'If you can’t eat well in San Francisco then there’s something really wrong.”. The words of Lori Lincoln, of the San Francisco Travel Association, gain more resonance the longer you spend in California’s culinary gem. Whether you are a ‘foodie’ or despise that label, you will return home longing for the delights you savoured in a city famous for more than just the Golden Gate Bridge and Mrs Doubtfire.
At the higher end of the scale, San Fran has recently benefited from a welcome trend of Michelin-star restaurants launching accompanying cocktail bars. aison Wine Bar opened in July, just down the street from the two Michelin-starred Saison. Meanwhile, the wonderfully-welcoming Bar Crenn, from chef Dominique Crenn, launched next door to her three Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn. Michelin young chef award winner David Yoshimura’s Bar Iris is a stone’s throw away from sister restaurant Nisei. And the Moongate Lounge, from the Mister Jiu’s team, allows you to sip tequila creations while casting admiring glances over San Francisco’s Chinatown.
The city also boasts some legendary institutions, offering a taster menu of SF’s rich dining history. As a jazz three-piece plays Casablanca’s As Time Goes By, diners are transported to a golden age in John’s Grill. Resembling a setting from Goodfellas, the Ellis Street venue has been serving steaks to celebrities and politicians since 1908 - many of whom are immortalised on the restaurant’s walls.
