Photograph: Dylan + Jeni
With a diversity of cuisines from all over the world, San Francisco's love of fresh beauty on the plate is evident
Written by Erika Mailman
San Francisco and USA contributor
Contributors: Shoshi Parks & Clara Hogan
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Our tiny 47-square-mile city is peppered with a slew of Michelin-starred restaurants: 28 of them, to be exact, which means there’s one roughly every mile. With our proud collection of extraordinary eateries, there is certainly room to try everything, everywhere, pretty much all at once. This year, Michelin added three new restaurants to its guide: Hilda and Jesse, Kiln and 7 Adams. Sons & Daughters got a second star (nice!), and we’re pleased to see that a handful of San Francisco’s restaurants also earned a green star for sustainable sourcing. Consider this a checklist of your dining choices for the next 12 months, everything from queer brunch to Korean charcoal cookery to a French cuisine mini-skyscraper to exquisite seafood fished from Bay Area ports… and all you can imagine in between. Here are all the Michelin star restaurants in San Francisco.
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All the Michelin star restaurants in San Francisco
- French
- Cow Hollow
Atelier Crenn’s French chef-owner Dominique Crenn was the first U.S. woman to earn three stars (in 2018, continuing to today), along with a James Beard award and a spot on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. The restaurant has also earned a Michelin green star for its dairy-free, pescatarian menu and ingredients sourced from a regenerative farm working towards biodynamic practices.
Michelin rating:3 stars (and 1 green star)
- Contemporary American
- Yerba Buena
Benu excels with chef Corey Lee’s highly technical small bites. Michelin appreciated his faux-shark's fin and xiao long bao, as well as barbecued quail with XO sauce—and overall his combining traditional Korean and contemporary Asian flavors. Benu’s SoMa location can be seen as an “oasis in the center of the city,” says Michelin.
Michelin rating:3 stars
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- Californian
- Jackson Square
price 4 of 4
Quince celebrated its 20th anniversary with a luxe renovation of its Jackson Square restaurant. Chefs Michael and Lindsay Tusk emphasize seasonal & local produce from a partner farm, like a bowl of new peas in a “silky broth brimming with flavor from guanciale and Tomales Bay clam,” says Michelin, also mentioning its pasta strength and an agnolotti filled with white asparagus. The green star arises from Quince’s partnership with the regenerative Fresh Run Farm in Bolinas.
Michelin rating:3 stars (plus 1 green star)
- Italian
- Nob Hill
price 4 of 4
With an A-frame ceiling and earth-toned walls, Acquerello is one of the oldest restaurants on San Francisco’s Michelin list, founded by chef Suzette Gresham in 1989. Michelin appreciates her sweets, handmade pastas and art-like plating, such as the carrot and ginger terrine and the “must-order cheese plate [which both] arrive as visual masterpieces.” Also mentioned are friendly sommeliers navigating “one of the deepest Italian wine and Champagne cellars in the country.”
Michelin rating:2 stars
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- Mexican
- Mission
price 4 of 4
Chef Val M. Cantú's Californios elevates Mexican heritage cuisine with ingenuity and complex ingredients, while colorful artwork on dark walls and a pleasing patio create great ambience. Michelin mentions standouts like lime cured cold-smoked hamachi with a sweet lime aguachile with pickled buddha’s hand and cold pressed cilantro.
Michelin rating:2 stars
- Contemporary American
- Mission
price 4 of 4
Michelin appreciates the surroundings, described as a “swanky, bi-level warehouse decked out like a mogul’s hunting lodge,” just as much as the creative modern tasting menu. A typical expression of modern meets nostalgia is oysters served three ways: “raw with pickled ramp foam and rhubarb; broiled à la Rockefeller, in a creamy green garlic glaçage; or fried with a spicy XO chili oil and tangy ranch.” The long wooden communal tables are a highlight for diners to share comments and appreciative tastes.
Michelin rating:2 stars
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- SoMa
price 4 of 4
Chef Christopher Bleidorn applies live open fire and whimsy to meat to please diners at his high-ceilinged, sophisticated Birdsong. Michelin noted his “lacquered quail with grilled Parker House rolls and crunchy pickles to be assembled à la Peking duck” and his use of pristine ingredients from which he creates playful and spontaneous dishes.
Michelin rating:Two stars
- Contemporary American
- South Beach
price 4 of 4
Michelin calls Saison a “privileged playpen adored by the Bay Area's elite” with its rustic warehouse setting, fiery hearth and selective taxidermy. Diners receive an immersive experience here, such as with salt-cured caviar that the team “barbecues” and wraps in seaweed, to present it tableside and then float it in a bowl of spinach and seaweed-and-butter broth. Saison lost its third star in 2019 when chef Joshua Skenes departed; after an intermediary change, Richard Lee is today’s executive chef.
Michelin rating:2 stars
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- Seafood
- SoMa
price 4 of 4
Giving vibes of a “hunter’s cabin gone Nordic-chic,” Angler SF incorporates a live fire into its kitchen bustling with meticulous meal creation. Michelin called out love for its “ultra-tender pieces of hot fried quail generously flavored with a crispy pepper coating” and its ability to turn a meh cauliflower into a “large, superbly roasted floret seasoned with vadouvan and a splash of lime.”
Michelin rating: 1 star
- Wine bars
- Cow Hollow
price 4 of 4
Contemporary French dining is found on a marble counter at Le Comptoir, next door to Atelier Crenn (which is listed separately as #1 on this list), an upscale version of sitting at the bar. A small group of diners receive a custom menu of pescatarian-focused, dairy-free cuisine, much of which gets plated right in front of you. Michelin loved the salt-brined beet tartare crowned with caviar, paired with a Mendocino sparkling rosé. Le Comptoir also gets a green star for working with a regenerative farm.
Michelin rating:1 star (plus 1 green star)
Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.
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