10 Restaurant Recommendations For All Your August Dining Needs

Dining in the beautiful courtyard at Rintaro is a lovely way to spend a long evening. Skewer after of smokey chicken skewers are essential, but if it’s a cold foggy summer, warm up with their oden set, which features tofu and eggs and fishcakes simmered in a beautiful broth.

If it’s warm, cool down with a couple of cold crudo plates at Bar Crudo. $2 happy hour oysters are ice cold, as are the $5 lagers from Alvarado Street Brewing. And though it may be served warm, the chowder is almost always a good choice. 

Picnic tables, umbrellas, natural wine, and Chamorro BBQ found in a parking lot on Mission Street—there’s really nothing else quite like it. The menu might be large, so best to go with the fiesta table and let the kitchen cook for you.

The downstairs menu at the holy farm-to-table temple changes not only weekly, but on the daily. Eggplant caponata with saffron noodles and ricotta salt. Wild greens risotto with clams and lardons. Ras el hanout creme caramel with peaches and berries. It might sound like a dreamy poem, but it is indeed a recent night’s menu.

It’s true: Palm City might be the best place to celebrate BLT season in San Francisco. Grab an arm-sized hoagie and a bottle of wine (or two), bring your blanket and head to Golden Gate Park or the beach and go to town. No reservations.

If your favorite pizzeria on Valencia Street looks a little bit different, that’s because it has rebranded as Yellow Moto Pizzeria. But fret not: there’s the same delicious menu of cheesy and charred pies, chopped salads and soft serves for dessert. Bonus: A new full bar is in place, so you can order cocktails, too.

One delicious way to get your vegetables in is by visiting Al’s Place, where chef Aaron London and co is always doing something interesting with the Bay Area’s pristine produce. Blistered asparagus with rhubarb agrodolce and furikake? Fava’d mushroom broth chawanmushi with cherries and pistachios? Yes please and thank you.

Melissa Perello’s Frances is finally back. She’s brought on chef-de-cuisine Jordan Wittrock (Tartine Manufactory) to help run the kitchen, who has helped create a few family-style menu that’s meant to be shared. NB: There are walk-ins at the bar, a new outdoor patio, and the beloved panisse frites are still there. For reservations, call (415) 621-3870.

From the team behind the much-lauded and applauded Snail Bar comes their sophomore spot, Slug. One part wine bar, one part restaurant, and one part club, the late-night spot features natural wines, food by Spencer Horovitz (Itria, Al’s Place), and a DJ-booth so you can dance your way late into the night. No reservations.

Ancora is a new seafood spot that opened in the former Locanda spot. The restaurant comes care of chef Nick Anichini (previously at Atelier Crenn) as well as Water2Table, a local fish wholesaler that’s been providing fresh sea creatures to Bay Area residents and restaurants for years. For reservations, call (415) 757-0825