The 14 Best Eating Neighborhoods in SF, Ranked

14. Jackson Square

Essential eating house : Cotogna , COI , Tosca CafeIt ’s hard to rank a place with multiple Michelin starred eatery , a brace of the better upscale insouciant restaurants in the city ( Cotogna , Tosca ) , a classic SF dinner spot ( Bix ) and one of the best grilled lamb chop you might ever eat ( Kokkari Estiatorio ) towards the bottom of this leaning , but Jackson Square ’s lack of in force low-cost cuisine , and its small size foreclose it from go on up .

13. Lower Haight

crucial restaurants : Nopalito , Ragazza , MavenLower Haight suffer from the same problem it had in the drinking ' hoods guide : a lack of serious numbers to make it more of a address . Nonetheless , what they do have is : one of the best Mexican restaurants in the metropolis in Nopalito , a top - five pizza joint in Ragazza , an all - around bring home the bacon vicinity spot for food for thought and cocktails in Maven , one of the most underrated burgers in SF at Black Sands Brewery , quality sausage to maw on and carry into Toronado at Rosamunde , and a restrained winner in the onetime RickyBobby space , The Lodge ( which is the first place I ’ve see offer up baked stuffed casing outside of my mother ’s house ) .

12. Chinatown

indispensable restaurants : Z&Y Restaurant , Golden Gate Bakery , Mister Jiu’sOn the opposite end of the spectrum from Jackson Square , Chinatown is icky with lots and lots of chintzy chuck and some amazing deals if you lie with where to depend . Z&Y is potential the most well - known and skillful of the Szechuan eateries ( though do n’t kip on Spicy King ) , Capital Restaurant ’s have neat Cantonese , City View ’s vague sum is underrated , Golden Gate ’s nut harlot are not underrated , but still delicious , and Brandon Jiu ’s mod riff on Cantonese at Mister Jiu ’s is deserving the crowds .

11. The Fillmore

Essential restaurants : State Bird Provisions , Black Bark , Fat AngelThough low in sizing , The Fillmore packs lots of comestible resplendence into a couple city block , starting with quite possibly the most popular and far reach SF restaurant in State Bird , its sister The Progress , the best barbeque in SF at Black Bark , Fat Angel ( aka my favorite neighborhood beer bar ) , Wise Sons Bagel and Bakery for breakfast sandwiches , 1300 On Fillmore for jazz brunch , and absolutely underrated tacos coming out of the petite kitchen in The Social Study .

10. Japantown

Essential restaurant : Waraku , Ino Sushi , Benkyodo Co. Japantown ’s few blocks and humble mall can be intimidating to voyage , but once you do , you will have all the mochi you may handle , and a very positive self - paradigm . Whether you need ramen at Waraku or Ramen Underground ( or Tanpopo , though the yakisoba is great there as well ) , sushi at Ino , all form of gems and exotic things like Nipponese Kit Kats at Nijiya Market , mochi at Benkyodo , and that famous coffee crush cake at Yasukochi ’s Sweet Stop . Oh , and also : one of the best upscale Indian restaurants , DOSA , sits on the block , and you’re able to stuff yourself with Humphry Slocombe ice cream while watching read-only memory - coms at Kabuki .

9. Russian Hill

Essential eatery : Lord Stanley , Stones Throw , Nick ’s Crispy TacosRussian Hill has a ton of restaurant . The problem is many of them are not safe . But away from the pizza pie fade floater and overrated sandwich spots clutter up the street , there are some legit choices in the land of untried masses holler . Lord Stanley was just named the third best new restaurant in the country . Frascati has been a Greco-Roman particular date spot for yr . Stones Throw has been a classic appointment spot for less years , but it ’s still sumptuous . Nick ’s Crispy Tacos are toothsome even if you have to eat them in a eldritch guild .

Leopold ’s Austrian cuisine and gargantuan beers will make you mirthfully gain weight . La Folie has Michelin headliner . And eating sticky chewy cocoa ice cream in a retinal cone outdoors of the original Swensen ’s while the cable car go by is a affair that ca n’t be recreated in any other part of any other city . Still , there are enough middling spots here to keep the hill of Russians from lift any in high spirits .

8. The Marina/Cow Hollow

Essential restaurant : A16 , Gamine , Zushi PuzzleThough these are technically dissimilar neighborhoods , they are united by a joint force of bros in fashion fore tank tops and Chubbies and girls in SoulCycle tees , and so they will stay together for this ranking . In many ways , they also suffer from the issues of Russian Hill : myriad places to deplete , the majority of them intermediate , at well . That , however , seems to be changing . In the past few years there has been a rise in the overall tone in the area , with the the likes of of Causwells , Le Marais Bakery , Maybeck ’s , and Belga unite OGs par excellence like A16 , Delarosa , Lucca Delicatessen , Tacolicious , Zushi Puzzle , Gamine , Atelier Crenn , Greens , and Brazen Head to elevate the plot . Ex - water Marco Polo role player wearing weirdly tumid sunglass have never had it so estimable .

7. Pacific Heights/Lower Pacific Heights

Essential restaurants : Octavia , SPQR , Pizzeria DelfinaThe dry land of sometime money and new seism retrofitting has a strange mix of restaurants outside of the Fillmore street expanse . But what they do have is damn good . The fantastical Michelin - starred Octavia now sit in the old Baker and Banker ( and before that Quince , I’M OLD ) , SPQR continues to knock out some of the best alimentary paste in the city and also has a Michelin wiz to prove it , Pizzeria Delfina keep on to keep hybridize names off chalkboards pop , b. patisserie fundamentally made kouign amann an American trend , Nico has a Michelin star as well , Jane is one of the city ’s great coffee shop / bakeries , the 2nd Craftsman and Wolves sells out of the Rebel Within everyday , and I have n’t even mentioned OTD , Smitten , Florio , or The Grove . Well , until now .

6. South of Market

Essential eatery : Benu , Marlowe , BellotaI am jolly open about my antipathy for SoMa , though I ’ll admit that it ’s more of an aesthetic issue than anything else . And though there stay on spacious swaths of unimaginative chain , SoMa has some serious hitters , in the shape of two eating place with three Michelin stars ( Benu and Saison ) , plus unbelievable sushi at Omakase and upscale eats at AQ . But for those who do n’t need to drop their entire hebdomadary paycheck on a repast , you’re able to also hit up the wildly under - the - radiolocation Garaje for one of the city ’s upright burgers , my favourite all - around restaurant in the urban center ( Marlowe ) , satisfying pizza and cocktail ( Zero Zero ) , more great Warren Earl Burger at Popsons , chicken & waffles at Little Skillet , sandwiches at Darwin Cafe , fancy Mexican nutrient at Fénix , and the new Billie Jean King of Spanish cuisine in SF : Bellota .

5. North Beach

all-important eating house : Sotto Mare , Mama ’s , Tony ’s Pizza NapoletanaOnce you get past all of the red - sauce holidaymaker joints with hawkers out front , North Beach turns into a wonderful eating neighbourhood . You could depart in the morning with a breakfast at Mama ’s on Washington Square , then head over to Liguria Bakery for a sheet of focaccia , then Original Joe ’s for a burger , then Tommaso ’s for an old - schoolhouse pizza , Tony ’s for a new - school day pizza , Park Tavern for a cocktail and the volaille rouge , Sotto Mare for some crab cioppino , then to Don Pisto ’s for some pork Tamale and a hamburguesa . Finish the night with the poutine at 15 Romolo . That ’s quite a solar day .

4. The Tenderloin/Tendernob

Essential restaurants : Liholiho Yacht Club , Kin Khao , Saigon SandwichesPeople like to contrive out the Logos “ uptight ” to sort of clothe up vicinity of ill repute , but the Tenderloin is different . Maybe unpredictable is a courteous Good Book to practice . Despite this fact , the Tenderloin ’s food secret plan has always been weirdly on - point , thanks to the mix of tatty and delicious holes - in - the - wall ( Saigon Sandwich , Pearl ’s , Turtle Tower ) , old classics ( Brenda ’s Gallic Soul Food ) and chill new eatery with wildly different concepts ( Liholiho Yact Club , Del Popolo , Huxley , Whitechapel ) .

3. Hayes Valley

Essential restaurants : Cala , Absinthe , Rich TableThis little boxful in the middle of the metropolis is almost specially designed to be an exhaust vicinity . The region around Hayes stretching from Gough to Laguna is jam load down with food , virtually all of it good . The unswerving pillar of the Hayes Valley scene is Absinthe followed by Suppenkuche , and Rich Table . But terrific restaurants are everywhere – Monsieur Benjamin , box Room , Souvla , Chez Maman , Cala , and Lers Ros . Gallic macarons at Chantal Guillon . Ice cream at Smitten . sausage and Wednesday burgers at Biergarten . The eggshell and high mallow at 2 Sisters Bar and al-Qur’an . The new fanciness hooey coming from Chef Kim Alter ’s Nightbird . And that ’s just the dependable stuff .

2. The Mission

Essential restaurants : La Taqueria , Al ’s Place , Flour + WaterThe Mission is basically unfair . No other place can mob as much old- and fresh - school natural action into its ' bonnet . If you ask almost anyone in SF where to go if you love food , they will point you towards the Mission . There is a reason that the eternal rest of the country advertises “ Mission - flair ” burrito . La Taqueria , El Farolito , Taqueria Cancun , El Toro , Taqueria La Cumbre , El Gran Taco Loco , Taqueria Vallarta . well-nigh all would be consider the well in the city in any other place .

And on the paired closing of the spectrum , you may find Michelin - star meal unlike any you ’ve had across the city at Lazy Bear and Californios . Or vegetable perfection at Al ’s Place . Or insane pizza pie at Flour + Water , Delfina , or Beretta . Or crazy toothsome Judaic food at Wise Sons . Or course - set Asian at Mission Chinese . Or the best bakeshop in the urban center at Tartine . Or innovative space for eating all sorts of awing things at Tartine Manufactory . Or softheaded in force Peruvian at Limon Rotisserie . Or ice pick at Bi - Rite and Humphry Slocombe . The eating can go on and on and on .

1. The Richmond

Essential restaurants : B Star Cafe , Tommy ’s Mexican Restaurant , Aziza , Wako SushiI was belong to pick the Mission . I swear . It had so much firepower . But when I really dug into the research , and you combine the Inner and Outer Richmond ' hoods ( I’M NOT SORRY , I CAN DO WHAT I WANT ) , and see what ’s left , it is perfectly remarkable just what is available out there . And the fact that , unlike the Mission , it ’s a relatively close - guard secret mostly just enjoy by the the great unwashed who live there cause it even more attractive ( also : sorry for blowing you guy up ) .

Also know as “ second Chinatown , ” the Asian food plot is unmatched . From Burmese spot like the famous Burma Superstar and its 2nd ( actually better ) sibling B Star , to Korean from Han II Kwan , to dip sum spliff like Good Luck Dim Sum , Hong Kong Lounge II , Dragon Beaux , or Ton Kiang , to dumplings at Shanghai Dumpling King or Wing Lee , to Szechuan at amazingly named Spices ! 2 , to Michelin - asterisk sushi at Wako , you could not go wrong . But what really puts The Richmond at the top is the fact that Asian solid food may be play on the main stage , but there are a lot of other shows go down . Arguello Super Market ’s famed turkey sandwich , for one . The Russian pelmeni at Cinderella Bakery . Cardamom coffee cake at Marla Bakery . Great pizzas at Fiorella and Pizzetta 211 . absolutely fine Mexican nutrient to go with the unspoilt margarita in the country at Tommy ’s . Michelin - starred Moroccan - California dishes at Aziza . French nutrient in position of hats at Chapeau ! lay eyes on the glory that is the Richmond .

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Absinthe Brasserie & Bar