Of course Marin has a laidback open-air shopping center, and a trip to Nordstrom or Tesla would not be complete without one of the most outrageous rooftop lunches of them all — the new RH Rooftop Restaurant (as in Restoration Hardware). Opened during the pandemic, you can now feast on lobster roll and sip one of more than 40 wines under crystal chandeliers and olive trees. 

Often overlooked as actually the best mall in San Francisco (the glorious parking! the clean movie theater!), Stonestown is throwing down these days with a number of exciting dining options. The one that got the biggest buzz: Gram Cafe & Pancakes drew long lines when it opened in 2019, bringing its jiggly Japanese souffle pancakes to the mall. But should you require something savory, there’s also Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, which motored in with conveyor belt sushi in 2021 (spoiler alert: there are prizes).

There’s absolutely no shortage of excellent dining options within Japantown’s two malls. Craving ramen? Put your name in early at Marufuku. Want sushi? It’ll slide by on conveyor belts at Tenroku or come in tasting menu format at Oma San Francisco Station. But the pro-move is a retreat behind the warm wooden walls of Udon Mugizo, where you can lose yourself in a big bowl of creamy udon crowned with smoked cod roe or uni. There may be a wait but you can head just across the hall to browse the shelves at Kinokuniya bookstore while you wait.

The massive mall right on Market Street isn’t only nine stories tall, it also boasts 29 dining options, from Shake Shack smashburgers to Beard Papa’s cream puffs. But there are many downtown restaurants nearby, including the new location of the wildly popular Korean fried chicken chain Bonchon inside the Metreon. The pro move is to cut through Bloomingdale’s and cross Mission for that “hand-battered, double-fried, crazy crispy” Korean fried chicken.

Conveniently located halfway down the Peninsula, Hillsdale mall has a lot going for it. And while San Franciscans might head straight to the second location of their favorite Palette Tea House, and the San Carlos crowd will stick with the new spot for their favorite pastrami at the Refuge, the real wild card here is Pinstripes! The restaurant slash bowling alley experience, where tired parents can snack on woodfired pizza with a glass of wine — and turn kids loose on the lanes. 

After some al fresco shopping at Walnut Creek’s Broadway Plaza, side-step the heavier options and opt instead for a healthy-ish meal at True Food Kitchen, restaurateur Sam Fox’s restaurant chain founded in partnership with Andrew Weil and backed by none other than Oprah. The menu puts on airs about being anti-inflammatory and generally good-for-you — but health claims aside, you can’t go wrong with menu favorites including the lemon and garlicky Tuscan kale salad and spaghetti squash casserole smothered in crushed tomatoes.

From vibrant Indian cuisine to artful tapas, San Jose’s Santana Row hosts a veritable smorgasbord of dining options. But if you’re looking for something both elegant and relatively approachable, Left Bank Brasserie’s chic, bistro-inspired dining room makes a great choice. On the front patio you’ll have views of the Row’s towering tree and inside, the holidays usually mean flourishes like red ribbons tied up all into bows and twinkling lights draped around the window frames. On the menu expect well-done versions of French classics including escargots, beef bourguignon, and bouillabaisse.

Sure, there are a lot of great dumpling options in San Francisco — but Din Tai Fung, the international dumpling powerhouse, is undeniably excellent. You’d be more than forgiven for making a pilgrimage to Santa Clara’s Westfield Valley Fair mall just to bury yourself in delicate XLB stuffed with Kurobuta pork, truffle, and crab, but during the holiday shopping season you’ve got even more good reason to make a trip to the South Bay shopping destination. Just don’t forget to leave room for some of the non-dumpling dishes like spicy shrimp and pork wontons, crunchy green beans sauteed in garlic, and bouncy rice cakes wok fried with chicken or shrimp.

Land Ocean, with its three locations across the region including at the Roseville Galleria, is proudly locally owned and serves up big Ruth’s Chris-Houston’s-Mastro’s energy, dishing out grilled artichokes, seared ahi tuna salads, and various burgers in an artful-in-a-restrained-kind-of-way space. The stars of the menu are the steaks, which can be ordered with an accompanying lobster tail if you want to full land-ocean experience. Wash it down with a glass of bubbles (Chandon, perhaps, if you want something local) or a martini, which come infused with pomegranate or jalapeno.