Can’t decide where to eat? Click through the blocks to find your next reservation. This page will constantly evolve, so please check back often for new restaurant reviews! These restaurants span the entire Bay Area.

If you’re new to the Bay Area and visiting San Francisco for the first time, I’ve put together a 3 day eating guide including all the must-go spots in the City.

Japanese

American

Sushi

Italian

Vietnamese

Mexican

Thai/SE Asian

Mediterranean

Chinese

Seafood

Korean

Sweet Treats

Volcano (San Francisco) - Hands down the best curry sauce in the city. Their sauce is rich, spicy and made with all the right spices. You can taste the slight hint of apple and the consistency is perfect. Best paired with chicken katsu and a potato croquette.

Soba Ichi (Oakland) - There aren’t many authentic soba spots in the Bay Area so put this at the top of your list. The buckwheat noodles are handmade, hard to find, not to mention very time intensive to make and compliment the dashi broth they use for their soup base perfectly. The hot soba is also great with simmered fish if you go on a cold day. Otherwise, the cold soba is the star of the show.

Family Cafe (San Francisco) - A new spot in North Beach, this tiny cafe is making really great chicken katsu sandos. Their curry is less sweet, more spice forward since it’s made from 17 different spices. It’s a bit more natural tasting and I would defintely opt for the sando. The owners came from Akiko’s. One thing I really did love is the authenticity, family owned feeling and their use of sustainable and reuseable materials.

Marufuku (San Francisco & Oakland) - I’ve tried well over 15 ramen places in the Bay Area and would have to say Marufuku is my favorite right now. All their broths are spot on and simmered for over 20 hours to pull out all of that umami goodness. The chicken paitan is the way to go since it comes with a sizzling chicken leg on a hot grill plate. The line is always long so make sure to check in on Yelp’s waitlist to avoid a 2+ hour wait.

Mensho (San Francisco) - Another super popular ramen spot that specializes in the paitan variety of ramen. I would definitely pick this over Ippudo even though after many years of being open there is still always a wait. Because the paitan broth can be quite thick and almost resembles more of a gravy, I would opt for the lighter shoyu broth.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (San Jose) - Tucked away in the Mitsuwa Marketplace (another awesome option for Japanese food, this ramen spot has delicious spicy broths and yummy sides. After being discouraged by the long, long line at Ramen Nagi, we drove to Hokkaido to wait the same amount of time. I prefer not to wait that long but their spicy miso broth is really delicious. They also have a location in Vancouver (so skip it there, if you’ve eaten it here).

Sushi is obviously my favorite food group. Rather than bore you with photos of fresh nigiri slices, I thought I’d just compile a list of my favorite spots in the Bay Area. They are grouped together by location for convenience.

Utzutzu (Alameda) - Chef Joji knows what he is doing. His toro handroll is the most delicious thing I’ve tasted at an omakase experience. The nori is so fresh and crunchy because he keeps it sealed in an airtight container and takes each piece out one at a time. I always order an extra one at the end of the meal even though I am beyond full. The fish is fresh and shipped from Japan. The best thing though are the surprises throughout the meal. Like a carrot, yes carrot, sushi that resembles uni which is surprisingly sweet and refreshing and something you never knew you needed in your life. With only 8 seats, it’s a quiet, intimate yet fun dining experience.

Ryoshin (Belmont) - Walking into this place would not make you believe you were about to encounter some of the best nigiri in the bay. My friend Jen is a self-professed sushi snob (with great taste) so I put all judgements aside while entering more of a fast casual, take out spot vibe. I was truly surprised when the salmon sampler came out with 5 varieties of salmon nigiri. Each one of them was melt in your mouth delicious while highlighting the subtle differences in variety. We ordered pretty much every item on the menu and each one was completely worth it.

Delage (Oakland) - Another restaurant from the Utzutzu team, this omakase Oakland spot plays on California themed Japanese fair. The menu changes frequently with the seasons and each course arrives has a fun play on traditional Japanese favorites. One of my favorites were the veggie chips with an infuser filled with fresh wasabi oil.

ju-ni*(San Francisco) - One of the pricier omakase spots in San Francisco, ju-ni serves some of the highest quality fish in an intimate12 seat restaurant off Divisadero. For $169 per person, you’ll get 18 courses of traditional nigiri slices often with a modern twist, plus tamago, owan and some other special surprises. Most of the fish comes from Toyosu Market in Japan while the rest is locally sourced from specialty providers. If you’re willing to shell out a little more $ opt for the extended omakase. The wagyu is mouth watering and although I prefer Santa Barbara uni, their Hokkaido uni will make you very happy.

Amami (multiple locations) - This is the best bang for your buck “omakase” spot in the bay. I put omakase in quotes because it’s not your traditional one piece at a time service but for $38 you get 10 hearty slices of nigiri. Always check the special board and order anything with uni (assuming they haven’t already run out) and the seared baby lobster.

Kusakabe (San Francisco) - Served in the Kaiseki style, Kusakabe offers more than just your traditional omakase service. Kaiseki emphasizes seasonality and being in the present moment so you’ll find that the menu rotates often and is really meant to engage all your senses. Many of the top sushi chefs in the bay spent time at Sushi Ran (up in Marin) and Chef Nori was none other than the executive chef there before he came to Kusakabe.

Hinata (San Francisco) - Located on Van Ness street, this has become one of our favorite omakase spots. The cost ($90/person) is not as high as other omakase places but the quality, presentation and creativity are on par with other high end places. You’ll get 18 course of fish flown directly from Tokyo’s Tsujiki Fish Market.

Ryoko’s (San Francisco) - The unassuming outside of this downtown sushi spot doesn’t reflect the busy, buzzing, downstairs of a NYC club vibe that Ryoko’s brings. Their specials menu is always changing to reflect what’s fresh and in season and it stays open super late. It’s a perfect way to start your night or to end it. Don’t leave without trying the Santa Barbara uni and the chu toro.

Saru (San Francisco) - This tiny spot in Noe Valley makes for a great date night sushi spot. I always pick nigiri over rolls and don’t forget to try the tasting spoons. They are perfectly sized spoonfuls of delightful combinations like ankimo and garlic ponzu or kanpachi or truffle oil. The tuna here shines!

Sushi Maruyama (San Mateo) - San Mateo has so many great restaurants! Maruyama had one of the best tamago slices that I have ever had. It was soft, silky, sweet and full of umami. Some sushi chefs spend their whole life perfecting the tamago and whatever they do here is close to perfection. The nigiri was traditional and fresh. Their beer selection was also very unique. Try the matcha ale that has a dark green hue. It pairs great with their classic selection of sushi.

More Vietnamese Recs: Here’s where Yelp reviews can get a little tricky. If people are complaining about 1) cleanliness, 2) service or 3) anything other than the food, don’t trust the reviews. The best pho is found in small shops where the waiters could care less if you got your water or asked for something on the side. They are there to serve you a piping hot bowl of pho that was made in a kitchen that’s probably close to being in violation of some type of code. Don’t worry about it, the broth is so hot it kills off any germs and that server’s finger in your soup while he’s delivering it proves that they have been doing this forever and your soup is gonna be very good. This is just a small sampling of some of the best pho I’ve found in the city.

Pho Huynh Hiep 2 - Kevin’s Pho (San Francisco) - Their pho tai (rare steak) is great. This is a no frills pho restaurant in the Sunset that is consistent and their broth always tastes the same (which is a good thing).

Pho Phu Quac PPQ Beef Noodle House (San Francisco) - I like this place for their curry pho. The soup base tastes like a light Thai curry variation with all the regular pho fixins. If you’re looking for a non-traditional pho, this place would be a great stop.

Yummy Yummy and Y&Y Vietnamese Cuisine (San Francisco) - Yummy Yummy has one of my favorite beef carpaccio plates. All of their soups are super rich in flavor and these are great neighborhood spots to get your pho fix on. Service is not great but who cares!

Mong Thu Cafe (San Francisco) - A cozy pho spot that serves up very authentic soup bowls in another semi-sketchy part of the city. If you’re looking for bun rieu or clear based broths with shrimp, chicken and egg noods, I’d highly recommend this place. Their banh mi sandwiches are very good as well.

Pho Ga Huong Que Cafe (Oakland) - This is in kind of a seedy spot in Oakland but it’s worth risking your life for the pho ga. Get an extra side of that green sauce, it’s magical. I’ve never tasted chicken pho broth that brings so many flavors.

Joe’s Pho (Hayward) - We eat here once a week and their broth is one of my favorites. The fresh spring rolls are my very favorite because they put in this small, crunchy, fried egg roll wrapper in the middle and it adds the perfect texture to the mix. I especially love how many green onions they scatter throughout the broth, especially the large white portions with the fuzzy end still attached.

Pho VN (Union City) - Another frequent pho spot for us, this place has really good plates and beef based pho. Their broth has more of the Vietnamese spice taste to it and they cut their beef paper think so it melts in your mouth.

Dim Sum Guide & More Chinese Restaurants

Palette House (San Francisco) - The newest addition to the Koi Palace and Dragon Beaux family, this spot on the unlikely Fisherman’s Wharf has traditional classics but also does some modern twists on dim sum. Their sauce palette is super cute and they have a good assortment of dumplings. They have a lobster dumplings where you inject extra broth into it for a juicy mouth explosion. 

If you’re not looking for a a full on dinner, you can grab a seat outside at the bar with some fun cocktails and a few baskets of hargow and shiu mai. 

Dragon Beaux (San Francisco) - There is always the longest line wrapped around the block for Dragon Beaux. Another family member from the Koi Palace family, this dim sum/Chinese spot in the outer Richmond is serving up fancier and more expensive dim sum. Though I tend to like other places over this one, their crab roe XLB is delightful and I would like to go back to try their dinner hot pots. Their shrimp rolls from the dim sum menu are also legit. Be willing to shell out a little more for this popular spot.

Yank Sing (2 SF Locations) - If you’re looking for fancier dim sum (think white tablecloth and fancy tea) then this is your spot. The quality of the dim sum is good but it’s a pricier spot in the city. They have all the classics plus savory peking duck but be prepared to pay more than your average neighborhood dim sum spot. They also charge for extra tea! I always recommend this place to people if they have visitors that are parents, older aunts and uncles, grandparents (you get the idea) in town.

Great China (Berkeley) - I recently ate here for the first time with two of our favorite eating buddies, Ricky and Trina. I am sad that I haven’t been eating here the whole time I’ve lived in the Bay Area. Their peking duck is one of the best around. I liked it even more because they slice it for you and the buns they serve it with are paper thin so you can really taste the flavors of the duck. 

It’s also pretty rare when I eat something and say “I’ve never had something like this before” but we got their mung bean noodle dish and I really, really enjoyed it. It had veggies, and wood ear mushrooms that were perfectly paired with the mung bean noodles and Chinese oysters sauce that was drizzled on top. 

The steamed ginger fish was aromatic and delectable. Its light, gingery texture was the perfect contrast to the rich dark meat of the duck. 10 out of 10 for this place. I can’t wait to go back. 

Din Ding (multiple locations) - I’m not listing Din Tai Fun on my Bay Area list because I am not a fan of the DTF down in the South Bay. The line is always so long, the wait is always longer than expected and the quality of the dumplings is sub par. After being disappointed by DTF, Elliott took me to one of his favorite local soup dumpling spots. 

FYI - If you’re not super familiar with soup dumplings, their official name is Xio Long Bao (XLB) and they are tiny dumplings with a paper thin wrapper that is stuffed with pork, green onions and tons of hot soupy goodness that explode into your mouth when you bite into them. They are served with a dash of black vinegar and fresh ginger. 

Skip DTF (unless you’re in Asia, Seattle or SoCal) and go to Din Ding. There are two locations now, one in Union City and one in Fremont and the quality and flavor of the Chinese food here is much better than DTF. Their XLBs are great and so is the chili oil dumplings. 

Korean

The Bay Area is lacking in Korean places if you are comparing it to LA (where the best Korean food is by far). But, you can still find some great places if you know where to look. Pro tip: always order some soju to play the cap game while you’re eating.

Han II Kwan (San Francisco) - This is supposedly one of the best Korean spots in the city. I was lucky enough to live around the corner from this place and can vouch that their meat, stews and banchan is legit. If you don’t feel like doing the cooking, this is a great place because you can order a lot of the dishes and they come out cooked for you. It’s also where Elliott and I went on our first date so it has a special place in my heart. The Korean tour bus literally stops here, so you know it has to be good, right?!

Daeho Kalbijjim & Beef Soup (San Francisco) - I haven’t been here yet but foodie friends that I trust have raved about it. I’ll post my thoughts once I eat there and once the line to get in dies down a little bit.

um.ma (San Francisco) - LA based chef Chris Oh is bringing some much needed K-town vibes to San Francisco. His banchan is one of my favorites because he serves whole marinated eggs and whole mini shrimpys. It’s a cool, modern spot that serves traditional Korean eats as an ode to his mother’s cooking. (Um ma means for mom). If you’re in LA, check out his other spot Seoul Sausage Co. It’s oishiiiii!

My Tofu House (San Francisco) - As the name suggests, get the tofu soup here! They have over 9 varieties, seafood, combination, kimchee, dumpling tofu soup and many more. This place is also in the Richmond and is a good, classic Korean spot that will keep you warm in the foggy, cool avenues.

Tacorea (San Francisco)- This is not a traditional Korean restaurant. The menu items consist of California burritos, tacos and tots and a Korean burrito called the Tacorea that has spicy pork, kimchee, Spanish rice and all the regular burrito fixins. It’s a small, fast casual spot in lower nob that has a creative take on Mexican-Korean fusion.

Surisan (San Francisco) - A fun brunch spot down on Fisherman’s Wharf, Surisan blends Korean food with California brunch items. Their millionaire’s bacon is a nod to their other restaurants, Kitchen Story and Sweet Maple. They serve creative brunch dishes like boosted jook, seafood pajeon, dolsot and kimchee fried rice.

More Thai & South East Asian Recs

Burma Superstar (Alameda, Oakland & San Francisco) - This was one of the first places that I ate at when I moved to the Bay Area and one of the places that I continue to go back to. Their tea leaf salad is dressed with fermented tea leaves because in their culture after tea is used, they find ways to recycle the leaves. The salad is crunchy, salty, surprising and a bit funky. The rainbow salad is another one of my favorites and the coconut rice adds just the right amount of sweetness when paired with the nan gyi dok (coconut chicken rice noodle curry). You really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu here.

Grocery Cafe (Oakland) - This place rivals Burma Superstar and I almost like it better because it’s all the great flavors of Burma without the fanfare of a modern restaurant. They also sell coconut chips which you can easily eat a whole pack of in one sitting. Everything is here good and even better because it’s not as well known so there’s usually not as long of a wait as Burma.

Champa Garden (Oakland & San Francisco) - You’ll find your regular Thai food items on the menu here but the Laotian food really steals the show. The sampler is a great place to start with a variety of fried spring rolls, plus sausages and lettuce rice. The sticky rice comes in a bamboo container and is meant to be eaten with your hands. I’d recommend going with a group so you can try all the things!

Chai Thai (Berkeley, Hayward & Oakland) - Another place with Thai and Laotion roots that serves great larb and kao soy. The kao soy is a light curry soup with egg noodles, chicken, pickled mustard greens and red onions.

Thai Time (San Francisco) - I like Tom Yum soup probably more than your average person. I’ve probably tried almost every Tom Yum soup in the Richmond district. This is the best Tom Yum soup. Moral of the story, order the Tom Yum soup here. It’s the perfect combination of sour, spicy, sweet and umami. I love how they put in the full capped mushrooms!

More American Food Recs

Lou’s Cafe (San Francisco) - I love sandwiches as evidenced by my many sandwich reviews in the American section. This tiny shop lives in the Richmond (they even have good non-Asian food in the Richmond District) and it was my go to sandwich shop for the many years I lived there. Ok, I’m lying, for those of you that know me really well, you know that it’s Subway, I admit it, and I’m not ashamed. 

Anyways, Lou’s has been serving some of the best and most popular sandwiches in the city and not to be basic but my favorite is the ami-cado. Their Italian is packed with delicious cold-cuts and their dutch crunch bread should be served with all the sandos. 

Bakesale Betty (Oakland) - This was one of the firs meals that I had when I moved to the Bay Area in 2012. My dad drove me from Colorado straight to Oakland to my house in Temescal which was then, pretty sketchy and now, super hip. Oh, gentrification.

One of the bright spots in the area at the time was Bakesale Betty’s. Known for her fried chicken sandwiches, we stopped in for lunch one day after moving and unpacking. It’s changed a bit since 2012 but the lines are still long and the sandwiches are still good. You get a huge hunk of fried bird with a very generous scoop of homemade coleslaw (the not creamy kind) that’s best eaten with at least 6 packets of hot sauce. 

She also has an array of baked goods and her chocolate chip cookies are the perfect dessert after you’ve finished your sandwich. 

Bette’s Oceanview Diner - Tucked away on 4th street in Berkeley, this diner has the best dutch baby in the Bay. A few of my coworkers and I would try to get to an early morning yoga class before work and would grab breakfast at this diner before going to the office. 

Pro tip - Order the dutch baby first, because it takes a good 30-40 minutes, check out the pancake menu and always get the hash browns that are served with applesauce and it is absolutely delicious. 

Their omelets are killer too! Sometimes, we would skip yoga and just eat breakfast before work, because YOLO.

Homeroom - When I started working in Emeryville, this was another one of the first restaurants that I tried with coworkers. This place serves mac and cheese, just mac and cheese, any variety of mac and cheese that you can think of. 

My personal favorites includes: Gilroy garlic, chicken pot pie and the Mexican chorizo. They also serve some delicious veggie sides, if you’re into that.

As you can see, we don’t eat a lot of Italian food but I hope this list continues to grow in 2020. Send me your favorite Italian spots in the Bay Area!

A Mano (San Francisco) - A Mano translates to “by hand” and this pasta forward restaurant in Hayes Valley creates all their pasta noodles daily, by hand. There are various meat, vegetable and fish sauces that top the fresh cut noodles, as well as one special of the day. The menu changes frequently but I always love whatever variety of gnocchi they are serving and their tagliatelle al ragu bolognese. The arancini is a must get here to start your meal. If you’re not familiar with the Back of the House restaurant group, A Mano is a great place to start exploring all the wonderful restaurants that make up this family. A few other of their great Italian restaurants include Beretta and Delarosa.

Che Fico (San Francisco) - This continues to be one of the hardest restaurants to get a reservation at in the city which resulted in myself, Clarence and Lydia celebrating our birthdays there at 9pm on a school night. It was worth it. As mentioned on its site, “the food focuses on Italian cuisine through the lens of California”. I’m not usually big on desserts but Angela Pinkerton is the executive pastry chef here and she’s big time as she worked at Eleven Madison Park and Craftsmen & Wolves. You definitely won’t want to skip out on the dessert. The menu constantly changes to accommodate seasonal vegetables and ingredients but the dry aged lamb and pineapple, red onion and fermented chili pizza will set you off in the right direction.

Delarosa - This is a great happy hour spot (also part of the Back of the House group) that serves reasonably priced tapas and yummy thin crust pizza. Go to’s include: meatballs (obviously), burrata toast with honey and hazelnuts, one of their seasonal salads and the spicy marinara pizza.

PRARIE (San Francisco) - One of the most under-rated restaurants and surprisingly delicious meals I had in 2019, PRARIE offers a unique and non-traditional spin on Italian food. The head chef imported a Josper grill from Spain, where most of the cooking on the menu is done. Funnily enough, one of our favorite dishes there didn’t come off the wood fire grill but it was one of the most exquisite things I ate in 2019… whipped Santa Barbara uni on milk toast. The side of Pappardelle can’t be missed, especially since it’s made with a chanterelle gravy and flash grilled avocado was a fun treat to start of the dining experience.

Flour + Water (San Francisco) - Another Italian spot in the Mission that serves fresh handmade pasta with a menu that changes daily. I love these kinds of restaurants that encourage family style dining. You can’t go wrong with any of the pasta dishes here and the salumi board has such a huge variety from duck prosciutto to coppa to crispy pork trotters. They opened up a pizza only spot around the corner too!

Mexican

El Taquito (Hayward) - Even before I moved to Hayward, my girlfriends and I would always get together here for tacos. We spent a few Valentine’s Days here scarfing down al pastor tacos, bean dip and enchiladas. Now that I live 5 minutes away, it’s our go to Mexican spot. Their chorizo tacos and cheese enchiladas are my favorite.

Rosy’s Cafe (Hayward) - If you’ve checked out the CO food page, you probably have gathered by now that Elliott and I are always on the hunt for green chili. Rosy’s is the closest we’ve come and this family cafe is a hidden gem. All the breakfast items are solid, especially covered in green chili.

Gordo Taqueria (San Francisco) - You either love or hate Gordo’s and I love it. I used to live across the street from one and the burritos are filling and consistent. I love getting the spinach tortilla for my burrito, because balance, right?! Don’t mind the Yelp rating and pro tip: always ask for extra green sauce.

El Farolito (San Francisco) - To be honest, I’ve never eaten here without having consumed some margs but I think it’s probably just as good sober. You’ll want to order everything on the menu, and you should do just that.

Tacolicious (San Francisco) - This is a great group spot with a huge variety of tacos and margaritas. My personal favorite is the chorizo and potato taco but all their meats and proteins are flavorful and fun. Not sure if my memories here make the food taste better but I’ll never turn down the opportunity to eat here.

Mediterranean

La Mediterranee (San Francisco) - One of my girlfriends introduced us to this place after getting an Uber ride home from the owner! Ever since then, we’ve been going back to fill up on their chicken pomegranate and Middle Eastern lunch plates which include a variety of dolmas, spinach and feta filos, salad and soup. I love their cold cucumber soup which is the perfect palette cleanser to get the meal started.

Mourad* (San Francisco) - Two of my best friends, Lydia and Clarence and I have a birthday tradition of picking a restaurant we’ve been dying to go to and splurging on a fabulous meal to celebrate our birth month, I mean birthdays, in lieu of gifts. This is really the gift that keeps on giving. This year, we selected Mourad which is a stylish and beautifully decorated Michelin star Moroccan restaurant. Their shared plates (which served 2-4 unless you take Clarence, then it’s definitely less than that) combine traditional Moroccan food with a California flair. They are also great because you get a large meat dish such as roasted lamb shoulder plus a ton of sides like couscous with brown butter, roasted potatoes with preserved lemons and heirloom bean salad. They have a tasting menu as well if you are going that route.

Souvla (San Francisco - multiple locations) - Souvla is one of the most popular spots in the city. It’s a fast casual atmosphere and their salads topped with your choice of protein deliver a healthy and flavorful meal. They roast their potatoes in the rotisserie drippings and the avgolemono soup is a traditional lemon-egg soup with rice and chicken. All of these together will give you a well rounded Greek feast.

Wally’s (Emeryville) - Bring cash to pay or else you’ll have to walk through the seedy bar next door to use their ATM. That being said, Wally’s has one of the best chicken shwarma pitas/salads around. This is the kind of place that you hope will never go away and the counters around the restaurant are typically filled with locals or semi-locals who are proud to have found this hole-in-the-wall diner. Each meal starts with a complimentary lentil soup and their Lebanese menu does not disappoint. It’s even said that the movie Wall-E’s character was named after this spot since Pixar is located just around the corner and their employees often stop by or pick up lunch to take back to the office. The giveaway is the large picture of Wall-E on the diner’s wall.

Seafood

Anchor Oyster Bar (San Francisco) - This tiny spot in the Castro only seats about 12 patrons at a time but it’s worth the wait. It’s been open since 1977 and continues to serve freshly caught seafood, salads and burgers. In addition to ordering the cioppino a must try is the steamed clam dish that comes with a broth so buttery and dreamy that you’ll be asking for extra bread to soak up every last bit.

Betty Lou’s Seafood & Grill (San Francisco) - There is an abundance of great seafood in the Bay Area and a number of places that claim to serve authentic cioppino. Betty Lou’s has one of the most hearty, flavorful and fish-filled bowls around. Located in North Beach, this family run restaurant has been around for over 30 years. The head chef is from Mexico and the other owners are 3rd generation Portugese sisters from Hawaii. Their classic cioppino has Dungeness crab, scallops, clams, mussels and calamari and Mike’s Wok Crab displays their Asian roots as the Dungeness crab is tossed with ginger, scallions, hot peppers and soy sauce.

Scoma’s (San Francisco & Sausalito) - This place always reminds me of my Dad because he loves to eat here when he visits. Set deep on the wharf, right along the water, it’s a classic spot for martinis, manhattans, Lazy Man’s Cioppino and Crab Louie salad. The Scoma brothers purchased this space in the 1960’s and first opened it up as a coffee shop. Since then, it’s transformed into one of the most popular and familiar seafood restaurants in San Francisco. The crab Louis salad is topped with 1/2 pound of freshly caught crab straight from Pier 47.

Swan Oyster Depot (San Francisco) - People start lining up here well before it opens and for good reason. This place is the holy grail of seafood and has been around for over 100 years! It only has18 counter seats, so arrive early to make sure you get an abundance of their daily catches. Pro tip: order your salad with the olive oil vinaigrette which they make with crab fat, yes, crab fat. Skip the Louie dressing and trust me on this one. The Sicilian style sashimi will get you a generous plate of raw sliced fish, drizzled with olive oil, capers and red onions. The crab back is my absolute fave, they serve it cracked open with the juicy innards in tact. Japanese people call this kani-miso and we love to drizzle it with soy sauce and eat it over hot rice. You won’t get that here but you will get sourdough bread to wipe up all the delectable crab and innards from the shell. I really could go on about this place but I recommend getting in line and experiencing it for yourself.

Sweet Treats