Where will celebrities be eating during All-Star Weekend? Try these 8 restaurants

Restaurants are gearing up to wine and dine NBA players and other superstars who will descend on San Francisco for NBA All-Star Weekend. Regardless of your level of interest in sports, this means an opportunity for a close brush with celebrity. The long weekend’s lineup of events includes star-studded parties and concerts by Zedd, Noah Kahan, Flo Rida, and the Chainsmokers. 

Hoping to rub elbows with visiting VIPs? Here are eight restaurants where you might have a chance.

There are plenty of reasons why celebs head to Tosca Cafe in North Beach. The Italian favorite has two legendary private dining areas: the Back Room, where Sean Penn allegedly shot a bullet into the wall, and the tiny Chef’s Room, tucked upstairs to overlook the plebes in the main space below. Plus there’s the fact that owner Anna Weinberg has more than a few famous NBA friends, like Bam Adebayo, Kevin Love, and even Lebron James, who gifted her tickets to a Warriors game in December, according to a post on Instagram. Tosca has tables open all weekend, plus there’s always the option to belly up to the bar for a boozy House Cappuccino.

Managing partner Pete Sittnick says it’s not uncommon to spot sports VIPs like Joe Montana, Isaiah Thomas, and Ken Griffey Jr. cutting into steaks or slurping oysters in the shadow of the Bay Bridge. While both Embarcadero-front restaurants see more than their fair share of high-profile diners, the straightforward steakhouse tends to be slightly more popular with the athlete crowd. “Maybe they’re just meat eaters,” Sittnick speculates. Both restaurants have limited reservations available for All-Star Weekend, though walk-ins are welcome at the bars at both.

This stalwart has a roster of famous fans, including Chuck Norris and players from the Giants and Warriors, both of which have hosted team dinners there. It’s near impossible to get in without a reservation — unless, of course, you’re famous — but normies can keep an eye on OpenTable for last-minute cancellations or try to walk in for a seat at the bar. Though the menu is notoriously simple, featuring just a few options for the cut of beef and accompanying sides, if you want to order like a pro, study up on the secret items. 

Three-Michelin-starred Quince and its more casual counterpart, Cotogna, have been frequented by none other than Beyonce, rumor has it. Though owners Michael and Lindsay Tusk will not comment on their guests, we can confirm that Kim Kardashian, too, is among them; she posted her meal at Cotogna last year on Instagram, praising the focaccia di recco and raviolo di ricotta, one of the signature dishes. Limited reservations are available for Thursday lunch service at Quince, though the à la carte bar menu is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Cotogna has a handful of tables open for dinner Thursday and lunch and dinner Friday.

General manager Bobby Caffese is tight-lipped about the high-profile diners who have come through the doors of FiDi’s Pabu, saying only that “chef Michael Mina is a high-profile individual himself, so we definitely see that caliber of individual.” One famous fan is LeBron James, who visited with then–teammates Anthony Davis and Quinn Cook back in 2020. A big draw of the izakaya is the layout of the dining room, Caffese says. The bar area has elevated booths from which diners can survey the room, while the sushi counter offers a more intimate experience. Semi-private booths provide the most solitude for notable diners looking to hide in plain sight. Reservations are available throughout the weekend via Seven Rooms. 

Chef and owner David Nayfeld says Che Fico’s list of celebrity fans includes Gweneth Paltrow, actor Jonathan Tucker, and Anderson Cooper. (“There was a time when our pineapple pizza would be referred to as the Anderson Cooper pizza.”) And with spinoff Che Fico Pizzeria open in the Warriors’ backyard at Thrive City, athletes, coaches, and owners are regulars, he says. As far as spotting famous clientele, Che Fico offers the upstairs Celentano Room, accessed via private staircase, and the former Che Fico Alimentari space downstairs. “It’s its own private restaurant, basically, so we’re able to give complete and total anonymity to people,” he says. Che Fico is almost fully booked for the weekend, though the bar is available for walk-ins.