State Bird Provisions is the highest-rated restaurant on our site, and the list of reasons why could fill an encyclopedia. We'll get to the point: SBP does impeccably executed small plates with inventive flavor combinations. The fact that servers bring the food to you on dim sum-style carts and trays only adds to the excitement—all you have to do is say yes to whatever looks good, which is just about everything.
Rich Table surprises us each time we visit. At this Hayes Valley spot, thick-cut, tangy slices of bread are infused with actual Douglas fir. Perfectly salty potato chips are fried with entire sardines slotted through the middle and served with horseradish crème fraîche, and silky mapo tofu is piled over crispy pork schnitzel. Throughout the years, the cozy restaurant has only gotten better, which is why we've been known to make a reservation to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries.
There’s no place like Noodle In A Haystack in the city. It’s run by a ridiculously charming husband and wife duo that’ll gladly swap Tokyo recs as you dig into chawanmushi from across the counter. Throughout the night, eight to 10 Japanese-inspired courses ($195) land in front of you like they were dropped into this mortal dimension from the pearly gates. The two standout bowls of ramen rotate, but they’re always made with twists you won’t see on any other tonkotsu bowls around town.
Nari is a fancy Thai restaurant in Japantown that will make you stalk reservation apps for weeks. When you finally get in the door, you’ll be rewarded with a runny nose (from all the spice) and bold flavors that you'll still be thinking about days later. The charred mushroom salad with Thai bird chilis builds a lingering heat throughout the meal, and every bit of the pork jowl and squid is a sticky-sweet umami bomb. Come with a small group and go to town.
San Ho Won’s galbi is capable of inducing epiphanies. It’s glistening, charred around the edges, and every bite of the melty meat comes with the realization that you’ll probably never eat short ribs this good again. But there's more to this upscale Korean restaurant than galbi. A soy, sake, and garlic marinade gives the golden-brown rotisserie chicken a perfectly savory and slightly sweet flavor. And the crispy scallion pancakes, grilled corn, and egg soufflé will make you dance in your seat.
This Dogpatch spot pulls from the make-your-own-rules playbook by remixing western Indian food with new ingredients. Which is why you’ll find blue cheese in the fluffy parathas and bitter melon in the sticky chutney. Garlicky pea shoots and raita are heaped atop tender Impossible kebabs. And mint-infused tamarind water for the crispy pani puri contains actual gin. A meal at this small-plate dining spot is a great way to eat your way through the regions of Gujarat.
Prubechu is San Francisco’s island party. This always-packed outdoor-only Mission spot is also the only Guamanian restaurant in town—and one that serves knockout Chamorro dishes packed with flavors this city has never tasted before at a restaurant. You’ll have fall-off-the-bone tender BBQ pork ribs coated in sweet, sticky sauce, egg noodles with coconut braised beef, and the plumpest chicken wings served with sides of tangy lemon-vinegar fina’denne’ sauce.
This Californian and Asian-inspired restaurant in the Mission is leading a master class on how to take dishes you can find on other seafood-focused menus across town, and zhuzh them up with creative twists. Salmon gets a sweet kick from fermented black bean and dots of corn pudding, tater tots are the vehicle for caviar and crème fraîche, and scallop sashimi has fresh wasabi that hits you right in the nose.
No offense to old-school steakhouses, but Niku in the Design District operates in a different league. The inside is sleek yet comfortable enough that you can show up in a crewneck sweater and still get treated like someone who just arrived by private jet. At Niku, you’ll eat the fatty A5 wagyu, perfectly charred New York strips, and lean tomahawks that outsize a child's head. Sides like rich bone marrow, buckwheat rolls, and fried potatoes take an already spectacular meal over the top.
The so-small-you-might-miss-it spot in Lower Haight is an intimate dinner—there’s just a six-seat counter that’s so snug you’ll probably end up exchanging dog walker recommendations with whoever’s sitting next to you. The host for the night is the eponymous chef Ken, who will break the ice with jokes about cod milt virgins while serving 14 courses of outstanding nigiri, glossy chawanmushi, and a bowl of ume and rock sugar broth filled with poached ikura.