Discover the Best New Restaurants in San Francisco

As one of the world's most iconic destinations, San Francisco draws visitors from all over the globe to wind down Lombard Street, wander Fisherman's Wharf and take a boat trip to Alcatraz. For foodies, a different set of icons come into play – Dungeness crabs and oysters just plucked from the ocean, sourdough bread baked in the early morning hours and Mission burritos hearty enough to fuel the day's hill climbs. With such a beloved food scene, the best new restaurants in San Francisco really need to do something special. So where do the smartest, savviest diners go in San Francisco when they want to try a new hot spot? This is the Tastemaker 20. We studied data covering thousands of restaurants to find the best of them all according to OpenTable's most experienced users. The results prove that chefs can still pull off something original in San Francisco and entice locals away from their old favorites. A meal at one of these amazing new restaurants might mean endless dim sum with bay views or contemporary Italian fare in a cozy Castro neighborhood joint. We suggest booking a table at the most tempting of these 20 restaurants. Good luck picking just the one!

The OpenTable Team

11 Restaurants

Updated October 23, 2019

Restaurants:	Che Fico Alimentari, Lark, The Vault Garden…
Price Range:	$$ - $$$
Cuisines:	Italian, Mediterranean, Californian…
Neighborhoods:	North Panhandle / USF, The Castro, Financial District / Embarcadero…

Che Fico Alimentari

$$$$

Italian

North Panhandle / USF

4.6

618 reviews

Che Fico Alimentari opened in the spring of 2019 in a 60-seat space underneath the acclaimed Italian restaurant Che Fico. The more casual and approachable spinoff combines a Roman-inspired wine bar, to-go market and sit-down restaurant where salumi, house breads and classic pasta dishes make up most of the menu. The bucatini cacio e pepe, rigatoni amatriciana, spot prawn scampi and suckling pig with a crackling skin are major highlights. Don’t skip the dessert menu featuring house-made cannoli, gelati, tiramisu and profiteroles. With over 200 bottles covering almost every region of Italy, the wine list is exceptional and includes around 14 wines by the glass.

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Lark

$$$$

Mediterranean

The Castro

4.6

29 reviews

One of the best new restaurants in San Francisco, Lark presents Mediterranean-influenced comfort food for dinner nightly, lunch and happy hour on weekdays and brunch on weekends. The charming Castro eatery is a rustic-chic space exuding warmth through exposed brick, dark woods and copper accents. Its menus include small plates and full-size entrees, all great for sharing. Standouts among the small bites include Kurdish meatballs in a tomato basil sauce, and cheese and charcuterie boards with ciabatta bread. Bigger plates include the signature Lark burger, a house-ground lamb and beef patty flecked with oregano and topped with burrata, and wraps filled with lamb or chicken souvlaki.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

The Vault Garden

$$$$

Californian

Financial District / Embarcadero

4.5

614 reviews

The Vault Restaurant takes its name from the former bank vault at the base of the landmark Bank of America building in the Financial District, a space it transformed into a chic, modern and moody fine-dining establishment. Along with its notable venue, the restaurant presents some seriously good California-inspired cuisine by chef Robin Song for lunch, dinner and happy hour. Expect refined fare like truffle-stuffed chicken with salt-baked parsnips and Marin coast king salmon with summer squash, chanterelles and sauce gribiche on the dinner menu. Lunch leans a little more casual, with a fantastic cheeseburger and Monterey Bay black cod fish tacos among the options. Don’t miss the Parker House rolls with a choice of accompaniments.

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Ondo Omakase

$$$$

Japanese

Nob Hill

4.4

143 reviews

SoMa newcomer Sushi Ondo stands out among the best new restaurants in San Francisco for bringing together Japanese and Korean specialties in addition to its top-notch traditional sushi menu. The restaurant presents both omakase and a la carte dining, and offers a choice of seating in two lounge areas, a communal table and sushi counter. Some standouts on the a la carte menu include Korean fried chicken, shishito tempura with lemon and sansho salt, and the Korean chirashi with ponzu sauce. Premium sakes and Japanese beers feature on the bar menu.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

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Fiorella Polk

$$$$

Italian

Russian Hill

4.7

369 reviews

The original Fiorella proved popular enough to launch a second, larger venue – Fiorella Polk in Russian Hill. Just like the original, the new restaurant presents amazing pizzas with imaginative toppings plus a tempting array of antipasti and pasta dishes. With an open kitchen, diners get a glimpse of their pizzas coming in and out of the mosaic-clad wood-fired oven. Some choice sides to go with pizza or pasta main courses include braised local butter beans, wood-roasted broccoli, and a baby lettuce salad with avocado, pepitas and pistachios.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Berber

$$$$

Moroccan

Russian Hill

4.5

348 reviews

Bringing North African cuisine and live performance art to Russian Hill is Berber, an intimate and beautifully designed restaurant with a small stage at the center of its circular dining room. Performances of live music, acrobatics, belly dancing and aerial acts take place between courses, which lets diners focus on the food as much as the show. Chef Nick Balla takes inspiration from the diverse culinary heritage of North Africa for his five-course prix-fixe menu. There are also bar snacks and bigger plates offered a la carte in the lounge area. Highlights might include crackers with muhammara, herbed tahini and labneh, zough shrimp with tomato jam, and lamb tajine with Berber couscous and seasonal vegetables.

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Harborview Restaurant & Bar

$$$$

Chinese

Financial District / Embarcadero

4.5

871 reviews

An enormous space on the Embarcadero, seemingly endless dim sum offerings and glorious waterfront views characterize Harborview Restaurant and Bar, one of the best new restaurants in San Francisco for authentic Cantonese cuisine. On a warmer day, score a seat on the huge patio to take in a panorama encompassing the Bay Bridge and Ferry Building. Order dim sum from roaming carts or off the menu, which also includes larger plates like Peking duck with steamed buns, salt-and-pepper fried Dungeness crab and a beef brisket hot pot. Be sure to sample the signature black and white xiao long bao, dumplings stuffed with black truffle and kurobuta pork.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Blind Butcher

$$$$

Californian

The Castro

4.5

305 reviews

Top-quality steaks and modern bistro fare are the signatures of Blind Butcher, an acclaimed newcomer to the Castro. The restaurant divides its dinner menu into small and big bites, boards (cheese, charcuterie or both), greens and sides. While prime steaks – a cowboy ribeye and a filet mignon – are certain highlights among the big bites, others like the seared rack of lamb, whole grilled branzino and green medley of roasted seasonal vegetables might be just as tempting. The same can be said of sides such as butcher’s roasted potatoes with chives and Brussels sprouts with reduced pomegranate balsamic.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Abrazo

$$$$

Spanish

Russian Hill

4.8

353 reviews

For foodies who appreciate Spanish cuisine, Russian Hill’s Abrazo definitely stands out as one of the best new restaurants in San Francisco. Expect updated Spanish classics like the seafood paella (with a reasonable wait time required), octopus a la plancha and albondigas. Some other intriguing dishes include wagyu beef tartare with citrus aioli, rice puff and a herb-radish salad, and a red beet tortellini with goat cheese, greens and toasted hazelnuts. Spanish wines share space with local labels on the wine list along with a house red sangria. Abrazo offers brunch on Sundays.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Barbara Pinseria

$$$$

Pizzeria

North Beach

4.5

122 reviews

Pinserias, an ancient Roman flat bread baked in rectangular slabs and served by the slice, are the inspiration for Barbara Pinseria and the focal point of its menu. The hearty crusts hold up to liberal arrays of toppings, offered in seven variations including pear and gorgonzola, bufala and anchovies, burrata and pesto, and the San Francisco with spicy salami and sausage. The concept also focuses on Italian cocktails and house-made pasta dishes. Those include classics such as rigatoni carbonara, pappardelle Bolognese and spaghetti vongole. The casual venue features indoor and outdoor seating and sits next door to its take-out-only sister pizzeria, Barbara Express.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Palette

$$$$

Seafood

SOMA

4.8

352 reviews

Palette SF, the brainchild of chef and artist Peter J. Hemsley, brings together a sit-down restaurant, art gallery, ceramic studio and retail boutique under one roof. Its galleries present works of art inspired by food, while the lunch, dinner and happy hour menus showcase culinary creations as works of art. The intriguing concept is successful in large part because the food – refined California cuisine with a focus on wood-fired and rotisserie preparations – is remarkable. Exemplary dishes include Tony’s Tartare of smoked, cooked, pickled and raw root vegetables with a quail egg and horseradish, and the Root Down Rotisserie, a split-roasted whole farm hen with garlic confit and Brussels sprouts.

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