50 Best American Restaurants in San Francisco

“We had dinner there and the food was delicious…. The fried quail was the star. The starters were excellent. Very recommended restaurant“

“We walked in on NYE without a reservation and they graciously found us a spot in the bar area. Service was on point and staff were festively dressed! I love a crafty cocktail but most are too sweet. I had the Smokey mezcal cocktail 🍹. Perfection. Appetizers were delish as well. Perfect way to start our NYE celebrations.“

“Great food and ambience here!“

“An absolute SF classic that lives up to the hype! The English cut prime rib was perfectly aged, tender, and juicy, spun tableside from the silver dome cart—pure theater. Loved the Yorkshire pudding, creamed spinach, and that massive baked potato. Cocktails are strong and old-school. The retro vibe with white tablecloths feels like stepping back in time. Reservations essential, but it's worth it for a special occasion meat-lover's feast.“

“Affordable price, great taste“

“My friend, Mike, who lives nearby with his wife, raved about it so much that my BF and I decided to come after a short trip to Marin. It was everything that he described and more. It was fantastic! Excellent food and atmosphere. Will definitely add to my list of favorites and will recommend to my Palo Alto friends!“

“just lovely! vegan friendly but the fried chicken was tops!“

“Holy moly, this place was great! The food is tasty & beautifully served. The service was great & Hannah made terrific suggestions. Really well done!“

“A great way to experience a four course meal at an affordable price, with delicious food. We will definitely be back.“

“The food in this restaurant is delicious, I hope you have time to try it.“

“I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. I am a business owner a few doors down and I wandered in with a friend after work one night about a month ago. We were met with such incredible warmth from the staff and the environment itself, even without a reservation. We sat at the bar and were greeted by Josh, only to find out later that he is the owner. He made excellent recommendations on everything from our drinks to dessert. The bar didn’t feel isolated from the rest of the restaurant and guests, but rather was lively hub frequented by kitchen and serving staff and warmed by a smoldering wood fire. The coziest. We swooned for the poke appetizer, complete with house-made toasted, but not crisp, blue corn tortillas. The pork shoulder tacos—also to die for. I have to say though, that the star on the sidelines was the beans. I honestly didn’t know I could feel this way about beans…but I digress. Josh bounced around from table to table all night, never letting a single ball drop, making every guest feel like *his* guest. A pot de crème sealed the evening in perfect bliss. I’m back a month later with the same friend, eating different and somehow even more incredible entrees: ribeye, halibut and a rhubarb crisp for dessert. I scarcely ever take the time to write a review as I prefer to vote with my $ and my feet, but I simply couldn’t eat here again without taking the time to sing it’s praises. Eat here.“

“味道很不错值得尝试一下！😁😁😁“

“Amazing dining experience. Worth the price“

“Really nice place. Highly recommended“

“Palms Court absolutely delivered. Best steak and sweet potato I’ve ever had — cooked perfectly and full of flavor. The Banana Split Sundae afterward was the perfect finish, and the latte was excellent as well.

Our server, Geovanni, was professional, attentive, and very responsive without being intrusive. Service was smooth from start to finish.

Great food, great service, and a classic steakhouse feel. I’ll definitely be back“

“Amazing food and service. Love this place!“

“Great airport spot. What I care about the most when traveling is an attentive server, an attentive server, and an attentive server. Keep an eye out for Vital - he’s exactly this. He has a spidey sense for traveler’s needs and flight schedules. Love this guy“

“Get there early if you want a seat. Their Whiskey Sour is absolutely perfect And they have actual food if you like that kind of stuff🍸🍹“

“What an amazing culinary experience! We had a three course meal. The waiter was very helpful, friendly and had great recommendations! I highly recommend this place if you're in San Francisco!“

“Absolutely delicious. The staff was awesome. Consuelo couldn't have been more friendly! Great experience. Highly recommend 😋😋“

“Last Saturday we ordered a lot of food from the melt. The whole crew was working overtime and we all ordered multiple items and the crew absolutely killed it. Lady working the cashier was absolutely amazing. Sweetest lady ever. The cooks were amazing and they have a very good crew working. The only names I received were Mar, Janeka, Dom and Tone but everyone was incredible and we definitely will be back.“

“Read atmosphere increases wonderful, outdoor patio“

“Outstanding food and service here. Great atmosphere and nice decor. Sephiscated bar with variety of wine selections and table service matini. Lunch menu from $65 per person. Love the seasonal white truffle pasta. Its homemade pasta here. We will be back next time to try other dishes.“

“Another brilliant visit to Sorrel and Alex Hong continues to reign as my current favorite Chef! 🤘🏼If you haven’t been to Sorrel, go. Total genius.“

“Had read when researching SF Pat's was popular and didn't disappoint. Friendly staff and oh my tasty food and large portions 🤦my burrito 🌯 was huge.Did my best. 😀 recommend highly“

“The staff was so warm and immediately welcoming, even helping us take our photos! Our belongings were taken care of, food was classy and tasty, and the experience was beautiful with my party of 6. Tge food came in a timely manner and everyone was cared for!“

“Great breakfast and fast service Thank you ♥️♥️“

“Great entertainment and hosts!!!“

“The best restaurant you’ve never been to in SF. Every time i have friends in town I take them here. Service is wonderful, food is delicious and well priced, atmosphere is cozy and vibey. Great selection of wine and vermouth. Probably my current favorite in the city. Cheers!“

“We always reserve a table for lunch when we're in San Francisco. It never disappoints. Our server, Dhan (forgive me if I didn't get that right!!), was remarkable. Kind and funny, and very attentive to the food sensitivities in our group. We often start with a glass of champagne but this visit we changed it up with mocktails. The salads were delicious and the buttery lettuces were beautiful on the plate. My family went for Rotunda's famous warm chocolate chip cookies for dessert, but I ordered the strawberry sorbet, it tasted like fresh picked berries and was a blast of summer tho it was cool in the city. Plan ahead, they really can get booked up.“

“Good food, excellent service“

“Holy Schnike!!! The food is incredibly delicious, the non-seafood versions I am getting are the most amazing tastes. The Wines paired with the dishes are inspired and spot on.“

“Fab bar with a great range of booze and really friendly and helpful staff. Took the time to discuss UK vs USA measures and jiggers with me - fascinating!“

“I was on vacation in San Francisco & my cousin recommended Kates Kitchen. We had breakfast there & the food was very tasty. I highly recommend stopping by Kate's for a bite to eat if you are in the area.“

“Never disappointed when you go to Heritage… Tonight I tried the New York steak absolutely delicious… Carrot soup absolutely delicious… And of course too and with chocolate chip cookies warm from the oven and coffewith a dollop of Cardamom whipping cream …Yum! Oh and great Manhattans with Basil Hayden bourbon 🥂🎄🙏🏼❤️😘“

“Loved loved the atmosphere and food“

“Wow. What a Great addition to the neighborhood. A lively pub with great American Classic menu items. Movies on the wall for kids. Live music. Back patio. Fantastic friendly and competent service. Great local beers. Best burger I’ve had in a long time (disclaimer: I live in Mexico now).“

“📍 Wolfe's Lunch, a classic American diner, is located at 1220 16th St in San Francisco's Potrero Hill. Operating since 1948, it's known for its friendly service and large portions, serving satisfying breakfast and lunch in an old-school atmosphere. ★★★★★“

“Eat here once and you’re coming back. Eat here twice and you’re family. Best atmosphere in SF, incredible interesting wine list, service that is knowledgeable AND fun/grounded/ entertaining and the food, my god the food! This place just celebrated 23 years in business, they deserve At least 23 more!!!!“

“Good service and good food😋“

“posole crispy tacos tres leches guacamole chips“

“My favorite food is everything on the menu“

“great food and cocktails, bread to die for“

“Excellent dining experience. Food and service were superb!“

“This is a very nice brunch place with reasonable prices and good portions. I had the corned beef hash and was disappointed. It was way under seasoned... needed a lot of salt and pepper, and the corned beef chunks were just okay. My wife had a make your own Benedict and she loved it, but our grandson had French toast and did not think it was very good. Our daughter echoed my comments about the potatoes being under seasoned, although she enjoyed her omelette. Mostly, I was disappointed by the service. It took us about 15 minutes to get our drinks after we ordered them, and once we got our food the service person was not particularly visible during the meal. After we finished, the service person kept going in and out of the kitchen but never glanced at us to see if we were ready for the check. So, to summarize, reasonably good food, good portions, pleasant atmosphere, lackadaisical service.“

“What a great place, and why I have discovered it only now. John is the most gracious host who made us feel extremely welcome and comfortable. The whole place is very cozy. It's like a private dining. We were able to enjoy our food and talk as if we were the only people in the restaurant. The food was also great. I don't really like butternut squash soup, but I loved John's. Halibut was very delicious that melted in your mouth. The other dishes were also great and wonderfully presented. Even the dinner rolls which they bake in the house, were also delicious. I actually begged John, and he gave me some to take home. I think the local patrons should chip in and buy this place a great espresso machine :). That was the only thing missing for me in this dinner.“

“Good drinks, great atmosphere, best food!!“

“Celebrated my husband’s birthday at the Chocolate Factory Dinner. Really fun, interactive, very tasty and sooo inventive. Loved the food and wine pairing. We will be back!“

“The view is comfortable and the dishes are exquisite. It is highly recommended.“

“10/10 in my book! And I hate to admit that I'm a picky girl. I'm a foodie. Servers are super friendly, vibes are nice with pleasant music in the background that's not too loud. And the food was delicious!

We got:
Mango Habanero wings (one of their specials of the day)
The wings were juicy and the sauce was amazing! Pretty sure they blended actual mango because the mango taste was there. I like spice, so I would say the sauce wasn't spicy at all, and the mango was the more dominant flavor. But it was really good :)

4 piece chicken meal with Mac and cheese and potato salad as our sides. The Mac and cheese was nice and cheesy. It gave classic Mac and cheese. I also think they broil the Mac and cheese with a layer of cheese on the top and then mix it into the Mac and cheese after, because I was getting bits of broiled cheese even on the deeper layers of the cup. Which was great. The potato salad had perfect seasoning and was also just really yummy. The chicken pieces were decently sized and I could taste the hint of rosemary on them. Very crunchy.

We also ordered a side of hot honey sauce, which we added to the chicken and the cornbread (as recommend by our server) and I did enjoy it! I did think it paired better with the cornbread. The cornbread was also yummy and crumbly. I personally like my cornbread a bit more moist, but the flavor was really nice, and the hot honey helped give it some of that moisture!

Overall, I would 100% come here again! Thinking of bringing some friends to try this place :)“