Recommendations are a dime a dozen, but in Pro Tips, we go directly to the source, asking food and beverage experts for their professional opinions on the city’s best burgers, dive bars, and more.
Valentine’s Day can feel like the Super Bowl of date nights. The high-stakes attitude many people take toward Feb. 14 practically demands you lay it all on the line with red roses, a sexy playlist, and of course, dinner at a romantic restaurant.
But on the other 364 nights of the year, dates can take on many forms. Sometimes it’s a round of karaoke in Japantown followed by late-night burgers at Nopa. Other times it means checking out a hot new restaurant on the Embarcadero or grabbing a martini at a beloved dive in the Mission.
We asked a dozen San Francisco restaurant owners and chefs about their go-to spots for date night — no matter what your idea of “perfect” might be.
Sarah Rich, chef and owner, Rich Table
“We have so many happy memories there,” the Riches say of Nopa. | Source: Erin Ng for The Standard
Favorite date-night spot: Nopa, 560 Divisadero St., NoPa
When you’ve been together for 24 years, like Sarah and Evan Rich, date night can be an opportunity to return to a place that’s as tried and true as your partner. “NoPa was one of the first restaurants that really made us fall in love with San Francisco when we moved here in 2008,” Rich says. When they were young line cooks 18 years ago, NoPa was one of the only late-night dining options in the neighborhood. The couple would squeeze in at the bar or a lively communal table and share a flatbread, burger, and fries. “Now we take our kids and eat as a family at a more reasonable time, like 6 p.m.,” she says. “It’s been a favorite for a long time, and we have so many happy memories there.”
Jay Bordeleau, owner, Mr. Tipple’s Recording Studio; co-owner The DeLuxe
Favorite date-night spot: Seven Hills, 1896 Hyde St., Russian Hill
Bordeleau is over waiting in line and jockeying for a seat at the city’s hottest new restaurants. “As I’ve matured, I’m focusing more on timeless quality and less on hype,” he says. “I’d rather focus my attention on my date.” That means taking his wife of 10 years to Pacific Cocktail Haven to enjoy the “best cocktails in the city, hands down.” Then, he’ll call a car — bonus points if you sneak some Champagne into the Waymo, he says — and grab dinner at Seven Hills, an upscale but never fussy spot he loves for handmade pasta. At the end of the night, he unabashedly puts on his tourist hat and hops on a cable car. “If you hang off the side, it’s easily the most exhilarating $8 adventure in the city.”
Mitchell Lagneaux, owner, The Valley Club
Favorite date-night spot: Dimples, 1700 Post St., Japantown
On one of their first dates, Lagneaux took Jen, now his wife, to this divey karaoke bar in Japantown. In between Miller High Lifes and shots of whiskey, he stood onstage in a pool of purple light and serenaded her with Player’s 1977 hit “Baby Come Back.” Twelve years later, they’re still going strong — but date nights look a little different. Rich Table, where the couple loves the sea urchin cacio e pepe, is a favorite spot for dinner, but Dimples will always be a special standby. “If you’re too uptight to have a good time at Dimples, then that’s a red flag for me.”
Patrick Gabon and Celine Wuu, chef and bar director, Restaurant Naides
Patrick Gabon and Celine Wuu. | Source: Alexa Treviño for SF Standard
Favorite date-night spot: Hong Kong Lounge, 5322 Geary Blvd., Inner Richmond
Gabon and Wuu’s love for this dim sum spot runs deep. “We made it a point to eat at Hong Kong Lounge at least once a week for a month before moving to Slovenia for a year,” Gabon says. It was also one of the first places they visited when they moved back to San Francisco to open their fine-dining Filipino restaurant. They recommend starting with a pot of jasmine tea, with an ice-cold Coke waiting in the wings. Then, enjoy a feast of har gow, sui mai, chicken feet, and minced chicken lettuce cups with scallop and pine nuts.
Stuart Brioza, chef and co-owner, State Bird Provisions, The Progress, and The Anchovy Bar
Favorite date-night spot: Octavia, 1701 Octavia St., Pacific Heights
With three restaurants, a 15-year old son, and a jam-packed event schedule, Brioza and wife Nicole Krasinski don’t have time for many nights on the town. When they do go on a date, Brioza has mapped out the perfect evening. First, they hit the upstairs lounge at Nari, where Krasinski orders the Nagiri, a gin-based cocktail with shiso orange bitters, while Brioza opts for the Viyada, a mezcal drink with apricot, curacao, and lime. Then, they walk to Octavia to enjoy “an epic menu of super fresh local cooking” and a bottle of Ceritas wine from Healdsburg. To burn off a few calories, they walk up to Alta Park Plaza to take in the view. “Nicole can’t wait for date night now,” he says.
Kim Alter, chef and owner, Nightbird and Linden Room
Favorite date-night spot: Nari, 1625 Post St., Japantown
“Ron and I have been together for 18 years,” Alter says, “and I always smile when I call him my boyfriend after all this time.” Over that period, many of their favorite date spots have closed. These days, they’ll wander to Mission dives like The Royal Cuckoo or Lone Palm for dirty gin martinis and Manhattans. On Sundays and Mondays — her nights off — they often hit Nari for dinner and order a bottle of white wine, eggplant curry, and a whole fried fish. “I don’t think I have ever had something that I don’t like,” Alter says.
Felix Santos, executive chef, Bar Maritime
Chef Felix Santos. | Source: Morgan Ellis/The Standard
Favorite date-night spot: State Bird Provisions, 1529 Fillmore St., Japantown
If they’re going out for a cocktail, Santos and his wife belly up at The Hideout at Dalva for a daiquiri and a very dirty vodka martini. “For me, that little red room with one bartender brings up great memories of the pre-pandemic industry haunt,” he says. But for dinner, State Bird Provisions is the couple’s go-to. “I usually convince Sofia to go just for dessert and then spring my trap and start grabbing food off the trays,” he says. He never misses a chance to snag the duck-liver mousse with almond financiers and fried garlic bread with burrata and seven-pepper spice. “When I worked there in 2015, I used to eat the leftover financiers every night for months until I had a stomachache.”
Ravi Kapur, chef and owner, Liholiho Yacht Club and Good Good Culture Club
20 Spot in the Mission. | Juliana Yamada/The Standard
Favorite date-night spot: 20 Spot, 3565 20th St., Mission
Kapur and wife April Storm met in 1998 on Chestnut Street. Four years later, they eloped in Las Vegas and now live in the Mission. For a date, they walk to 20 Spot, a cozy neighborhood natural wine bar. “It reminds me of NYC,” Kapur says. Whether sitting at the bar or one of the lounge tables, Storm always orders bubbles and flatbread. “In my opinion, 20 Spot is one of the best-kept secrets in SF,” she says.
Colin O’Malley, owner, Sunset Cantina
Favorite date-night spot: Gialina Pizzeria, 2842 Diamond St., Glen Park
O’Malley has been a regular at this cozy joint, known for Neopolitan-style pies, for 14 years because of its unassuming vibe, friendly staff, and homestyle Italian cuisine. The move is to order the amatriciana pizza (sub portobello mushrooms for pancetta), the pasta of the night, and the pan-roasted chicken breast, served over “the best polenta you’ve ever had.”
Martino DiGrande, owner, Palio
Harris’ Restaurant. | Source: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Standard
Favorite date-night spot: Harris’ Restaurant, 2100 Van Ness Ave., Financial District
DiGrande has a long list of date-night favorites — and a story to go with each. Brazen Head is a family favorite, as he’d bring his daughter when she was young. Dick’s Drive-In is where, when he wanted to propose, he asked the woman who’s now his mother-in-law for her blessing. But Harris’ Restaurant will always hold a special place in his heart. “As a San Francisco native, there are a few places that my wife and I keep coming back to year after year,” DiGrande says. He loves it because he knows the experience will be consistently excellent — and it doesn’t hurt that his mother-in-law moved across the street. “As a restaurant owner myself, it’s one of the rare places where I can truly relax, knowing the hospitality will be flawless.”
Matt Brewer, cofounder, Che Fico and Che Fico Pizzeria
Favorite date-night spot: Sociale, 3665 Sacramento St., Inner Richmond
Charming staff, great space, incredible wine list — that’s the trifecta Brewer looks for in a neighborhood spot. When he’s not at NoPa, he and his wife of 15 years (they’ve been together for 26) head to this cozy restaurant in Presidio Heights for hearty Northern Italian pastas. “I usually over-order,” he says, “and the pastas are perfect for a foggy San Francisco night.”
Amy Han, co-owner, Smish Smash
Bon Délire on the Embarcadero. | Source: Erin Ng for The Standard
Favorite date-night spot: Bon Délire, Pier 3, Embarcadero
On anniversaries and birthdays, Han and husband Vic Donado splurge on Michelin restaurants like Saison, where the dry-aged antelope, she says, is “one of the best bites I’ve ever had.” But on the average night, their mainstay is French newcomer Bon Délire. Han typically orders the steak frites, rare, with a Caesar salad. Vic, on the other hand, likes to try something new but must have at least one order of oeuf mayonnaise. “Not all French restaurants are equal, [but] Bon Délire is consistent with food quality, menu offerings, and service.”