5 Best Restaurants in San Francisco, California

The creation of lauded chef Daniel Patterson, this pretty restaurant has creativity to rival that of Patterson's Michelin-starred Coi, but a much less formal vibe. A 25-seat circular bar dominates the dining room, while small plates dominate the menu. The fried brussels sprouts are pure crunchy bliss, while the delicate homemade pierogi is a mainstay but with seasonal accents, like pumpkin. Located across from the Twitter and Uber HQs, it attracts the hoodies, but also the pretheater crowd. This is one of the city's few great food experiences after midnight on weekends.

Thanks to celebrated bartender/owner Thad Vogler, this sleek LEED-certified spot is a haven for cocktail hounds. Be sure to enjoy the creative libations, but don't neglect the terrific food, either. Settle in at a table, set with recycled denim napkins, either on the leafy patio or in the real looker of a dining room that uses reclaimed whiskey barrels as wall slats. The Cal-Med cuisine with local ingredients showcases land-and-sea snacks like salumi and fresh oysters. The bar gets boisterous at night, but the sophistication of the space entices all age groups. A downstairs room can seat larger groups.

"Epic" describes it all, from the outsize dining room and the mile-wide bay view to the slabs of meat grilled over an open fire, and, alas, the prices. For an Epic experience at a fraction of the price, head upstairs to the Quiver bar for the "3 B's," a half-pound burger, a brownie, and a Bud.

Hand-pulled noodles are the real star at celebrity chef Martin Yan's show palace, a swank restaurant on the fourth floor of Market Street’s Westfield Mall with Chinese opium bottles on display and a megaton bronze bell from China as the bar centerpiece. Whether Yan is there, you'll be sure to watch his cooks stretch, twist, toss, and drop noodles into a beef short-rib soup flavored with star anise; a Dungeness crab menu highlights six styles of Chinese cooking.

Celebrated sommelier Rajat Parr draws oenophiles to this Michael Mina restaurant, named after the highway that crosses through Burgundy (Route Nationale 74). But the market-driven French menu is a star in its own right. Executive chef Michael Lee Rafidi gives equal time to classics, like steak tartare, and more modern dishes, like a chanterelle tart with Asian pear. The clever dining room has a train station motif (wines are listed on large departure boards). A post-work crowd tends to dominate the bar and lounge, while the dining room is welcoming to business diners and those on a date.