San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
S.F.’s 28 most beautiful restaurants.
Our picks for San Francisco’s 28 most stunning spaces.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, especially when it comes to restaurants. To create this (extremely subjective) list, the Chronicle Food Team championed, argued and voted for our favorites in a semi-scientific manner. It’s a list meant to spark discussion, and perhaps some appreciation, so please share your thoughts via email (food@sfchronicle.com) or Twitter (@SFC_FoodHome). What are your favorites? What did we miss? Let us know.
GRANDEUR OF
DAYS PAST
A tip of the cap to restaurants that remain beautiful in their own right and reflect a certain era. Honorable mentions: The Franciscan, Le Colonial, Big 4, Michael Mina.
28. IT’S TOPS COFFEE SHOP (1906)
Diners are beautiful by any definition. The counters, the stools, the booths, the signs. They are perfect. Yet San Francisco is losing its diners slowly but surely. The visual thing I love about It’s Tops, with respect to the likes of competitors St. Francis and Eddie’s, isn’t just its fire engine-red pleather, wood paneling or its towering sign. Not unlike Zuni Cafe a few short blocks away, it’s the restaurant’s funky asymmetry, plopped on a random stretch of Market Street — itself an asymmetrical thoroughfare slicing through San Francisco — that gives it a unique flavor. And to me, that’s beautiful. 1801 Market St. — Paolo Lucchesi
27. HARRIS’ (1984)
Compared to the likes of New York and Chicago, San Francisco has a relative dearth of vintage steak houses, those restaurants full of clubby vibes, tufted booths and dark wood. In the House of Prime Rib and Harris’, Van Ness has a pair of them within a block, but the bar at Harris’ is particularly stunning — the majestic backbar looms over the lounge area, and the live tunes from the jazz trio complete the picture. 2100 Van Ness Ave. — PL
26. FAR EAST CAFE (1920)
The most charming view of the 98-year-old Far East Cafe, anyone who’s ever courted there will tell you, is inside one of its walled booths when the curtain is pulled across the doorway. But the view from the main dining room is the one that leaves most diners agog. The tasseled lanterns hanging from ceilings ringed with elaborate moldings, the carved entryway, the bar with its scalloped roof, have preserved the Chinatown of the post-quake era, constructed to evoke fantasy or tradition, depending on the viewer. 631 Grant Ave. — Jonathan Kauffman
25. SCOMA’S (1965)
Beauty can be hard to come by at Fisherman’s Wharf, especially when you’re getting gouged on $30 shrimp scampi and $28 bruschetta. But sometimes it’s about looking in the right places. The bar area of Scoma’s, freshly redone by Anthony Fish of Arcanum Architecture, is a delightful throwback — and as best we can tell, the city’s best restaurant example of midcentury modern. (Note: Original Joe’s Westlake, the crown jewel of Henry Doelger’s suburban Daly City vision, would have taken this title if it were located in San Francisco. Curiously enough, it was Fish who brought Joe’s into the modern era during that restaurant’s renovation several years ago.) 1965 Al Scoma Way — PL
24. ALEXANDER’S STEAKHOUSE (2010)
Look past the weird bull logo and the steaks with triple-digit price tags at Alexander’s Steakhouse, and you’ll see the ghosts of one of the city’s most beautiful, if now forgotten, restaurants: Bacar (2000-2010). The restaurant was the blockbuster of the dot-com boom, a stunning three-level restaurant carved out of a Barbary Coast-era brick building. It took years and millions for architect Jim Zack and company to build the 250-seat space. Fun fact: Prior to Bacar, the building was home to the offices of celebrated landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. 448 Brannan St. — PL
BEAUTIFUL
RE-CREATIONS
Nick Carraway admonished Jay Gatsby that you cannot re-create the past. These restaurants prove that’s not entirely untrue, though many lesser restaurants have learned the hard way about the thin line between going retro and going Disneyland. Honorable mentions: 20th Century Cafe, Original Joe’s, Comstock Saloon, Leo’s, Black Cat.
21. PRESIDIO SOCIAL CLUB (2006)
Set within former military barracks that date back to 1903, Presidio Social Club is an idealized vision of postwar Americana. Bartenders are outfitted in white jackets while overhead fans spin silently. Awash in natural light and precisely accented in grays and reds, the room is the kind of polished place that could be a film set for Marilyn Monroe, or perhaps more precisely, at least a 2018 reboot of one. Of special note: I can’t think of a restaurant on this list that has a better graphic treatment — from coasters to website, from the menu design to the fonts. 563 Ruger St. — PL
20. THE CLIFF HOUSE (1858/2003)
The sheer scale of the Cliff House is awe-inspiring. Majestic two-story windows give diners a front-row seat to the splendor of the vast Pacific Ocean. That’s the main attraction, to be sure, and the rest of the space plays a supporting role to those views. But locals know that the bistro on “old” side, complete with vintage tiles and a zinc bar is every bit as beautiful as the contemporary side. 1090 Point Lobos Ave. — PL
THE HYBRIDS
Yes, these spots are probably more bar than restaurant, but these lookers serve food, too, and we just couldn’t ignore their singular splendor. Besides, backbars — those shelves where the bottles are stored — are often stunning set pieces. Honorable mentions: Comstock Saloon, The Pied Piper, House of Shields, the Interval, Cold Drinks, Whitechapel.
19. REDWOOD ROOM (1933)
The Redwood Room is a reminder that there are myriad beautiful spaces in every city that have become forgotten, yet remain hidden in plain sight. Especially since the bar has been such a part of civic lore and battles have been fought over its preservation, its current nonrelevance among many locals seems a bit sad. The bones of the legendary Art Deco bar within the Clift hotel are timeless: a glass bar and redwood paneling, with glowing shelves that reach up to the high ceiling. If you peek into the bar when it’s empty, the room will still take your breath away, a unicorn overlooked in Union Square. That’s why it’s so baffling — and disappointing — that the Clift has tried to modernize it with accoutrements like digital screens, truffle fries and the kind of drink service you might see in Vegas. 495 Geary St. — PL
18. HARD WATER (2013)
Longtime collaborators Charles Phan (who studied architecture at UC Berkeley before venturing into the chef world) and architect Olle Lundberg get most of their design-related love for their first and biggest project, the Slanted Door. They’ve since gone on to create a number of polished, modern restaurants, including OTD Bush and the now-closed Coachman. But pound-for-pound, Hard Water is the most beautiful. Carved out of a raw Embarcadero building on Pier 3, the bar, which specializes in bourbon and Southern food, is a master class in vertical space. Upon entering, a hulking, repurposed buoy pendant above the horseshoe bar is a magnet
for your eyes and closer inspection — until, that is, you notice the wall of whiskey lurking in the background. Pier 3 — PL
THE
KULETO
TIER
At his peak, Pat Kuleto was San Francisco’s most important and influential restaurant designer. His best restaurants remain timeless, grandiose spectacles that create experiential dining, a sense of a special meal. This is restaurant design at its best. (His worst, however, are garish displays that now seem clunky and overly thematic.)
17. JARDINIERE (1997)
Kuleto designed Jardiniere two decades ago, an era infatuated with 1930s supper clubs and opulent colors, and yet it has aged into the hippie-Modernism-loving 2010s with aplomb. The amber, dying-sun ceiling light, the mezzanine that circles the horseshoe bar, the contrast of white tablecloths and exposed-brick walls, all still exude the same luxury as Traci Des Jardins’ food. Drinking at the bar before a concert, one is always tempted to skip the music in favor of another Corpse Reviver. 300 Grove St. — JK
16. EPIC (2008)
Kuleto, who designs most of his restaurants around a story, says that this waterside restaurant is meant to depict an imaginary feat of engineering: A post-1906 commitment to pump water from the bay around the city to prevent it from burning down ever again. Epic is the imaginary 1907 pumphouse at the center of the plan. There is a giant wheel in the dining room, as well as riveted steel beams and tufted leather seating. It’s not hard to imagine smoking a fat Havana at the bar while drinking absinthe and watching the show of lights on the Bay Bridge. (What? It’s not a historically accurate fantasy anyway.) 369 The Embarcadero — JK
15. BOULEVARD (1993)
The central conceit of Boulevard is an ancient Parisian bistro beneath the Eiffel Tower, says Kuleto. To that effect, he modeled the exterior columns on those of an actually ancient, actually Parisian restaurant, and hired local artisans to carve, blow, buff and tile the room in an almost atavistic display of lavishness. The side benefit of evoking the 19th century is that 25 years after it opened, Boulevard appears timeless. 1 Mission St. — JK
THIS IS MODERN CALIFORNIA DESIGN
Look closely at the restaurants on this list that were opened in 2015 or later. You’ll notice a commonality: They are all owned by chefs. As such, not only do these chefs impart their respective visions, but they enlist — and support — a cadre of talent to help create the space: architects, designers, woodworkers, metalworkers, artisans, artists. The modern California restaurant is collaborative and values craft. Honorable mentions: Californios, Tawla, Bellota, Monsieur Benjamin.
14. CHE FICO (2018)
Che Fico exists in aesthetic intersection familiar only to 2018. The space, which is actually the second-floor space of a former auto-body shop, is vibrantly hip, filled with splashes of bold reds and colorful wallpaper punctuated by shades of pink, orange and white. Juxtaposing the almost-kinetic color scheme is extreme simplicity: golden browns of exposed wooden trusses and matte gray from concrete walls. Che Fico is both modern hipster and delightfully retro. It’s an anomaly perfect for San Francisco now. 838 Divisadero — Justin Phillips
13. CALA (2015)
Gabriela Camara’s Hayes Valley restaurant is a study in elegant simplicity. As soon as you step through the front door, you’re greeted with a lush trellis of kangaroo vines, while in the dining room, an ever-growing fiddle-leaf fig tree holds court. During the day, these natural elements are brightly accented by bare concrete walls, an expansive whitewashed beam ceiling and soaring windows, which let in an abundance of natural sunlight. In the evening, decorative pendant lights made from Mexican clay cast a warm, sultry glow on the affair. 149 Fell St. — Sarah Fritsche
12. OUTERLANDS (2009)
Perhaps no other restaurant on this list embraces its role as a cozy escape as Outerlands does. In its maturity, Outerlands has become a perfect restaurant, perched on the end of the continent, steps from the sand dunes of Ocean Beach. Owners Dave Muller and Lana Porcello, along with architect Charles Hemminger, created a striking wood-wrapped interior that feels like a home — a really, really nice and enviable home. There’s an ease to the room, seemingly carved out of a piece of a driftwood. Outerlands is the embodiment of the idea that a restaurant is a happy place. 4001 Judah St. — PL
11. TARTINE MANUFACTORY (2016)
Tartine Manufactory is arguably the best place to understand what modern San Francisco cuisine looks like, and as we’ve written, it’s also the ultimate expression of modern Bay Area design. It’s a celebration of makers, from the way that architect Charles Hemminger put Chad Robertson’s breadmaking on display in the middle of the room to the colors and textures created by Heath Ceramics. 595 Alabama St. — PL
ARCHITECTURAL
DREAMS
These restaurants embrace some tenants of good architecture: Be part of the existing world, embrace your environment, accentuate your existing structure, shower the space with beautiful details.
10. LIHOLIHO (2015)
The thing that hits you first about Liholiho Yacht Club is the giant black-and-white photograph behind the bar. It’s a memorable photo of a young woman — chef-partner Ravi Kapur’s mother, actually — in mid-smile. But as you spend more time in the Hawaiian-inspired restaurant, once you sit down for some tuna poke or maybe while nursing a (non-tiki) rum cocktail at the bar, the brilliance of architect Brett Terpeluk comes into focus. He has woven a modern design — sharp angles of cantilevered booths and benches, hexagonal tiles — within a brick-lined environment, all centered around the most beautiful open kitchen in town: a bright yellow showpiece, the heartbeat of the restaurant, humming with cooks and aloha spirit. 871 Sutter St. — PL
9. 25 LUSK (2010)
“The restaurants I design are more architectural than decorated,” Cass Calder Smith says. The drama of pure architecture is most clearly on display at 25 Lusk, which he designed. In the three-story warehouse, everything is exposed — brick walls, wood and steel beams, the silvery chimneys of the Erlehnmeyer-flask-shaped fireplaces — and yet diners never feel like they’re stranded amid cold, impersonal surfaces. (Side note: Did you know about the rooftop, which is open for lunch and drinks?) 25 Lusk St. — JK
THE
MAGNIFICENT
EIGHT
8. ZUNI (1979)
Zuni remains the paragon of San Francisco restaurants. That’s due to its innate beauty, and the way that beauty translates to every aspect of the dining experience — from the Caesar salad and mound of shoestring fries to the copper-top bar and the way the light filters during the midafternoon. It’s an aesthetic that organically developed due to a perfect synergy: its impeccable California cuisine, at once ever-changing and neverchanging; its vibe that is somehow both formal yet counterculture; and its position as a singular space along the city’s main artery. This, ladies and gentlemen, is San Francisco. 1658 Market St. — PL
7. THE PROGRESS (2015)
Much like Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski’s food, no part of the Progress feels predictable. So many of the surfaces, in fact, seem like they shouldn’t belong together: A great expanse of raw concrete that faces a wall covered in wooden slats, as if it were paneled in shipping pallets. A close, leafy bar that leads into an echoing warehouse carved into booths and private rooms. Where the effect should be brutalist, together all these disparate parts create a space that is warm, complex and human. 1525 Fillmore St. — JK
6. MOURAD (2015)
Along with its spaciousness, marble bar and the glowing pillars that help light the dining room, what makes Mourad such a pleasure to sit in is how much detail is layered onto the succession of Modernist sharp angles that frame the space. Tiles and metal screens create intricate patterns that nod at arabesque architecture without making the room explicitly Moroccan, a visual analogy for chef Mourad Lahlou’s food. 140 New Montgomery St. — JK
5. BIX (1988)
To me, Bix is the most classically beautiful restaurant in San Francisco. Being in there makes me feel special, like I’ve stumbled upon a secret, or maybe even a time portal. The details create a whole that is an anachronism in our modern era: The sweeping staircase, the mural behind the bar, the martini glasses on ice, the columns, the soaring ceilings, the handrails, the piano, “The Butler’s in Love” painting. They don’t make ’em like this anymore, and given the entire package at Bix — the service, the food — they couldn’t if they tried. 56 Gold St. — PL
4. RINTARO (2014)
The vaulted space that houses Rintaro, tucked into the back of a gated courtyard, has long been a lovely one. But chef Sylvan Brackett’s father, Len, who trained in traditional carpentry in Kyoto, reframed the room in pale wooden beams and posts, making it warmer and closer without hemming the diner in. With its long bar and openwalled booths, Rintaro can feel bustling and quiet at the same time. 82 14th St. — JK
3. BAR AGRICOLE (2010)
Aidlin-Darling Design has rightfully earned accolades for its creation of Bar Agricole, including a James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant Design in 2011. The entire project is truly one of a kind in America, with its smooth concrete banquettes, wood-lined wall and ceiling (made from reclaimed oak whiskey barrels), and curvy tubular glass sculptures that are suspended from skylights. However, the true glory of the space is its enclosed courtyard, which is one of the most breathtaking outdoor dining spaces in the city. It’s a lush and elegant oasis amid the surrounding nightclub scene. 355 11th St. — SF
2. MISTER JIU’S (2017)
There’s a “wow” moment at Mister Jiu’s, Brandon Jew’s delicious — and beautiful — Chinatown restaurant. It occurs after you’ve passed the cave-like bar and, like Dante emerging from the inferno to behold the stars, you enter a light-filled space, an ornate dining room framing downtown San Francisco, full of lotus chandeliers and sleek Lazy Susans. Like Jew’s creative Chinese American cooking, the design is a thoughtful composition that blends tradition and modernity. 28 Waverly Pl. — PL
1. FOREIGN CINEMA (1999)
No other restaurant in San Francisco consistently produces the same gasps as Foreign Cinema, whose dark entryway unexpectedly opens into a bricked courtyard and lofty raw-concrete dining room. It’s a deus ex machina twist, one that always feels like a city apart from the city around. The movies projected on the back wall? They haven’t gotten old. 2534 Mission St. — JK