San Francisco Is Still Great—and a Slew of Cool New Restaurants and Galleries Beg a Visit

27.07.2023 - 14:33 / cntraveler.com / Martin Brudnizki

Since the late 19th century, when San Francisco got its cable cars and pastel-hued Victorians, Levi Strauss and Ghirardelli Chocolate, it has been the envy of other cities. So the schadenfreude that has erupted recently over home prices and homelessness, street crime and empty office towers, is nothing new. Yes, this city has real problems, but the line at Powell and Market for the cable car, which turns 150 this year, is still long, and world-class restaurants still seem to open nightly. Boom-and-bust cycles have afflicted the City by the Bay since the Gold Rush, but as surely as the fog will roll through the spans of the Golden Gate Bridge this afternoon, San Francisco will rise again.

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Bar Sprezzatura has an amaro-heavy cocktail menu and long list of cicchetti.

Copra has modern riffs on classic dishes from Kerala.

Relying on the region's legendary produce and purveyors, a diverse group of the city's chefs and restaurateurs is redefining California cuisine. 

Copra is a new upscale Indian stunner in the Fillmore that riffs on the dishes chef Srijith Gopinathan grew up eating in Kerala. For the table, get a chutney sampler, which includes a wild gooseberry option; the piquant Konkan crab curry with a lacy, wafer-thin appam is too delicious to share. Open for lunch and dinner, but come at aperitivo hour, when the exquisite Martin Brudnizki–designed Bar Sprezzatura downtown glows golden. The amaro-heavy cocktail menu and long list of cicchetti (bar snacks), like white anchovy deviled eggs, will have you lingering Italian style.

At San Ho Won in the Mission, expect elevated Korean barbecue. 

Good Good Culture Club serves dishes like tangy crudos and curries.

As the name implies, Good Good Culture Club chef-owner Ravi Kapur (also behind popular Liholiho Yacht Club) believes that a respected, fairly compensated team is the key to success. The recipe works at this Mission joint, where the vibe—along with dishes like rib eye slicked with a five-spice glaze—is terrific. For elevated Korean barbecue spot San Ho Won in the Mission, chefs Corey Lee (behind three-Michelin-starred Benu) and Jeong-In Hwang dug deep into their heritage. The precision of the flavors, technique, and service (ask for a soju primer) makes it one of the toughest reservations in town.

Find chewy bagels and Sicilian-style pies at The Laundromat.

Korean fine-dining has a home at Suragan in the tenderloin. 

The city's bagel-and-pizza game got a lot stronger with a single opening of The Laundromat. Mornings, the lines for chewy everythings with smoked-salmon cream cheese are long