50 Best American Restaurants in San Francisco

“Liholiho is a fantastic restaurant! The space is modern and beautifully designed, with an open kitchen where you can watch everything being prepared, which adds a lot of energy and transparency to the dining experience.

The service was very friendly, attentive, and quick. The cocktails were excellent, and even the non-alcoholic one I ordered was made with care and tasted great.

The food was outstanding. The bun with beef tongue was extraordinary, the tuna tartare and ceviche were perfectly balanced and fresh, and the shrimps with crispy rice were especially memorable. All dishes showed creativity, originality, and were prepared with high quality ingredients.

For three people, including first and main courses, drinks, and one dessert, the bill came to $260, which I found fair for this level of quality. The only minus point is that the restaurant does not offer coffee, which would have been a nice way to finish the meal.

Overall, I really enjoyed everything at Liholiho. Highly recommended, and I hope I will get to return again!“

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

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

“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!“

“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🍸🍹“

“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.“

“We stopped in here while in the area and were pleasantly surprised we had never made the stop before! I'm a dog person so anything with a Dog theme and I'm in, but this place didn't stop there. They have an impressive drink menu with a few things I'd never seen, and they also have these delicious NA waters (?) that I wish I could remember the name of.

They also have a great food menu and the service was very good. I'll be back and you should stop by too!“

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

“Great environment, lively, and tasty food!“

“Best dining experience I’ve had since I moved here. Great food, great service, great atmosphere. My new favorite restaurant 💚💚💚“

“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.“

“awesome food , great service definitely recommended“

“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!“

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

“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.“

“I must say i had high hopes but the meal was tasteless but my friends had too much salt. I wanted to like it. Wont return, wont recommend. ☹“

“The pork chops are above world-class!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I'll be back.“

“Very good, but not perfect. Maybe the recent Michelin star and the hype skewed some of my expectations, but while some dishes were outstanding, others fell a bit flat.

The beginning of the meal started out stronger, with a simple, but satisfying bread and butter and flavorful first course, for which I received a vegetarian variation to accommodate my finned fish allergy.

The 2nd course with the poached egg was definitely the best part of the whole meal - very rich, but silky and complex with flavor and texture.

The 3rd course pastas were both amazing for the same reasons as the 2nd and a close favorite.

The 4th courses were where things disappoint a bit: Though the lobster 3 ways sounds great, the stew was a little too overpowering in flavor and hiding the lobster's flavor (though there was a decent amount of lobster meat in there). The sauce that accompanied the tail was delicious, but the tail was uneven in doneness, with the narrow part a bit overdone while the thicker part was just right. The tempura claw was perfect and the best part of the main course.
For my husband's main course- the wagyu bavette. It was delicious.

The 5th course - dessert - was also a mix. I found the chocolate pear too one-note and overpowering with pear (expecting other flavors to come out of the chocolate, cake, or almond shortbread). My husband's sundae was much better with all the right flavors and balance coming through.

Overall, this was a great meal, but not perfect.“

“Every time we go to Che Fico, our experience seems to get even better. Food and service is fantastic (even brand new employees!). Highly recommend the heirloom tomato appetizer, focaccia, and any of the pasta dishes (freshly made daily). We also love the ambience with the live plants and decor. Thank you, Che Fico, for always providing for a great time!“

“Great food and ambience here!“

“Every single thing at The Morris was thoughtful. The delicious dishes (the duck!), the wait staff (and their locally designed clothes), the pot my tea was served in, the videos playing in the restroom. The soap! I strangely left not only full of good food and drinks (the mocktails!), but weirdly inspired in a larger sense. Is this normal? I love this place.“

“Rich dishes, very delicious“

“Amazing dining experience. Worth the price“

“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.“

“Love this spot! Great cocktails, cool vibes, and the patty melt is amazing. Also really love the mushroom tempura dish. I've been coming here for years and while a lot of other places have gone downhill over time this place is consistently solid. Make a reservation if you can to avoid the wait!“

“Fantastic artisan pizzas. We always stop by when we’re in the neighborhood!“

“awesome wine experience. Chris and his team are really dedicated sommeliers and love sharing their knowledge with you. i highly recomend this place. welcome to the world of wines.“

“Outstanding service, one of the best that I’ve ever had. Being one of my first times in San Francisco, my girlfriend and I arrived to the restaurant late, unknowingly I was supposed to have a reservation after 8:00 pm. The waiters and staff took extra care of us, accommodating our time, and letting us look around the different floors. Entering the building this kind gentlemen named Miles toured us around the building and seated us at our table. Then being greeted by a nice Lady named Mimi, the staff insisted that we take our time, allowed for lots of great photos, and Miles even complemented us with a nice desert. Again, great service. Would love to go visit again soon. And an extra big thank you to Miles.“

“Amazing food and service. Love this place!“

“Such a fun, iconic spot! I loved the atmosphere and it was really easy to find parking. The food was fantastic also, and I'd recommend in particular the bouillabaisse and the shrimp scampi.

The service, however, was lackadaisical. It took nearly an hour to get our food, and the server didn’t bring the appetizer first (in fact it didn't even arrive with the main meal). He seemed unconcerned about our experience.“

“Thank you chef Josh! Excellent experience!

Service: 10/10 we arrived early and were seated right away. The host was friendly and greeted us genuinely. Our server brought water, olives and almonds and extra olives for my wife with almond allergies so she can try the yummy olives. Amazing detail to my parties food allergies and checked to make sure the food was safe and had alternatives to accommodate.

Food: 10/10 the food was delicious. French influenced California cuisine. Fresh high quality ingredients. Sauces that enhanced the flavors and a balance of umami in all dishes. It was great that one person can have the prefix menu and others at the table can order al a cart. You can also order just one dish from prefix menu. The duck was perfect, the 3 cheeses with toast paired perfectly with the Bordeaux. The smoked trout was very well seasoned and balanced nicely with the pickled cauliflower. The hanger steak was super tender and flavorful with no dairy!!!
Wine paring is excellent. The selection of French wines is reasonable and great for food pairing.
I think the josey baker sourdough beats tartine country bread! The warm
Chocolate cookie with ice cream was delicious, the polenta cake with cream and rhubarb was shockingly good!

Ambience: 8/10 I love the simple open decor. Bar, dining and kitchen blend together. It wasn’t too noisy because the ceiling pads dampened it.

Price: $$ (great value)
Overall, an amazing neighborhood up leveled cuisine in a casual setting. We will be back with friends!“

“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 🥂🎄🙏🏼❤️😘“

“Good service and good 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!“

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

“great food and cocktails, bread to die for“

“My favorite food is everything on the menu“

“Went for a sunday brunch. I got the orange juice, which was definitely freshly squeezed and husband got the peruvian latte, which was also amazing.
I got the combo for breakfast with waffle. The waffle was way too salty for my taste but everything else was quite good. Husband got crab cake benedict, which he enjoyed a lot but didn't like the house potatoes as much coz they were very unevenly good. Overall a good experience with some flaws.“

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

“From the minute we walked in, we felt incredibly special. Our server, the sommelier and the staff serving our food delivered such an outstanding experience for my new college graduate and us. Our daughter just moved to the city so we will be back! ❤️“

“Food was good! Atmosphere was fun!“

“It was late night order and I’ve never had a burger dog before but wanted to try since frisco fried out them on the scene back in the day. Ordered my door dash and couldn’t wait. As soon as they arrive I could smell the goodness so I take my pics and dive in.Burger Dog: Hefty on the meat, felt like it was more beef than an actual burger and I wanna say easier to eat. Only change I would add bacon and that’s my bad. Very good burger dog!Bacon Hot Dog: Butterflied Beef Dog with crispy bacon! Another hit.Very simple menu options but they hit it out the park. Would definitely double back to this spot to try them fresh.

Parking: It’s on 20th street so not impossible but keep your eyes open spots get taken fast

Kid-friendliness: Burgers, Hot Dogs, Fries I think so….

Wheelchair accessibility: It’s in San Francisco it has to be accessible“

“A cozy but stylish place for dinner! We ordered a la cart but did get the uni Creme Brulee (which is worth) and the crispy rice with tuna; both were excellent, next time I’d love to try the crab flavor as well. The burrata is also really refreshing and the peaches works quite well. We saved room for dessert and the hojicha panne cotta was very different, but I enjoyed the mixing of all the different flavors. Servers were very friendly and attentive. I really enjoyed our meal here.“

“Big love from Korea! the food was fantastic, and the service was friendly and warm

Although we were foreigners, there was nothing difficult enjoying the course.

The dishes were very creative. Flavor of the ingredients was harmonious, recipe was very creative.

Thanks a lot for the fantastic dinner!“

“My friend and I decided to try to be on the go for lunch since we’ve had B patisserie before. We shared a sandwich and ordered a soup. The tomato soup was super salty to the point. It was uncomfortable to swallow so I asked the cashier if we could have another bowl but he said no the salt is pre-mixed already he offered to refund us for the soup, which I thought was very kind of him. We had the pork sandwich and it was so good not only was the meat good but the bread was soft soft and warm. Although though I was disappointed, I didn’t have my soup. I’m sure it’s pretty good except it was just overly salted. Will be back for more food next time.“

“Great bartender! Right on SF Bay.“

“My wife and I celebrated her birthday by spending a few days exploring San Francisco, and we enjoyed her birthday dinner at Waterbar. Our experience was exceptional. Our waiter took great care of us, offering a special way to enjoy the Maine lobster. The staff also showed thoughtfulness by providing a signed birthday card for her, and we were delighted with lovely birthday bites at the end of our meal. The standout dish was definitely the Maine lobster, and the corn chowder was incredibly flavorful. I would gladly return for a special occasion and highly recommend this restaurant for celebrations.“

“Loved the decor and the vibe，great place to hang out with friends.The food was absolutely delicious! The flavors were spot on.If you're in the area, this place is a must-try!“

“Incredible food and amazing service. We loved the food and vibe so much we had our wedding reception in their Private Den for our micro wedding of 24 people! It was so fun and the perfect place. It was our perfect vibe and so aesthetically pleasing! I loved the moody vibes and it perfectly complimented our wedding ideas. Our group was small enough at 24 people so we were able to do a seated dinner with a four course meal. Food was so good and 100% better than a typical catered wedding.
My MOH was able to go in before opening and decorated quickly so it was even more beautiful than usual. The team was able to set up for the dinner and helped us take it down once food and cake were done. We were able to dance the night away and have some delicious drinks! They were so attentive and the staff was constantly coming in to check on us and quickly get us drinks or help us with lighting, switching our Spotify playlist, etc. Stellar team and I know this was the perfect place for us. It’s was an unforgettable night, even after I had one too many drinks celebrating!

I spent weeks looking for an affordable place for after our San Francisco City Hall wedding. All blogs, socials, and reviews told me of dozens of restaurants that for me were ok for a dinner, maybe some dancing. None were perfect or that cost-effective.
Wilder was so beautiful and the staff was so friendly. The owner himself showed me the private den and talked to us while we ate dinner there for our first tasting. He went above and beyond that day and our actual reception. He was the one serving the bar and helping me switch my Spotify playlist. You can tell he cares about the client experience and he is helping us even in the tiny details like that!
Coming here even for dinner you can tell they cultivate a culture of quality experience and food. Having my actual wedding reception here showed me they will pull all the stops for you to have a memorable experience. I will forever remember our night and keep coming back to relive it!

Parking: Lots of street parking even on weekends but there’s a paid parking garage about a block away if it gets hard to find a spot

Kid-friendliness: My kid loved it, had 3 kids under 7 for our Private Den event and they were kept busy the whole night with the game in there and then the dancing. Couch there for when they got sleepy.“

“Had San Francisco Cioppino (Mussels. Clams, Crab, Cod, Prawns, Scallops and Garlic Bread that was the bomb). Only giving 2 thumbs up as I only have 2. Great food, great service!“