Ice Cream Bar — A traditional ice cream bar soda fountain with a boozy twist if you head to the back counter. YUM!
  • B. patisserie — Fancy, tasty pastries and good coffee too!
  • Dandelion — Omg. Chocolate. Amazing Chocolate.
  • Arizmendi — Go here. Eat everything. This cooperatively owned and run bakery was a central part of my weekly schedule when I lived just a half block away. I highly recommend their brioche knots, whatever the daily scone is, Ricciarelli almond cookies, daily pizza (served starting at 11am), or just grab a loaf of bread and some cheese there to take out for a snack - Sarah
  • Tartine + Tartine Manufactory — World famous bakery! They make some seriously amazing bread and so much more
  • Bob's Donuts — Stays open late! Super yummy and has a donut eating challenge if you'd like to risk a stomach ache and a sugar coma
  • Devil's Teeth Baking Company — The breakfast sandwiches are SO GOOD