- Q: What types of romantic dining experiences are available?
- A: Couples looking for romantic dining experiences can choose from a wide selection of cuisines and dining experiences, including traditional French and Italian bistros, upscale-rustic Californian restaurants, and unique experiences recreating Chinese dim sum service.
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1. Octavia
Octavia is an elevated New American offering from acclaimed Bay Area chef Melissa Perello, known for her work at hip spots such as the Castro district's Frances. The restaurant, which is named in honor of the restaurant's street location in Lower Pacific Heights, serves up nightly dinner menus in a renovated 19th-century space emphasizing romantic, polished decor and down-to-earth ambiance. Expertly-crafted dishes showcase a commitment to sustainability and local sourcing, including delectable comfort fare such as English pea and bacon tagliatelle, striped bass prepared with mushrooms and savoy cabbage, duck leg confit in coconut curry, and petit filet mignon with creamed spinach and rutabaga. Diners can enjoy an extensive list of wines available by the bottle, carafe, or glass or take home loaves of the restaurant's signature house-baked levain, served with cultured butter or ligurian olive oil.
1701 Octavia St, San Francisco, CA 94109, Phone: 415-408-7507
2. Rich Table
Rich Table is the unique culinary vision of executive chefs Sarah and Evan Rich, housed within a rustic space decorated with salvaged barn wood and centered around an open-plan kitchen. The relaxed, convivial restaurant showcases clever Californian fare at dinner and late-night service, highlighting high-quality land and sea fare such as whole-roasted squab with hoisin and flowering rabe, black cod with braised kale and Asian pears, and 21-day dry-aged ribeye steaks. Couples can also choose from pasta entrees such as aged beef cannelloni or tonnarelli prepared with sea urchin or share gourmet desserts such as cream cheese panna cotta or coconut cake with brown butter ice cream. After-dinner cocktails and dessert wines are showcased on the restaurant's drink menu, along with an extensive list of fine liquors.
199 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102, Phone: 415-355-9085
3. Seven Hills
Seven Hills is a unique fine dining experience in San Francisco's Russian Hill neighborhood, showcasing a delectable menu of farm-to-table Roman-style fare at dinner service each night. The intimate, romantic neighborhood restaurant is helmed by renowned executive chef Anthony Florian, emphasizing dishes crafted with handmade pastas and a bounty of produce from local Bay Area farms and purveyors. Savory pasta entrees include maccheroncelli with housemade ricotta, spaghetti alla chitarra with artichoke sugo and mint, and telicherry pepper farfalle with pecorino spuma and pancetta. Hearty land and sea options range from bavette steak with butterball potatoes to daily fresh fish catches served up with fregola and mussels. An approachable wine list features pairings meant to complement entrees, focusing on Italian and Napa Valley varieties.
1896 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA 94109, Phone: 415-775-1550
4. Acquerello
Acquerello is one of San Francisco's most coveted upscale dining experiences, receiving one of the city's first Michelin star ratings upon the inception of the prestigious guide's inaugural Bay Area edition. The restaurant, which is helmed within a converted chapel facility in the city's Nob Hill neighborhood, offers fine Italian dining options cultivated by executive chef Suzette Gresham, available at dinner service Tuesdays through Saturdays. A nightly prix fixe menu showcases three to five courses of elegant fare such as llano seco pork, cozze patate with Gulf prawns, spinach creste di galli with wagyu beef Bolognese, and swiss chard and mushroom raviolo with browned butter. A seasonal tasting menu is also offered, with advance reservations required to ensure nightly availability. Wine pairings are available to complement all meals, showcasing the restaurant's excellently cultivated wine list, which has received the prestigious Wine Spectator Grand Award each year since 2012.
1722 Sacramento St, San Francisco, CA 94109, Phone: 415-567-5432
5. Benu
Benu is the latest offering from acclaimed executive chef Corey Lee, best known for his James Beard Award-winning work at The French Laundry. The elegant, minimalist restaurant, which was opened to the public in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood in 2010, has received three Michelin stars and is a proud recipient of the AAA Five Diamond Award, acclaimed by international publications such as The New York Times as one of the American West Coast's best upscale restaurants. Couples can enjoy full tasting menus at dinner service Tuesdays through Saturdays, showcasing seafood, meat, and vegetable courses such as faux shark's fin and soup dumplings, Cantonese-style pork belly and blood sausage crepinette, and Beluga caviar with sweet sea urchin. An impressive wine list showcases more than 300 selections from across California and Europe, complemented by craft beers and imported sakes available by the glass. Diners should plan approximately three hours for dinner experiences and should notify the restaurant of any dietary concerns before showing up for reservations.
22 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, Phone: 415-685-4860
6. Boulevard
Boulevard is a refined Embarcadero offering from executive chef Nancy Oakes, offering elevated American fare served up in a dining room showcasing unparalleled San Francisco Bay views. The restaurant, which has been considered to be one of the city's finest dining spots since its 1993 opening, has become a landmark in the city's Embarcadero district, known for its grand Belle Époque decor and acclaimed market-driven cuisine. Lunch and dinner service are offered daily, highlighting constantly-rotating seasonal menus featuring fare such as wood-oven-roasted Berkshire pork prime rib chops, wild Pacific swordfish with Caesar-style Yukon gold potatoes, and black wild mushroom risotto with burrata and burgundy truffles. Full lunch and dinner dessert menus highlight elegant choices such as maple creme brulee, warm pumpkin bread pudding, and the restaurant's romantic Croquembouche service for two.
1 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105, Phone: 415-543-6084
7. Californios
Californios is a Michelin-starred dining experience in San Francisco's Mission district, originally opened to the public as a pop-up restaurant in 2013. The restaurant, which is named in honor of the first Mexican settlers in California, has been acclaimed by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the city's most unique dining destinations, known for its constantly-changing tasting menus and small-batch wine list. Executive chef Val M. Cantu, best known for his work at Nob Hill's Sons and Daughters and for his nod as one of America's best new chefs by Food and Wine in 2017, emphasizes minimalistic elegance in all his nightly tasting menus, which source ingredients from the finest farms and purveyors possible to showcase vibrant seasonal flavors at their peak. 16 courses are offered each night, making for one of the city's most impressive tasting experiences.
355 11th St. San Francisco, CA 94103, Phone: 415-757-0994
8. Chapeau
Chapeau ! is a charming and inviting French bistro known as one of the Richmond's best date night spots, helmed by executive chef Philippe Gardelle, who offers up classic French fare at dinner and early bird service Wednesdays through Sundays. The tucked-away bistro on Clement Street is known for its intimate ambiance and impressive wine list, which showcases extensive domestic and imported selections available by the glass or by the bottle. Elevated comfort fare served up includes cassoulet de Toulouse with cannellini bean ragout, roasted duck breast with carrot and coriander puree, and fine filet mignon prepared with spinach soubise and bone marrow. A vegetarian menu is available to accommodate diners with dietary needs, showcasing selections such as vegetable Napoleon with farro, barley, lentils, and curry cauliflower mousse.
126 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118, Phone: 415-387-0408
9. Cotogna
Cotogna is a rustic Italian-style eatery in San Francisco's historic Jackson Square neighborhood, named for the Italian word for "quince," a nod to its sister eatery Quince Restaurant. The bistro, which is helmed by Quince's executive chef Michael Tusk, is known for its daily-rotating menus of wood-fired fare, including delicious traditional wood-oven Italian pizzas. Housemade pastas also take center stage, including selections like raviolo with farm eggs and brown butter, gramigna with pork sausage and romanesco, tagliatelle alla Modenese, and casarecce al nero prepared with fennel and Monterey Bay squid. Spit-roasted land and sea entrees include steelhead trout with chanterelle mushrooms, duck leg confit with rutabaga, and quail prepared with butternut squash and Tuscan black cabbage.
490 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, Phone: 415-775-8508
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