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Highly Recommended SF Spots
After going through the various SF dining lists (Michelin stars, Bib Gourmand, SF top 100, Most anticipated openings) and my own experiences from living more than 15 years in the city, these have emerged as my top picks for best SF dining establishments. Prices range from pork belly bun at The Chairman to three Michelin-starred restaurants that could set you back $500 or more. Lots of great restaurants in the $100 range per person.
119 Places
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Andrew’s 5-star review: I have a new "go-to" spot for great Peruvian food in SF. I was craving for some ceviche and my friend saw that this place opened up a few months ago. We decided to come here on a Saturday night and shared the el toro salad with lomo strips, ceviche quatro (classic, verde, puerto and Nikkei), pulpo, oysters and fideos achupados. All of the ceviches were great. My favorite was the puerto. I think it would have been best to start with the Classico since it had the mildest flavor. The verde had a kick to it while the ahi in the Nikkei was just perfect. The salad was a lot bigger than what I expected and was really tasty with the lomo strips. The pulpo had the right amount of tenderness and the fideos was a great main with plenty of seafood. We were both impressed by the food quality and quantity. Needless to say, we had plenty of leftovers to take home. Service was good. The restaurant can get noisy especially when seated in the back near the kitchen. With tax and tip, this was around $90 per person, which is great value for the food. I'll definitely be back. Highly, highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: My friend and I had a really great Sunday night dinner and shared the empanadas with beef, caprese salad, Dungeness crab sorrentinos, broccolini and half rack of the grilled lamb chops. All of the dishes were excellent. The empanadas with beef were a good starter. The caprese salad was nice and refreshing. The Dungeness crab sorrentinos was the perfect pasta dish and was the highlight of the meal for me. The grilled lamb chops and broccolini was a great main entree and side dish combination. Service was really good and attentive. The space itself is nice and cavernous. With tax and tip, this was under $80, which is great value for the meal. Highly recommended if you are looking for good pasta and lamb. I'll be back.
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Andrew’s 5-star review: Found this place on my Yelp feed and it was quite the discovery. My friend and I had Sunday dinner here and shared the seafood pancake, pork bone soup and the spicy marinated crab. The food is excellent. The seafood pancake was perfectly crispy. The pork bone soup just had a great depth of flavor that's perfect for a cold day. The Banchan was simple but good. Lastly, I had to try the spicy marinated crab. It's a real delicacy and I remember having it once before when I lived in LA Koreatown. It's raw crab that's been marinated and it was just great - it's a little messy and they give you gloves for the experience. Service was nice, friendly and efficient. The restaurant inside was modern. It's in the Tenderloin so the neighborhood can get interesting. With tax and tip, this was $50 per person - definitely a great value. Highly, highly recommended!!! I'll be back.
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Andrew’s 5-star review: My friend and I had a really good TGIF dinner at Destapas. We shared the anchovies, pear and arugula salad, octopus, paella mixta and basque cheesecake. For any Spanish tapas place, the octopus is really my test dish and this version was done really well - it was perfectly cooked and tender with a great smoky flavor. The anchovies were a great starter and the salad was just nice and refreshing for me (I've gotten very zealous about making sure I eat my greens). The paella mixta was our server's recommendation and it had a good amount of meat and bomba rice that was cooked just right (it had a little bit of crunch on the side, which I love since I am a fan of Korean bibimbap). The basque cheesecake was a great way to finish this meal. Service was good, fast and efficient. We were done in about an hour. The restaurant has a bit of casual elegance to it and is a lot cozier inside than what it looks from the outside. With tax and tip, this was around $75 per person - it's a really great value for the food and the experience. Highly, highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 4-star review: Good Korean BBQ is always a great choice for Saturday dinner. My friend and I shared the maitake mushrooms and asparagus, seafood pajeon, marinated Galbi and wagyu bulgogi. The banchan included a mxed green salad, kimchi daikon and sprouts. These were a nice and light way to start. The meats (Galbi and bulgogi) were both really fabulous. They gave us a number of condiments/sauces (miso with garlic, fried garlic, pickled onion, wasabi and salt) and the miso was my favorite. For those of you who are wondering, the server does the cooking. I would also recommend the maitake mushrooms and asparagus. The seafood Pajeon was OK but really lagged the other dishes. My friend and I were both really full after this. Amazingly, we didn't leave the place smelling like Korean BBQ. Service was excellent but slowed down as the restaurant filled up with people. Our server/cook was great. I really liked the space - they are located in the basement level of Hotel Fusion and it felt like a nice modern steakhouse (it was classy but not stuffy). I also liked the music (KPOP) they were playing. With tax and tip, this was about $110 per person - it's really a good deal for the amount of food and the quality of the experience. Highly recommended if you are craving for higher end Korean BBQ.
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Andrew’s 5-star review: Xebec was a great restaurant find! My friend and I came here for Friday dinner and we were both very impressed by the food and the service. We went with our waiter's recommendations - Xeviche, mussels, roasted cauliflower and Uni Arancini as appetizers, split lamb burgers with patatas bravas and sea bass as our entrees and the halawet el-jiben as our dessert. The sea bass was just outstanding and was the highlight of the meal for me. The halawet was a very unique dessert and i highly recommend that as well. The restaurant is nice and modern. With tax and tip, this was around $110 per person which is tremendous value for what we got. Highly, highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: It's all about the soufflés here and they are perfect. I can't believe I've lived in SF for over 20 years and only recently visited Cafe Jacqueline. My friend was able to get a much coveted reservation for two on a Friday night. We shared the Belgian endives, a savory soufflé (prosciutto and mushroom) and a sweet soufflé (seasonal fresh fruit which was strawberry). The soufflés are heavenly and I found myself scraping every last bit of it from that ramican. The endives were a great appetizer and even the baguette was good. This was the perfect night out. The restaurant is charming and very French. Service was good, the waiter is old school and the soufflés take time so be patient. With tax and tip and a beverage, this was about $125 per person, which is a good value for the labor of love that are those soufflés. I'll be back. Highly, highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: I was planning dinner with a good friend and he asked that we go to an Indian restaurant. Copra immediately came to mind. I've been here a couple of times and the flavors have always been consistently great. On this outing, we shared the rasam poori, thayir vidal chaat, hamachi collar, black cod, lamb shoulder and the God's own coconut variation. The rasam poori and chaat are very traditional appetizers and are always a good way to start. Of the entrees, the hamachi collar was hands down the best though the black cod and the lamb shoulder were really good on their own right. The food here can be spicy - not the burn you variety but the slow heat kind where you start sweating in the middle of the meal. The God's own coconut variation is a great shaved ice dessert to finish out a wonderful South Indian meal. The service was good and the restaurant is a bit cavernous with different sections. I've been seated in the main dining room and now the upstairs. The upstairs seating is a lot less noisy and is really cozy. With tax and tip, this was around $120 per person, which is typical for a good dinner in SF these days. Highly, highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: I think Prik Hom is probably one of the best Thai places in town (and that's saying something since SF has an abundance of great Thai food). I saw it pop up as one of the hardest reservations to get and I couldn't overcome my FOMO. I booked a table about a month out and waited patiently for my reservation. It was definitely worth the wait. My friend and I tried scallops and lemongrass, crab meat khao soi shot, fried chicken, branzino yum, beef shank green curry, eggplant with basil, lychee popsicle and smoked young coconut ice cream. Everything was fabulous - the standouts for me were the khao soi shot, beef shank green curry and the eggplant with basil. Service was good but the place can get really busy. With tax and tip, this is a really good dinner for under $100. The restaurant itself is relatively small but I really like the neighborhood restaurant vibes here. It's really hard to get a reservation but I learned that you can call and they might open up a table for you. Highly, highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: This is a long overdue review of one of my favorite restaurants in SF. Bodega offers high-end Vietnamese cuisine and my favorites have been the banh cuon (fresh rice rolls with ground pork, wood ear mushrooms, crispy shallots), whole fish (branzino) and the pandan mochi with lychee ice cream. At a recent outing with my friend, we tried these "must order" items as well as the Nem Cua (Dungeness crab, shrimp, jicama, shiitake mushroom, carrot, vermicelli) and they had a salted egg fried rice special that day that came with tiger prawns. The food here is consistently great. The service can be spotty at times but still relatively good. Prices are really good - you can get a huge dinner and drink for under $100 a person, which is really great value these days. The restaurant is nice and has a very warm feeling to it. It's a type of restaurant that works for someone who just wants to sit at the bar or with a good group of friends. Highly, highly recommended if you are in the area.
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Andrew’s 5-star review: In a city full of mom and pop Thai restaurants, it's really nice to have another Thai fine dining destination. Hed 11 is located at the Kimpton Hotel Enso and offers an 11 course tasting menu. I came on their opening night. The eleven courses included: (1) Kumamoto Oysters with Thai herbs, spices and herbal infused whiskey - this was a great start to the menu. (2) Kai Soi Chuckroll curry puff, caramelized shrimp and coconut pancake with caviar - this was an impressive trio and I really loved that caramelized shrimp. (3) Grilled Hokkaido Scallop with Coconut Curry Noodle - loved the noodle and the Thai chili packs a punch (4)-(9) Courses 4 through 9 were served together - it was a lot of rice but I needed all of it to get through all of the dishes. They recommend you start with the wagyu beef and the rest is a free for all. It included chicken curry, crab chili paste, grilled cabbage and catfish with mango salad. Everything was great and there were a lot of different flavors here. (10)-(11) The dessert courses included local fruit palate cleanser and a Thai custard cake. The food was excellent and there were definitely a lot of different flavors in this menu that really worked well together. My non-alcoholic beverage pairing for the evening was the Mae Mali which had kaffir lime and jasmine syrup. I highly recommend this mocktail - it packs a punch. The service was attentive and my server was really good about explaining all the dishes. It was opening night and you can tell they were a little nervous but service was excellent. They are located in the old Mums Cafe so being in the restaurant brought back Shabu Shabu memories for me. I really like what they've done to the place - it's a bright, well-lit restaurant. With tax and tip, this was $240. It's what you'd expect to pay for this level of experience. Are they at Michelin level yet? I think they are on their way. Highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: I really like Japanese-Peruvian (Nikkei) cuisine and when I saw that Kaiyo was opening up a new restaurant in SOMA, I knew I had to give them a visit. My friend and I had Sunday dinner there on their first week. Our server recommended that we try the Nikkei Nigiri set since it's our first time. Her sales pitch was "it's a great way to taste what they are trying to do here". We were sold so we ordered that plus the Miso Black Cod, Octopus, Matcha Fettuccine, Lomo Saltado, Eggplant and Japanese Tea custard. It's our own little tasting menu. The Nikkei Nigiri Set was fantastic - it had very unique pieces, including pisco cured pollo, chutoro tiradito, misoyaki salmon ceviche, ebi with Uni and lomo. It's East meets South America fusion done right. The second course was the cod and the octopus. Both were good but a tad on the salty side (there are also better preparations of cod in other restaurants). The third course was the matcha fettuccine and that was fabulous. I've never had matcha pasta before and it really worked with the mushrooms and beans in the dish. For our main course, we had the lomo saltado (because it's a signature dish that you are almost obligated to try) and the eggplant. The lomo was good but that eggplant really stole the show. They only had one dessert and it was a good one - the custard was not too sweet and was a great way to finish that meal. Service was very attentive but not fussy. I love the space - it was smaller than I thought but the space felt relaxed to me. The music was also good. With tax and tip, this was around $125 per person, which is really good value for what we had. This is a great addition to the city's growing list of Nikkei restaurants. Highly, highly recommended.
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Andrew’s 5-star review: I'm really happy to have found Dumpling Story on one of my walks along the Valencia corridor. They occupy the former Luna space. There are a lot of good dumpling places in SF now but this place stands out for its Xiaolongbao. They've perfected this key dish - the wrapping is soft and fresh but doesn't break apart easily and the flavors are really on point. My friends and I came here for TGIF dinner and shared a bunch of items - three varieties of the XLB (crab and pork, numb and spicy pork, shrimp and loofah), spring rolls, wood and silver ear mushrooms, numb and spicy pork bao, red bean pockets, zha jiang noodles, soybean noodles and dry shrimp egg and chives pockets. Everything was excellent - the stand-outs for me were the crab and pork XLB and the chives pockets. With a couple of beverages and tax and tip, this ended up being about $70 per person - not bad for dinner in SF but probably on the higher side of what people would typically pay for dim sum. The space is very nice (the space is more bar-like than what you'd expect for dim sum). Service was fast, good and attentive. We had a one year old child with us and they had a high chair for her and the staff was also really gracious about the small mess she made. Highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: My friend and I had a great Saturday night dinner at Corzetti. It's a restaurant that just opened in Union Square and we are foodies always looking for new places to discover. This is an enthusiastic five stars on food, service, ambiance and overall value. We shared the facaccia, roasted beet salad, salsiccia pizza, Corzetti pasta and Tocco (beef shoulder with crispy polenta). Every dish was on point and I recommend all of it. If you are wondering if the focaccia is worth the carbs, the answer is yes. The pizza is a really nice thin crust. The Corzetti pasta was the standout dish for me. As usual, we ordered way too much food and I had plenty of leftovers. I had the chinotto spritz as my non-alcoholic drink for the evening and that was great. I appreciate that more and more restaurants are offering solid non-alcoholic options - it just makes business sense. Service was fast, attentive but not fussy. The restaurant feels roomy and they had great 80s music playing that evening. The location is perfect for tourists/visitors and people looking for dinner before a show at the nearby theaters. With tax and tip, this was $85 per person, which is incredible value for the quality of the food. This place is a solid addition to all the great Italian restaurants in SF. Highly, highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 4-star review: My friends and I were really excited to try Chotto Matte - we've always been fans of Japanese-Peruvian cuisine and this was a long-awaited restaurant that is housed at an iconic location - the old Macy's Men Store in Union Square. The restaurant itself is gigantic and very modern - high ceilings and elegant indoor dining area combined with an impressive patio. They offer an extensive menu with both a la carte and five tasting menu options (including a vegetarian one). When confronted with an overwhelming menu, we did what we always do - we picked a prix fixe. We picked Nikkei Menu III - what sold it for us for the BBQ baby back ribs. Do come hungry because this was a LOT of food. The menu includes shishito peppers, spiny tuna crispy sushi, yellowtail shashimi, Sato Maki, BBQ broccolini, salt and pepper crispy squid, chuleta de Cordero Ahumada (lamb chops), BBQ baby back ribs and chef's dessert (creme brulee, churro and mochi ice cream). The food was great - every dish was solid and the highlight for me were the lamb chops. I ordered the yubari as my beverage pairing (also very good as a non-alcoholic drink) for the evening. Service was good at the beginning but got slow towards the middle and the end of the meal (they were probably a little understaffed for the amount of guests they had). With tax and tip, this ended up by around $190 a person - it's a little on the pricey side but you get a LOT of food (with plenty of leftovers to go) and you get to enjoy a really elegant space. This is the type of restaurant that's good for a relatively large group. It's definitely a great option if you are in the area.
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Andrew’s 5-star review: This place serves great Italian food at a very reasonable price. My friend and I saw this place listed as one of SF's top new restaurants and we decided to try it one Saturday evening. They are the sister restaurant to Seven Hills and they occupy the old Seven Hills space. We shared the arancini and ahi tuna crudo for appetizers, the raviolo as our pasta and the pan seared scallops with roasted Brussels sprouts as our side. We probably got lucky in our order because everything came out just perfect. The arancini was really creamy in the inside and that ahi tuna crudo was a very impressive bite. The raviolo had brown butter on it (I am a big fan of brown butter) and was definitely on the richer side. The pan seared scallops with crispy kale were also great. For our non-alcoholic beverage, we had the elderflower spritz. Service was great and the ambiance is a bit dark and romantic - it's perfect for a date or a get together with friends. With tax and tip, this was around $75 per person, which is an absolute steal. Highly, highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: My friends and I were definitely looking forward to dinner at 7 Adams. It's the same chefs who used to be at Marlena and the concept here is similar - affordable Michelin star-level tasting menu with options and supplements. We have been long-time fans of the chefs and their new restaurant did not disappoint. There were three of us so we were able to order all of the options on the menu. It's five courses - crudo, broth, pasta, entree and dessert. The crudo was Kombu cured Kampachi. The broth was a squash veloute. The first two courses came with their bread course. The pastas were the red kabocha squash caramelle, lamb risotto and ricotta gnudi. The entrees were roasted black cod, Berkshire pork collar and A5 wagyu. They also brought farro and cabbage to share. The desserts were Hojicha opera sponge cake and the apple crumb cake. The A5 wagyu was the highlight of the meal for me. The other standouts were the caramelle pasta, the bread, the cabbage and the Hojicha opera cake. The server overheard that one of our friends was gluten-sensitive and they brought out some gluten-free variations (bread, lamb risotto instead of tagliatelle and apple crumb cake). I love the initiative here. Service was definitely at a Michelin-level and I love the neighborhood gem feeling. We were comfortably seated in a heated outdoor space in the back. It's the perfect ambiance for a nice date or a dinner with friends. The base tasting menu was $87 before tax and tip. The A5 was $40 extra and the truffle was another $25 (both of these are great values). We had a few drinks so this ended up being around $180 per person. They automatically include the 20% service charge. This is definitely a Michelin-star level dining experience. Highly, highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: This restaurant is a casual, yet elevated, Chinese dining experience from the same team as Empress by Boon. My friends and I (three of us) decided to come here for Sunday dinner. They are on Union street right next to the Equinox (perfect location along one of the busiest streets in the Marina). We shared the kurobota pork bun, crispy duck salad, crab xiaolongbao, chicken wings, Malaysian red snapper, seafood noodles and mango banana cake. I think we really lucked out because everything was just perfect. The stand-outs were the crispy duck salad, the red snapper and the mango banana cake but the rest were also excellent bites of food. This was enough food for three - we were comfortably full. The restaurant space is great. You walk into a small courtyard before going into the main restaurant. It's a space that's both classic and modern. Service was excellent - it was attentive but not fussy, just the way I like it. With tax and tip, the meal was around $65 a person - a really good bargain for the level of experience. Highly, highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: I was excited to hear that veterans from one of my favorite Michelin-starred restaurants (Sons and Daughters) were opening up a fine dining restaurant in the former Cala space. They offer two menus - a full 18-20 course tasting menu as well as an abbreviated 8-10 course bar menu. I have to admit that I was intimidated by the number of courses in the full menu so decided to snag a couple of bar menu reservations for a TGIF dinner with my friend. The bar menu was fantastic. It's small bites that sneakily fills you up by the end of the night. Here's the line-up for that evening: (1) Potato with Andante Goat's Milk Cheese and Malt Vinegar (2) Beef Tendon with Roasted Onion and Sweet Potato (3) Shima Aji with Green Tomato, Geranium, Almond and White Asparagus (4) Carabineros Prawn with Kohlrabi, Chamomile and Grilled Cream (5) Slow-Poached Jidori Egg Yolk with Pickled Alliums and Broth of Roasted Chicken (6) Fermented Potato Bread with Beef Drippings and Caraway (7) Wild Norwegian Mackerel with Preserved Ramp and Dried Shellfish (8) Modesto Squab with Burnt Honey, Fennel Pollen and Australian Winter Truffle (9) Chamomile Sorbet with Bee's Wax and Rhubarb (10) Goat's Butter Ice Cream with Birch Syrup, Caramelized Goat's Milk and Woodruff (11) Mignardises include Sunflower Madeleine with Meyer Lemon, Meadowsweet Pate de Fruit, Anise Caramel and Hazelnut with White Chocolate and Elderflower It's hard to pick a favorite or standout dish - every bite had so many layers of flavors. The one thing that really surprised me was the jidori egg yolk with chicken broth - it's one of the best chicken dishes I've ever had. I don't know if the chef considers this as a signature dish but it tasted like one to me. My friend and I are both non-alcoholic drinkers (we don't need the liquid courage to be fun) and they had a fantastic "spirit-free" beverage pairing. To me, this is the hallmark of a great restaurant and demonstrates real bar skills (and it just makes a lot of business sense). Service was personalized and definitely Michelin-level. We were greeted by name and service was attentive but not fussy. As soon as both of us were seated, we were greeted with a delicious non-alcoholic aperitif and we were given personalized menus at the end of the evening. I also loved how they transformed the space - it's elegantly cavernous. The bar menu was $135 and the spirit-free pairing was $75. With tax and the 20% automatically included (and well worth it) service charge, this was around $280 a person which is a relatively bargain for this level of experience. I'm definitely going back hungry and trying the 20 course menu. People need to come here before they get their Michelin stars. Highly, highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: Ken offers the kind of special omakase experience that's just perfect for celebrating a special occasion. The place is small - they only have 6-7 counter seats and they offer an omakase menu with potential for additional pieces. The menu that night consisted of an amuse (octopus), sashimi (katsuo, scallop, tuna, firefly squid), first round of sushi (medium fatty tuna, Spanish mackerel, golden eye snapper, horse mackerel, fatty tuna), steamed dish (chawanmushi with snapper milt), second round of sushi (mackerel roll, young snapper with yolk powder, cherry salmon, two kinds of Hokkaido Uni), rice (with snapper and lotus root), soup (white asparagus) and dessert (steamed pear with goji berry). I ordered the kohada (gizzard shad) as my supplemental piece. Everything was excellent and I really liked the sushi rice they used (good grain size and not too heavy on the vinegar). My favorite piece was the Chu toro (medium fatty tuna) which had a little bit of a sear. The firefly squid was probably the most unexpectedly delightful bite of the evening. The chef also gave us a nice playful "palate cleanser" with pear juice and Ikura. Service was great but not fussy. This is a proper omakase experience. With tax and tip, this was $300 (yes, it's a bit pricey but it's for a special occasion). Highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: It does feel like there's a lot of Japanese restaurants in San Francisco these days. In a crowded scene, Akari offers something unique - an authentic and relatively affordable kaiseki experience. Kaiseki is a multi-course meal that has multiple dishes that follow a certain flow centered around seasonal ingredients. Akari offers three levels of kaiseki. I chose the one with appetizer, sashimi, grilled dish, fried dish and a meat plate (at this price point, can't really expect more than that). (1). The appetizer is usually a lot of small plates - steamed tofu with crab, salmon cakes, Unagi, snapper, shrimp with tofu salad and mochi. The steamed tofu with crab was my favorite here. (2). The sashimi was scallop, blue fin tuna; salmon and Ikura. That was super fresh. (3). The grilled dish was salmon and it was executed really well (I would have preferred black cod for a more distinctive flavor). (4). The tempura was a generous portion - two shrimps, snapper and some veggies. This is the light tempura that is just perfect. (5). The meat plate was grilled beef. It was fine but was probably the weak point of the meal. Most places would have offered a wagyu supplement for a bit more (and I would have preferred to pay more for that). (6). Dessert is not included in the kaiseki but they had a really awesome black sesame crepe cake from a South San Jose patisserie that was just outstanding - light, airy and not too sweet. Service was attentive but not fussy. My water glass and tea cup were never empty. The kaiseki was $88 and the dessert was $12. They had an option of a small portion of udon or soba for $8 if you were still hungry (I don't think you will be though unless you ordered the kaiseki with less courses). The location is close to the Orpheum theater and it would make for a great pre-show dinner. With tax and tip, this was about $125 - really great value for money for the dining experience offered here. Highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: I've been to Good Good Culture Club several times now and it's definitely a great fun place to go out for shared plates and some drinks with a group of friends. I think a party of four is the perfect size. You can order 4-5 starters, 2-3 large plates and all (3) of the desserts. My friends and I shared the shaved Brussels sprouts salad, good good chicken wings, kombu cured halibut and poppyseed steam bun as our appetizers, green curry and grilled skilled steak as our main plates with grilled oyster mushrooms as our side and all of the desserts (halo ha-lao, coconut tres leches and pandan bibingka). Everything was on point - it's really playful Asian flavors that is very San Francisco. The chicken wing (just order one each) and green curry were the standout dishes for me though you can't go wrong with any of the dishes we had. Of the three desserts, the pandan bibingka was my favorite. As a non-alcoholic drinker, I really appreciate the great options they had (I had the mango tango). Service was good and the space is gorgeous. It's a QR code ordering situation and the food and drinks came out fast. With tax and mandatory 20% in lieu of gratuity, this was less than $90 per person. It's a great value and I highly recommend coming here for a great casual get together with friends and family.
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Andrew’s 5-star review: This place is a great find. My friend and I were looking to try a new restaurant and she picked Cantina Los Mayas. The menu can be a bit overwhelming - we shared the ceviche peninsula (white fish), panuchos (Mayan Crispy Taco) and empanada as appetizers, roasted Cornish hen and fried Branzino for our entrees and the sorbet with truffles as our dessert. Everything was really tasty. Highly recommend all of the appetizers we had. The ceviche had a lot of meat and the juice was fantastic (I really liked the mango flavor in it). The panuchos is a must order and the cochinita pibil (pork) was nicely marinated. The crab empanada was unique and excellent. For entree, I highly recommend that fried branzino (also came with some shrimp and scallops). The dessert that we had - sorbet with truffle was a nice and light way to end a great dining experience. Tamarind agua fresca was my non-alcoholic beverage for the evening. I also really liked the chips and salsa - they have thin home made chips and three salsas including one that is "mole"-like that was just amazing. Service was good but this place gets a bit busy. The restaurant itself is really nice and well laid out. They have counter seats with tables up front as well as the back. We were seated in the back room and it can get really loud. With tax and tip, this was about $100 per person. Highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: I'm really happy that Chef Tracey has finally opened her own brick and mortar restaurant. I've been a huge fan since she was doing pop-ups in her apartment and, for me, she still holds the title of best pop-up for her Malaysian Crab three ways. When I saw that this was opening up, I had to go right away. My friend and I came here at 6 pm on their first Friday service. There were no reservations but we luckily got their last open table. We each had a bowl of the Damansara laksa and shared the satay, cereal and salted egg fried chicken and Nasi Lemak (fried chicken) meal (this was way too much food). Everything was perfect and flavorful. I would say that the satay and the laksa are must-orders. Service was good and the restaurant had a nice layout with tables as well as counter seating. Prices are reasonable. Given the quantity of food we ordered, this was about $85 per person but you should be able to get dinner for around $50. They automatically add a 20% workers equity fee which always makes it awkward when it comes time to tipping (I still have a decent tip on top even though most folks I know would just add 5% after the 20%). Highly recommended and I really hope that laksa becomes as popular as ramen some day. I can't wait until she introduces her Malaysian crab to the menu.
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Andrew’s 5-star review: Visiting a fine dining restaurant when they first open is an interesting experience - usually, they are still making tweaks to their menu or the pacing and the service still need some adjustments. I'm happy to report that my dining experience here was near flawless - it was the food and service you'd expect from an established one or two Michelin star level restaurant. They offer a four course menu (with amuse, palette cleanser and mignardises) with some supplements. You have four or five choices for each course. I chose the halibut crudo, uni spaghetti, chicken roulade and yuzu posset. In terms of the supplement, I just had to get the A5 Wagyu charcuterie. The A5 Wagyu charcuterie was really special and included prosciutto, pancetta, whipped lardo, pate, rilette, gnocco fritto, pancetta and wagyu fat grissini. I think it's a must order. The food here is very technique driven. I loved all of the dishes and the Uni spaghetti was the highlight of the evening. In terms of potential area for improvement, the Yuzu posset was a little too sweet for me (and I'm really nit picking at this point). The bar tender made a delicious tomato-based mocktail as my beverage pairing for the evening. The three mignardises they served were just the perfect bites to end the meal. Service was impeccable and I just love the space. This is what I call a "bring the big wallet" situation - depending on the supplements and beverages, you should expect dinner to be $200 or over. Given the level of food and service, it's what you would expect to spend at a similar fine dining establishment in SF. Highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: I finally made it to the SF outpost of this very popular Japanese noodle shop from San Mateo. I was initially concerned about potentially long lines since they just opened but decided to swing by about 15 minutes before their opening. Much to my surprise, there was no line (the staff told me that there's usually no line between 5 to 7 pm). They also use Yelp waitlist just in case. I was customer number one and had to order their lobster ramen (limited to 10 orders per night at their SF location only), takoyaki and the taro mochi donut. The ramen was great - broth was rich but not too heavy and the noodles were thin and appropriately al dente. The half lobster was really fresh and meaty. The takoyaki came with egg yolk tartare and okonomiyaki sauce and was good. The taro mochi donut was really nice but the hojicha syrup pushed the dish a bit over the top in terms of sweetness. With tax and tip, this was about $70 - which I think is great value for what I got. The normal ramen and other noodle dishes are under $20 and I think you can easily leave full for under $30. Service was good and I'm looking forward to coming back to try the other dipping noodles and soupless dishes. Highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: I live in the area and have been looking forward to trying the new restaurant at the SF Conservatory of Music. They are only open for dinner service from Thursday through Saturday and they offer a higher end dining experience. My friend and I shared their steak tartare, fried Monterey bay squid, stone fruit and baby lettuce salad, Turkish manti dumplings, wagyu strip steak and apricot cake. Everything was excellent. The steak tartare is a must order - their preparation with the shiso leaves and puffed rice really makes for a unique bite. The calamari came out nice and crispy and I loved the black garlic aioli. The stone fruit and baby lettuce salad was a highlight for me (and I'm not a salad person) - the honey vinaigrette really went well with the stone fruit and the toasted quinoa added a great crunch element to the dish. The Turkish manti dumpling is a unique dish that really blends East and West and the wagyu strip steak was so tender. When we asked about dessert, our server recommended the apricot cake and it was a great choice. They have really good non-alcoholic beverages and I highly recommend the Adriatic Spritz. Service was very attentive and the venue is just spectacular. Towards the end of our meal, they had some students performing a few of their jazz pieces. With tax and tip, this was $125 per person but it was worth it given the great experience. They are really a fantastic dining option for theater, opera and symphony goers. Highly, highly recommended.
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Andrew’s 5-star review: The corner of Geary and Fillmore is a real foodie spot - it boasts of Michelin-starred and Michelin-rated restaurants and a boba guys to boot. I think Bansang fits right in. It's another elevated Korean concept and SF is finally catching up with LA on the Korean dining scene. My friend and I came here for a TGIF dinner and shared the Uni scallop toast, bulgogi salad, lime soy fried chicken, sea bass, pork collar, cream pasta and chocolate cake. Every dish was really well done but I have to give special shout out for the extra crispy skin on that sea bass. I also recommend the Uni scallop toast as a special treat and the jang cream pasta. Service was good and with tax and tip, this was $100 per person - great value in these inflationary times. Highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: It's always great to have TGIF dinner at a newly opened restaurant with a chef with Michelin-level credentials. My friend and I made it to Ancora on its opening week. They offered a fixed four course menu with additional amuse and canapés (their a la carte menu is coming soon) as well as the option to add wagyu or caviar. The restaurant is seafood-focused and the fixed menu included oysters as our amuse, anchovy toast/salmon puff/escargot dumpling as our canapés, crudo as the first course, seafood pasta as the second course, grilled halibut steak with accompaniments as the third course and a nice light dessert as the final course. Every dish was fresh and unique but the stand-out was definitely the seafood pasta. I can't wait to come back and just sit at their counter and eat that again. The sauces in the first and second courses were very good and we were left wishing we had some bread to mop the plate clean. Dessert was stone fruit/buttermilk inspired and was a perfect light dessert to end the meal. We also decided to share the wagyu rib-eye supplement and the meat was perfectly medium rare with a huge helping of black truffle. This is definitely the perfect turf dish to supplement this menu. We had the garden and tonic as our beverage for the evening. Service was excellent though the meal was probably longer than I expected (2.5 hours). There was a really long wait between the wagyu and the grilled halibut steak but that's OK (make sure you like your dinner friends). With tax and tip, this was about $210 per person (yup, it's a "bring the big wallet" situation). It's the type of fine dining experience that says "we don't have a Michelin star yet because we just opened but we obviously will have one soon." I'm very happy to be one of the first to enjoy this experience before they get their star and reservations become really hard (not to mention prices going up). Highly recommended!!!
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Andrew’s 5-star review: When my friends heard that I finally made my way to Handroll Project, the first question I got was "how long was the wait?" In my case, it was about an hour and a half (I started in line around 4:40 and was in the second seating; I finally was seated around 6:15) but it was well worth it. I don't say it enough - I really, really loved the dining experience here. On to the food ... I got the 10 piece set, the kizami wasabi (pickled wasabi roots), albacore tataki and ginger beer. The handrolls were fantastic - the crispy nori and sushi rice were the solid foundation for all of premium cuts of sushi. The kizami wasabi was a nice complement - they recommended that I eat half the roll without the wasabi and the other with it and that's what I did. The albacore tataki was good but, next time, I will skip it in favor of another hand roll. My favorite was the Ikura & Ankimo (it's similar to one of the speciality nigiri at Ju-Ni) - the Ankimo was frozen and shaved on top of the Ikura and the contrasting temperature and instant creaminess as you bite into the piece makes it really memorable. I had to order another one as a supplement. My second favorite piece was, of course, the Smoked Uni & Ikura. They gave me a generous amount of Hokkaido Uni and I accidentally made eye contact with the chef as I bit into this piece and involuntarily made my "Uni face". It was a fun moment. Service was great and I loved the chef who took care of me that evening - he was engaging but not too chatty. I loved the space - it's roomy and bright and they have two counter sections (14-16 people per seating). With tax and tip, this experience was around $175 (but I had the albacore tataki and an extra premium piece). Again, the experience was well worth the wait (after I got my name on the waitlist, I got ice cream at Bi-Rite down the street and hung out at Dolores Park). Highly, highly recommended!!!
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