Drop Cap Only + Beige Background
San Francisco is, without a doubt, one of the best places in the country to be a restaurant lover. The dining scene reflects a pioneering commitment to sourcing local ingredients and a fascination with pushing the boundaries of what fine dining can be.
As the city has struggled back to its feet in the last five years, the restaurant industry has struggled too — with rising menu prices, ever-changing service norms, and so much more. Yet this year’s most thrilling new restaurants leave us feeling not just optimistic but downright exhilarated about dining out.
In 2025, industry pros took big swings on sprawling spaces, a refreshing sign after years of seeing restaurants shrink to the size of a studio apartment in the Mission. And though you’ll never convince this city to give up its adoration for a pizza with leopard-spotted sourdough crust, we also welcomed diverse dinner destinations that add new dimension to an already kaleidoscopic scene.
For practical reasons, this list does not include restaurants that opened after Oct. 31. That sadly meant omitting several restaurants — looking at you, Dingle’s Public House — about which we can’t stop talking. We can’t wait to revisit them soon and consider them for inclusion next year.
Now, without further ado, here are the best restaurants that opened this year in San Francisco.
Jules
When Max Blachman-Gentile was still a nomad running the city’s hottest pizza pop-up, we named Jules one of our best of the year. Twelve months later, our feelings haven’t changed. In May, the chef and former Tartine baker, who also spent time at Roberta’s in New York, set down roots in a modest space in the Lower Haight. Yes, it’s hard to get a table. But, even in a city full of great pies, it’s worth your while. Blachman-Gentile has a way with sourdough, and his mildly tangy crust walks the line between chewy and crisp, puffy and resilient. And then there are the toppings, which can be either precious or delightfully playful. There’s a quirky broccoli number with cheddar and crispy shallots (do add bacon) and the Spicy Ronny, with tomato sauce, pepperoni, Calabrian chile, and pulled in-house mozzarella. Non-pizza dishes that pull from a world pantry are just as compelling, including charred cabbage with pumpkin-seed gremolata and bottarga, and miso-roasted carrots with hazelnut and carrot-top salsa verde. On the side are unexpected opinions like fermented garlic hot honey and tarragon ranch. Of course, it’s the pizzas that draw the crowds — because an excellent pie is something this city will never tire of, no matter how long the wait.
The Happy Crane
Given that chef James Yeun Leong Parry came through some of the world’s best kitchens, including San Francisco’s own three-Michelin-starred Benu, you might assume his debut restaurant would embrace the trappings of fine dining. But it’s not white tablecloths and tasting menus that make The Happy Crane one of the most exciting restaurants of the year. Compared to the restaurants in which the English-born, Hong Kong-raised chef came up, this is a more casual restaurant with a share-plates vibe — but make no mistake: The intent is no less exacting. We fell in love with the Cantonese crab rice roll, a delightfully slurpable, deconstructed, housemade noodle that’s snipped tableside and set free in a soupy sauce of crab, crab butter, and trout roe. Same with the moist, skin-crispy Wolfe Ranch quail, which is fried, thrown on the yakitori, finished in scalding oil, and served with Sichuan salt. Splurge on the Peking duck, which is roasted in a huge coal-and-gas oven wedged improbably into the corner of the compact kitchen. (It must be preordered.) The Happy Crane is a reflection of a curious cook, cross-polinating traditions from Beijing to Sichuan — and we’re delighted to be along for the ride.
Bar Brucato
It is hard enough to open a restaurant in San Francisco, much less a restaurant and distillery. But Sierra and James Clark pulled it off with Bar Brucato in April. Squeezed between a car dealership and a paint store — because that’s where the city allows for such booze-making endeavors — the cozy upstairs restaurant feels a bit like someone’s living room and functions as both a place to grab a meal and a showcase for the spirits made in the distillery below. In keeping with the spirit of Brucato’s amaros, which feature locally sourced herbs and fruits, chef Chip King keeps his menu tied to the seasons. Most everything is sharable and snacky, including skewers of confited, tomato-glazed octopus atop butter beans dressed with chermoula and crispy chicken skin with caraway. There are a couple of entrees too, like housemade saffron spaghetti with local mackerel, pine nuts, and fennel. Not surprisingly, the cocktail program is thoughtful, much of it highlighting the housemade spirits. The fact that the spring almond martini you’re sipping was made with gin and green-almond liqueur distilled one floor below only makes this place more special.
Meski
It might not seem like an obvious slam dunk: a clubby restaurant and lounge on the edge of the Tenderloin with a menu that blends the roots of a Dominican American chef and Ethiopian American event producer with the backing of a Warriors star. But their risk is our reward. Since it opened in February, Meski has been a scene, and not just because of its association with NBA pro Draymond Green. In the dark and feminine, two-level space, brightened with swatches of emerald green and twists of dried flowers, the food is a mashup. For every humble but delicious platter of collard greens, habichuela misir wat (a mix of Dominican beans with Ethiopian spices), and plantains served with injera (the spongy, fermented flatbread), there is a 32-ounce Tomahawk steak served with salsa macha and butter punched up with awaze, an Ethiopian hot sauce. On a Friday night, you’ll find the bar packed with men in flat-brimmed hats and women in heels sipping milk punch spiked with Ethiopian coffee and rinsed with a “cocoa-puff milk wash.” Meski aimed to create a space for the Black community to celebrate its roots — something rare in San Francisco. It’s a joy to see it succeed.
Via Aurelia
Since opening in September, the latest Italian destination from Matt Brewer and chef David Nayfield’s growing empire has quickly claimed the expense-account crowd. Located inside the Mission Rock development, Via Aurelia channels ’90s-era quiet luxury with towering flower arrangements, floor-to-ceiling drapes, glowing table lamps, cloistered booths, and a $40 valet. With Visa’s corporate office upstairs — and Nvidia’s soon to follow — the built-in clientele is clear, and a big private dining room is ready for client-wooing. The Tuscan menu is elevated to fine-dining levels.Nayfield’s sumptuous porcini and sunchoke sformato is exceptional. An autumnal entree showcases cuts of pork cooked multiple ways, punctuated with mustard seeds and apple. But the main reason Via Aurelia has made this list is the pastas, of which there are eight, all soulful and superb; in particular, housemade orzo with lobster; pillowy potato-filled tortelli with a hearty Tuscan sauce punctuated with guanciale and sun-dried tomatoes; and maltagliati tossed with a delicate white-wine-based wild hare ragu. Another reason for applause: service. Our server might have known more about the menu than Nayfield himself, a level of expertise and grace rarely found these days.
Outta Sight Chinatown
Eric Ehler’s tiny Tenderloin slice shop has been one of the city’s best pizza destinations since it opened in 2021. This spring, he and business partner Peter Dorrance expanded with a second location, unleashing a more expansive and impressive menu. Having worked at top restaurants including Mister Jiu’s, Ehler has serious fine dining chops, which means off-the-wall pies topped with shoyu-glazed Spam, jalapeño, and pineapple, or Korean-style corn cheese are anything but stunts. There’s no seating, so fans line up along the standing rail to devour thick, chewy granny slices topped with Peking-inspired duck and hoisin sauce, or tandoori-marinated chicken and butter masala sauce. The decor is a sort of if-you-know-you-know treasure hunt for millennials, who will feel transported back to a simpler time by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figurines and TV playing Disney classics. In a city where prices for food, rent, and just about everything continue to climb, an easygoing spot to grab a satisfying lunch for less than $10 (slices range from $5 to $8) is something to celebrate.
Arquet
Though it opened only in October, Arquet has already secured its position as the gem of the Ferry Building’s powerhouse restaurant roster. Under the leadership of chef Alex Hong, who honed his skills at fine-dining Presidio Heights restaurant Sorrel, this sprawling, 200-seat dinner destination marries global influences with peak-season produce to take California cuisine into a new era. After work, commuters pull up to the bar before jumping on a ferry to head home, rubbing elbows with tourists gawking at the views of the water. At the center of the open kitchen, a 6-foot, wood-fired hearth cradles barbecued oysters swimming in spiced vadouvan butter; locally caught whole fish and spiny lobsters; 45-ounce, bone-in rib-eyes; and hot-honey glazed chickens that might give Zuni a run for its money. Sitting in this buzzing dining room on a Friday night will dispel any lingering doubts you might have about the city’s future. The ambition behind Arquet says it all: San Francisco is absolutely back.
Fikscue Thrive City
Dining at the San Francisco location of this cult-favorite spot, which opened in May, feels like a secret cheat code. At Fikscue’s original Alameda outpost, diners line up long before opening in hopes of snagging a platter of halal Texas-style barbecue before it’s sold out. But at the Thrive City location, you can walk in for lunch or dinner four days a week (at least when there’s not a Warriors game or concert at the Chase Center — then you might have to queue for your BBQ). The school-bus-yellow smoker on the covered patio proves this is no satellite operation serving food cooked offsite — and once you’ve sliced into the tender brisket or watched the beef back rib slip right off the bone, you’ll know the quality hasn’t slipped with the expansion. Some of the most delightful surprises come from the Indonesian side of the menu, including the rendang plate, starring brisket cooked in spiced coconut milk with rice and a rich kale curry, and tangy shredded cabbage slaw that serves as a perfect counterpoint to all the unctuous beef. In a city that’s not known for barbecue, Fikscue shows that San Francisco can smoke meat with the best of them.
Ciaorigato
When this Italian-Japanese fusion project opened in June, serving well-conceived mash-ups like bucatini with tsukune and “nero de Tokyo” pizza with squid ink blended into the tomato sauce, it brought a dash of culinary sophistication to the Theater District. A portmanteau of the Italian and Japanese words for “hello” and “goodbye,” Ciaorigato revived the former Gibson space inside Hotel Bijou, dormant since 2022, and inherited all manner of chef’s toys, including a pizza oven and a barbecue. Wedged between Union Square and the Tenderloin, this part of town has been crying out for a little glamour for years. Thankfully, the partnership between restaurateur Dario Nicotra and chef Marco Avila has yielded results in atypical places before, such as Modí, their Mexican-Italian fusion project on the ground floor of the Salesforce Transit Center. The mutual Japanese and Italian focus on raw fish (sushi and crudo) and meat skewers (yakitori and spiedini), presents fertile terrain for playfulness and elegance, bolstered by humbler offerings like rosemary milk bread with honey butter. This is a unique — and refreshingly affordable — addition to the city’s dining scene, a place where you’ll want to dress up for dinner.
Jalebi Street
For years, the beat on Indian food in San Francisco was that unless you’re hungry for steam-table tandoori, you’re better off driving 45 minutes to the South Bay or to Vik’s Chaat in Berkeley. So the arrival of the mom-and-pop chaat emporium Jalebi Street to the Upper Haight was welcome news for fans of Northern Indian savory-sweet fried snacks. There’s almost no way to go wrong on a menu where everything is under $20. But there are standouts, like the cool, refreshing dahi bhalla, a septet of lentil dumplings soaked in yogurt, and the onion kachori, a pastry stuffed with caramelized onions and an aromatic spice blend. Cumin and coriander lead the way in the Kashmiri kofta curry, while spiced chickpea chole samosas arrive with a trio of chutneys plus a healthy dusting of sev, the crispy chickpea noodles. Best of all is the chole bhature, a balloon of blistered, chewy-crispy fried bread that pulls apart to release a puff of steam, ready to dip in a bowl of spiced chickpeas darkened by black tea. Since debuting this summer (with no dishwasher, necessitating the use of paper plates), Jalebi Street has grown up, transforming into one of the strongest dinner spots in the Haight. Go with a group, solicit menu guidance as needed, and don’t skip on the jalebi, a coil of fermented batter fried in ghee and dipped in a saffron sugar syrup bath.
Runners-up:La Cigale
Chef Joseph Magidow’s master class on the cuisine of Occitania — a region of southern France where foraging and fowl reign supreme — is all about the fire. It’s worth the considerable effort required to get a seat at one of the just two nightly seatings. Rustic dishes like leg of rabbit in red wine sauce, and garlic or pork sausage with wild nettles, land almost omakase-style, languidly paced as they come out of one of the city’s most audacious open kitchens. Were it not for the late-fall opening and logistical challenge of securing a seat, La Cigale would surely have claimed a spot on the main list.
Maritime Boat Club 
Chef Felix Santos opened this companion to Union Square’s Bar Maritime to create a place where diners could snack on $14 bowls of Jimmy Nardello peppers or splurge on $125 seafood towers — and walk out happy either way. As the name suggests, the sea’s bounty leads the way; kanpachi aguachile and Monterey squid with romano beans are among the strongest plates. The staff is trained to work with patrons on coursing, leading to a meal with a pleasantly steady cadence.
Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane is San Francisco’s most wide-ranging tasting menu destination of 2025 and an ambitious step up from its predecessor, Lord Stanley, which closed in May. Rupert and Carrie Blease teamed up with chef Tommy Halvorson (of the former Serpentine, which once occupied the space) to revive some of Lord Stanley’s much-loved staples — buttermilk-poached cabbage, pain au jus — augmented by several superb additions like striped bass and a maple-kissed Liberty duck, along with a roster of clever wine pairings that emphasize Old World vines.
Superprime Steakhouse
There are a lot of excellent places to get a steak in San Francisco, but none do it quite like chef Marc Zimmerman’s new SoMa restaurant. Superprime is a wagyu lover’s dream, with a concise menu centered around the prized Japanese beef and a banging sound system so you can fully appreciate the extensive vinyl collection. If you can afford to ball out on 3 ounces of Hokkaido Snow beef ($74) or 1.5 ounces of olive-fed Kawai Family Butcher’s wagyu ribeye ($100), then this is not an experience to be missed.
Sohn
Chef and cookbook author Deuki Hong set out not only to open a cafe but also to create a space to celebrate the city’s booming Korean community. That means Sohn is more than just a place to grab a banana oat milk latte and breakfast sandwich that stacks fluffy Korean-style steamed eggs on a sesame-flecked croissant bun. It’s also a hub for the Dogpatch neighborhood and a venue for don’t-miss chef collaborations like a sold-out pizza night with the team behind Outta Sight.