There’s no place like Noodle In A Haystack in the city. This pop-up-turned-restaurant in the Richmond has just 12 seats. It’s run by a ridiculously charming husband and wife duo that’ll gladly swap Tokyo recs as you dig into chawanmushi from across the counter. Throughout the night, eight to 10 Japanese-inspired courses ($205) land in front of you like they were dropped into this mortal dimension from the pearly gates. The two standout bowls of ramen rotate, but they’re always made with custom, impeccably boiled noodles and jazzed up with twists you won’t see on any other tonkotsu bowls around town. It’s damn near impossible to get a reservation here, but once you do, know that you’ll never look at another noodle soup the same way again. 

San Ho Won’s galbi is capable of inducing epiphanies. It’s glistening, charred around the edges, and every bite of the melty meat comes with the realization that you’ll probably never eat short ribs this good again. But there's more to this upscale Korean restaurant than galbi—like the crispy scallion pancakes, honey butter-topped grilled corn, and light and fluffy egg soufflé that slowly deflates when you dive in with a spoon. The dark, minimalist restaurant is one to keep top of mind for birthdays, special group dinners, and date nights. Or really, any time you want to put on a nice sweater and feast on the best Korean BBQ in the city.

Showa is a singular experience. You won’t find any other restaurants in SF serving a katsu-centered tasting menu with four types of panko, house katsu sauce made from local fruit, and beverages imported from the chef’s hometown in central Japan. There are no misses across the $150 10-12 course experience. A piece of fatty bluefin is fried and served cradled in a rich house tartar sauce-laden lettuce wrap. Beef tongue and chunks of pork with a crispy herb panko-ed crust are complemented by endless bowls of dashi and sweet pea-studded rice. But it's not only the food that makes dinner here memorable—it's the small touches. Whether it's the warm scented towels between each course, the activated charcoal toothpicks and lychee-flavored mouthwash in the bathroom, or the gift-wrapped receipt that ends the meal. 

If you’re wondering where we eat on our “nights off,” look no further than Mandalay’s sunshine yellow dining room. The Richmond spot opened in 1984 as SF’s first Burmese restaurant. And even though plenty of new ones have joined since then, it’s held onto its icon status. The homestyle entrees are funky, saucy, and firing on all cylinders—so fill a table with velvety curries, juicy mango chicken, and chili tofu that’s sauteed until smoky and golden brown. And if you see us digging into an intensely nutty tea leaf salad underneath the upside-down umbrellas hanging from the ceiling, know that we probably aren't eating there out of professional obligation. It's pure love.

There are as many taquerias in town as there are four-way stops. So no surprise—everyone has an opinion on which one is the reigning champion. Our official decree: Taqueria El Farolito. The Mission spot is an institution of flawlessly seasoned meats, which you’ll smell sizzling away on the plancha before you even walk through the door (or more realistically, get into the line that always stretches down the sidewalk). Their charred-to-perfection carne asada is one reason we give when trying to convince friends to move to the city, with the nice and crispy al pastor a close second. A visit here is never complete without getting either a super burrito approximately the size of a newborn baby, or a quesadilla suiza with enough cheese to single-handedly keep Lactaid in business. 

This city is crawling with fancy omakase experiences, from sushi counters tucked in mall hallways to quiet spots where you can watch chefs slice up scallops in relative silence. Despite the many options, our favorite place to spend serious cash on a night of flawless fish is Ken. The so-small-you-might-miss-it spot in the Lower Haight is an intimate dinner—there’s just a seven-seat counter that’s so snug you’ll probably end up exchanging dog walker recommendations with whoever’s sitting next to you. The host for the night is the eponymous chef Ken, who will break the ice with jokes about cod milt virgins while serving 15 courses of outstanding nigiri, glossy chawanmushi, and a bowl of ume and rock sugar broth filled with poached ikura that pop in your mouth like miniature water balloons. Dinner is $225 per person, so have Ken on deck for milestone birthdays or celebrations that call for sushi and expertly paired sake.

For the most dramatic tasting experience in the city, go to Californios in SoMa. You’ll feel like you’ve scored VIP tickets to your favorite band every time you go here—which might not be often, since the 16-course menu is $325. The high-ceilinged walls are painted all-black, a thick booklet details the entire night ahead, and the well-choreographed staff switches plates and fills wine glasses in sync, like they share a single brain. The dishes at this fine-dining Mexican restaurant also look like they belong in the de Young, and are designed to rewire your brain—chicharrones are covered in a cloud-like bed of truffle shavings that dissolve in your mouth like snow, a caviar-topped grilled banana is served in a pool of slightly salty dulce de leche, and the chilapita has a fat swirl of sturgeon cream and sturgeon caviar. Dining at Californios might be a one-time thing—which is why you’ll want to soak up every minute of your meal.   

Saigon Sandwich in the Tenderloin makes the best bánh mì in the city. The roast chicken and pork are always perfectly marinated. The soft baguettes are crackly on the outside and airy inside. And no matter what filling route you take, your bánh mì will be loaded with heaps of carrots, pickled daikon, cilantro, and a heavy swath of mayo that oozes out when you bite in. Beeline to the tiny takeout- and cash-only spot in Little Saigon for quick weekday power-ups, lunches with people who have never been to SF, and, really, any time you want to fill up on tender roast chicken and pork. At $5-ish per sandwich, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better deal in town—so always expect a crowd.

If a Pasta Hall of Fame existed, Flour + Water would be its forever MVP. That’s because the city’s most iconic Cal-Ital restaurant (est. 2009) makes pastas out of ingredient combinations you’ve probably never seen before (much less thought to put on a pasta dish), and pulls them off with flair. Think veal tortellini with horseradish, corn-and-cheese-stuffed pasta topped with mint, and cocoa and rutabaga casoncelli. Plus, over a decade later, Flour + Water's $139 pasta tasting menu is still going strong—as are its multiple casual offshoots and sister restaurants (Penny Roma, Flour + Water Pizzeria). Paying a visit to this institution at least once should be high on your SF bucket list.

Stepping into Rintaro is a bit like sinking into a bubble bath that happens to be filled with sweet umeshu. The Mission izakaya is serene—there’s a courtyard filled with plants and twinkling string lights, and private booths under arched wood beams inside. It's also where you'll find the best Japanese small plates in the city. You’re treated to a parade of tare-glazed tsukune you’ll want to clone, juicy pork gyoza leveled up with gorgeous lacy skirts, and impossibly creamy soft tofu drizzled with shiitake shoyu. And the little details are on point every time—chances are high you’ll still be thinking about the precisely stacked tower of sunomono, and the freshly grated wasabi days after dinner. A meal at Rintaro is an escape from whatever’s currently dumpster fire-ing in the world, and one we’re lucky to get right here in SF. 

At Bodega SF, Northern Vietnamese dishes are amped up with fun twists—you’ll see little mounds of caviar atop bánh khọt, truffle butter in the shaking beef, and yuzu coconut foam atop oysters on the half shell. This fancy spot in Union Square, decked out with funky geometric lights and a full bar, is a special occasion restaurant disguised as a nước chấm-drenched dinner party. The best way to do a night here is to pile into a leather booth with six or seven of your favorite people and get the family-style $90-per-person tasting menu, a seemingly never-ending parade of their greatest hits. When you’re done, wander downstairs to their moody sister bar The Felix and keep the night going. 

Just one glass of wine at this candle-lit Jackson Square spot can easily turn into a three-hour dinner. That’s because Verjus (from the team behind Cotogna and Quince) is the city’s most charming wine bar. The menu of fantastic French dishes sets this place apart. From a silky Boursin omelette to a charred sausage that oozes warm manchego, there’s no wrong order here. But know that a dinner here is incomplete without the pain perdu for dessert. It will wipe every other french toast you've ever had from memory. Reservations are rare, so try your luck by walking in at 5pm when the waitlist opens. You can always spend time at the bar, staring deep into your date’s eyes, breaking contact for a sip of a low-intervention red.

Boiled dumplings rule all at Yuanbao Jiaozi (or at least about 75% of the menu). The tiny Chinese spot in the Sunset is folding SF’s best versions, each with meat and vegetable fillings that leave a trail of salty-sweet juice with every bite. Your only agenda item while you’re here: clear as many plates of dumplings (14 per order) as possible. Once you’ve polished off the entire spread, make a good decision for your future self and swing by the freezer in the back for a bag to take home. 

Your reservation to Nari, a fancy Thai restaurant in Japantown, will be circled in bright red on your calendar for weeks prior. When you finally get in the door, you’ll be rewarded with a runny nose (from all the spice) and bold flavors that you'll still be thinking about days later. The charred mushroom salad with Thai bird chilis builds a lingering heat throughout the meal, and every bit of the pork jowl and squid is a sticky-sweet umami bomb. Add the $125 tasting menu option and the multi-level space packed with more plants than a botanical garden to the mix, and it's the ideal setting for any occasion. Come with a small group and go to town.

The menu at this long-standing dim sum institution has a near 100 percent success rate. The takeout-only spot in Chinatown makes umami-rich pork shumai, har gow with delicate foggy-window wrappers, and one of our favorite BBQ pork buns in the city. You'll leave debating if you should get back in line, even though there are always unruly crowds spilling out of this bakery—we’d say you should get here early, but it doesn’t matter. As an added bonus, after being cash-only for years, they take cards now. 

Mijoté is a French restaurant in the Mission with a $82, four-course tasting menu that changes daily. But these aren’t traditional French dishes that make you feel like you’ve been injected with a tub of butter—instead, the farmers market-inflected plates, which typically involve at least one kind of fruit, are bright and inventive. One day, scallops might be piled high with nectarines and cucumber, and the next you’ll cut into chicken that gets the full sweet-salty treatment from a pluot purée and elderberry jus. The light wooden counter is the best seat in the house (this place used to be an omakase restaurant), so you can watch all the action and sauce-making go down. 

Blink and you’d miss The Thonglor, a tiny Thai restaurant that’s well worth braving the crowds of map-wielding tourists spilling over from nearby Union Square. The casual walk-in-only spot is the poster child for impeccable Thai staples. Pad gra pow is a saucy, spicy dream. The rich curries build a complex, lingering heat. And the pad thai (stay with us) is the best rendition of the noodle standby we’ve had in the city, and will become the benchmark for every future version you eat. You might have to wait in the narrow hallway alongside other noodle enthusiasts, but things move quickly here—you’ll be face-to-face with a steaming mound of something stir-fried in no time. 

Eat at this Palestinian and Jordanian spot in Duboce Triangle five times in one week and you'll still want to come back for more. The casual restaurant serves shareable comfort dishes like a gorgeous mezze platter that could walk a red carpet, thanks to pudgy scoops of lebna and muhammara we always clean completely off the plate. There's also whole-fried branzino brightened up with onions and mint, and garlicky chicken shish tawook that's the edible equivalent of putting on a massive scarf and sinking into a hot tub. Make it your mission to eat your way through the entire menu—and get to Beit Rima for weeknight group dinners, birthdays, date nights, last meals in the city, and everything in between.

Outta Sight serves the city’s best pizza, full stop. The counter-service Tenderloin shop (with a second location in Chinatown) nails every element of a perfect New York-ish style slice: chewy yet crisp thin crusts that are foldable without being soggy, flavor-spectrum-spanning toppings like smoky pepperoni cups and thinly sliced nectarines, and a shower of freshly grated parmesan on top. The space is overflowing with irresistible Bay Area charm—E-40 bobbleheads stare down from the shelves, skate videos play on silent loop, and cheese slices are $4.15 as a fiscal nod to the city’s area code. If you’d rather have your carbs and meat in sandwich form, they also make fantastic meatball sandwiches and Italian Combos on house ciabatta.

San Francisco is filled with steakhouses where jacketed waiters carry out prime rib and martinis through spaces that look like we’re still in the midst of the Gold Rush. And no offense to those old-school spots, but Niku in the Design District operates in a different league. The inside is sleek yet comfortable enough that you can show up in a crewneck sweater and still get treated like someone who just arrived by private jet. At Niku, you’ll eat the fatty A5 wagyu, perfectly charred New York strips, and lean tomahawks that outsize a child's head. All of that meat is on display in the adjacent butcher shop, which looks more like a gallery than a place for hacking and splicing. Sure, dinner here is pricey, but that’s why we make a reservation whenever we want to power dine like a CEO, celebrity, and royal combined.

There’s always an hour-long line on the weekends at the brunch spot El Mil Amores, but the wait is worth it every time. This casual cafe in the Mission is our go-to for weekend get-togethers with friends, weekday breakfast where we want to hang around for a few hours, or really anytime we’re craving tres leches pancakes and unlimited coffee refills at affordable prices. The breakfast-lunch menu is served until they close at 3pm, so even if your first meal of the day is at 1:30pm, you can get what you want—as long as what you want is a feast featuring big plates of rich mole, plump breakfast sandwiches, and huevos en ahogada.

The flawlessly roasted crab at this Vietnamese seafood institution is leagues better than any other crustacean in town. That’s what you’re at Thang Long for—the crab is doused in butter and a mix of spices you’ll be licking off your fingers all night. It’s the ideal pairing for their garlic noodles, which are said to have been invented here in the ‘70s. The recipe is safeguarded in a secret kitchen, and the commitment to confidentiality is working—these butter-drenched noodles are often imitated, never duplicated. A meal at this special occasion spot in the Sunset is best spent suited up in a plastic bib (which the staff will happily tie for you), lychee martini in one hand and crab leg cracker in the other. 

This former Emeryville favorite (founded by a La Cocina alum) made the leap across the Bay, bringing what’s now SF’s best fried chicken to a small outpost in the Fillmore. The southern-style rosemary-spiced skin crackles, the meat is juicy, and once you add a little bit of house hot honey, you’re going to need a moment of silence to keep your sh*t together. Come with a group, chase your chicken with champagne, and tack on an order of mac and cheese. It’s rich, it’s creamy, it’s decadent, and it’s more than enough reason to stop by, even if you’re not craving chicken. 

There’s no other way to say it—Ocean Subs in the Excelsior makes the best subs in SF: oblong stacks of evenly toasted dutch crunch rolls, crisp shredded lettuce, thinly sliced piles of meat, and an herb vinaigrette that ties everything together like a well-timed punchline. Each one arrives bulging in wax paper confines, hefty enough to anchor one of those boats docked at Pier 26. And, unlike most sandwich spots, Ocean Subs' menu only has four options. It turns out, more isn’t always more.

Prubechu is San Francisco’s island party. Twinkle lights, big-leaf plants, colorful tablecloths, and loud reggae music could encourage you to quit your day job to become a full-time island hopper. This always-packed outdoor-only Mission spot is also the only Guamanian restaurant in town—and one that serves knockout Chamorro dishes packed with flavors this city has never tasted before at a restaurant. You’ll have fall-off-the-bone tender BBQ pork ribs coated in sweet, sticky sauce, egg noodles with coconut braised beef that are the comfort equivalent of Bob Ross’s voice, and the plumpest chicken wings served with sides of tangy lemon-vinegar fina’denne’ sauce. Add the occasional pig roast, and fizzy sake highballs and punch-colored wine-based refreshers, and you have a spot that’s a go-to for birthdays, “come as you are” dinners, and nights when you just want to gobble down phenomenal food and soak in positive energy.