Absinthe Brasserie & Bar

The Alembic

Ame

”Ame, the wonderfully serene year-old restaurant in the St. Regis Hotel, combines Californian, European and especially Japanese ingredients and techniques....”  More

Canteen

”Leary appears happy to be cooking—not a leisured happiness but the happiness of rock climbers and chess players, the happiness...”  More

Chez Panisse Café

”...using my campus-job earnings to splurge on dinn...”  More

Coi

”Daniel Patterson churns butter made with both organic cream and French sel gris...”  More

Delfina

The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton

”As the Ritz-Carlton finishes its $12 million renovation, chef Ron Siegel continues to serve his excellent modern French food, which...”  More

Hog Island Oyster Co

”We ate the famous Hog Island oysters and had a bottle of winemaker Sean Thackrey’s stunningly original Pleiades blend from...”  More

J Lounge at Jardinière

Michael Mina

”In the high-ceilinged Barbara Barry–designed space, chef Michael Mina prepares luxe American cuisine—much of it served on platters that Mina...”  More

Pizzaiolo

”Supercrisp pizzas from Chez Panisse alum Charlie Hallowell....”  More

Quince

”Quince's superstar wine director, David Lynch, and chef Michael Tusk invite top winemakers to spend time...”  More

Rubicon

”One day, when wine director Larry Stone was out of...”  More

Sebo

The Slanted Door

”In the year of love, I visited San Francisco, and ...”  More

SPQR

”The wonderfully chewy handmade pasta, tossed with porky guanciale, eggs (1 per serving) and plenty of black pepper and grated...”  More

Spruce

”Go to a restaurant with an F&W Best New Chef in the kitchen, and you’ll likely find a great wine...”  More

Zuni Café

”It’s hard to decide which dish at Zuni is most iconic. Some would argue for the whole-leaf, anchovy-spiked Caesar salad;...”  More

1300 on Fillmore

”At his elegant place in the newly revived Fillmore Jazz District, David Lawrence serves Southern-inflected food, frying shrimp in a...”  More

1550 Hyde

”Guests who manage to wedge themselves into one of 1550 Hyde's 42 coveted seats find that what the spare, mostly...”  More

A16

”Shelley Lindgren of San Francisco’s A16 stops by Da Nonna Sceppa in Paestum for fresh seafood, like the calamari with...”  More

Academy Café

”At the café’s noodle station, visitors can try Phan’s signature Vietnamese dishes, like a ginger-infused lemongrass pork with vermicelli. The...”  More

Acme Chophouse

”At her spacious outpost in Pacific Bell Park stadium, Traci Des Jardins (an F&W Best New Chef 1995) uses only...”  More

À Coté

”For a zeitgeist, post-dot-com dining experience, À Côté, a cozy little den with sponged ocher walls and vaguely Belle Époque...”  More

American Box

”More restaurants are offering takeout, and they're packing it in high-design containers. American Box, an outpost of San Francisco's Fish...”  More

Anzu

”You'll learn more about sake only by sampling different types. Here, a few of our favorite sources in the United...”  More

Aziza

Bacar

”Pastry chef Cheryl Burr of San Francisco’s Bacar loves candy, as is obvious from her homage to the Almond Joy...”  More

Baraka

”It's no surprise that a Moroccan-Spanish tapas restaurant would have a sultry vibe, but owner Jocelyn Bulow sets the mood...”  More

BarBersQ

Bar Jules

”Jessica Boncutter of Bar Jules in San Francisco co...”  More

Bar Tartine

”Kronner's menu at Bar Tartine (the four-year-old r...”  More

Beretta

Bix

Blue Bottle Café

”The Blue Bottle Café's halogen-powered Japanese coffee siphon is the only one of its kind in North America. ...”  More

Bocadillos

”Grilled meats and marinated seafood in Mini Me portions and rotund sandwiches known as bocadillos make for relaxed, elbows-on-the-table eating...”  More

Bong Su

Boulette's Larder

”Located in the Ferry Building, Boulettes Larder is a terrific retailer of artisanal goods and...”  More

Boulevard

”Go to a restaurant with an F&W Best New Chef in the kitchen, and you’ll likely find a great wine...”  More

Brenda's French Soul Food

Burger Joint

Burma Superstar

Cafe Gratitude

”A small chain of restaurants specializing in raw vegan cuisine. ...”  More

Café Majestic

”A number of noteworthy restaurants have recently opened in the Bay Area ...”  More

Café Rouge

Caffè 817

”At lunchtime the closet-sized kitchen serves chic sandwiches on Acme baguettes and unimpeachable piatti di giorno, such as a super-Tuscan...”  More

Camino

”Dishes from the hearth might include roast pork with sorrel gratin and grilled artichokes with wild greens...”  More

Campton Place

”Raised in Gascony and apprenticed at Paris's Taillevent, chef Laurent Manrique makes the most of the Californian cornucopia in dishes...”  More

Cheeseboard Pizza Collective

”Each day employees make one kind of pizza and sell it until it runs out. The grassy but narrow median...”  More

Chez Papa Bistrot

”At Chez Papa Bistrot, Swede Ola Fendert cooks stellar Provençal seafood....”  More

Chez Spencer

”An art-filled loft space in an industrial alley is the site of one of the city's most daring new bistros....”  More

chop bar

”The eco-conscious new Jack London Square restaurant serves more than half of its locally...”  More

Chow

Circolo

Citizen Cake

”Half-restaurant, half-pâtisserie, Citizen Cake is the perfect spot to refuel: try a crisp Cuban sandwich or a chocolate cream-filled cookies...”  More

Coco500

”Chef Loretta Keller's beloved Bizou has been transformed into this snazzy new spot....”  More

Commis

”In the sleek, modern space, chef James Syhabout offers a three-course menu that reflects his time as chef de cuisine...”  More

Conduit

Contigo

”The menu, largely a list of pica pica (nibbles), offers jamón Ibérico aged for 36 months and a few larger...”  More

Cook Here and Now

”This two-year-old culinary experiment in communal dining brings hungry...”  More

Cortez

Cowgirl Creamery

DELICA rf1

”Japanese entrepreneur Kozo Iwata opened Delica RF-1, his sleek Tokyo-style delicatessen, to pay homage to his idol, Alice Waters, and...”  More

Doña Tomás

”Doña Tomás offers something else altogether: dutifully researched regional recipes, elevated by terrific ingredients. Pescado Veracruzana, where you'd normally expect...”  More

Dottie's True Blue Café

”While in town, Haggis enjoys both, from hole-in-the-wall joints such as Dottie's True Blue Café to the haute cuisine of...”  More

Dynamo Donut & Coffee

”This place should be crowned the new queen of the ...”  More

Emporio Rulli Gran Caffe

”Pastry chef Gary Rullispecializes in crisp biscotti and almond paste rolled in pine nuts at Emporio Rulli Gran Caffè....”  More

Enrico's Sidewalk Café

Epic Roasthouse

Essencia

”Try the lomo saltado (steak with yucca fries)....”  More

Everett & Jones

”Grab soulful barbecued ribs and juicy links at this meeting place for Oakland's African-American community....”  More

Farmerbrown

”Brian Barneclo (www.brianbarneclo.com) has literally painted his town red—and black and yellow and blue. The 34-year-old San Francisco...”  More

Fifth Floor

”Laurent Manrique—the chef at nearby Aqua—has created a menu of dishes inspired by his native Gascony, like crispy duck confit....”  More

First Crush

Fish

Fleur de Lys

Flora

Flour and Water

”Jon Darsky makes just four pies with simple toppings, from a classic Margherita to tomatoes with garlicky mussels and...”  More

Foreign Cinema

”Indeed, when I ask the Ospitals over dinner to tell me everything they love about their hometown, their enthusiasm is...”  More

Fraîche Yogurt

”They puree it into a sweet-tart salad dressing with figs to toss with mixed greens, bake it into surprisingly moist...”  More

Frances

”Melissa Perello's new restaurant sells two house wines on tap, custom-blended by...”  More

Frontera Fresco

Go Go Café & Restaurant

”Open until 1 a.m., Go Go Café & Restaurant comforts hungry night owls with hot rice porridge and fried bread....”  More

Grasshopper

”But addictive as you'll find the organic edamame, the food here is a mere excuse for a tasting flight—or two—of...”  More

Greens

Heaven’s Dog

”His sweet-and-sour pork, which he makes with pasture-raised pigs, is exemplary, but I'm going back for Phan's seafood soup, a...”  More

Home

”At this remake of the tony JohnFrank, Lance Dean Velasquez (an F&W Best New Chef 1996) charges half what he...”  More

Humphry Slocombe

”Staffers sell quirky, delicious flavors like Secret Breakfast— bourbon ice cream with...”  More

Il Cane Rosso

”...Patterson serves a southern-Italian-inspired menu featuring sandwiches like porchetta with plum mostarda and mustard greens, and what may be the...”  More

Iluna Basque

”At this North Beach spot, he's serving a menu of Basque small-plate dishes, like sautéed scallops and artichokes deglazed with...”  More

Imperial Tea Court

”The 12-year-old Chinatown original and its outpost serve exceptionally rare teas, including a Pu-erh aged over 20 years....”  More

Incanto

”One of the best, most intriguing meals I’ve ever had. I adored the chicken risotto with...”  More

Isobune

”Scoop sushi from floating boats at Isobune in Japantown....”  More

Jack Falstaff

”All the wines are well-priced, mostly between $40 and $60, marked just above retail. Ballance loves the 1997 Cigliuti Cru...”  More

Jardinière

Jeanty at Jack's

”His hearty, unfashionable, French-grandmother dishes—leeks vinaigrette, coq au vin—are perfectly at home in these historic San Francisco rooms....”  More

Kasa Indian

”Lauren’s favorite roll has a turkey-kebab filling made with ground free-range turkey flavored with garlic, then grilled, smashed and wrapped...”  More

Ketch Joanne & Harbor Bar

La Mar

”...serves seven kinds of ceviche representing Peru...”  More

Lark Creek Steak

”Opening in San Francisco later this month, Bradley Ogden's place will grill over grapevines and almond wood....”  More

La Trappe

”Consider it the evolution of bistro food, with great beer, too: Authentic Belgian restaurants are opening all over. NYC’s Resto...”  More

Le Colonial

Let's Be Frank

”Larry Bain’s Let’s Be Frank caters hot dog parties...”  More

Limón

”At San Francisco's Limón, chef Martin Castillo proves that Peru offers more than seviche and rotisserie chicken, with dishes like...”  More

Loila

”This energetic Spanish tapas bar and restaurant is the latest effort from former 42 Degrees chef Mark Denham....”  More

LuLu Petite

”A combination retail store and take-out shop, it's a great place to get made-to-order sandwiches and salads prepared with the...”  More

Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery

”“The space was built in 1903 and was once a pharmacy,” says owner Dave McLean, who kept the medicine drawers...”  More

Manka's Inverness Lodge

”In this rustic dining room (think logs and antlers...”  More

MarketBar

Marzano

”Named for the exalted Neapolitan tomato, Robert Holt’s new spot gets its wood-fired oven blazing for brunch, when the menu...”  More

Masa's

”Ron Siegel (an F&W Best New Chef 1999 and the opening sous chef at the French Laundry) is the perfect...”  More

Medicine

Mijita

”The shop specializes in Mexican street foods like carnitas, tacos and aguas frescas as well as homey dishes like spicy...”  More

Millennium Restaurant

Mixt Greens

Moss Room

”A number of noteworthy restaurants have recently opened in the Bay Area ...”  More

Myth

”A restaurant worldly enough to serve citrus-glazed salmon in lobster sauce and relaxed enough to deal in burgers too....”  More

Naked Fish

”Innovative sushi rolls and cocktails (try the 'spicy jalapeño saketini') are a hit at Naked Fish....”  More

Navio

”Peter Rudolph, chef de cuisine of the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, so reveres Dungeness crab that he makes it the...”  More

Nectar Wine Lounge

”Passersby may not know that this sleek Marina spot offers more than just a great wine list. But should they...”  More

Nettie’s Crab Shack

”...owner Annette Yang and chef Brian Leitner draw on traditions across the U.S., from a Bay Area Dungeness crab feast...”  More

Nob Hill Café

”In the year of love, I visited San Francisco, and ...”  More

Nopa

”They were small, white cellini runner beans, a more assertive version of Italian cannellini, which he stirs into a lush...”  More

Olema Inn & Restaurant

”We ate the famous Hog Island oysters and had a bottle of winemaker Sean Thackrey’s stunningly original Pleiades blend from...”  More

Orson

Osteria Stellina

”Chef Christian Caiazzo takes advantage of the region’s terrific producers (like rancher Bill Niman) to create outstanding dishes like braised...”  More

Pacific Catch

”The handful of tables at Pacific Catch are packed with patrons chasing salmon fish-and-chips with lemongrass iced tea....”  More

Pasta Pomodoro

”Pasta Pomodoro, near the Marina District, is fast and satisfying—unless you're on Atkins....”  More

Peony

”Peony offers a shining example of a brash convention hall-scaled Cantonese restaurant. Yes, they serve immense crab from the seafood...”  More

Perbacco

”'We showcase the wines and food of northwestern Italy, Piedmont and Liguria,' says Mauro Cirilli, wine director of this stylish...”  More

Pho Hoa Hiep

”Vietnamese pho at San Francisco's Pho Hoa Hiep...”  More

Piperade

Pizzeria Delfina

”F&W Best New Chef 2001 Craig Stoll sources local ingredients like broccoli raab for his superbly charred thin-crust...”  More

Plouf

”Plouf, an outdoor French seafood café, specializes in mussels and roast chicken and frites. Also ideal as a lunch stop....”  More

Postrio

”In the year of love, I visited San Francisco, and ...”  More

Presidio Social Club

R&G Lounge

”She joined me at R&G, her favorite Chinese restaurant in San Francisco, to taste some world-class crab as part of...”  More

Range

Restaurant Gary Danko

”Michaël Engelmann of San Francisco’s Gary Danko always goes to Caveau Morakopf in Niedermorschwihr for its traditional...”  More

RN74

”...his 2,500-bottle list not only includes 47 page...”  More

RNM

”At this stylish new lower Haight lounge, 29-year-old chef and owner Justine Miner serves a small-plates menu with items like...”  More

Roliroti

”Thomas Odermatt, the son of a Swiss butcher, re-created part of his family’s business in San Francisco, building a truck...”  More

Saigon Sandwich

”This is an example of a double-immigration sandwich. The baguette-style roll (lightened with rice flour) emerged in Indochina during French...”  More

Saison

”On Sunday evenings, Joshua Skenes turns a Mission District space into one of San Francisco’s more elegant restaurants. Meals start...”  More

Salt House

”Pure Kauai and Pure Maui rent homes for $300 to $8,000 a night. For an extra fee, both will arrange...”  More

The Sentinel

”At The Sentinel, his sandwich counter in a former ...”  More

Seoul on Wheels

”At each stop, Julia Yoon serves a variety of Korean classics, including bulgogi: thin slices of tender rib eye steak...”  More

Serpentine

”The iconic San Francisco restaurant Slow Club...”  More

Solstice

”Qi Black Tea Liqueur, distilled from cedar-smoked Lapsang souchong tea from China’s Fujian province, has made a splash in San...”  More

Swan Oyster Depot

”idle up to the counter at Swan Oyster Depot in Polk Gulch for a half-dozen local Miyagis. ...”  More

Tablespoon

”In this small Russian Hill restaurant, chef and co-owner Robert Riescher is serving a more casual New American menu than...”  More

Tartine Bakery

”Mariani's approach to food and wine was clear at the party he recently gave with Kronner. Kronner's menu at Bar...”  More

Taylor's Automatic Refresher

”Brothers Joel and Duncan Gott’s original diner on Highway 29 in Napa Valley gained fame for its outrageously good burgers...”  More

Thursday Farmers’ Market

”The latest farmers’ market to join the city’s ever...”  More

Tommy's Mexican Restaurant

Ton Kiang

”Forget turkey and the trimmings and head to dim sum wonderland Ton Kiang for Hakka- and Hong Kong-style dishes and...”  More

Tony's Pizza Napoletana

”His new restaurant, which is connected to a school that helps prospective pizzaiolos get certified by the Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli...”  More

Town Hall

”Brick walls and straight-backed chairs whisper of a luxurious colonial schoolhouse, but the scene at the bar clamors of the...”  More

Tres Agaves

”In San Francisco, Bermejo's Tres Agaves has 100 varieties....”  More

Truly Mediterranean

”'Falafels deluxe' in lavash bread, with silky eggplant and fried potatoes, at Truly Mediterranean...”  More

Two

Umami

”Dishes like braised pork with nori and quail eggs have a California touch: humanely raised meats from Niman Ranch and...”  More

Urbino

”When Urbino opens, it will be San Francisco’s hottest restaurant...”  More

Vik's Chaat Corner

”Poori (puffy fried bread) served with perfectly spiced chickpeas at Vik's Chaat Corner...”  More

Village Pub

”Chef Dmitry Elperin will offer a full Thanksgiving dinner to go that includes a ready-to-roast turkey with bread stuffing and...”  More

Warming Hut Bookstore & Café

Waterbar

Winterland

Yank Sing

”Join the debate over whether the dim sum at Yank Sing is the city's best....”  More

Yield Wine Bar

”This wine bar - in the rapidly evolving neighborhood of Dogpatch, on the back side of Potrero Hill - was...”  More

Zebulon

Zuppa

”The food, inspired by southern Italy (like a rich country pork ragù on rigatoni), pairs well with the 80-plus bottles...”  More