Your San Francisco Fine Dining Guide

By Lucas Mittenentzwei

Indulge in exquisite fine dining experiences in San Francisco. Explore top restaurants, gourmet cuisine, and culinary delights. Book your table now!

It’s no secret that, if you want to visit a city where you can have one exceptional culinary experience after the other, in every neighborhood you explore, San Francisco is it. As one of the best cities for foodies, it offers a wide range of different cuisines and culinary styles, from casual street corner tacos to luxurious caviar bites, satisfying every palate and craving. With a plethora of world-renown chefs and aspiring new talent, there are also myriad options for fine dining in San Francisco, covering everything from tasting menus and chef’s table dinners to exquisite à la carte selections. For some of the very best fine-dining experiences, let this article be inspiration for your next splurge.

Acquerello

1722 Sacramento St.

This beloved Nob Hill restaurant offers tasting and prix fixe menus, merging classic Italian flavors and modern techniques to create a contemporary vision of Italian cuisine. A few examples of dishes from the menus include pasta with faux “foie gras,” black truffle and Marsala, as well as a gorgeous “dry-aged” kohlrabi with polenta, Cipollini onions, Hen of the Woods mushrooms and vegetable Bordelaise. The prix fixe menu at $165 is a great way to get a taste if you don’t want to select the full tasting menu.

Dine at Acquerello

Anomaly

2600 Sutter St.

What started as a pop-up concept has found a permanent place in the Lower Pacific Heights as a sleek, intimate space in a quiet, charming neighborhood most visitors don’t know. Anomaly offers post-modern cuisine as part of a seasonal tasting menu with regular, pescatarian, and vegetarian options. Beautiful dishes include items like the Yam Royale with black sesame, lime, and Hokkaido uni. With prepaid reservations available at $136, it’s a great opportunity to enjoy fine dining in the city. An optional beverage pairing can be added.

Dine at Anomaly

Atelier Crenn

3127 Fillmore St.

When Chef Dominique Crenn opened Atelier Crenn in 2011, a beautiful space that inspires the senses, it was a wonderful addition to the Marina neighborhood. Seeing her restaurant as a workshop, she finds synergy in artistry, cuisine, and community, which builds the foundation for her Modern French cuisine. The tasting menu, a culinary tour through the Golden State that includes produce grown on her own regenerative farm in Sonoma, lasts about two to three hours. For a shorter menu and other specials, check out Bar Crenn.

Dine at Atelier Crenn

Benu

22 Hawthorne St.

SoMa staple Benu is a prominent name in San Francisco’s fine-dining scene. Chef Corey Lee, an alum of The French Laundry in Napa, crafts a tasting menu that features a wide array of seafood and vegetables, as well as a few dishes for the carnivores and dessert lovers. It’s a three-hour experience and an extravagant indulgence, with creative items including hits like faux-shark's fin and xiao long bao, in addition to an extensive wine list and an optional beverage pairing.

Dine at Benu

Boulevard

1 Mission St.

Located on the Embarcadero waterfront with fantastic views of the Bay Bridge, Boulevard has been an icon for elevated cuisine in San Francisco for three decades. Chef Nancy Oakes prepares Californian dishes using traditional and modern techniques that turn regional produce into refined menu options. The already stunning restaurant has recently undergone a refresh, and guests can now choose between a set price menu starting at $119 or à la carte selections. You will also find an extensive wine list and interesting craft cocktails.

Dine at Boulevard

Californios

355 11th St.

San Francisco has countless delicious Mexican restaurants, but if you’re looking for an elevated, contemporary take on the cuisine, the family-owned Californios should be on your list. The restaurant offers a lavish nightly tasting menu that highlights seasonal and local ingredients. Indulge in the vibrant indoor dining room or on the new, lush garden patio. If you want to go all in, book the Californios Experience for VIP perks like a wine cellar tour and a meeting with the chefs.

Dine at Californios

EPIC Steak

369 Embarcadero

This classic yet contemporary Embarcadero steak house offers one of the most elegant dining experiences – and stunning views of the Bay Bridge. The place is gorgeous inside and out, and Chef Parke Ulrich prepares dishes that highlight simplicity and rich flavor. The à la carte menu is packed with delicious options from land and sea, and there is a diverse selection of wines and several signature cocktails. You will also want to save some room for dessert.

Dine at Epic Steak

Gary Danko

800 North Point St.

This contemporary restaurant, named after the city’s iconic Chef Gary Danko, has been a Fisherman’s Wharf staple for over two decades. You can select the chef’s tasting menu or opt for a three-to-five course menu, all including innovative takes on French cuisine that are beautifully accompanied by the extensive wine list. The baked chocolate soufflé is a well-loved classic, and the cheese cart offers fifteen to twenty cheeses nightly. The $122 three-course menu is the perfect pick if you don’t want to go all out.

Dine at Gary Danko

Kiln

149 Fell St.

This Hayes Valley newcomer opened earlier this year, offering a dining experience that blends high technique with top notch global ingredients. You can choose between the 150-minute tasting menu or the 90-minute bar menu, which is $135 and a wonderful way to try the restaurant’s offerings. Items that have graced the menu include fermented potato bread with beef drippings and caraway as well as Modesto squab with burnt honey, fennel pollen, and Australian winter truffle. An additional beverage pairing can be added to the experience.

Dine at Kiln

Kusakabe

584 Washington St.

Across from the Transamerica Pyramid, highly-acclaimed omakase sushi hotspot Kusakabe offers a chef’s choice tasting menu in a chic, contemporary space. Chef Kusakabe prepares award-winning Kaiseki-style sushi that showcases seasonality and multiple preparation variations. In addition to the full tasting menu, you can opt for the Petite Omakase from Tuesday to Thursday, which is $148 for twelve courses. There are a few delicious dessert options and a list of sakes and wines, which can also be added as a pairing.

Dine at Kusakabe

Mister Jiu's

28 Waverly Pl.

Mister Jiu’s is located in a historic Chinatown building, where a sleek, modern dining hall with a lively bar area invites you to delicious contemporary Chinese American cuisine. You can order off the à la carte menu or select the tasting menu that includes individually-plated and shared dishes as an ode to Chinese banquet dining. Menus change with the season, but dayboat scallop and pork belly dumplings with scallop xo or Char Siu Iberico Pork Chow Fun are examples of what to expect.

Dine at Mister Jiu's

Nari

1625 Post St.

Japantown restaurant Nari offers contemporary Thai cuisine with Californian influences. The à la carte menu blends traditional recipes with a modern vision, served in a sleek space inside Hotel Kabuki. If you don’t want to pick yourself, opt for the $125 chef’s pick menu and focus your attention on the cocktail and wine lists. Owned and run by Chef Pim Techamuanvivit, Nari is a tribute to generations of women who paved the way for Thai cuisine.

Dine at Nari

Saison

178 Townsend St.

Like all restaurants on this list, SoMa stunner Saison offers fabulous, elegant dishes in awe-inspiring surroundings; but the talented chefs at this standout rely almost exclusively on the use of open wood fire. Executive Chef Richard Lee skillfully combines his Chinese heritage and love for the area to create intricate flavors. Splurge on the full tasting menu or choose the shorter version in the bar area, which starts at $198. An award-winning wine list is ready for your perusal as well.

Dine at Saison

Spruce

3640 Sacramento St.

A Pacific Heights staple for elegant Californian cuisine, Spruce has been offering one of the best fine-dining experiences in the city since 2007. Winning awards for both the food and beverage programs, the culinary team creates dishes that highlight fresh, local ingredients. There are two- and three-course menus for lunch, brunch, and dinner, but you can also indulge à la carte at the bar, where skilled mixologists also craft classic and signature cocktails. The $59 lunch menu is a fabulous way to try this restaurant.

Dine at Spruce

Ssal

2226 Polk St.

This modern Korean restaurant serves a single tasting menu every night. While the offerings change constantly, you will find seafood, charcoal-grilled dishes, and the freshest seasonal selections from the Pacific Northwest. Chef Junsoo melds his Korean heritage with his background in the French tradition of dégustation, and the open kitchen allows guests to watch the team in action. Selections of classic wines, traditional Korean spirits, and Japanese sake can be enjoyed alongside the menu.

Dine at Ssal

Lucas Mittenentzwei

Lucas Mittenentzwei is a digital project and content consultant. Originally from Germany, he has lived in California since 2010, calling San Francisco his home for several years. Lucas started in the hospitality industry before joining Visit California in its mission to inspire the world to visit the Golden State. He is passionate about all aspects of the travel experience, but trying new restaurants (or tried-and-true classics) is at the top of his list.