Diners' Choice: American restaurants in San Francisco Bay Area

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best overall American cuisine in San Francisco Bay Area? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favorites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Auro

5.0

5 (194)

$50 and over

American

Calistoga

About the restaurant

Join us in celebrating Calistoga’s only Michelin-rated fine dining destination, Auro. Our intimate dining space showcases a seasonally inspired, five-course tasting menu by acclaimed Chef Rogelio Garcia and his team. Set against the stunning backdrop of sprawling the Palisades Mountains, this is wine country dining at its finest.

Top review

Bob

Dined on Dec 7, 2024

Great dining experience overall. Several of the courses were outstanding, including the black cod with buttery flesh and perfectly crispy skin. Most dishes had an excellent balance of salt, acid and spice with the occasional misstep such as the item billed as porcini and truffles but was no more than a bean and corn mess. The gnocchi supplement with white truffle needed salt and should have been 4x larger for the price. Shockingly small. Indeed most portions were too small and while I fully understand the desire to make it a tasting experience and serve up lots and lots of tasty small portions, these portions bordered on the obscenely small. But everything was beautifully presented and the service was very good - though not excellent (for example, for these prices, when my glass of water or wine is empty, it’s reasonable to expect that someone will be on it, and here they were at best slow to react). Worth it to try once, but in no hurry to return as no course (other than maybe the black cod) was too memorable.

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Experience

Michelin-Star New Year’s Eve Dinner at Auro

Experience

Savor The Stars - Christmas Day at Auro | Dec. 25

Golden Bear Station

5.0

5 (365)

$50 and over

American

Kenwood

About the restaurant

Golden Bear Station is an Italian American restaurant that offers a unique perspective through the lens from the owners of Animo and Mu Ramen.

Mu Ramen and Animo owners Joshua Smookler and Heidy He have received exceptional recognition, including a prestigious 2-star review from the New York Times in 2015. The New York Times also dubbed them as the best ramen in NYC, while Eater named them the best ramen in America in 2016. Animo, on the other hand, has been praised by the San Francisco Chronicle and recognized as one of Esquire's Best New Restaurant in America in 2022. Both restaurants have earned a place and acknowledgement in the Michelin guide.

Golden Bear Station strives to encompass the essence of a local establishment and a haven for aficionados of wine and gastronomy. It serves as a gathering place where individuals flock to savor pizzas, pastas and seasonal delicacies.

Top review

RobertVIP

Dined 6 days ago

Delicious food and great service. A new favorite place for dinner.

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Popular dish

Pizza Margherita

Cafe La Haye

4.9

4.9 (3056)

$31 to $50

American

Sonoma

About the restaurant

Located just off Sonoma Plaza, Cafe La Haye offers an appealingly unfussy sophistication. The split-level dining room holds just a dozen or so tables, but its open kitchen, raftered ceiling and walls adorned with modern art create a vibrant energy that’s contagious.
Convivial owner Saul Gropman and chef Jeffrey Lloyd make a formidable team. Lloyd, former executive chef of restaurant Michael Mina, offers a seasonal menu that’s discreet in its complexity, featuring the sort of dishes that seem to get better with each bite.
Gropman’s wine list comprises a modest 100 bottles, but it’s a smart, well-focused selection -

Wine Spectator

Top review

Jack

Dined 2 days ago

Excellent as usual. Great food. Top notch service. Great value pricing. Wonderful wine list. A must visit in Sonoma.

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Popular dish

Fried Eggplant

Saison

4.9

4.9 (13)

$50 and over

American

SOMA

About the restaurant

Saison is a two Michelin-starred, open wood fire restaurant under the leadership of Executive Chef Richard Lee, emphasizing the bounty of California’s evolving terroir and its incredible farmers, ranchers, and fishermen and women. Saison is driven by Lee’s dedication to purity and innovation, paired with a Grand Award-winning wine list in a dynamic space where guest and team celebrate an intimate, culture-shifting experience. Chef Lee builds upon Saison’s formidable foundation as the original fine dining establishment in the U.S. to use open hearth cooking, crafting nuanced flavors with intention that are inspired by the culinary diversity of Northern California.

Saison has one of the country’s largest and most remarkable selections of Old and New World wine, with a special emphasis on Burgundy, originally established by Saison Hospitality co-founder and Saison Winery winemaker Mark Bright and now curated by Beverage Director and Assistant General Manager Molly Greene.

Top review

RobertVIP

Dined 1 day ago

Saison is hands down the best restaurant in San Francisco. The quality and innovation, the incredible extraction of flavors from the ingredients, and the attentiveness of the staff cannot be touched by the 3-star Michelin restaurants in San Francisco.

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Experience

Saison Bar

Marina Bar and Grill

5.0

5 (41)

$30 and under

American

Discovery Bay

About the restaurant

Marina Bar and Grill is a trendy, casual restaurant and bar situated in Discovery Bay.
We take pride in serving community favorites with exceptional service and a friendly smile.
Our prime location at Discovery Bay Marina offers stunning waterfront views for you to enjoy along with your delicious meal and refreshing drink.
In addition to our extensive take-out menu, we also host parties, events, and all special occasions.
We invite you to come and enjoy an unforgettable time with us!

Top review

LynnVIP

Dined 6 days ago

I have so much FUN playing Singo Bingo with my friends.. great crowd, food and atmosphere….👍🏻

The Village Pub

4.9

4.9 (3996)

$31 to $50

American

Woodside

About the restaurant

This beloved Woodside landmark brings destination dining to Silicon Valley. The Village Pub is rich with a sense of heritage and authenticity. The warm and elegant ambiance is the perfect backdrop for Chef Mark Sullivan's Contemporary American cuisine with Classic French roots.

We are open for indoor and outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery daily!

Top review

LindaVIP

Dined 1 day ago

Over the top excellent as usual!!!! We love Melody ❤️

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4.9

4.9 (395)

$30 and under

American

Pleasanton

About the restaurant

For parties greater than 8 guests for the weekend ,please contact the restaurant at (925)523-3815.
Thank you!

Tri Valley Bistro offers Creative Modern Californian American Cuisine including steaks, seafood, pasta and vegetarian options supporting gluten-free
and dairy free meals during dinner and brunch/lunch with a great wine selection and a tasteful weekend brunch selections and bottomless Mimosas

Top review

Gary

Dined 4 days ago

Delicious and varied menu and very attentive service. Drinks, apps, soup, salad, entrees all delivered with perfect timing. Delightful experience.

Juanita & Maude

4.8

4.8 (1750)

$50 and over

American

Albany

About the restaurant

An intimate neighborhood restaurant, Juanita & Maude features Chef Scott Eastman's personal take on American Cuisine. The daily changing menu highlights classic dishes including Michelin Guide's top 5 hamburger in California. His refined comfort food is matched with seasonal craft cocktails and an international wine list.

Juanita & Maude's lively dining room or serene outdoor patio is the perfect spot for a night out, celebration or special occasion. Conveniently located near the corner of Solano and San Pablo Avenues.

Top review

Ginny

Dined on Dec 13, 2024

From the original, interesting cocktails to the yummy desserts, we celebrated my husband’s 70th birthday with great style. I had a unique margarita, then a yummy appetizer with creamy cheese followed by the rock shrimp and bucatini. Delicious every bite. Hubs raved about his pork chop. We had a very competent, professional server. It was nice and quiet in the corner of the outside seating and plenty warm with the heaters.

Asa Restaurants | Los Gatos

4.9

4.9 (541)

$50 and over

American

Los Gatos

About the restaurant

We are an American Restaurant House with influences derived from generations of Spanish and Italian heritage.

Our dedication to sourcing the highest quality, farm-to-table ingredients is the guiding force that our restaurants are built upon. We believe that local, sustainable, organic, heirloom and free-range products nourish the body and soul. Our devotion to providing an impeccable experience is made possible by our collective decades of experience in cuisine, wine, spirits and best-in-class hospitality. Our hand-curated wine selections reflect a life-long love affair with travel and unforgettable culinary experiences.

Top review

CarolynVIP

Dined 7 days ago

Always good. Our go to restaurant for a drink and good food

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The Hero Ranch Kitchen

4.8

4.8 (2668)

$31 to $50

American

Saratoga

About the restaurant

All reservations are made online at Open Table.
A minimum of 24 hours notice of cancellation is required or a charge of $30 will apply.
Multiple reservations made by the same party will not be honored. Even if you leave a note on Open Table, our reservation platform will not accommodate this request.
We allow a 15 min grace period, from your reservation time to be running late or to be sat at a table.
We have set forth dining times allotted for each party; they are as follows:
- For parties of 2 we have reserved 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- For parties of 4 we have reserved 2 hours.
- For parties of 5-6 we have reserved 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Outdoor reservations are subject to delay or cancellation depending on weather.
Please dress appropriately with warm attire if you are reserving an outdoor table. Outdoor reservations are subject to cancellation depending on weather.
If you have any questions regarding your reservation, please contact us at info@theheroranch.com

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined 3 days ago

Quality of food and Service were both excellent. The place is packed and so can get a little noisy at times. Other than that, I think this is a top notch place to have a celebration. This dinner was to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary and I would be happy to recommend it to anyone.

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Brussels Sprouts Salad

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