Trendy / Hip Restaurants

Since 1979, Executive Chef Annie Somerville has offered inspired vegetarian cuisine to a wide array of devoted fans from her kitchen in a converted warehouse in the Fort Mason Center. In a casual, elegant dining room with views extending as far as the Golden Gate bridge, diners savor dishes with influences and ingredients from Europe all the way to Asia and Africa. With a large portion of its produce coming from partner Green Gulch Farm, Greens demonstrates a commitment to sustainably grown, local products at comparatively reasonable prices. Diners can also stop in for a quick, low cost bite from …

One Market makes for one exquisite dining experience. With stunning views and upscale atmosphere, One Market is one of the few restaurants in San Francisco with an unbeatable location to serve some of the city’s most exciting cuisine. Executive Chef Mark Dommen has created a menu that appeals to a variety of culinary interests and budgets, featuring seasonal American fare with an emphasis on fresh, organic, and local ingredients. The food, the service, and the ambiance are truly exceptional and will keep one coming back for more.

For over a decade the Slanted Door has been one of the most sought after dining experiences in San Francisco. Executive Chef Charles Phan blends his passion for Vietnamese cooking with top quality ingredients, showcasing the abundance of produce and ecologically farmed fish, game, and poultry sourced by local farms. Many of his recipes are inspired by his mother’s cooking, along with ideas he has picked up from his travels to Vietnam. If you are looking for irresistible food and a lively atmosphere, the Slanted Door may become your new favorite.

Located a few streets away from the busy Union Square area, Ame provides a relaxing and elegant getaway and a delectable dining experience. Ame is decorated in a chic and intimate Asian style, with a signature red table that seats eight. Ame offers a New American cuisine that is widely influenced by Japanese creations. The menu provides raw treatments from the sashimi bar as well as various appetizers and entrée plates. Creative dishes like Tai Snapper Sashimi “Kombu Jime” with seaweed, crab and cucumber sauce come from the Sashimi bar. For an appealing main course, Grilled Veal T-bone Steak on …

Amidst the growing fast food “burrito culture” of Californian Mexican food, Mamacita champions the ideals of traditional Mexican cuisine. The menu emphasizes fresh, seasonal ingredients, handmade preparation, and the love and care found in a home-cooked meal, creating a cuisine that has the refinement of haute cuisine and all the satisfaction of comfort food. Adobe walls, terracotta tiles, and thatch accents combine with starburst lanterns and twinkling lights to evoke the feeling of a magical realist hacienda from the pages of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel. A pomegranate margarita, handmade tortillas, and an ambience that is both invitingly familial and …

Daffodil Restaurant radiates the sunny charm of its namesake. Located in the Orchard Hotel, this sun-swept restaurant emphasizes the art of culinary balance and communal feasting. Executive Chef Russell Rummer creates imaginative and seasonal small plates designed for sharing, which when masterfully paired with wines from the restaurant’s extensive and exquisite collection, achieve a dining experience that is as transcendent as the restaurant’s décor. For those with heartier appetites, larger plates are also available, complete with their own wine recommendations. A bright and airy glass-walled private wine room enables diners seeking a more intimate gastronomic affair to focus on their …

Sleek stones and other natural elements make up the exterior of Umami. Inside Umami is a traditional sake bar and an orchid-filled dining room with the option of upstairs or downstairs seating. Umami is a trendy hangout for couples and groups of friends while the bar becomes a popular spot for mingling singles. The menu is strongly Japanese-inspired, but also incorporates many different Asian culinary infulences. On the menu, guests can find a Spicy Tuna and Water Chesnut Roll and a Wagyu beef tartar tataki. Cocktails are playful like the sweet Hello Kitty, which is aptly a pale pink shade.

Quietly tucked within the Hotel California, at the edge of San Francisco’s infamous Tenderloin district, Millennium presents a unique marriage of socially-conscious vegan food and the exacting standards of fine dining. Chef Eric Tucker brings to life a wide range of exceptional vegetarian dishes, relying on the natural vibrancy of his produce and a gift for innovation to make each morsel complete—in spite of a total absence of meat. A small but robust wine list, focusing on organic and biodynamic options, rounds out the mission of sustainability. Millennium is an ideal choice for vegetarian diners looking for something more, or …

Foreign Cinema, located in the heart of the Mission, is a novel concept restaurant specializing in fine California/Mediterranean cuisine and a unique entertainment offering of nightly foreign and independent films at dusk. Since its fruitful beginning under executive chef duo Gayle Pirie and John Clark, visitors and celebrities from all over have been captivated by the restaurant’s innovative menu and reels of atmosphere. The restaurant has garnered rave reviews from critics coast to coast and remains a favorite dinner and weekend brunch destination among locals.

Centrally located on Post Street just off of Union Square, Postrio is the sort of restaurant San Francisco is famous for. Innovative food that draws from a myriad of cultures, a wine list that has both breadth and depth, a well-designed interior adorned with the works of famous local artists, and an atmosphere at once refined and relaxed makes Postrio one of the finest restaurants in the Bay. Priced reasonably enough for regular fine dining, the restaurant also offers standout dishes to turn any occasion into a special one.

San Francisco's Mission district is well known for its cultural diversity and excellent cuisine from around the world. Diners can find restaurants where they'll discover exciting new aromas and flavors, and the Peruvian cuisine at Limón is no exception. Since 2002, Limón has won numerous awards for their bold, modern take on traditional Peruvian dishes and cocktails. Many of the items at this popular restaurant borrow the best elements and ingredients of Japanese, American, and Mexican cuisine to create unforgettable culinary creations like Limón's many different kinds of ceviche. All of their tasty ceviches are made with the highest quality …

Even the most avid diner might be surprised how many types of cuisine have come out of the culinary paradise known as Italy. While it might be difficult to tell the difference between styles of cooking, guests at A16 will remember the signature delicacies of the Campania region in Southern Italy. Located on Chestnut Street in the Marina neighborhood, A16 presents the finest Southern Italian dishes in San Francisco, crafted by talented chefs and served by a friendly wait staff. Whether diners are stopping in to meet friends for a glass of wine and appetizers, or enjoying a celebratory meal, …

Aziza’s decadent Moroccan food and interior design makes this restaurant a San Francisco favorite. The design of the restaurant is a modern Moroccan atmosphere with hand-carved tables and mosaic glass candleholders adorned in tangerine, royal blue, and saffron. The menu has Moroccan dishes with a Mediterranean and California influence. The dishes are organic and locally produced, with unique and modern twists. Also check out the bar because the drinks are innovative and change according to what’s in season.

Delfina Restaurant sits nestled in the heart of the Mission district among a large range of trend-setting and highly regarded bistros, brasseries, trattorias, rosticerias, taquerias, pizzerias, and eateries. With a menu presented in the traditional Italian style, Executive Chef Craig Stoll creates relatively fine-tuned dishes that explore the entire country of Italy with local, lavish ingredients. Low-level lighting, shiny steel tabletops, a beautiful mosaic of small blue tiles behind the bar, a garden patio, and an open kitchen create an unpretentious exquisiteness that flows through to the wait staff and makes for good meal.

East meets West in sleek, contemporary Amber India. Executive Chef Anish Potdar applies traditional Indian cooking techniques to unexpected ingredients like sundried tomatoes, goat cheese, and lobster. The result is a delightful amalgamation of dishes that please both Indian cuisine purists and those with more experimental palates. The spirit of innovation is also in full display in Amber India’s diverse array of cocktails, comprised of uniquely exotic ingredients like acai, roasted cumin, and Zen Green Tea Liqueur. The museum-like space is an excellent stage for these satisfying surprises, with vivid reds, saffrons, and teals distilling the boldness of Bollywood into …

Located in the Westin Hotel on Market Street, Ducca presents an innovative menu featuring many of Italy’s culinary staples. Guests can dine under the sparkling chandeliers or enjoy the popular style of bar dining, as seen in the Veneto region. Chef Erica Holland-Toll crafts a variety of mouth watering dishes that are geared to leave even the most discriminating foodie satisfied. The wine list highlights the dual regional influence, with a focus on Italian and California vintages offered by the glass and bottle. The Venetian inspired décor (take note of the gold forks), combined with impeccable service and delicious cuisine, …

The warm and bold contemporary design of Coco 500’s dining space entices visitors to stop in, while the invigorating freshness of the menu keeps the tables full. Every element of the menu reveals a thoughtful and sincere gesture to exploit the region’s bounty of local, seasonal, and organic produce. The “California Dirt” section of the menu showcases vegetable dishes like the Wine Forest Mushrooms and the Roasted Pumpkin; the American Kobe Bavette Steak and the Sonoma County Duck Breast are a couple of the exquisite main courses served. Desserts are not neglected either – one might like to sample the …

If you follow Cortland Avenue until it appears to end, you’ll likely stumble upon Piqueo’s, a charming Peruvian gem specializing in tapas. Showcasing an acclaimed chef from Peru who creates native specialties in his open kitchen, the restaurant feels more like a home than a business. An unassuming exterior conceals a small vibrant space, complete with dim lighting and a sultry atmosphere. Piqueo’s features an extensive tapas selection that will have you walking away at the end of the night feeling like you’ve finally experienced that elusive taste of Peru and its culinary delights at their best.