If any city is known for its incredible food, it’s San Francisco, and the melting pot of cultures makes it one of the most food-forward cities in the country (not to mention California being home to the most Michelin Stars in the US). Restaurant reservations for hotspots and crowd favorites should absolutely be on your radar ahead of your visit. From fast casual to fine dining, bread, burritos, seafood, coffee, and more—you really will find it all here!
The award-winning Luce restaurant is a must whether or not you decide to stay at the Intercontinental San Francisco. The critically-acclaimed restaurant serves contemporary Mediterranean European cuisine and features varied flavors using local ingredients. The wine menu itself is vast—you’ll find yourself enveloped by pages and pages of drink options, including half bottles of wine for those dining solo, as a couple, or those who just want to try a few different things.
Choose between two phenomenal restaurants when visiting the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco. Nob Hill Club, located on the lobby level, presents a carefully curated menu of American and Mediterranean-inspired dishes. It’s open for breakfast and lunch every day, as well as Tuesday through Saturday for dinner. Then there’s Top of the Mark, on the hotel’s 19th floor. Welcoming guests since the 1930s, this classic American restaurant stuns with beautiful views of iconic SF landmarks like Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Transamerica Pyramid, a 48-story, pyramid-shaped, futurist skyscraper, which is also one of the tallest buildings along the city’s skyline. The small plates menu consists of charcuterie boards, caviar, various flatbreads, and more, while the well-rounded drinks list includes craft cocktails, bubbles, beer, and wines from all over. Open daily, Top of the Mark charges a cover fee on Saturdays when there is live music.
From seasoned local chefs, Abacá spotlights contemporary Filipino-Californian cuisine inside the Kimpton Alta Hotel. Francis and Diane Ang—a husband and wife team—pay tribute to their heritage by recreating family recipes like Lola’s Pork Lumpia. They even feature Filipino-inspired cocktails, including the ube colada and a passion fruit mimosa, on their drinks menu. Reservations at the James Beard–nominated restaurant aren’t required, but recommended. Walk-ins are welcome based on availability.
If there’s anywhere in San Francisco where you must order from the raw bar, it’s Hog Island Oyster Co. In the historic Ferry Building Marketplace right on the water, the restaurant is known for its ever-changing oyster menu (West Coast mollusks only from states like California and Washington) and grilled oysters if you’re feeling a little less adventurous, paired with white wine or champagne.
Since the 1990s, La Taqueria in San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood has been serving stripped-down, back to basics tacos for lunch. Known for having one of the best burritos in the country, the cash only restaurant has even won a James Beard America’s Classic award for its timeless appeal and quality dishes. Drop by early—there may or may not be a line out the door, but it’s always worth the wait.
The Ice Cream Bar is exactly what it sounds like! Mixologists, but for ice cream sodas, have been serving ice cream and bakery items here for nearly 100 years. Step back in time for some good old fashioned butterscotch or mint chip. The Ice Cream Bar makes everything in house using locally-sourced dairy and other ingredients.
Coffee & Tea
Sightglass Coffee will deliver your caffeine fix and warm your soul. The SF-born shop has multiple outposts, but the Mission location is the coziest and is also close to other attractions like Heath Ceramics and Trick Dog, a neighborhood craft cocktail bar, which is a Spirited Award winner, a James Beard finalist, and one of the World’s 50 Best Bars). Sightglass now has a shop in Los Angeles, too.
If tea is more your speed, you must get in for a tasting at Red Blossom Tea Company in Chinatown. Being the oldest and largest Chinatown in the US outside of Asia, this neighborhood is more than just the Dragon’s Gate. Discover souvenir shops, bakeries, and moody karaoke bars and craft cocktail bars while in the area.
