San Francisco Restaurants

Since the first waves of immigrants arrived here with the 1849 Gold Rush, San Francisco has been a crossroads of ethnic dining. With so many distinct ethnic neighbourhoods offering the best food their countries offer, you can be sure of a memorable meal almost every time at every place. This is a city that loves to eat, and the local chefs have to stay on their toes to provide new dishes to keep the residents happy.

Local cuisine

The famous California cuisine style developed just across the bay in the town of Berkeley back in the 1970s at Chez Panisse. Today, this style which presents the bountiful fresh produce of the region in a light and healthy manner remains at the heart of cooking in the city. Fused with influences from Asia, the Mediterranean and Latin America, San Franciscos top chefs are continually creating innovative and delicious dishes.

This is also the birthplace of the distinctively pungent and chewy sour dough bread, which is best experienced down at Fishermans Wharf on a cool foggy morning. Another great treat in this part of California is the wine growing regions of Napa and Sonoma Valley, just to the north of San Francisco. You can enjoy the finest wines from all over the region at the citys restaurants, some of which can only be found here.

Where to eat

With an abundance of organic produce, seafood, free-range meats and incredible wines, its easy to see why so many people consider San Francisco a dining mecca. Every neighbourhood in town excels at its own local style of cuisine; its merely a matter of what kind of food you feel like eating. For Italian, youll want to head down to North Beach, or for the best Latin food, go to the Mission District. Its that easy. Trendy fusion restaurants can be found all over the upscale Nob Hill area and Union Square has plenty of eateries as well. Dining out in this city is not cheap, however, and popular restaurants are booked weeks in advance, so be sure and make reservations.