We asked our contributors to the Resy Hit List to share their top dining experiences in their cities this year — to choose 10 restaurants that define the state of great dining right now. Welcome back our Best of The Hit List for 2025.
And just like that, 2025 is drawing to a close. With more new openings in San Francisco this year than we could possibly keep up with, it seems that the restaurant economy in the city is the healthiest it’s been in a while. But the pandemic did forever change dining, as the remnants show: People still are going out earlier, drinking less, and as a result, restaurants are closing earlier. 5:30 p.m. remains the new 8:30 p.m.
Beyond early dinners, this year more than ever, there seemed to be a shift away from fine dining. Bay Area chefs are putting away their tweezers and tasting menus, opting to create more casual experiences and spaces that are a bit more low-key and accessible for all. Exhibit A: Side A, where former fine-dining chef Parker Brown is throwing down hearty plates of comforting fare, like rich rib-sticking short rib gnocchi and crispy chicken cutlets the size of your face. And that’s just the start.
From the brand-new to the old tried and true, these are the restaurants that defined dining in San Francisco and the Bay Area over the past year.