‘Tis the season for prix-fixe menus and dining deals across this city by the Bay, which is to say, San Francisco Restaurant Week is almost upon us. The 10-day event returns for its spring 2023 iteration on Friday, April 14, and runs through Sunday, April 23, during which time scores of restaurants and bars from the Embarcadero to the Sunset will offer set menus at discounted prices for lunch, dinner, and brunch.
We know it can be time-consuming and confusing to sift through all the great deals on offer, but that’s why we’ve done some of the hard work for you. Here are some of the best bargains, most exciting offers, and just fabulous restaurants worth checking out during San Francisco Restaurant Week, spring 2023.
For those looking to check out the full slate of menus on their own, head over to the SF Restaurant Week website.
Lunch
New Lung Ting Cafe, $15
670 Jackson Street, San Francisco
As of last year, this Chinatown restaurant is officially a Legacy Business in San Francisco, and for a good reason: it’s been an affordable dining option for a whole entire century, known for serving Cantonese American food, but, specifically, for juicy pork chops. During Restaurant Week, the set lunch menu includes a choice of entree, either a marinated pork chop or roast pork and corned beef, with a potsticker and a soda.
Wildseed, $25
2000 Union Street, San Francisco
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Back of the House group’s entirely plant-based restaurant in Cow Hollow is offering up a $25 lunch deal from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday during Restaurant Week. The two-course menu includes either pea tendrils with kimchi and crispy garlic or curried cauliflower, followed by either a burger or “chicken” sandwich.
Bar Sprezzatura, $30
One Maritime Plaza at 300 Clay Street, San Francisco
Take a lunchtime getaway to the Italian coast at the elegant new Bar Sprezzatura in FiDi. During Restaurant Week, the lunch prix fixe offered from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. includes the option to start with your choice of any two cicchetti followed by larger plates like a pizza or fresh pasta with duck ragu. For dessert, choose a decadent tiramisu or a stracciatella budino.
Brunch
Fiorella (Polk and Sunset), $25
2238 Polk Street and 1240 9th Avenue, San Francisco
The Polk Street and Inner Sunset outposts of the approachable Italian restaurant Fiorella have a hot deal on the table for Restaurant Week. Choose from seasonal starters including spring pea arancini or the ever-popular OG Baby Lettuces Salad, followed by a slate of entree options: a spicy vodka sauce pizza, a kale scramble, and radiatore alla vodka diavolo among them.
Lily, $30
225 Clement Street, San Francisco
Inner Richmond Vietnamese restaurant Lily has a $30 brunch deal for Restaurant Week that includes a beverage and two courses. For drinks, the list includes iced tea or two kinds of smoothies called sinh tố, while the first course can be beef pho, green papaya and mango salad, or salt and pepper calamari. Follow it up with entrees such as grilled chicken banh mi, garlic noodles, or a barbecue pork noodle bowl.
Dinner
Roaming Goat, $30
1830 Union Street, San Francisco
If you’re looking to shake up your wine-drinking routine, a trip to Union Street’s Roaming Goat should do the trick with its list that highlights Georgian and Armenian selections you probably won’t find anywhere else. There’s a pretty impressive food menu available to boot and during Restaurant Week you can get a mezze spread and a selection of grilled kebabs for dinner at the cost of just $30 per person.
Madrigal, $30
100 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco
Civic Center’s Madrigal, the bar and restaurant from the team behind the Vault and Trestle, has a lot to like: It’s a great date spot, offers a solid happy hour, and is walking distance from destinations including the symphony and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. If you’re looking for a pre-show meal, head here for a cocktail (or a glass of wine or beer, if that’s your preference) plus onion rings and a burger for $30.
Barrio, $45
Ghirardelli Square, 900 North Point Street, Unit J 101, San Francisco
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With the sunny weather finally here (and hopefully, for good) there’s no better time than now to check out Barrio’s outpost at Ghirardelli Square, with its ocean views and spacious patio. For Restaurant Week there’s a $45 dinner deal that includes a tequila-based cocktail — either a margarita or a paloma, with several flavors of the former on offer — plus chips and salsa and your choice of two tacos.
Tenderheart, $45
970 Market Street, San Francisco
It’s been more than six months since Tenderheart, the New American restaurant at the stylish LINE SF hotel on Market Street made its debut. But if you’re still looking for a good excuse to check it out, the $45 dinner deal running during Restaurant Week seems as good as any. It includes a shared starter for the table such as asparagus tempura or milk bread with dried shrimp cultured butter followed by entrees such as wild mushroom tagliatelle and grilled pork belly. Your meal also includes dessert, either black tea ice cream with mandarin foam or pain perdu with coconut sorbet.
Fort Point Beer Co., $45
742 Valencia Street, San Francisco
Homegrown beer (and cider) company Fort Point is among a crew of San Francisco bars that recently upgraded their food menus, and Restaurant Week makes a good excuse to check out the brewpub’s seafood selections. For $45 per person, the dinner menu includes a full feast: Louie salad, garlic fries, cioppino, bite-sized ice cream sandwiches (the kitchen’s take on a classic Its-Its), plus, of course, a cold beer.
China Live, $65
644 Broadway, San Francisco
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Will George Chen’s popular Chinese food emporium be forced to move? Who can say? But for now, you can cash in on a four-course dinner for $65 that includes lettuce wraps, a choice of chile-garlic crushed cucumber skins, or fried scallion bread, plus an entree. Main courses can be kung pao chicken or tofu, wok-seared steak, or Sichuan prawns, all of which come with rice and blistered green beans. To cap it off, choose a beverage: tea, wine, or beer.
Penny Roma, $75
3000 20th Street, San Francisco
Penny Roma, the newer kid sister to classic Cal-Italian pasta haven Flour + Water, is offering a four-course dinner menu for Restaurant Week. Antipasti options include a halibut and albacore crudo, prosciutto with seasonal fruit and honey, or a roasted radish salad, before the meal rolls into a pasta course such as risotto verde with mushroom conserva. Secondi means a grilled pork chop or wild arugula salad, while the sweet course finishes off with a chocolate hazelnut torta.