Julia Chen
Senior Staff Writer, San Francisco
Julia is a Bay Area native who has been eating and writing with Infatuation since 2020. Her quest to find SF's best dumplings is ongoing.
SFGuide
San Francisco’s Best New Restaurants Of 2024
We spent the year looking for the best new restaurants across the city. These are the top 12.
photo credit: Carly Hackbarth
Trying to put this year’s best new restaurants into their own neat categories is difficult—like trying to stuff a Mission burrito in your pocket. 2024 gave us everything from to-go counters drawing block-long lines to a tiny 11-seat noodle shop perfecting two types of soba. Between dodging rogue Waymos on our way to nearly impossible-to-book spots and appreciating the acquired charm of SF’s hottest days in un-air-conditioned dining rooms, we tried them all. Again and again. Until we arrived at this list of the 12 most exciting new restaurants of 2024. If you’re looking for the best restaurants in SF—old and new—check out our guide to the 25 highest-rated in town.
What Our Ratings Mean
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NONE
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No rating: This is a restaurant we want to re-visit before rating, or it’s a coffee shop, bar, or dessert shop. We only rate spots where you can eat a full meal.
THE SPOTS
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Dining at this upscale katsu-focused tasting menu spot is a singular experience—complete with different styles of panko.
THE MOMENT WE KNEW WE LOVED IT
When the restaurant welcomed us with individual appetizer boxes filled with Jell-O-like lotus, braised beef tongue, and tofu cosplaying as mozzarella.
A PERFECT ORDER FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION
The tasting menu, which is between 10-12 courses. Add two more with the lava rock A5 wagyu and Dungeness crab croquette supplements before they sell out.
GO IF YOU LIKE
A slow, quiet dinner over fried meats, lots of dashi, and unlimited rice and cabbage.
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$$$$
This ultra-crispy Southern-style fried chicken is like nothing else in the city.
THE MOMENT WE KNEW WE LOVED IT
When we paired a bite of the rosemary-spiced chicken with a spoonful of mac and cheese.
A PERFECT ORDER FOR A LEISURELY FRIDAY LUNCH
Four-piece combo with cornbread, mac and cheese, and the house salad with balsamic vinaigrette.
GO IF YOU LIKE…
Watching the Warriors do their thing over crunchy drumsticks and glasses of champagne.
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Elena’s is a rare Big Night Out restaurant that’s meant for showing off your outfit while sipping on spicy margaritas.
THE MOMENT WE KNEW WE LOVED IT
Witnessing the arrival of the cheesy shrimp gobernador tacos covered in lime juice and salsa verde.
A PERFECT ORDER FOR A NIGHT OUT
One frozen aperol margarita per person, esquites and tacos gobernador for the table, and a bowl of pozole for yourself—you won’t want to spare a single spoonful.
GO IF YOU LIKE…
Dressing up, taking photos, and strong margaritas.
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The tasting menu at this fine-dining spot will run you less than a street-sweeping ticket. Get ready to develop a crush on a bread roll.
THE MOMENT WE KNEW WE LOVED IT
The first bite of a chanterelle that recalibrated the mushroom-appreciation neurons in our brain.
A PERFECT ORDER FOR A DATE
There are two options for every course, so get one of each and share. Everybody wins.
GO IF YOU LIKE…
Milk bread, romance, and ordering all the desserts.
$$$$
It would be a dream to live within walking distance of this 11-seat soba shop—one of the few that does both cold and hot soba.
THE MOMENT WE KNEW WE LOVED IT
When we slurped a buckwheat noodle that tasted like it just went down a waterslide of sweet soy.
A PERFECT ORDER FOR A SOLO SITUATION
The cold soba (even when it’s 60 degrees out) with fried-to-order kakiage. Add a side of inari if it’s on the menu.
GO IF YOU LIKE…
Firm noodles, gluten-free dipping sauce, and a quick lunch.
$$$$
Aji Kiji is a takeout-only counter serving sushi that rivals most upscale omakase spots.
THE MOMENT WE KNEW WE LOVED IT
Staring into the eyes of the adorable fish-shaped bottle full of soy sauce that comes with every box.
A PERFECT ORDER FOR A PICNIC
The omakase set is a stunning lineup of 10 nigiri, negitoro maki, and pickles—if you’re with someone else, share that and the bara chirashi that’s dotted with wiggly tamago cubes and edamame.
GO IF YOU LIKE…
Vinegar-kissed rice, fresh fish, and Ken (without spending $300).
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It’s not just the duck that’s good here. All the Cantonese roast meats deserve their names on the awning.
THE MOMENT WE KNEW WE LOVED IT
Seeing our reflection in the caramelized edge of the charred pork collar.
A PERFECT ORDER FOR A CASUAL GROUP DINNER
Split the GDY Cantonese roast duck, pork collar, and crispy pork belly. Throw in a side of rice, bao, and garlicky greens to round things out.
GO IF YOU LIKE…
Meat, wordplay, and matching serving platters you’ll want to take home.
$$$$
This fine-dining restaurant serves beautiful small plates, like a goat ghee taco that’s a contender for the best birria in SF.
THE MOMENT WE KNEW WE LOVED IT
Devouring a chunk of pomegranate-glazed pork belly, followed by several scorched padron peppers.
A PERFECT ORDER FOR A BIRTHDAY DINNER
Get the yogurt chaat, an order of the pork belly, goat ghee tacos, and the tiger shrimp xec xec.
GO IF YOU LIKE
Shareable starters that look like they took five painstaking hours to plate.
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$$$$
Plan to commission a monument honoring the handheld meals from this halal takeout counter—particularly the chicken caesar wrap.
THE MOMENT WE KNEW WE LOVED IT
When we attempted to lick the smears of lemony caesar dressing off the impossible-to-reach corners of our face.
A PERFECT ORDER FOR A MIDDAY PICK-ME-UP
Come with a friend, order both the chicken caesar wrap and breakfast burrito with brisket, and split them. Add a fresh orange juice for good measure.
GO IF YOU LIKE…
Parmesan, lemon pepper chicken, and wraps that could double as a tee ball bat.
$$$$
The shave ice from this Hawaiian spot is stellar, even in the ubiquitous Parkside mist. It’s only one of the many hits.
THE MOMENT WE KNEW WE LOVED IT
Inhaling the pineapple sausage on the hood of our car because we couldn’t wait to get home.
A PERFECT ORDER FOR A WARM DAY AT THE BEACH
Shrimp and sausage plate, a spam musubi, hurricane tots, purple potato salad, and a lilikoi syrup-soaked shave ice for dessert.
GO IF YOU LIKE…
Frozen desserts, li hing mui, or copious amounts of garlic.
$$$$
The ’80s and ’90s Canto-pop is always at full blast, and the dining room is constantly full.
THE MOMENT WE KNEW WE LOVED IT
When we popped a plump escargot into our mouths, then licked the shell clean of XO sauce.
A PERFECT ORDER FOR A PARTY
Start with a bottle of shōchū, then get the fried squab and some skewers, and end with the fish-shaped mango pudding.
GO IF YOU LIKE…
Izakaya-style small plates and sitting close to strangers.
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$$$$
This wine bar serves fantastic Northern Iranian dishes and the most tender chicken stew in town.
THE MOMENT WE KNEW WE LOVED IT
When we first laid eyes on the tire-sized mazze platter of dips, smoked trout, and pickles.
A PERFECT ORDER FOR A FRIDAY NIGHT OUT
Neshtaa mazze platter, sweet & sour chicken stew, a side of rice, and several glasses of your wine of choice.
GO IF YOU LIKE…
Pomegranate, dippables, and ordering a bottle for the table.
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About Us
Ricky Rodriguez
Copywriter
Ricky Rodriguez is searching San Francisco far and wide for the best burgers, foamiest cappuccinos, and hottest salsas in his neverending hunt for food that'll make him gasp.
Patrick Wong
Senior Editor, San Francisco
Patrick is a content marketer and journalist who lives (and eats a lot) in San Francisco. His previous beats include tech and finance.