Top Rated Restaurants & Cafes in San Francisco

Fine restaurant connoisseurs from all over the Bay Area frequent this Berkeley hot spot. It is a great place for a romantic or family dinner, or just appetizers at the bar with friends. Built on stilts right over the water, it offers unforgettable views of San Francisco, the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge. The menu is filled with a vast selection of seafood, fish, chicken and pasta entrees. Try the grilled sirloin steak and roasted garlic prawns. The wine list features California selections.

Located in the Ferry Building Marketplace, a visit to Hog Island Oyster Bar is a great way to start off a San Francisco adventure. The restaurant is owned by the Hog Island Oyster Farm, who farms oysters in Tomales Bay. Established in 1983, today the company raises over three million oysters per year. The casual surroundings of the restaurant, located opposite a retail fish store, provide a gorgeous view of the Bay Bridge. Stop in and grab a glass of wine and down as many oysters as you can. The menu also offers clams and salad, but the main attraction here is the oyster stew, the chowder and the grilled cheese sandwich! Check for the daily specials before ordering. The restaurant also offers a small quantity of live, unshucked oysters to take away, but will have to be ordered three days prior.

Scoma's prepares some of the best seafood dishes on Fisherman's Wharf, which is no small feat considering the competition. The traditional dining room lets the food do the talking. The menu focuses on fresh seafood that is either sauteed or broiled. Enjoy Dungeness crab, prawns, scallops, calamari, abalone, swordfish, salmon, oysters and clams. House specialties include a spicy cioppino (seafood stew) and a filet mignon and lobster tail combo. The wine list is adequate, featuring domestic and imported wines.

With a playful ambiance and a menu full of authentic Spanish food, Coqueta--"flirtation" or "infatuation" in Spanish--is a delight for those seeking a Spanish dining experience. The restaurant offers hot and cold tapas as well as larger, family-style dishes. It also features a full bar with a wide variety of beers, hard ciders and, of course, sangrias to choose from. Be sure not to miss the unique cocktails, such as the Spanish Golden Ale, made of ransom old tom gin, fever tree Mediterranean tonic, amontillado sherry, chocolate bitters, gold and lemon espuma, and the Presidio, made of SF China Beach vodka, yuzu puree, almond, fig, farm egg and peychaud's bitters. The restaurant is often busy, so give yourself plenty of time to dine and enjoy the Coqueta experience. With tasteful wooden flooring, velvety drapes and large windows letting in some natural light, the ambiance is perfect for a romantic evening.

La Mar Cebicheria Peruana sits on San Francisco's Ferry Building-adjacent Pier 1 1/2, offering diners exceptional views of the bay and Bay Bridge as well as a taste of the best seafood available in this seaside metropolis. Executive Chef Diego Oka fuses his Peruvian and Japanese heritage with his years of experience in fine cuisine preparation, preparing perfectly balanced executions of the timeless regional treasure cebiche (more commonly known as ceviche) alongside interpretive takes on fusion cuisine. Most highlights of Peruvian cuisine are presented on the menu, each featuring fresh local ingredients assembled according to time-honored traditions or tweaked into contemporary California cuisine that sneaks in more modern elements. An eclectic menu of cocktails is on offer as well, in particular pisco, the national liquor of Peru. Beautiful bay views and ingredients pulled right from the water makes La Mar Cebicheria Peruana the perfect destination for travelers wanting a California spin on regional cuisine.

Boulevard, launched by Nancy Oakes in 1993, has since been at the forefront of the San Franciscan dining scene with accolades aplenty to prove. The Embarcadero institution is a definite must visit when in the waterfront area. The historic Audiffred Building it calls home was the lone survivor in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake. American regional cuisine is inventive without being pretentious and boasts French culinary influences. Co-restaurateur Pat Kuleto is the creative force behind the exceptional design that is inspired by France's Belle Époque period of the late 1800s. The menu includes fabulous and original concoctions, with particularly excellent seafood entrees like Ahi tuna tartare and Dungeness crab fritters. Linger over dinner with a glass of wine, and bask in the lovely ambiance while indulging in a decadent dessert.