One Star Michelin Restaurants in San Francisco – Angler

1 Michelin Star

132 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, 94105, USA
$$$$ · Contemporary, Seafood

A pair of plush rooms makes Angler feel like a hunter’s cabin gone Nordic-chic, but all eyes eventually drift to the gorgeous kitchen, where the cooks tend to a live fire. 

The touch of those embers can be felt everywhere—from the blush-pink bigeye tuna enhanced by shiso and a perfectly chilled tomato jelly, to ultra-tender pieces of hot fried quail generously flavored with a crispy pepper coating.

Meticulousness is the prevailing theme as seen in the transformation of the humble cauliflower into a large, superbly roasted floret seasoned with vadouvan and a splash of lime.

It would be plain wrong to leave without indulging in a delicious soft-serve sundae happily paired with warm salted caramel and cool cocoa nibs.

One Star Michelin Restaurants in San Francisco – The Shota

1 Michelin Star

115 Sansome St., San Francisco, 94104, USA
$$$$ · Japanese, Sushi

Sequestered within an office building in the Financial District, this counter is a sensory pleasure. 

The menu combines Edomae sushi with classic kaiseki—and is informed every step of the way with imported Japanese ingredients and local produce.

Diners are treated to a breathtaking culinary experience from start to finish.

Chawanmushi is delicate and silky, studded with fava beans and borage flowers.

Then comes the impeccably knifed nigiri, interspersed with small composed dishes, all highlighting seasonal delicacies.

Imagine the likes of kasugo nigiri, featuring jewel-skinned fillets of young seabream, as well as tiny firefly squid with broccoli rabe, white miso, and mandarin.

This meal is a consummate study in ingredient purity.

One Star Michelin Restaurants in San Francisco – Mister Jiu’s

1 Michelin Star

28 Waverly Pl., San Francisco, 94108, USA
$$$ · Chinese, Contemporary

Chef/owner Brandon Jew’s consistently impressive dining hall is bright and airy.

Food is served family style, making it ideal for groups, but solo diners will certainly enjoy the sleek bar up front, pouring a litany of enticing cocktails.

Chef Jew’s cooking focuses on Cantonese cuisine spiced by the occasional Sichuan specialty bearing a liberating dash of creativity.

Organic smoked tofu is tossed with summer-sweet cherry tomatoes and plump shelling beans; while fluffy fried rice is studded with yellow summer squash, lap cheong and salted cod-style Petrale sole.

Mouthwatering medallions of rabbit loin wrapped in ramps and paired with crisped legs all dressed with a spiced peanut- and chili oil-sauce is assuredly—mouthwatering.

One Star Michelin Restaurants in San Francisco – Sons & Daughters

1 Michelin Star

708 Bush St., San Francisco, 94108, USA
$$$$ · Contemporary

Small but mighty, this kitchen under the guidance of Chef Teague Moriarty turns out a seasonal, ingredient-focused menu that consistently pleases with stark, stylized dishes inspired by new Nordic and Japanese cooking. 

Vegetables are given their proper due, as in a grilled and dried beet bolstered by fermented huckleberry and whipped bone marrow. 

This team shows its strongest suit in dishes of bold simplicity, where a grill-kissed Maine scallop is brushed with pine syrup and sauced with brown butter and green farro miso.

Then, lamb saddle and sweetbread is accompanied by a jus lifted with summer flavors.

Desserts follow the thread of focused seasonality, as in a silken ice cream spun from jasmine rice koji matched with tiny strawberries and poached rhubarb.

One Star Michelin Restaurants in San Francisco – Gary Danko

1 Michelin Star

800 North Point St., San Francisco, 94109, USA
$$$$ · Contemporary

Since the 90s, upper crust sorts have flocked to this vintage icon, and tables are still highly sought-after by business types and celebratory couples alike.

The cooking is rooted in classic French cuisine, seen in a creamy seafood bisque with fines herbes, though nods to more global flavors do make an appearance, as in the harissa aioli and rosemary panisse that might accompany a chicken roulade.

Diners can select from a prix-fixe of three to five courses, or hand over the reins to the chef’s tasting menu.

While Gary Danko may not be on the cutting edge of fine dining, its top-notch wine list and well-oiled service still embody old-school luxury.

Like the chocolate soufflé with vanilla bean crème anglaise that caps the meal, this is a classic for a reason.

One Star Michelin Restaurants in San Francisco – Ssal

1 Michelin Star

2226 Polk St., San Francisco, 94109, USA
$$$$ · Korean, Contemporary

Hyunyoung and Junsoo Bae have ample fine dining experience but were inspired to strike out on their own to fill what they saw as a void in San Francisco’s Korean restaurant scene.

The result is this tasting menu that draws upon familiar flavors, but sets itself apart with a sense of refined simplicity.

Meticulously prepared seafood shows a dedication to craft, as in black cod partially dried before being grilled to achieve a skin so crunchy it can be heard from across the room.

Beef short ribs are something of a signature, gently cooked sous vide, then seared to form a sweet-savory crust.

Desserts end the meal with a feather-light touch, like a sorbet of magnolia berry over green plum granita, garnished with a black sesame tuile.

One Star Michelin Restaurants in San Francisco – Marlena

1 Michelin Star

300 Precita Ave., San Francisco, 94110, USA
$$$ · Californian, Contemporary

This pretty-as-a-picture location is perched on the edge of Precita Park on the ground floor of a handsome slate-blue Victorian. 

Husband-and-wife team, David Fisher and Serena Chow Fisher’s fine dining pedigree is apparent in the cooking, deftly marrying simplicity with sophistication.

Appreciate the precise technique and understated yet imaginative use of ingredients found throughout the prix fixe menu.

A meal here might commence with slivers of lightly cured kampachi layered with melon and an herbaceous lovage vinaigrette, before culminating in a sweetly satisfying pistachio cake with rhubarb jam and jasmine bavarois.

In between, a sumptuous entrée features Sakura pork loin garnished with a silky green garbanzo purée.

One Star Michelin Restaurants in San Francisco – Avery

1 Michelin Star

1552 Fillmore St., San Francisco, 94115, USA
$$$$ · Contemporary, Creative

Chef/owner Rodney Wages’ impressive and ambitious menu is driven by personality, creativity, as well as the influence of Eastern Asian and European cuisines.

It quickly becomes apparent that this chef marches to the beat of his own drum, creating unique combinations with equal deftness.

For starters, he is on hand to pour from a lovingly curated selection of Champagne and sake.

Diners may then look forward to the likes of a coconut broth replete with bluefin tuna, Thai curry aromatics, and charred avocado; or tortellini in brodo with a burst of savory broth.

Dessert arrives as both a modern expression (herbed granita with lemon curd) and ode to nostalgia (chocolate cake with a caramelized white chocolate- and popcorn-pudding).

One Star Michelin Restaurants in San Francisco – Sorrel

1 Michelin Star

3228 Sacramento St., San Francisco, 94115, USA
$$$$ · Contemporary, Italian

Trained at Quince, Chef Alexander Hong has a true gift for pasta at this Pacific Heights perch.

Smoky potato zlikrofi drizzled with sharp plum mostarda and shaved horseradish, or thick strascinati bathed in a ‘nduja-infused sauce with tender butter beans and lovage are two highlights.

His ricotta gnudi are exemplars of the form: cloud-soft, accented by crisp fried sage and bright pops of sour cherry.

In addition to a pair of pastas, discover some deliciously contemporary small bites, including madai crudo with yuzu and cured egg yolk, or dry-aged beef tartare with a hint of pink peppercorn.

The duck breast course is truly a sight to behold—complete with its brilliant trinity of golden-crisped skin, juicy meat and earthy red kuri squash purée.

One Star Michelin Restaurants in San Francisco – Spruce

1 Michelin Star

3640 Sacramento St., San Francisco, 94118, USA
$$$$ · Californian, Contemporary

Set in one of San Francisco’s snazziest neighborhoods, Spruce draws a regular following thanks to its elegant take on Californian cuisine, matching refined simplicity with impeccable seasonal ingredients.

Lunch is more casual, with approachable options like salads and sandwiches; the experience at dinner has a more elevated air; a starter of fluffy ricotta gnudi is bathed in a tangy sauce vierge and capped with crisp guanciale, displaying a keen sense of balance.

A main course of roasted duck breast, crusted with coriander seed and pistachio, served with stone fruit gastrique, pairs bold flavors with careful technique.

For dessert, a decadent crème fraîche cheesecake is thick and creamy with sweet vanilla flavor and a classic graham-cracker crust.