38 Best Restaurants in The Waterfront, San Francisco

Defeating the cliché that restaurants in hotels can't be citywide draws, chef Francis Ang's longtime Pinoy Heritage pop-up is thriving at its permanent home within the Kimpton Alton Hotel. Ang's exciting contemporary Filipino cooking has gained rave reviews from national publications and well-deserved awards. The chic space has a slight tropical edge to it and includes a small patio at the front and a bar reserved for those who can't score a reservation. 

Celebrated local chef Nancy Oakes' high-profile, high-priced eatery in the historic 1889 Audiffred Building has been attracting well-dressed locals and flush out-of-towners since 1993. A striking belle époque interior (originally designed by Pat Kuleto and later touched up by Ken Fulk, both star local architects) is the setting for sophisticated American food with a French accent and a distinct local California produce twist. The main dining room has a three-course set menu with several options in each course, while most of that menu is available à la carte in the bar area.

Chef-owner Marc Zimmerman's first personal restaurant project is the city's most compelling beef-centric dining experience. Elaborate small dishes, several of which incorporate prestigious Wagyu beef elements (blood, fat, or obscure parts, for example), make up a captivating tasting menu served to diners, most of whom are seated at a U-shaped counter that overlooks a centerpiece robata grill.

Some of San Francisco's most exquisite French pastries are baked daily at this serene, cheery shop. On the savory side, most choices tend to be some form of pâté-filled pastry and are presented with all the artistry of haute cuisine; sweets are split between croissant-type items and proper dessert treats. Lunch seekers will be satisfied by the tiny selection of quiche, salads, and sandwiches.

The title of "best omakase" has many worthwhile contenders in the city, but many would name this newcomer as the most captivating sushi-centric tasting menu. It's undoubtedly a splurge and can feel a little Vegas-flashy, yet the raw and gently torched fish nigiri preparations are nothing short of remarkable. Service, glassware, ceramics and the ultra-polished, wood-heavy design centered on an abstract triangle-shaped sushi bar are of the highest level of contemporary luxury.

Immaculately fresh seafood and a wood-burning hearth are the centerpieces of this bustling yet luxurious sibling to Saison. The menu descriptions might be brief, but it's really all about the ingredients and impeccable technique—whether it's a grilled hand-dived scallop or the signature thinly sliced potato with Sonoma cheeses—fulfilling their full potential on the plate with a few smart embellishments.

Guests can almost smell the Adriatic salt water–kissed air while digging into cicchetti (similar to open-faced crostini bites with various toppings) and other clever Venetian-inspired dishes at this gorgeous restaurant next to the Embarcadero Center. As delightful as the food is, the glamorous design and intricate cocktails are just as noteworthy. Mixologist Carlo Splendorini is one of the leading modern figures of the city's cocktail industry, and his drinks at this dolce vita–filled bar-restaurant are the perfect partner to the tall floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook a grand European capital-style plaza outside complete with a fountain.

The busy sister restaurant to neighboring Perbacco offers affordable small Italian plates, such as the chef's salumi selection and chicken thighs alla cacciatora, as well as plenty of Italian wines to explore by the glass. Financial District workers crowd in to the chic Milanese-style room for lunch or happy hour at the communal tables and long counter.

Locals love the cheery Buena Vista Café, which claims to be the first place in the United States to have served Irish coffee. The bartenders serve about 2,000 Irish coffees a day, so it's always crowded; try for a table overlooking Victorian Park and its cable-car turntable. The café dishes up great breakfasts all day, including crab omelets and crab Benedict.

Start the morning on the outskirts of Fisherman's Wharf with an açaí bowl and strong coffee, or enjoy puffy chicken-and-cheese-filled coxinha pastries as a lunchtime snack at this cheery stop by a quiet, grassy square. It's a breath of fresh air for visitors who are tired of crab and clam chowder. Note that seating is pretty tight inside, so it's best to sit at an outside table or take your order to-go.

With its Bay Bridge views and stellar Spanish tapas, celebrity chef Michael Chiarello's San Francisco restaurant is a big hit that’s equal parts rustic and chic, a lively destination for both small bites and larger meals. Toothpicked pintxos (small snacks) like quail egg with sausage are a tasty way to start, but the real draws are the inventive cocktails, luscious paella, and dazzling selection of cured meats.

The draw at this urban trattoria is chef Michael Tusk's flavorful, rustic, seasonally driven Italian cooking, headlined by pastas, beautifully grilled or spit-roasted meats, and homemade gelato. The look inside and outside is comfortably chic, with wood tables, quality stemware, and fantastic Italian wines by the bottle and glass.

"Epic" describes it all, from the outsize dining room and the mile-wide bay view to the slabs of meat grilled over an open fire, and, alas, the prices. For an Epic experience at a fraction of the price, head upstairs to the Quiver bar for the "3 B's," a half-pound burger, a brownie, and a Bud.

One of Downtown San Francisco's most storied restaurant spaces is now on a permanent Mediterranean vacation. After a longtime tenure as Aqua (where Michael Mina's legendary career began) and later as Mina's flagship namesake restaurant, the prominent California Street dining room's latest concept looks towards Greece and Mina's Egyptian heritage. With soft white tones and plush, oversized booths opposite a bustling bar, it's a great place to dress up for a leisurely dinner centered around the oak-grilled fish offerings, yet also relaxed enough for a few happy hour cocktails and bites.

This classic for prix-fixe dining has earned legions of fans—and a Michelin star—for its refined and creative seasonal California cooking, displayed in dishes like glazed oysters with Ossetra caviar and juniper-crusted venison. The banquette-lined rooms, with stunning floral arrangements, are as memorable as the food and impeccable service. The cost of a meal is pegged to the number of courses, from three to five, with several choices in each course. The wine list is immense.

With its lush hot-house decor—red lamps, tuffeted curved seats, and oversized art—this romantic spot is a Valentine's Day favorite. It's also a great place for conversation, sangrias, and Mediterranean-inspired cooking. Tops are the bacon bonbons (bacon-wrapped prunes stuffed with goat cheese) and paella. The downstairs bar makes inventive and flavorful cocktails (many of them are sherry-based), with seats in demand. While there is outdoor seating, the interior is a seductive part of the experience here.

The team behind French baking sensation Le Marais serves some of the greatest savory buckwheat galettes and sweet crêpes in the Bay Area at a kiosk on the water side of the Ferry Building. It's the perfect stop for breakfast, lunch, or a dessert snack. Fillings range from traditional ones like Nutella or ham and Gruyère, to more atypical choices such as cherry tomatoes and burrata.

A thriving oyster farm north of San Francisco in Tomales Bay serves up its harvest at this raw bar and restaurant in the Ferry Building, where devotees come for impeccably fresh oysters and clams on the half shell. Other mollusk-centered options include first-rate clam chowder, grilled oysters, and steamed mussels and clams; the kitchen also makes one of the city's best grilled cheese sandwiches.

Ayesha Curry teamed up with the city's most prolific chef/entrepreneur, Michael Mina, on this hip spot inside the glitzy Millennium Tower. Don't call it a barbecue restaurant—it's more of an open flame, smoke-driven style of cooking inspired by various global cuisines. Every table has an order of Curry's freshly baked cornbread (SF's best) and one of the different smoked ribs offered.

Satisfy your craving for outstanding Greek taverna food—albeit at luxe steak house prices—from a dizzying selection of mezes such as stuffed grape leaves to main courses that showcase Athenian standards like moussaka, lemon-oregano chicken, and grilled lamb chops. There’s a lively after-work scene in this chic farmhouse setting with wood-beamed ceilings, a roaring wood oven, and candlelight. Service is doting for its many well-heeled regulars (but tends to be less so for other guests).

Right on the water's edge, this casually chic outpost, global mega-chef Gastón Acurio's first outside Peru, imports the signature flavors of his home country's cuisine to San Francisco. Fresh seafood is a big draw here, including a long list of ceviches and the can't-miss causas (whipped potatoes topped with a choice of fish, shellfish, or vegetable salads).

A three-decade-old favorite for business lunches and special dinners, this white-tablecloth spot caters to suits brokering deals and well-dressed romantic dates, who carve their way through upscale dishes accented by local produce and often intricate sauces. Its menu skews seasonal and meaty, and its largish bar, which offers its own food menu of New York deli–style dishes and numerous cocktails, is popular for Financial District/pre-commute happy hour.

This energetic Japanese dining venue (part of Michael Mina's high-powered group) is a sleek, wonderful place that hosts both date nights and business deals at its tables and cocktail bar. The substantial menu can be overwhelming, so it's best to just graze around the sushi rolls, robata grill items, and a few small and large plates like homemade pork gyoza and miso yaki black cod.

San Francisco has very few Caribbean restaurants, but luckily locals and tourists can try some excellent Jamaican cuisine from Shani Jones' catering company-turned-permanent kiosk on the Embarcadero sidewalk side of the Ferry Building. Homemade patties (savory pastries filled with meats or vegetables) are the namesake signature dish, complemented by the island's iconic jerk chicken and frequently a hearty stew or two.

From the idyllic hazelnut budino to the pappardelle with short rib ragù, this longtime power dining favorite's menu is a delectable paean to northern Italy. With a long marble bar and open kitchen, this brick-lined, ultra polished space oozes big-city charm, attracting business types and Italian food aficionados alike to the FiDi well after evening rush hour ends. Next door is its equally excellent, slightly more casual sibling, Barbacco.

Beer arrives at your table in buckets at this waterfront café-saloon, which has ample seating at plastic tables on a wooden deck. Although you'd expect to sit elbow to elbow with fishers, you're more likely to share the space with twenty- and thirtysomethings drawn by the cocktails and casual seafood and sandwiches from the kitchen, and of course the prime vantage point for gazing across the bay.

This contemporary-minded younger sibling of Boulevard, one of the city's most beloved dining institutions, deserves to be known for its own virtues. The food menu rotates frequently based on the seasons and is a nice mix of elevated snacks like outrageously good chicken-fried oysters and more refined small plates, entrées, and pastas. Cocktails are a particular strength at the lively bar, led by the "Prospector" (scotch, Madeira, and Bénédictine). 

For a real cup of joe without any sense of pretension, join the savvy dock workers, carpenters, and young suits at decades-old Red's Java House, where the coffee typically follows a cheeseburger and a beer and the gorgeous view of the East Bay is priceless.

Ask locals where to eat at Fisherman's Wharf and you'll usually get a blank look, but the answer is this San Francisco classic that is undoubtedly the leader among its peers (or piers?). The Pier 47 spot was a coffee shop when brothers Al and Jay Scoma bought it in 1965 (the homey coffeehouse vibe still lingers around the retro-meets-contemporary space), and the restaurant continues to be a great stop for excellent fresh fish and seafood preparations.