The Hot List: Our favorite restaurants and bars to greet the new year

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 a bowl of comforting stew or a plate of com tam, the iconic Vietnamese street food. 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.

Comforting plates of broken rice
Husband-and-wife owners Scott Satoru Kimura and Truong Anh Thu Do dreamed for years of having a restaurant before opening Bee’s in October. It specializes in com tam, or Vietnamese broken rice, a humble dish of grilled chicken or pork served with fluffy broken rice grains. Bee’s enormous plates come with sliced cucumber and tomato; dochua, a salad of pickled carrots and daikon; cha trung, an omelet studded with rice noodles, wood ear mushrooms, and carrots; and a bowl of steaming vegetable broth. It’s a filling meal for one or a great entree to share after an appetizer of sweet and spicy chicken wings. 

A bubbling hot spot for dinner before a show
The first point of sale at this new Yemeni restaurant should be the lamb saltah ($18), a comforting, delicious stew that arrives bubbling hot and topped with a bitter fenugreek foam. The dish is a part of Yemen’s culinary soul and requires scooping with an order of house-made flatbread pulled from the clay oven. Also try the Yemeni kebab, made from ground beef and lamb aromatic with cumin. Located across from The Warfield, this spot makes for the perfect combo of a show and a cheap and cheerful dinner.

An uber-decadent smashburger
Just before Thanksgiving, chef Geoffrey Lee of Ju-ni and the Handroll Project debuted his latest venture: Hamburger Project, a no-fuss spot for smashburgers, shakes, and fries. The menu offers three burgers, each featuring smashed 2-ounce patties made with a mix of 75% lean and 25% fat ground beef. The classic comes with a slice of melted American cheese, pickle chips, diced white onions, and a schmear of homemade sauce. But the don’t-miss offering is the decadent Wisconsin-style butter burger, starring a stack of beef and cheese crowned with a generous tablespoon of whipped butter.

Where a mythical scroll is made of coconut
Absence makes the pastries all the sweeter at chef Melissa Chou’s weekend-only pop-up at Mister Jiu’s. Those in the know arrive for refined delights like deeply caramelized pineapple cakes, burned honey pie, black sesame almond tea cake, Parisian egg tarts, and, yes, a perfect coconut scroll made with laminated milk dough and a smattering of sesame seeds. Clear your weekend plans now.

An incredible deal on a Michelin-worthy dinner
The full dinner at two-Michelin-starred Saison is an undeniable splurge; the tasting menu starts at $328 before tax, tip, and beverages. But Tuesday through Thursday nights, you can nab a seat at the restaurant’s intimate bar for one of the best fine-dining bargains in town: a fleet of canapes, a stunning bread service, and two courses of dessert for $78. Alone, it’s a light meal, but there’s the option to add courses, including Saison’s signature uni toast or wagyu beef. As for the warm and attentive service? That’s included with any menu. 

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 Le Dix-Sept Pâtisserie opened in Potrero Hill in November to long lines of people waiting for Michelle Hernández’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 Hernández’s skill.

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.

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. 

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.