The Best Casual Restaurants in San Francisco

Simplicity, flavor and local produce focused. A San Francisco long time establishment that always deliveres. A place that works as a learning place for alot of chefs that’s new in the city. Don’t miss the Caesar salad - it’s to die for. A menu that is very produce and season focused. I’m not a sweet tooth at all, but this is a paradise even for me!

Seafood heavenAngler is run by Joshua Skeenes and the team behind Saison. A seafood-centric restaurant focused on live-fire cooking with a great wine list.I love to start with a bottle of Pliny, some local oysters while I'm checking in the menu.Do not miss the grilled Radicchio with Radicchio X.O sauce, wonderfully smokey flavour and super tasty. Prawns or tuna from the grill and to finish the meal a Soft Serve Sundae. That's a great way to start the CA-trip.

The Greatest Raw Bar on EarthYes, you have to wait in line. Everyone waits in line at Swan Oyster. It is family run and they serve some of the best oysters, crab, scallops and raw fish you will ever have. Make sure to order a plate of Sicilian sashimi. Note: they have strange opening hours.

This classic San Francisco at its best. This classic San Francisco at its best. Amazing ingredients, sophisticated food, yet in a casual and cozy ambience. Besides the quality of the food, there is something very unique about this place. The love for food and hospitality shines from everything you see, smell, taste and touch here: the large flower arrangements, linen blinds and chair covers, wooden counter and tables, and the tableware, kitchen utensils and pantry items organized neatly but unpretentiously on open shelves. And the food, for sure. The owners, Lori Regis and Chef Amaryll Schwertner are there every day. That reminds me of Italy where running a soulful restaurant is a lifestyle. Chef Amaryll’s food makes me feel happy, healthy and nourished. In the morning, I would have fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, freshly pressed citrus juice and maybe some toasted bread with butter. For lunch, a selection of mezze, maybe, or a fantastic pizza and some salad on the side. The last time I ate lunch in Boulettes Larder, I had a salad made of shredded roast chicken breast with some crushed walnuts, dates and chestnuts, cilantro leaves, extra virgin olive oil and little gem lettuce. Sounds too simple? It was wonderful. The sister restaurant Boulibar next door is just as lovely food wise, but for some reason, I always gravitate towards Boulettes Larder; the airy open space with all the beautiful ingredients displayed is too delicious to pass.

Simple, well made californian comfort cuisine.The new, light & spacious location of the legendary SF bakery. Tartine Manufactory offers simple, well made californian comfort cuisine. No frills, just good food and great energy - and of course really good bread as a bonus.

Simply my favorite restaurant in the world, I could eat here every single day. I have eaten here 100s of times. It is a joyous place. Food is outstanding - inventive, creative and life-affirming. Chefs Stuart and Nicole created this wonderful place and have now given the reigns to the very talented and wonderful Chef Gaby. They are obviously still very much involved whilst letting Chef Gaby take it to the next level.Protip - before or after have the secret off menu prog dog at their other restaurant The Progress which is right next door.

One of the best meals I had in San Francisco. Baked oysters​ and delicious fried chicken!Possibly one of the best meals I had in San Francisco. I’m still dreaming about those baked oysters​ and their delicious fried chicken! And don’t forget the sides: Mac & Cheese, grits and cream biscuits!

Such a bananas meal at Rich table—truly one of my favs in San Francisco. A good order strategy is to get most of the bites section—porcini donuts, sardine chips and beef dumpling are menu mainstays and musts—a couple pastas (hello uni cacio e pepe) , maybe a main if you have room and sarah’s off menu ode to the thin mint for dessert hashtag iykyk. I usually skip over the “appetizer” section but last night they had this burrata with cauliflower tikka masala walnut crumble with little dots of caper raisin purée and a crispy paratha that was calling my name —omg jfc so fkn good. who does that? So creative. So random. So different. So delicious. Love it so much. Don’t take it off the menu evan!

Sorrel is a gem of a neighborhood restaurant in San Francisco's Pacific Heights. Alex Hong’s menu has a solid core of pasta and it’s easy to see the influence Quince’s Michael Tusk had on him.

Bar Crenn is the relatively new sister to 3* Atelier Crenn. It’s menu features a classic French style as well as being a little more rustic, which is welcome.

Deli board in SoMa is truly one of my favorite places in San Francisco. I always tell myself I’m only gonna eat half a sando — never happens.

You can order whatever, and you will love it! When I wrote about this restaurant a few months ago for Edible San Francisco, my last line was “Mark my words, you’ll be seeing Nari pop up on local and national best-of and must-eat lists—starting with this one right here, right now.” And so it was. I also recommended ordering everything on the menu, a move that still holds true. You can come here over and over and try something different and it’s going to be f****ng delicious. Perhaps my new fav thing is the gaeng bumbai aka eggplant curry it’s so insanely deeply flavorful and the texture of the crispy/creamy eggplant is bananas and somehow, someway it’s #veganaf. Would take this over the ribeye or roti hen anyday, but thankfully they’re not mutually exclusive. Of course you know to get the dang delicious gaeng gradang and miang, mang; the lod chong dessert is also an incredibly intelligent and tasty play on the dessert drink found throughout Southeast Asia but in a sort of deconstructed ice cream form. I love it so much *still* can’t wait to go back!!

Whenever people visiting San Francisco ask me for my list, one thing I always recommend no matter where they’re from is to visit the Ferry Building Saturday farmers market for this soulful, satisfying plate of chilaquiles at Primavera Tamales —there’s nothing quite like eating this with your hands waterfront staring at the bay bridge listening to the saxophone/percussionist in one amongst the hum of everyone; Alice waters is literally behind you admiring and examining produce. So so so special.

Say hello to my new favorite soup dumpling in San Francisco at this two week old spot in Hayes Valley on Gough Street in the old Bai thong thai restaurant. Super silky thin skins, soupy and so droopy. Dumpling master mrs. Wong and her husband make all the dumpling and noodle dough by hand. She spent over 5 years learning the craft in Shanghai, and she’s doing interesting, unusual centers like numb and spicy pork, chicken(!), beef(?!), and shrimp with loofah. She does 18-22 pleats per xlb (dtf does 18). I love this place so much, can’t wait to come back!

Focaccia di recco at Cotogna — bite for bite one of my favorite things to eat in San Francisco. It’s cmc™—crispy melty cheesy—all the hallmarks for a trend dish if you think about it (detroit style pizza? cmc. patty melts a couple years ago? cmc. quesabirria and smashburgs? cmcaf)It’s less what you’d think of as fluffy focaccia and more like a thin flatbread stuffed with salty stracchino cheese—kinda reminds me of a melty stretchy halloumi. You might recognize this dish if you’re from Liguria where it originated or more likely from chi spacca if you’re an angeleno. Fun fact: Nancy Silverton actually brought this dish to a popup at Cotogna a few years ago, and Michael Tusk kept it on the menu since (he tells me Nancy borrowed his ravioli du uovo so it was a fair trade).I love this dish so much — ate this outside their beautiful heated outdoor parklet underneath the olive trees a couple weeks ago. hadn’t been in years but was reminded why I need to get there sooner—pfg all around.

Big bowls of brothy birria. Really love this spot so much, been coming here for years. Long before the quesabirria craze, Juan Gallardo has been doing weekend-only big bowls of brothy birria at his restaurant Gallardo’s in the mission. Gallardo hails from Jalisco, Mexico, aka the birthplace of birria, and has had his restaurant for 25years (!)—the og location was on 14th and Folsom, not too far away from its current corner spot on Shotwell Steet.I like to get the birria seca (dry), in where the meat (gallardo uses lamb), is seared on the plancha until nice and crispy. It’s served on the side so you can make your own tacos with their fresh tortillas made in house - use the broth as a sipper or a dipper or both — the choice is yours and you won’t be judged.Really love this spot so much, been coming here for years. Everything is excellent—the rice, the beans, the chilaquiles. Just don’t ask for quesabirria—they don’t have it.

Not really a brunch guy, but there’s something about Plow that I love so much— particularly their crispy potatoes. You can find a “secret recipe” for their superlative spuds I wrote five years ago (!) on my website, but the real secret is to go during the weekday, avoid a wait/line, and let them make it for you — it’ll be better that way anyway.

Nopa’s now got outdoor dining.Nopa’s now got outdoor dining. One of my favorite things to do in normal times is sit at the busy bar pre- or post- shows at the Independent, and hunker down at the counter with a nice thick juicy rosy hued burg—truly one of my favs in the city (also in my burg guide). Smashies are great and all, but pumping out a bounty of big bois on a busy night and achieving that perfect pink med rare center every time using a wood fired grill—that’s a whole other lvl.Vege tagine is a menu mainstay and good move if you’re vegetarian, vegan (omit the yogurt), need vegetables, and/or its cold (it was cold); but the grilled broccoli with breadcrumbs and anchovy vinaigrette is the sleeper pfg dish on the menu—smokey crispy lemony umami delicious.

Try the pepperonis, pepperoncinis and provolone pizza! This is the Ohio—my favorite pie ft pepperonis, pepperoncinis and provolone at Pizzahacker, one of the best pizzerias out there nqa. They’re closed on Mondays in San Francisco, so a buddy delivered from their Mill Valley location last night, that’s how much I love it. Wrote about their intermezzo salade for the health a while ago, but that was really just an excuse to write about pizza tbh. pfg