The Resy Hit List: Where In San Francisco You’ll Want to Eat Right Now

This shiny new project from husband-and-wife duo David and Serena Chow Fisher is your next spot for an intimate date night — or any other night. In their new space, they continue to offer the same quality and caliber fare that earned them a Michelin star at Marlena, in the form of an approachable seasonally changing tasting-menu format. You get five courses, with choices for most. The move is to come here with your beloved, or any willing dining partner, and order the entire thing, supplements and all. And if all goes well, it looks like the Fishers are well on their way to reclaiming that star.

Chef Pim Techamuanvivit’s wonderful Thai fare at her Michelin-starred Kin Khao never misses. The restaurant’s current chef de cuisine, Chef Adam Sproat, has been with the restaurant for most of its existence and is currently guiding the ship, making sure the Pretty Hot Wings live up to their fiery name,  and the khao soi is creamy, coconutty and consistent. There’s really no wrong way to go here—this is one of those restaurants where you’re guaranteed a good time and a good meal no matter what you order. The only thing you’ll need to think about is if you want to go cocktails or wine to pair.

There’s no question Burdell was the restaurant opening of 2023 — Geoff Davis’s critically acclaimed comforting California soul-food restaurant received wide accolades, landing a spot on Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America list. Davis is going strong into 2024: The recent addition of rich rib-sticking braised oxtails with bone marrow will keep you warm through the winter, while you’ll want to quickly revisit the bar-only fried chicken sandwich, dusted with an umami powder and served on a seeded croissant. If general manager Omar White is there, ask him for his pairing of choice — he doubles as the restaurant’s beverage director.

We couldn’t imagine a better time than taking our time on a Saturday evening at Snail Bar over a bottle or two of something interesting. Natural wine? Yes, as it were. But more importantly, something highly enjoyable, something to pair with the unreasonably delicious and unique fare coming from the tiny kitchen. Of course you’ll get the requisite snails with cashew butter miso, and maybe some pristine crudité to start, but the chalkboard menu changes daily. Come with a crew and order it all.

Rich Table alum Chef Brandon Rice just might be a culinary genius. The globally-inspired food at his Mission restaurant consistently makes you say, “Wow I want to eat that.” (We promise we won’t judge if you’re talking to yourself at the table.) Whether it’s soft, pillowy mini-donuts dusted with seaweed powder to go with the caviar set, or luscious little cuts of bluefin tuna paired with a sukiyaki egg yolk to dip, or the ever changing seasonally topped fried rice set, his food just hits hard, dropping flavor bombs all night long.  Go with the “let the kitchen cook for you” option, which is unreasonably good deal for the amount of food—you’ll be rolling home, happy and full.

Have you really lived in San Francisco if you haven’t braved the Outerlands weekend brunch line for dutch pancakes and cast-iron grilled cheese? It’s a right of passage, really. After you’ve done that, the next move is to make a Resy for dinner, where the menu changes with the seasons but the warm and wooden cozy cool vibe remains the same year-round. Chicken bone broth for the soul. Lamb meatballs, housemade tagliatelle with pork ragu, and roasted chicken. This is California comfort at its best.

From the fine folks that brought you Gemini Bottle Shop is Bar Gemini, your new favorite natural wine bar in San Francisco. We’re here for the half-bottle carafes; if you come with a crew, you can drink more and try different things. They’ve also gained a reputation for hosting fun and delicious pop-ups (keep an eye on their Instagram to see who will be there next). And on the last Sunday of the month is industry night where all bottles are 40% off. Need more reasons to drink here? Know that the talented chef Brandon Rice from nearby Ernest is doing the food, devising a tuned-up menu of bar snacks. Hello, cacio e pepe deviled eggs!

Sure, you could book a ticket to Japan and eat at every izakaya you find. (You actually should do that — it’s a very fun time.) But you also could visit Sylvan Mishima Brackett’s lovely Rintaro. There’s no other restaurant quite like Rintaro, because there’s no other chef quite like Brackett, born in Kyoto, raised in Northern California and the former creative director at Chez Panisse. Sit at the counter closest to the yakitori station and watch his team dance between each other as their twist and turn charred smoky chicken skewers and slowly slice sashimi. All the chefs seem to eat here on their days off, and we can see why.

The three-Michelin-starred restaurant from the wife-and-husband duo Lindsay and Michael Tusk, has reopened after a long redesign and is, dare we say it, better than ever. The dining area has been completely transformed into a gentler and warmer space compared to its previous dark and dimlit incarnation, while the food maintains the same level of quality and finesse without being precious throughout the ten course tasting menu. Crab farfalle features more crab than bow-ties, and beetroot spaghetti comes topped with a generous mound of caviar for you to mix in—the ratios are just right. If you’re crunched on time, you can always sit at the bar. and go à la carte.

Call 415-775-8500 for more info.

One of Esquire’s Best Bars in America in 2023 also happens to be a stunner. Sit at the counter and start with a fun vermouth-based cocktail—we’re partial to the House Campari Soda, a quaffable low-abv cocktail and nod to the legendary Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store in North Beach. Buddy’s version adds a bit of bitter amaro for balance. Order some snacks (those mushrooms!) or come on a Tuesday and grab some creatively topped pies from pizza pop-up-in-residence Jules. Order a glass or bottle of something that suits your fancy—we’re partial to something bubbly to pair with pizza, like pét nat or Lambrusco—but you do you.

State Bird Provisions is a perennial favorite, as are its owners, husband-and-wife duo Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski. It’s hard not to order everything that rolls past our tables from the carts, this being one of the places that pioneered dim sum-style service for Western food. But we’ll never not order the menu mainstays at the now 12-year-old restaurant: the insanely delicious fried garlic bread with seven pepper spice and burrata; the tangy herby pork belly “salad”; everything from the pancakes and toasts section, and the “state bird with provisions,” of course: a crispy fried quail over a bed of sweet buttery stewed onions.

Find more info here.

It can be difficult to define Liholiho Yacht Club, but luckily we don’t need to. The food transcends labels, and no one puts chef Ravi Kapur in a box. You’ll find influences from various cultures and cuisines, but especially Kapur’s native Hawaii. There’s the tuna poke on nori cracker; poppyseed steam buns with tender beef tongue, kimchi, and miso aioli; swordfish katsu with a creamy umami caper sauce, and so much more. Pro tip: You can now book out the recently reopened Gen-Gen Room downstairs for  a private family-style dining experience.

There’s no better place in San Francisco to get your human hands on some crab claws than this legendary seafood institution. Whether you get those sweet little morsels filled to the brim in a glass coupe cup topped off with punchy cocktail sauce; in salad form on top of a crunchy bed of shredded iceburg lettuce, spooned with pale pink creamy Louie dressing; or go with the off-menu ‘crabsanthemum,’ with plump legs are artfully arranged in a floral pattern, you really can’t go wrong. This is old-school San Francisco charm at its best.

Cash only. Walk-ins only.

Another exciting Oakland opening from late in 2023, and another restaurant you’ll likely see on all the lists this year. Chef Anthony Salguero, who worked at some of the best fine-dining restaurants in the city, offers his contemporary spin on Salvadoran fare. He combines top Bay Area produce with a giant wood-fired hearth in the back outdoor patio. The results are delicious. And trust us when we say, you’ve likely never had pupusas quite like his before — masa made from beautiful, colorful heirloom corn, ground and nixtamalized in house, then stuffed with braised beef or sweet potato and cheese before being griddled on the plancha outdoors. It’s served with salsas and a requisite crunchy curtido that helps cut and cool it all.

Trick Dog, one of the best cocktail bars in San Francisco and arguably well beyond, is in its 11th year and on its 20th menu. For this latest, the bar has transformed into The Salty Dog, featuring whimsical tropical vibes and drinks — namely 17 brand new cocktails, each named after a famous pirate ship. Consider the Royal Fortune, a fruity riff on a clarified milk punch made with vodka, clarified passion fruit, orange, and guava juice. An extra twist with this menu? It’s the first time they’ve redone the interior décor and vibe, creating a transportive nautically themed vibe to match the tropical cocktails.

It’s hard to believe that this Mission District mainstay is a teenager. The restaurant opened back in 2009 and still hits hard. It’s dark and intimate, yet manages to remain its high energy. Come as you are, and get the pasta tasting menu: It gives you a good well-rounded tasting of both the ever-changing pastas on the menu, as well mainstays like the tortellini en brodo and creamy buttery taleggio scarpinocc. Ordering a wood-fired pizza supplement is a highly recommended pro move that you won’t regret.

The highly anticipated Four Kings, the new restaurant from Mister Jiu’s alums Franky Ho and Michael Long, finally opened last month, and it’s a banger. Located in an old ramen shop in an alley in Chinatown, the nostalgic Cantonese cooking at the restaurant is epic. Whether you’re going with steak chow fun or claypot rice with Chinese sausage and house smoked bacon, you’re in for a treat. The menu is massive, so you’ll want to come with a crew and order as much as possible. And even then, you won’t get to it all. This is a restaurant you’ll want to come back to often.

Call 415-688-1500 for reservations.

When we think of duck dishes in San Francisco, the gloriously smoky crispy-skinned version at The Morris is the first that comes to mind. The birds are brined, aged, smoked, then roasted, and come with root vegetables, smashed fingerling potatoes, and a jus fortified with espresso, honey, and Sichuan peppercorns. Starting with chef Gavin Schmidt’s charcuterie would be a wise move, as would asking for wine pairings from owner Paul Einbund and his sommelier team. Don’t forget to save room for donuts with a whiskey maple crème anglaise to finish. Also: The Saturday Poulet et Frites lunch series both showcases Schmidt’s poultry talent, and is a wonderful way to start the weekend.

Pearl is one of those local haunts that make San Francisco special. The intimate seafood-centric charmer is one part Californian, one part Mediterranean and all parts delicious. Chef Mel Lopez sections the menu into snacks, starters, pastas, and entrees — ordering a little bit from each section is a smart way to experience it all. Selections are ever-changing, but a mainstay is the handkerchief pasta with a white Bolognese sauce — one of the few non-seafood dishes and not to be missed, as is starting the meal off with the Pearl Martini. It comes with pickled onion and sea beans to garnish, like taking a sip of the (boozy) sea.

Often imitated, never duplicated, Zuni is timeless, a San Franciscan institution. We could eat at Zuni every single day and be perfectly happy — its current chef, Anne Alvero, makes multiple runs to the farmers market and changes the menu daily with specials, which are nice to have while you wait for your iconic chicken to be roasted to order. (Yes, even if you think you’re not going to get the chicken, you’ll do so anyway.) Add some crispy shoestring French fries, some oysters, and a bottle of Burgundy, and take your time.

Find more info here.