Best Restaurants in San Francisco, California: Where to Eat Now

Last Updated on July 24, 2026 by Daniel Globe

San Francisco’s restaurant scene changes quickly, and some of the most interesting places to eat right now are recent openings, former pop-ups with permanent homes, and familiar names beginning new chapters. This list focuses on 10 newer or recently revived spots worth knowing, from seafood counters and pizza to modern Chinese cooking, Colombian brunch, Italian food, and Jewish deli classics.

Best New San Francisco Restaurants at a Glance

Super Mensch — Modern Jewish Deli in the Marina

At Super Mensch, 2336 Chestnut Street, the familiar language of an East Coast Jewish deli gets a modern San Francisco treatment. The menu centers on house-made deli staples such as pastrami, rye bread, matzah ball soup, latkes, pickles, and generously portioned sandwiches.

The signature Super Mensch sandwich goes well beyond an ordinary pastrami on rye, piling a full pound of pastrami onto house-made bread. Smaller appetites can choose the standard pastrami sandwich, while the giant chocolate cake has become another recognizable part of the restaurant’s identity.

The bar leans into the same playful nostalgia. Drinks have included a boozy take on an egg cream and a Babka Old Fashioned, so Super Mensch works as well for a casual dinner with drinks as it does for a deli lunch.

Al Pastor Papi — Mexico City-Style Tacos in Union Square

Al Pastor Papi operates at 232 O’Farrell Street near Union Square as part of San Francisco’s Vacant to Vibrant program. Chef and founder Miguel Escobedo built the business around Mexico City-style al pastor, making this a taqueria rather than the “deli-adjacent” concept it has sometimes been described as.

The downtown location grew from Escobedo’s established food-truck and pop-up following. Al pastor is the obvious starting point, while burritos and rotating specials give regulars more reasons to return.

Its central location makes Al Pastor Papi particularly useful when you want a flavorful lunch near Union Square without committing to a long sit-down meal. Because the storefront has operated through a pop-up revitalization program, check the current listing before visiting for the latest schedule.

Sam Wo — A Reopened Chinatown Institution

Sam Wo is not a brand-new restaurant, but its latest chapter makes it relevant to a list of San Francisco restaurants worth revisiting. The century-old Chinatown institution is at 713 Clay Street, not Pine Street.

The restaurant closed in January 2025 as longtime chef David Ho retired, but that did not become its final chapter. A new group took over and reopened Sam Wo on September 5, 2025, after working to preserve the restaurant’s established recipes and identity.

Barbecue pork rice noodle rolls remain one of the defining orders. The reopened restaurant also offers a broader dim sum selection alongside familiar Cantonese and Chinese American dishes. The appeal is less about an “upscale reinvention” and more about seeing how a historic Chinatown restaurant is carrying its traditions forward under a new team.

Nopa Fish — Seafood Market and Kitchen in the Ferry Building

Nopa Fish fills two roles at once: it is a working seafood market and a casual kitchen inside the Ferry Building at 1 Ferry Building, Shop 31.

The project comes from the team behind Nopa and is built around fresh, locally sourced seafood and seasonal Northern California ingredients. Because the seafood selection changes with availability, the menu is designed to move with the catch rather than stay locked into a fixed group of dishes.

Depending on the day, that can mean fish and chips, seafood sandwiches, raw or lightly prepared fish, rice dishes, oysters, and other preparations tied to what is coming through the market. There are only a few dozen seats and the restaurant does not currently take reservations, so it is best approached as a flexible Ferry Building lunch rather than a formal booking.

Parachute Bakery — Seasonal Pastries at the Ferry Building

For laminated pastries, coffee, and a lighter daytime stop, Parachute Bakery occupies Suite 5 in the Ferry Building. The bakery was created by the team behind Sorrel and neighboring Arquet, with a focus on precise pastry work and seasonal ingredients.

Croissants and laminated doughs are central to the concept, but Parachute goes beyond a standard pastry case. Its rotating selection can include cookies, cakes, savory pastries, chocolates, juices, coffee drinks, and house-made pantry items.

The rotation is part of the appeal, especially because the bakery can draw on produce from the nearby Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Rather than arriving for one permanent signature pastry, expect the case to change and choose from what looks strongest that day.

Maritime Boat Club — Seafood Dinner in Union Square

Maritime Boat Club sits on the second floor of Palihotel at 417 Stockton Street, reached through Bar Maritime. The restaurant focuses on seafood, seasonal produce, and comfort-driven dishes inspired by the Bay Area and Pacific coast.

Chef Felix Santos brought experience from restaurants including Quince, Atelier Crenn, and Sorrel to the project. Opening menus ranged from oysters and escabeche-style shellfish to larger seafood preparations and an elaborate seafood tower known as the Kraken.

The menu is intentionally market-driven, so individual dishes and prices can change. That makes Maritime Boat Club a better pick for diners who care more about seasonal seafood and an evening restaurant experience than ordering one specific dish they saw months earlier. The wine program is also a major part of the concept, with a focus on coastal and low-intervention bottles.

Unlike Bar Maritime, which is primarily first-come, first-served, Maritime Boat Club accepts reservations through the restaurant’s current booking link.

Jules — Creative Pizza in the Lower Haight

Jules, at 237 Fillmore Street, has become one of the most talked-about newer pizza restaurants in San Francisco. Chef-owner Max Blachman-Gentile draws on experience that includes Tartine Bakery and New York’s Roberta’s, but the finished pies do not fit neatly into one traditional pizza category.

The crust lands between several regional styles: crisp and blistered but still chewy, with sourdough character and enough structure for assertive toppings. Pizzas such as the pepperoni-forward Spicy Ronny and mushroom-based Fun Guy have been recurring favorites, while the menu also gives real attention to small plates.

Those starters have included yellowtail or halibut crudo, seasonal chopped salads, and nori-guanciale pull-apart buns. House-made frozen desserts give you a reason to save room after the pizza.

Reservations can be competitive, but booking systems change. Instead of relying on an old Resy instruction, check Jules’ official site for its current reservation link. Walk-in seats may also be available.

Bosco — Live-Fire Italian Cooking in SoMa

Bosco is at 888 Brannan Street in SoMa, where it replaced the former Bellota. Led by chefs Ryan McIlwraith and Kaili Hill, the restaurant is built around live-fire Italian cooking, handmade pasta, sourdough, and seasonal Northern California ingredients.

The wood-fired hearth is more than background scenery. It shapes the menu through grilled and slow-cooked dishes, while the pasta program has included combinations such as lemon spaghetti and buckwheat chitarra. Bread is another strength, with sourdough preparations and tigelle extending the restaurant beyond a conventional pasta-and-pizza formula.

Bosco is a good choice when you want a full dinner rather than a quick counter meal. Its large former Bellota space, open kitchen, house-made pasta, and live-fire cooking give it a distinctly different feel from the smaller neighborhood restaurants elsewhere on this list.

The Happy Crane — Modern Chinese Cooking in Hayes Valley

The Happy Crane at 451 Gough Street grew from a pop-up into a permanent Hayes Valley restaurant led by chef James Yeun Leong Parry. His cooking draws from Chinese traditions, particularly Cantonese flavors, while using contemporary technique and California ingredients.

One of the restaurant’s best examples is XO Little Fry King, a seafood-centered stir-fry built around house-made XO sauce. It should not be confused with the Brent Wolfe Quail, a separate dish whose preparation takes inspiration from Cantonese roast duck.

Other dishes have included fresh rice rolls with crab and a carefully staged Peking duck experience. The latter requires advance booking for qualifying parties, so this is one restaurant where planning ahead can materially change what you are able to order.

The Happy Crane works best for diners who want a modern, chef-driven interpretation of Chinese cooking rather than a straightforward dim sum or Cantonese barbecue meal.

Pacifico — Colombian and Coastal Latin American Food at SFJAZZ

Pacifico is located at 205 Franklin Street inside the B-Side space at the SFJAZZ Center, on the Civic Center/Hayes Valley edge. It is not in Mission Bay and is not a waterfront restaurant.

Owners Daniel Morales Vallejo and Laura Gelvez bring Colombian roots to a broader coastal Latin American menu. Morales’ experience at Peruvian restaurant La Mar also shows up in the seafood side of the menu, especially ceviches and other Pacific-influenced dishes.

Brunch has been one of Pacifico’s strongest draws. Opening menus featured pancakes de choclo made with corn and mozzarella as well as fried arepas filled with Dungeness crab and egg. Dinner has leaned further into ceviche, whole fish, seafood stew, grilled meats, and other shareable plates.

The SFJAZZ location makes Pacifico especially useful before performances at nearby arts venues. It originally arrived at B-Side as a long-term residency, so check the restaurant’s current site for the latest schedule and booking details before making plans.

How to Choose Between These San Francisco Restaurants

Your best choice depends less on finding one universal “best restaurant” and more on what kind of meal you want. For a casual daytime stop, Nopa Fish, Parachute Bakery, and Al Pastor Papi are easy places to build into a day of sightseeing. Super Mensch works well when you want an indulgent deli meal without turning dinner into a formal occasion.

For a more planned evening, look first at Jules, Bosco, Maritime Boat Club, and The Happy Crane. Pacifico is particularly convenient when you are already headed to a concert, opera, ballet, or other Civic Center event, while Sam Wo makes the most sense when Chinatown history is part of the experience you are looking for.

Conclusion

San Francisco’s newer restaurant scene covers far more than one style of dining. You can eat a towering pastrami sandwich at Super Mensch, grab local seafood at Nopa Fish, explore modern Chinese cooking at The Happy Crane, settle in for live-fire Italian food at Bosco, or make pizza the main event at Jules.

The most useful way to treat this list is as a starting point rather than a rigid ranking. Match the restaurant to your neighborhood, schedule, and appetite, check the current menu or reservation page before leaving, and you will have a much better chance of finding the San Francisco meal that feels right for you.

Sources

1. Sam Wo Restaurant — current address, reopening status, and restaurant information.
2. The Happy Crane — current chef, location, dining concept, and reservations.
3. Bosco SF — SoMa location, live-fire Italian concept, chefs, and current restaurant information.
4. Nopa Fish — current location, seafood-market format, menu philosophy, seating, and reservation policy.
5. Super Mensch — Marina address, deli concept, and current menu information.
6. Maritime Boat Club & Bar Maritime — current location, seafood concept, reservation policy, and operating information.