From veritable 3-star veterans to more affordable crowd favorites, here are some of the best Michelin-starred restaurants in San Francisco that are worth trying at least once in your life.
Jamie Ferrell - Senior Staff Writer•
Did you know that San Francisco is second only to New York City for having the highest number of Michelin-star restaurants in the country? The city’s thriving haute cuisine culture brings a formidable number of bucket-list establishments to try, but here we’ve pulled some of the most sought-after Michelin star restaurants in San Francisco for when you want to experience the best of the best.
Whether you have a milestone birthday to celebrate or you want to up the ante on your next special date night, these are the best local restaurants where you’ll enjoy the meal of a lifetime.
1. Acquerello
Acquerello is situated in a gorgeous converted chapel with vaulted wood-beamed ceilings and glowing with soft amber light. The old-world comforts of traditional Italian cuisine are beautifully juxtaposed with contemporary touches from Chef Suzette Gresham, who has helmed the kitchen since 1989.
Dishes range from superb yet unpretentious handmade pasta to elaborate showstopping cheese plates that will turn heads throughout the dining room. Friendly sommeliers will guide you through the impressive wine list for an exquisite pairing with your meal.
⭐⭐ 2 Michelin Stars
💵 Price: Tasting menu is $275 per person, prix fixe is $165 per person
📍 Location: 1722 Sacramento Street, San Francisco
2. Atelier Crenn
Dominique Crenn was the first female chef in the U.S. to receive two Michelin stars in 2012 — and then beat her own record for a third star in 2018. That’s just one reason to be interested in Atelier Crenn, one of the most famous 3-Michelin-star restaurants in San Francisco. Not only is this the first certified Plastic Free restaurant in the United States, but Crenn is also known for her appearance on Chef’s Table and collaboration on the 2022 movie The Menu alongside many other accolades.
A typical meal at Atelier Crenn follows the chef’s journey over the years through France and California, showcasing seasonal ingredients straight from her Sonoma farm, Bleu Belle. The menu is pescatarian and dairy-free, designed with careful attention to sustainability and always uplifting the agricultural bounty we’re privileged to enjoy here on the West Coast.
⭐⭐⭐ 3 Michelin Stars + 1 Michelin Green Star
💵 Price: Tasting menu is $395 per person + add-ons
📍 Location: 3127 Fillmore Street, San Francisco
3. Lazy Bear
The Michelin Guide has lauded SF’s Lazy Bear ever since it opened, and public opinion seems to follow suit, as it’s one of the most highly-rated restaurants in the city.
Although the original communal table setup has undergone some changes since the pandemic, Chef David Barzelay‘s nightly fine-dining dinner party is as welcoming as ever thanks to the team’s warm hospitality and comfy dining room. Experience a bold New American selection with measured, nostalgic flavors juxtaposed against unique preservation techniques and a penchant for showmanship. Michelin calls out the trio of oysters and A5 Wagyu ribeye as menu highlights.
⭐⭐ 2 Michelin Stars
💵 Price: Tasting menu is $275-295 per person
📍 Location: 3416 19th St, San Francisco
4. Mister Jiu’s
Chef Brandon Jew‘s popular SF establishment, Mister Jiu’s, is the country’s only Michelin-starred restaurant categorized as Chinese food. As such, it’s a non-negotiable destination for many foodies visiting SF’s legendary Chinatown. Walk-in diners can enjoy bites à la carte, but you’ll need to reserve ahead to enjoy the elaborate tasting menu.
Recent featured dishes include scrumptious big eye tuna with beets and Lanzhou chili; a soy milk “burrata” Dungeness crab dish; and delicately balanced chicken, shrimp, and pig trotter dumplings. If you spring for a communal entree, the “Peking Style” whole duck is a showstopper.
⭐ 1 Michelin Star
💵 Price: Tasting menu is $125 per person + add-ons
📍 Location: 28 Waverly Place, San Francisco
5. State Bird Provisions
Top Dollar named this beautiful SF eatery as the nation’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in 2021. Chef Proprietors Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski are the masterminds behind State Bird Provisions, which offers an exquisite, ever-changing selection of unique American cuisine.
Although the menu began with a specialization in quail dishes, it’s since evolved greatly — Michelin itself has called out the pan-seared guinea hen and shiitake mushroom dumplings, fried black cod tail, and rhubarb passion fruit granita. Although reservations are snapped up quickly about a month in advance, you can try showing up in person as they hold a part of the dining room for walk-ins every single night.
⭐ 1 Michelin Star
💵 Price: $50-100 per person, à la carte
📍 Location: 1529 Fillmore St, San Francisco
6. Californios
Savor the dynamic cuisine of Chef Val M. Cantú at Californios, a family-owned, 2-Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco’s SoMa District. The environment is more lighthearted than you might imagine at a luxe eatery like this, and it’s especially worth trying to get a table on the comfortable open-air patio.
The 16-course tasting menu showcases familiar, Mexican heritage-driven dishes that are elevated with high-quality Californian ingredients and masterful techniques, such as the gourmet taco course or the cold-smoked hamachi with aguachile.
⭐⭐ 2 Michelin Stars
💵 Price: Tasting menu is $287-307 per person
📍 Location: 355 11th St, San Francisco
7. Birdsong
At Birdsong, Chef Christopher Bleidorn strives to present food in its “most whole form;” that is, produce at the peak of its season and cuts of poultry and fish with their heads, fins, and talons often still attached. The team has a penchant for live-fire cooking and playful presentation which sits right at home in the elegant high-ceilinged dining room. Choose between the 2-hour “Discovery Menu,” which is a streamlined experience designed for weeknights, or the 3-hour “Journey Menu,” which is meant to fully immerse guests into Birdsong’s elaborate cuisine and service.
You can also try a bit of Birdsong’s precise cooking at their fast-casual restaurant Birdbox, whose claw-in fried chicken sandwiches periodically make the rounds on TikTok and Instagram.
⭐⭐ 2 Michelin Stars
💵 Price: Discovery Menu is $245 per person, Journey Menu is $325 per person
📍 Location: 1085 Mission St, San Francisco
8. Saison
Chef Joshua Skene graduated from the French Culinary Institute in New York and studied under Jean-Georges Vongerichten and other elite chefs before moving to the West Coast. In 2009 he opened the decorated Saison, now one of the best Michelin-starred restaurants in San Francisco and revered throughout the state.
This is the first fine dining restaurant in the country to use open hearth cooking, a technique that compliments the extensive seasonal ingredients sourced directly from fishermen, hunters, gatherers, ranchers, and farmers. The rustic warehouse dining room is designed with this salt-of-the-earth theme in mind, with dried herbs and botanicals suspended around the kitchen space and a massive stack of firewood against the window.
⭐⭐ 2 Michelin Stars
💵 Price: Tasting menu is $328 per person + add-ons
📍 Location: 178 Townsend St, San Francisco
9. Benu
Benu was the first San Francisco restaurant to achieve three Michelin stars back in 2014 and it hasn’t missed a beat in the decade since. Chef Corey Lee presents a highly technical, contemporary Asian-inspired menu that’s constantly being reimagined based on ingredient seasonality and the dogged pursuit of perfection.
Reserve your table up to 30 days in advance and settle into the hallowed, minimally-decorated modern dining room for a fixed seafood– and veggie-forward menu, plus several meat courses and sweets. Fine dining aficionados travel far and wide for a table at Benu and we’re lucky to have one of the country’s best Michelin-starred restaurants right here in SF.
⭐⭐⭐ 3 Michelin Stars
💵 Price: Tasting menu is $390 per person
📍 Location: 22 Hawthorne St, San Francisco
10. Quince
At the heart of Quince is a strong marriage – award-winning Chef Michael Tusk founded this venture alongside his wife Lindsay – and a focus on flavorsome local produce. Their ingredients are exclusively sourced from one of the first-ever organic certified farms in California run by a third-generation farmer, Peter Martinelli.
This allows Chef Tusk to curate a seasonal menu from over 40 varieties of carefully selected heirloom fruits, vegetables, and flowers. With a tasting menu that changes nightly, you’re in for a one-of-a-kind culinary experience no matter the occasion.
⭐⭐⭐ 3 Michelin Stars
💵 Price: Tasting menu is $360 per person
📍 Location: 470 Pacific Ave, San Francisco
11. Aphotic
Experience the freshest Michelin-starred seafood at Aphotic, one of the most beautiful restaurants in San Francisco complete with a wood-burning fireplace and a reverent, moody dining atmosphere. Chef Peter Hemsley’s 13-course, pescatarian tasting menu is nothing short of exquisite, showcasing fresh catch from the California coast while upholding the utmost standards of quality and sustainability in the process.
⭐ 1 Michelin Star + 1 Michelin Green Star
💵 Price: 11-course tasting menu is $195, 13-course tasting menu is $235 + 20% service charge
📍 Location: 816 Folsom St. San Francisco
12. Angler
This seafood powerhouse comes from the talented people at Saison, and its location right on the SF waterfront makes for a delightful view while indulging in a spectacular lunch or dinner. Chef Joe Hou delivers shareable Michelin-starred offerings for both the lunch and dinner menus, promising that every dish is “touched by fire” on the wood-burning hearth.
⭐ 1 Michelin Star
💵 Price: Expect to spend $50-100+ à la carte. There’s also a $138 prix-fixe “Cook For You” menu.
📍 Location: 132 The Embarcadero, San Francisco
13. Gary Danko
Alongside its Michelin star, Gary Danko has racked up numerous other accolades during its 25-year run, including twelve Five-Diamond ratings from AAA and several James Beard Awards. Experience exciting contemporary creations from Chef Gary Danko, where French and globally-inspired roots collide marvelously with the comfort and familiarity of home cooking. The dining room is elegant yet inviting, perhaps aided by a massive roaming cheese trolley laden with 15-20 cheeses from around the world.
⭐ 1 Michelin Star
💵 Price: 5-course tasting menu is $170, 4-course tasting menu is $150, 3-course tasting menu is $122. Price does not include wine pairing.
📍 Location: 800 North Point St., San Francisco
See also: 6 of SF’s most affordable Michelin-starred restaurants
Tags:dinner, fixed menu, lunch, michelin starred
