There’s an ongoing push to reconsider the cultural implications of tiki bars — but for those who seek a tropical cocktail or a deep selection of rum, Smuggler’s Cove makes a logical choice. The bar, convincingly designed to look and feel like the inside of a ship, has won just about every award the bar and cocktail world has to offer including being named one of the best bars in the world by World’s 50 Best, Playboy, and Esquire on top of earning nods from both the James Beard Foundation and Tales of the Cocktail.

Robin joins a flood of omakase sushi restaurants but stands out from the rest with adventurous twists on classic nigiri: Think potato chip nigiri with grilled ramp aioli and caviar or seared canary rockfish, served with liver, grapefruit ponzu, and chives. This deeply personal restaurant of chef Adam Tortosa, is dramatic, moody, and definitely an experience.

The prices aren’t cheap at this popular French bistro from chef Corey Lee of Benu and San Ho Wan — appetizers average about $18 a piece while main courses are around $30 — but the refined, indulgent food with a modern spin has found an audience because this place was always packed.

If you’re looking for a great place to drink outside in Hayes Valley, Anina is here to help. The patio is a perfect venue for sipping any of the bar’s cocktails, which range from classics like a gin-and-maraschino Martinez to the Unfair Trade, a coffee cocktail built on a rum base plus banana and bitters. 

Instantly-trendy a Mano — yet another venture from prolific San Francisco restaurateur Adriano Paganini — is the spot for affordably priced but carefully prepared pasta and pizza from chef Freedom Rains, dishes like bucatini all’Amatriciana and agnolotti dal plin, or small, buttery ravioli filled with roast pork, chicken, and chard.

Unlike most of San Francisco’s ramen restaurants, which focus on pork broth, Nojo Ramen uses rich chicken paitan broth as the base for its noodles. The small plates are also a signature for this restaurant, which has more than 200 locations in Japan though the Hayes Valley restaurant is its first in the U.S. Be sure to start with some toripan (curry seasoned ground chicken on baguette), corn on the cob, and teriyaki chicken buns.

Kim Alter’s first solo project is an elegant boutique restaurant that delivers the type of whimsical culinary experience that’s become so popular in San Francisco these days, with a $125 tasting menu featuring layered flavors and surprising combinations intended to celebrate California’s cultures and landscapes.

Domo’s inventive specialty rolls, like the Temptation roll stuffed with shrimp tempura, unagi, avocado, and crab and the Spicy Hulk (spicy tuna and avocado, tobiko wrapped in a cucumber sheet with ponzu), set this sushi restaurant apart.

Rich Table is everything California fare should be: inventive, approachable, locally sourced, and damn tasty. Owners Evan and Sarah Rich’s neighborhood staple is a favorite for new American fare including sweet potato pierogi, 21-day dry-aged black cod, and Dungeness crab.

Owners Emily and chef Robbie Wilson unveiled this upscale seafood restaurant and wine bar in Fall 2021, bringing a menu of inventive crudo to a sparsely stylish space just outside Hayes Valley proper. The couple, also behind Palo Alto’s Bird Dog, say they want the hangout to satisfy all your Champagne, Chablis, and caviar-topped eclair cravings. Even bread service stars luxe oceanic ingredients: buttery shokupan-style buns arrive with a side of airy lobster veloute. 

This vegan Mexican restaurant, just down the street from fellow plant-based restaurant Baia, is the food arm of listening bar Phonobar. Grand slam dishes include truffle mac n’ cheese, hibiscus tacos, and furikake “crab” cakes.

Are gluten-free and vegan chicken and waffles a thing? According to this Hayes Street all-day cafe, they sure are. This is yet another Adriano Paganini and his company Back of the House (which also owns, for instance, a Mano up the street), and the business focuses on fast-casual service. Creamy Vietnamese iced coffee, light but filling avocado toast, and crispy chilaquiles are just a few of the items on the menu.