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The 12 most beautiful San Francisco restaurants to visit right now

A photo of Red logo
by Becky Duffett
Updated May 13, 2024

Whether they’re perched high on foggy hills or sitting on the dock of the bay, there are so many beautiful restaurants to choose from in San Francisco.

A historic Chinatown banquet hall got a reboot but held onto souvenirs from its past life, including a striking wooden pergola. Live trees sway in the dining room at a family-owned Mexican American spot. At a MICHELIN-starred seafood restaurant, a prolific taxidermy collection fuels the lodge-inspired ambience.

These places serve exquisite views, drop-dead gorgeous interiors, and sensational food. Read on for a guide to the 12 most beautiful restaurants in San Francisco.

A photo of The Empress by Boon restaurant
4.5
4.5 (1376)
$50 and over
Chinese
Chinatown
About the restaurant

Elegant Empress is a historic banquet hall that has offered city views above the lanterns of Chinatown since the 1960s. But when it reopened after a seven-year shutdown in 2021, design studio Atelier LLYS unveiled an ocean of blues, intricate lattices, and screens, all while preserving the original wooden pergola. Acclaimed chef Ho Chee Boon now serves an upscale tasting menu, still staying true to the restaurant’s Cantonese heritage, but with nods to his native Malaysia.


Top review
RheaVIP
Dined 4 days ago
Beautiful space, impeccable food and attentive service.
A photo of Elena's restaurant
4.7
4.7 (465)
$30 and under
Mexican
Forest Hill / West Portal
About the restaurant

Elena’s wows with high ceilings, tall mirrored arches, and a trio of live ficus trees that sway in the dining room. Co-owner Elena Duggan, who runs the atmospheric Mexican American restaurant with her brother, John Duggan, layered lots of neutrals, natural woods, and Calacatta Oro marble with gold veins. Don’t skip the crab enchilada combo plate, and while you wait for your food, try to spot the carved wooden angel wings, sourced from an abandoned tequila hacienda in Jalisco, Mexico.


Top review
HollyVIP
Dined 3 days ago
Fourth time I’ve been there. Had something different each time I’ve come and have enjoyed everything. The staff is wonderful and I’m looking forward to coming back again soon.
A photo of AKIKOS restaurant
4.8
4.8 (1612)
$50 and over
Japanese
SOMA
About the restaurant

Welcome to the sushi show. AKIKOS is the omakase authority in San Francisco and moved into a dazzling new home—a highrise in the East Cut—in 2023. The new digs are sleek and modern, complete with a “chef’s stage” bathed in golden light. Here, the sushi pros drop jewel-like bites such as soy-cured bluefin tuna nigiri, directly on the bar. Rest assured that even AKIKOS tables have a clear view of the action at the counter.


Top review
RonaldVIP
Dined 2 days ago
I ate at Akiko’s for the lunch omekase and it was superb. I also had the sake pairings and they were original and well matched with the meal. The meal began with 5 courses of Otsumami, which were lovely small courses and not really what you would think of as sushi. They were all very tasty but the standout was the milk bread toast with toro and caviar. Then came 7 different courses of nigiri, each of one piece. They were all fresh and delicious. My favorite was the uni. But the melt in your mouth toro was the epitome of what toro should be. Even the green tea ice cream for dessert was especially good. I wasn’t cheap but I can’t wait to come back.
A photo of Che Fico San Francisco restaurant
4.7
4.7 (1876)
$31 to $50
Italian
North Panhandle / USF
About the restaurant

Che Fico is an old auto body shop turned Cali Italian star. Designed by Jon de la Cruz, the dining room is decked with exposed concrete, wood and steel beams, and red accents tricking out the tiled floors and leather booths. Diners can’t get enough of the plant-patterned wallpaper or the climate-controlled salumi room—an enticing preview of the Italian feast to come, which could include antipasti platters, fresh pasta, and Neapolitan pies topped with pineapple and fermented chiles.


Top review
terriVIP
Dined 3 days ago
Love love love Che Fico!!! The food and service are always great
A photo of Niku Steakhouse restaurant
4.8
4.8 (802)
$50 and over
Steakhouse
SOMA
About the restaurant

Everything about this MICHELIN-starred steakhouse is luxe, from its giant golden door to its dark wooden walls and plush leather chairs. A kappo-style counter complete with double grills is responsible for a top-notch Japanese American menu that includes Wagyu imperial tomahawks, pickled market vegetables, and Parker House rolls. If you’re considering a nightcap, choose from a wall of backlit whiskey bottles.


Top review
Audi
Dined 3 days ago
Everything on the menu is a must try!! U never feel rushed to eat or order. Definitely an experience and the staff is so attentive and patient.
A photo of Sobre Mesa restaurant
4.6
4.6 (104)
$31 to $50
Cocktail Bar
Oakland
About the restaurant

This cocktail lounge is the brainchild of Top Chef alum Nelson German, who dipped into his Dominican roots to create an Afro Caribbean hotspot that dishes up anchovy tostones and steak empanadas. Sobre Mesa is splashed in jungle-green paint and decorated with a tangle of live plants, plus a glowy leaf mural by local artist David Cho, along with other neon-electric accents that scream “party.”


Top review
Dori
Dined on Nov 3, 2024
What a gorgeous interior with a beautiful vibe. The service was excellent, friendly and knowledgeable. We had an early dinner so it was quite at first. As we left it got more festive. I’m excited to return and try out their sister restaurant.
A photo of La Connessa restaurant
4.7
4.7 (310)
$31 to $50
Italian
Mission Bay / South Beach
About the restaurant

The centerpiece at this ultra-modern trattoria is a big, beautiful bar that curves around its black-and-white tiled floors. The slate blue and walnut wood interiors, decked with brass hardware, are tributes to chic Milanese cafes. It’s a stylish backdrop for La Connessa’s flawless Italian classics, like swirls of lemon spaghetti and crispy chicken smashed under a brick.


Top review
HeleneVIP
Dined 5 days ago
great drinks, love the ambiance, the food was wonderful and our waiter - Rudy was fantastic... he just dialed in on our special evening and enhanced it.
A photo of Leo's Oyster Bar restaurant
4.1
4.1 (725)
$31 to $50
Seafood
Financial District / Embarcadero
About the restaurant

Leo’s was into maximalist wallpaper and lush plants before they became ubiquitous in restaurants around the country. Ace designers Ken Fulk and Jon de la Cruz had fun designing this retro oyster bar, adorning it with playful accents like wallpaper splattered with palm leaves, a pink onyx bar, black-and-white floors, and frilly ferns. It’s an over-the-top aesthetic that can only be matched by the restaurant’s larger-than-life seafood tower—and the lobster roll, one of the city’s best.


Top review
Rina
Dined on Dec 13, 2024
We had a table in the back room where is a bit more quiet and we could enjoy a calm time in the room. Food and service were excellent as always. Love this place.
A photo of Boulevard restaurant
4.7
4.7 (9087)
$50 and over
Californian
Financial District / Embarcadero
About the restaurant

Boulevard is a fabulous Belle Epoque-style dining room on the ground floor of the century-old Audiffred Building. The Californian restaurant, known for seasonal hits like a popular heritage pork chop and baked Pacific oysters, is yet another vision by Ken Fulk. The design whiz treated the historic space to a 2021 renovation and added peacock blues, soft velvets, and feather patterns. Luckily, he kept some of the most striking vintage touches, including iron lamps and hand-blown glass fixtures.


Top review
NancyVIP
Dined 4 days ago
Festive, and beautifully decked out for the holidays. Pre Covid level of service- excellent on all fronts
A photo of Miller & Lux restaurant
4.7
4.7 (1165)
$50 and over
Steakhouse
Mission Bay / South Beach
About the restaurant

This super glam steakhouse by celeb chef Tyler Florence sits behind the spaceship-like Chase Center. Its two-floor, 7,000-square-foot interiors are a tribute to all things mid-century modern with extravagantly deep booths, twelve-sided columns, and hickory arches. Old-school carts roll though the dining room, serving dry-aged steak, Dover sole, and Caesar salad—tossed tableside, of course.


Top review
TamaraVIP
Dined 1 day ago
What an incredible evening and memorable feast! Starting with the first bite served by Tyler Florence himself, the Champagne cart, table side Dover Sole, best burger in California, and all in a spectacular setting -- a night to remember!
A photo of Angler San Francisco restaurant
4.7
4.7 (250)
$50 and over
American
Financial District / Embarcadero
About the restaurant

MICHELIN-starred Angler channels a sophisticated fishing lodge and stands out for a live-fire open kitchen, exposed brick, and plenty of wood paneling. But it also shines for its walls, which are covered with a prolific taxidermy collection of stag heads and trophy fish. Expect a bold seafood-focused menu featuring diver scallops, Mount Lassen trout, and hot-fried frog legs with cardamom crème fraîche.


Top review
Erik
Dined 5 days ago
Always great experience here. Came in on a Monday evening, 3 adults + 1 well-behaved baby. The staff was amazingly accommodating and considerate and interacted with our 7 month old throughout our meal. The Parkerhouse rolls were amazing per usual. Other standouts were the quail, deer Wellington, and the branzino.
A photo of The Garden Court - Luxury Collection restaurant
3.9
3.9 (2463)
$31 to $50
Californian
SOMA
About the restaurant

This luxury hotel opened in 1875, when horses pulled carriages into its courtyard. It was rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake, and today, its soaring atrium sits under a glass dome lined with marble columns and crystal chandeliers. Settle in for a regal brunch or tea—the menu is filled with daytime favorites like raspberry lemon crumble French toast and a wild smoked salmon and caviar omelet.


Top review
SusanVIP
Dined on Sep 29, 2024
Fantastic buffett with great variety and love the new omelette bar. Gorgeous room with attentive service.
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