People watch and indulge in the fabulous dining at this San Francisco favorite. Known equally well for its affluent clientele and its oven-roasted chicken, this hot spot is worth the wait. Dinner entrees are nominally priced, though specials will cost you a bit more. If you are not enamored with the dinner scene, try visiting late mornings or early afternoons when you can sip on a latte (or scarf a Gorgonzola-topped burger) and watch the fog lift.

Modeled after traditional dim sum service, State Bird Provisions lets patrons use the sense of smell and sight to choose their dishes, with cuisine brought in on a trolley for viewing. Each item is creative and innovative, with dishes like sweet corn and chive pancakes, kimchi pork belly with tofu and duck liver mousse with almond biscuit. The space is rather small, yet cozy with an open concept kitchen, and friendly staff.

Opened in 2010, Sons & Daughters is located in the neighborhood of Union Square by chefs Matt McNamara and Teague Moriarty. The restaurant specializes in seasonal, local contemporary New American cuisine. The changing prix fixe menu features dishes listed simply by ingredients like farm egg, malt, yeast, ground cherry or wild boar, Burgundy truffle, apple, hay. The dining area is clean and warm, featuring lots of polished wood furniture and black and white photos; the lack of overbearing fanciness ensures that you can be relaxed enough to fully enjoy every aspect of this Michelin-starred dining experience.

Benu opened in San Francisco's SoMa area in 2010 and has since become one of the Bay Area's most sought-after restaurants. Chef and owner Corey Lee, former chef de cuisine at the famed French Laundry in Napa Valley, is a James Beard Award winner, and he has created this modern and intimate space. The restaurant, awarded three Michelin stars, features a cuisine that swears by New American flavors and serves dishes from a prix fixe menu like foie gras steamed in sake with carrot, orange, ginger and brioche or poularde cooked en vessie. You can always be sure of Benu to provide excellent service and incredible, innovative food with perfect wine pairings—all for a truly memorable dining experience.

Saison is a light and cozy-feeling restaurant. The menu is a tasty mixture of traditional French cuisine, and the ever-popular New American genre that has already been sweeping the world. Focus is on fresh, seasonal ingredients and careful and precise preparation techniques. The menu changes frequently, so no matter how many times you come back, you always get to have a new, delicious and exciting dining experience. Of course, wine pairings are available for every course of the Michelin-starred prix fixe menu.

In one of San Francisco's best signature styles, Chef Will Dodson presents a menu that defies categorization. Suffice it to say that the food showcases some of the best ingredients from the Bay Area, combined in a very creative and eclectic fashion that exemplifies why fusion has become such a craze. The menu changes often, but typical menu items include Andalusian Seafood Paella and Baked Salmon encrusted in brown sugar and herbs. The service is first rate, too. The cable car is accessible just aound the corner.

You might pass by this casual and slightly funky place and dismiss it as just another hole-in-the-wall, but do not be fooled. Inside, it is done up with whimsical lighting and bright paint. The menu takes the best of Californian cuisine and fusion trends. The wait staff is as hip as the joint itself and just as accomplished. The entrees are imaginative, fresh and never less than very good. The wine list is also good, featuring Californian vintages.

Serving breakfast until 4p each day, this popular weekend brunch spot is the place to be. Combining traditional Thai cuisine such as pad thai and tiger prawns with typical American breakfast fare of pancakes and omelets makes for a diversified menu. The atmosphere is laid back and features modern decor plush seating, fireplace and patio. Be sure to try one of their acclaimed stone pots or the millionaires bacon.