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

”As the wine director and co-owner of A16, the standout Southern Italian restaurant in San Francisco, Shelley has built a...”  More

Absinthe

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

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

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

”The first restaurant for Jessica Bonecutter...”  More

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

Boulette's Larder

”Like a quaint culinary lab, this small open kitchen in the Ferry Building produces sauces, crèmes, and stocks for discriminating...”  More

Burma Superstar

Cafe Gratitude

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

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

Canteen

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

”using my campus-job earnings to splurge on dinners at Chez Panisse...”  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

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

Coi

”Coi's chef (and F&W Best New Chef 1997) Daniel Patterson combines his passions for local ingredients and avant-garde experimentation. With...”  More

Cowgirl Creamery

Delfina

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

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

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

Emporio Rulli Gran Caffe

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

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

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

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

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

Home

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

”Chris Cosentino doesn’t look like a traditionalist. But the chef at San Francisco’s Incanto wants people to think about meat...”  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

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

J Lounge at Jardinière

Ketch Joanne & Harbor Bar

La Mar

”...serves seven kinds of ceviche representing Peru’s various culinary traditions, from Clásico (halibut spiked with habaneros, corn and yams) to...”  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

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

Manka's Inverness Lodge

”In this rustic dining room (think logs and antlers), chef Daniel DeLong and chef-innkeeper Margaret Gradé treat locally raised, trapped...”  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

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

Mijita

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

Millennium Restaurant

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

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

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

Pizzaiolo

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

Plouf

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

Quince

”San Francisco chefs are fanatical about seasonality—Michael Tusk, a veteran of Chez Panisse and Oliveto, even more than most. He’ll...”  More

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

”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

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

Rubicon

”At restaurateur Drew Nieporent’s downtown bastion, chef Stuart Brioza prepares an impressive California modern cuisine menu, while his girlfriend, Nicole...”  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

Salt House

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

Sebo

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

The Slanted Door

”...San Francisco’s vaunted Vietnamese restaurant...”  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

SPQR

”A16’s sister restaurant, SPQR, opened in September 2007 and serves—as you might guess from its name, which refers to the...”  More

Spruce

”German riesling is very much the focus of the list created by Spruce partner and wine-and-spirits director Andrew Green. In...”  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

Ton Kiang

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

Umami

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

Vik's Chaat Corner

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

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

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

Zuppa

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