The Hot List: Our favorite restaurants and bars in SF right now

For anyone prepared to ask us, “Where should I eat tonight?” here’s our answer: the Hot List, our opinionated guide to the top restaurants and bars in San Francisco right now. Some of the picks are new and noteworthy; others are rediscovered favorites. All are worth your while, whether for an all-you-can-eat sushi adventure or a plate of juicy prime rin. We’ll update the list at the top of every month.

For more restaurant recommendations, check out our series Eat Here Now. 

Looking for a steal? Try the $25 Diner.

And if you’re ready to raise a glass, let Swig City be your guide.

A glass of wine in SF’s chicest neighborhood
Big butter energy is at the core of this gorgeous French wine bar and restaurant, opened in 2019 by Lindsay and Michael Tusk of Quince and Cotogna. After a pandemic-influenced hiatus, Verjus reopened in November and is back as the epicenter of the chic Jackson Square hood. The wines are mostly French (and natural, though not “screaming” it), the food is the same (mussels escabeche, oeufs mayonnaise with a bit of mentaiko,  classic, rustic fish soup), and the towers of butter in the pass-through are decadent. Walk-ins get the best seats in the house, facing the beautiful open kitchen.

A naughty, all-you-can-eat adventure
Ko, a Mission sushi restaurant and izakaya, has earned a rabid fan base for its $25 all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink sushi-and-sake deal. There’s just one catch: You’ll have to wait in line. The deal is available only from 4:30 to 6 p.m., and you’ll almost always find customers queued up by 3. But the reward — as many mango hamachi orunagi avocado rolls, garlic shrimp skewers, and Asahi beer as you can stomach — is worth the risk of slipping out of the office early. 

The city’s best canelé
The lavender, decidedly feminine second location of Michelle Hernández’s patisserie opened in Potrero Hill in November to long lines of people waiting for the pastry chef’s gorgeous cakes, passion-fruit tarts, and deep-chocolate buckwheat brownies. But those in the know snap up the canelé, dangerously caramelized fluted nubs that are a classic pastry of the Bordeaux region and a true testament to Hernandez’s skill.

Bistro classics that taste just like Paris
San Francisco continues to live up to its 19th-century “Paris of the West” nickname thanks to a boom of French restaurants, including Bon Délire from Kais Bouzidi. The airy Embarcadero space eschews American expectations of what a bistro should be — no red banquettes or shiny brass here. But the menu is the real deal, spotlighting standards that include creamy oeufs mayonnaise, beef tartare crowned with raw egg yolk, and steak frites smothered in au poivre sauce.

Elegant cocktails and Michelin-worthy bites
Chef Seth Stowaway of Michelin-starred restaurant Osito has reopened the adjacent Bar at Osito. It’s an ideal destination to get cozy and enjoy an elegant cocktail or small plates like grilled sourdough bread with a dip of kuri squash. Seasonally inspired drinks such as the $16 Stone Fence — made with Kilchoman scotch, Lonely Mountain Pink Lady apples, and lemon — taste like a distillation of fall.

A familiar family restaurant with a fresh update
Chapeau on Clement Street is far from new. But recently, the owners’ son Andrew Gardelle, 30, became chef de cuisine, and he’s infusing the decades-old French restaurant with youthful energy. Chapeau is one of a handful of SF restaurants getting a second wind as a new generation steps up to put their touch on the family business. To get a taste of the new Chapeau, order Gardell’s pâté en croûte, an elaborate meat pie that gets torched table-side.

Satisfy your craving for juicy prime rib
’Tis the season for big, beefy celebrations, and in San Francisco, that usually means a plate of juicy prime rib. Of course, the ultimate destination for that meaty speciality is all but impossible to book, but there are several other great options to satisfy your craving. One of the best is Brazen Head, a cozy restaurant on a quiet Cow Hollow corner. The 10-ounce slice of prime rib ($45) comes with a side of creamed spinach and a mound of horseradish so strong it’ll make your eyes water.

An eclectic menu unlike anything else
Owned by chef Sung Park, who is Korean, and Anantachai Sanguanwong, who is Thai (hence the portmanteau Kothai), this small restaurant is one of the city’s best-kept secrets. Yes, there are classic Korean dishes, like kalbi, and tom yum noodle soup, which is Thai. But there’s also chicken liver mousse with mochi popovers and a dreamy dish of lamb braised till buttery, with Sichuan peppercorns and cumin, served atop smoky roasted eggplant and alongside a flaky roti.

Intoxicating cocktails of a different kind 
Lilah is small and well-designed, and though the drinks may be light on alcohol, the creativity runs high, including shaved ice cocktails made from a hand-cranked Japanese machine. There’s also a small menu of Asian-influenced dishes, from Taiwanese pork belly buns to a decadent trio of Cantonese duck crispy tacos. The result is intoxicating — in a totally different way. 

One of the best fish sandwiches 
Lord Stanley may be best known for its 10-course French-inspired tasting menu — but if you ask us, you’re missing out on some of the restaurant’s best offerings if you don’t explore the takeout menu. Available from noon to 9 p.m. daily, the takeout menu features a $13 smashburger, $22 dry-fired pork ribs, and a stellar fish sandwich ($18) inspired by none other than the Golden Arches. Don’t skip the beignets ($10), which are light as air and come with sides of crème chantilly and blackberry caramel. 

A big, beefy night on the town 
Don’t let any preconceptions about clubstaurants stop you from checking out AB Steak, the first Bay Area restaurant from Vegas-based chef Akira Back. It’s a sexy, subterranean Korean steakhouse where the staff cooks and slices cuts of beautifully marbled, dry-aged ribeye and bulgogi on gold-trimmed grills set into the table. A spread of banchan, fresh leaves of lettuce and perilla, and toppings like garlic chips and sea salt let you customize each bite. 

Some of the city’s most complex cocktails
Russian Hill cocktail den Bar Iris just rolled out a menu that showcases its renewed focus on all things Japanese. The sister business to Michelin-starred Nisei next door is mixing some of the city’s most ambitious drinks, such as the $19 “Not a Martini.” Despite looking like the classic gin or vodka concoction, it contains none of the ingredients you’d typically find in one, featuring instead a trio of Mexican spirits: mezcal, raicilla, and sotol.

Hand-pulled noodle soup that’s comfort in a bowl 
This little unassuming restaurant is a reminder that the city is full of discoveries. The main menu is Thai, but there is also a special Lao menu that includes kao piak, a soup of silken pork-and-ginger-infused chicken broth and handmade rice noodles, and mhok pla, catfish fillet and a ton of dill steamed in a banana leaf. The crispy rice salad with sour sausage is another must. 

A drink in the highest bar in town
Of all the sky-scraping spots to get a drink, none can match Cityscape’s elevation 46 floors above Taylor and Eddy Streets. Recently reopened after a four-month renovation, the bar offers unobstructed panoramic views, best taken in over an astronomical- or astrological-themed cocktail. The most fun is the liter-size Galileo Highball ($80), a blend of gin and citrus-ginger soda that serves up to five people.