Aqua 252 California St tel 415/956-9662. The city's best seafood restaurant (and some say, best restaurant, period) with an amazing wine list. Open for lunch and dinner, make reservations and bring your credit card: a meal here won't be cheap. Entrees start around $30.
Boulevard 1 Mission St tel 415/543-6084. Outstanding French/California cuisine in this chic brasserie catering to a smart crowd. Prices keep it a special occasion for most. Reservations strongly recommended.
Café Claude 7 Claude Lane, Union Square tel 415/392-3505. More than any of the other imitations in town, the great old furnishings of this one make it feel like Paris. A young, loose crowd listens to jazz with their $20 dinners.
Farallon 450 Post St, Union Square tel 415/956-6969. Sumptuously styled as an undersea grotto, serving highly creative seafood dishes in small portions. Definitely worth a splurge if you're into elegant dining experiences.
House of Nanking 919 Kearny St tel 415/421-1429. One of the city's most popular Chinese restaurants, despite the lack of decor and elbow room. You wait ages for a table, but the inexpensive food doesn't disappoint.
Plouf 40 Belden Place, off Bush between Kearny and Montgomery tel 415/986-6491. Convivial South-of-France seafood bistro, with sidewalk seating in good weather. The garlicky mussels - the house specialty - are the best in the city.
Tadich Grill 240 California St tel 415/391-2373. The oldest restaurant in California, and a wood-paneled San Francisco institution. Grilled fresh seafood and excellent desserts.
Café Marimba 2317 Chestnut St tel 415/776-1506. Not a bad choice if you're down in the Marina district, Marimba tries to replicate authentic Mexican regional cuisine, achieving excellent salsas and moles. Packed with young professionals.
Capp's Corner 1600 Powell St tel 415/989-2589. Funky, family-style Italian restaurant in North Beach, with a fashionable clientele lining up for the big portions.
Empress of China 838 Grant Ave tel 415/434-1345. The poshest Chinese place in town. An incredible selection of dishes and amazing views over North Beach. $13 to 25 for a main course.
Fior d'Italia 601 Union St tel 415/986-1886. This is where to go when you're tired of trendy Italian cooking with attitude and just want the real thing. Good old-timer scene at the bar.
Gaylord Ghirardelli Square, 900 North Point, Fisherman's Wharf tel 415/771-8822. The best of San Francisco's very few Indian restaurants. Expect to pay around $15 for a main course.
Greens Building A, Fort Mason Center, Fort Mason tel 415/771-6222. The city's only Zen Buddhist restaurant, with delicious macrobiotic and vegetarian food, plus a gorgeous view of the bay. Book ahead; $38 for a five-course dinner.
Little Joe's 523 Broadway tel 415/433-4343. Always a line for tables, but worth it for the low-cost, enormous portions of well-cooked food in this North Beach institution.
Maye's Oyster House 1233 Polk St tel 415/474-7674. One of the oldest restaurants in town still serves classic seafood dishes such as Oysters Rockefeller, along with hearty Italian dishes. Open for dinner only.
Rose Pistola 532 Columbus tel 415/399-0499. A staple of North Beach's "Cal-Ital" dining scene, headed by one of the city's hottest chefs. Menu selections include a range of eclectic tapas and thin-crust pizzas that won't break the bank.
Sam Wo 813 Washington St tel 415/982-0596. The space is unpleasantly cramped, the food is mediocre and the service downright unpleasant. So why bother? It's open late and back in the Fifties this was the spot Jack, Allen and the rest of the Beats used to come when they were too wired to go to bed.
Yank Sing 427 Battery St tel 415/781-1111. A cavernous spot that regularly tops locals' list for the best dim sum in the city. Despite being routinely packed during lunch hours, the waitstaff can almost always find a spot for you in the seemingly endless warren of dining rooms. You might need their help to get out, as well.
Yuet Lee 1300 Stockton St tel 415/982-6020. Cheap and cheerful Chinese restaurant with a good seafood menu and enthusiastic diners. Surprisingly good food served as late as 3am. Closed Tuesdays.
Zinzino 2355 Chestnut St tel 415/346-6623. Lively Marina bistro done out like a Roman piazza, combining tasty Italian cuisine - try the wild mushroom lasagne - with San Francisco pizzazz.
Beach Chalet 1000 Great Hwy tel 415/386-8439. A combination brewpub and restaurant located in a pretty WPA-era building, with Lucien Labaudt murals and mosaics, along the windy stretches of Ocean Beach.
Coriya Hot Pot City 852 Clement St tel 415/387-7888. Also in Richmond, this popular Taiwanese restaurant lets you load up all you can eat and cook it yourself at the table. Go early to grab a table.
Ebisu 1283 9th Ave tel 415/566-1770. Generally considered the best sushi in town. They don't take reservations and standing out in the evening breeze can get more than chilly, but the freshness of the fish should more than compensate.
Kabuto Sushi 5116 Geary Blvd tel 415/752-5652. Richmond favorite where the eccentric owner prepares sushi at a manic pace. Perfect for sitting at the bar and picking.
If you’re looking for San Francisco restaurants then you have come to the right place! Indulge your tastes and enjoy the hundreds of fantastic restaurants & eateries in San Francisco, CA. From sidewalk cafes to restaurants featuring international cuisines, your appetite alone will lead you back to San Francisco, CA. If you love great food and great restaurants, then you will love San Francisco. Choose from the menu below to find a San Francisco restaurant that specializes in your cuisine of choice. 
