# Where to Eat in the Bay Area Right Now > A culinary tour of San Francisco: we cover the incredible range of cuisines and the best Bay Area restaurants that are worth a visit in person. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/hastronomichna-podorozh-sanfrantsysko-rozkryvaie-riznomanittia-kukhon-ta-naikrashchi-restorany-mista/ - Language: en - Published: 2024-03-18 - Categories: Culture, Leisure, Restaurants, Tours, USA, Food & Drinks --- Will it be cioppino, chop suey, or simply steamed Dungeness crab with butter, lemon, and a slice of sourdough? With so many tempting dishes to choose from, many of them reflecting the diversity of the city's immigrant communities, it is hard to decide where to begin a San Francisco food adventure and what exactly it should include. Some locals will tell you that clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl is a must. Others insist that leaving town without trying a Mission burrito is nothing short of sacrilege. The Mission burrito is a supersized take on the Mexican classic, wrapped in foil, that reportedly got its start in the Mission Hill neighborhood back in the 1960s. Then there is farm-to-table cooking. San Francisco is blessed with an abundance of produce year-round thanks to its proximity to the heart of the country's agricultural industry, and many believe the Bay Area is exactly where this now widespread style of cooking was born. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, a third of the country's vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits and nuts are grown in the state. Amy Sherman, founder of the San Francisco food blog Cooking with Amy and an expert on the local dining scene, says the city's chefs, no matter how pricey or casual their restaurants or what cuisine they serve, feel they are doing their guests a disservice if they do not lean on seasonal ingredients as much as possible. With so many restaurants constantly opening across the Bay Area, even the most devoted food lovers find it hard to keep up. But for anyone chasing a taste, quite literally, of some of the best dishes the city has to offer, the following restaurants from chefs Gabriela Camara, Alice Waters, Dominique Crenn, and Tanya Holland are guaranteed hits. (If only Cecilia Chiang's Mandarin restaurant were still around: that legendary spot would surely have earned a place on any list of Bay Area must-visits.) Read on to find out where to eat in the Bay Area right now: ## Cala ![](/storage/image/prev/july-article-image-116-1-2024.jpg) Mexican chef Gabriela Camara already had a loyal following for her seafood restaurant Contramar in her hometown of Mexico City, and it did not take her long to win over even more devoted fans after her US debut in 2015 with the restaurant Cala. Though it was never meant to be a copy of Contramar, the restaurant, set in a spacious industrial space in Hayes Valley, focuses mainly on fish and seafood and offers fresh, simple dishes bursting with flavor. Camara loves having access to the region's abundance of seasonal produce, and her menu shifts often depending on the best ingredients she can get her hands on. Tempting options might include Dungeness crab tostadas with celery and habanero, along with kampachi ceviche with green tomato and ginger. Cala, 149 Fell St., San Francisco, CA, 94102; +1 415-660-7701 ## Chez Panisse It is no exaggeration to say that Alice Waters is one of the most iconic chefs in the United States and has shaped the way Americans eat ever since she opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley in 1971. Farm-to-table dining may be everywhere these days, but it was Waters who launched the movement toward celebrating dishes that showcase the finest produce, meat, poultry, and seafood of the moment. Nearly half a century later, she remains as relevant as ever and has shaped the culinary philosophy of countless chefs, Camara among them. The downstairs space of her establishment, known simply as The Restaurant and open only for dinner, serves a three- to four-course menu that changes daily. Upstairs, The Cafe is more affordable and offers an a la carte menu that changes twice a day. Chez Panisse, 1517 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA, 94709; +1 510-548-5525 ## Atelier Crenn ![](/storage/image/prev/july-article-image-116-2-2024.jpg) French chef Dominique Crenn opened the three-Michelin-star restaurant Atelier Crenn in 2011 with the idea of using seasonal seafood and vegetables to reimagine dishes inspired by her native Brittany in a Bay Area style. Her upscale yet not overly formal restaurant is small and offers a multi-course, daily-changing menu that no longer includes meat. That might mean Dungeness crab with seaweed or black cod with coastal greens one evening and abalone with cabbage the next. At $345 per person for the standard tasting, including service but not wine, dinner at Crenn's namesake restaurant is a splurge. Her two other spots, however, Petit Crenn in Hayes Valley and Bar Crenn next door, are far more budget-friendly options and no less delicious. Atelier Crenn, 3127 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA, 94123; + 1 415-440-0460 ## Brown Sugar Kitchen ![](/storage/image/prev/july-article-image-116-3-2024.jpg) Tanya Holland may have formally trained to cook at La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris, but she says her desire to become a chef took root in childhood, when she lived in Rochester, New York, and spent time in the kitchen preparing classic soul food dishes for her family and friends. Brown Sugar Kitchen, a laid-back, 4,000-square-foot spot in Oakland that recently reopened in a new location, serves a menu inspired by that very cuisine. Keep an eye out for dishes like smoked chicken and shrimp gumbo, buttery, flaky biscuits with blackberry jam, black-eyed pea salad, and crispy fried chicken with a cornmeal waffle, all of which have locals and tourists alike lining up. Holland's stick-to-your-ribs interpretations are comforting and generously portioned. The San Francisco outpost, in the Ferry Building, is a counter. Brown Sugar Kitchen, Ferry Building 1, Suite 41, San Francisco, 94111; +1 415-938-8090; 2295 Broadway, Oakland, CA, 94612; +1 510-839-7685 ## Nightbird After honing her culinary skills in the kitchens of some of the Bay Area's finest restaurants, including the three-Michelin-star Manresa and the upscale Italian Acquerello, Kim Alter is passionate about spotlighting California ingredients in her cooking. As chef and co-owner of the upscale restaurant Nightbird, which she opened in 2016 in Hayes Valley, she has the chance to do exactly that. The menu, as described on the website, "celebrates the best of California's diverse cultures and landscapes." The selection changes regularly and features refined-looking, colorful dishes, such as white asparagus with caviar. There is even a vegetarian menu lavish enough to satisfy omnivores. Alter also owns the Linden Room, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar connected to the restaurant and the perfect place for a drink before or after your meal. Nightbird, 330 Gough St., San Francisco, 94102; +1 415-829-7565 ## Che Fico Alimentari ![](/storage/image/prev/july-article-image-116-4-2024.jpg) Inspired by the wine bars of Rome, Che Fico Alimentari is the latest hit from the talented trio behind Che Fico: chef David Nayfeld, pastry chef Angela Pinkerton, and Matt Brewer. The warm atmosphere is made for sharing and even convinced this committed skeptic of communal dining to change her mind about a table full of Italian delicacies: Italian cheeses, salami, antipasti and, as at the original restaurant upstairs, some of the best pasta in the city. There is also a takeout counter, so if you cannot manage to book a table, you can stock up on olive oil, dried pasta, and Italian flour. Che Fico Alimentari, 834 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA 94117; +1 415-416-6980 ## Frances ![](/storage/image/prev/july-article-image-116-5-2024.jpg) Chef and owner Melissa Perello's intimate, 36-seat restaurant in the Castro district has been in high demand ever since it opened in 2009. Named after her grandmother, it offers a daily-changing menu of refined classics, such as a comforting bavette steak with an elegant caper salsa verde and grilled artichoke. Perello has close relationships with many local farmers, and they visit Frances every morning with the best the day has to offer. Most of her staff here, as well as at her other, more upscale restaurant Octavia, are women who have worked with her since day one. Come here for a romantic dinner, with the kids, or with a group of friends. Everyone is welcomed with warmth and smiles. Frances, 3870 17th St., San Francisco, 94114; +1 415-621-3870