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A Mano’s agnolotti dal plin

Where to Find Fantastic Food and Drink Around Hayes Valley

A guide to one of San Francisco’s very best dining and drinking neighborhoods

by Paolo Bicchieri, Lauren Saria, and Eater Staff Updated Jan 11, 2023, 12:13pm PST

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by Paolo Bicchieri, Lauren Saria, and Eater Staff Updated Jan 11, 2023, 12:13pm PST

Patricia Chang

Civic Center-adjacent neighborhood Hayes Valley is stuffed with intensely good food and drink. Though the area is somewhat small, it plays host to everything from Italian restaurants to storage containers retrofitted into coffee shops. This somewhat upscale neighborhood is just a block off of the busy thoroughfare Fell Street and serves as a gateway to Highway 101 via Octavia Street. With the opening of the Jewish bakery Loquat and plant-based all-day cafe Rad Radish, the area continues to punch above its weight. Try any of these 15 bars, restaurants, cafes, and bakeries in Hayes Valley.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.

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Smuggler's Cove

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.

650 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Tiki drinks at Smuggler’s Cove

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Robin

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.

Open in Google Maps

620 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Monsieur Benjamin

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.

451 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Hayes Street Grill

For more than four decades Hayes Street Grill has been a go-to option for a pre-theater dinner or post-opera drink. This is your neighborhood destination for seafood — everything from grilled swordfish to pan-fried oysters — with sides built around seasonal produce like Brentwood corn.

Open in Google Maps

320 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Anina

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.

482 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Also featured in:

a Mano

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.

Open in Google Maps

450 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94117

Visit Website

A Mano’s agnolotti dal plin

Doppio Zero

From the crew behind the Meatball Bar, Doppio Zero fires up Neapolitan pies including classics like margheritas to fried and stuffed Pizza Napule. Besides pizza, there are small plates like croquettes, grilled octopus, and polpettine (Neapolitan meatballs), a full menu of pasta, and larger entrees like fish soup. To go with it all is plenty of Italian wine, local beer, and a full cocktail menu. Diners may be familiar with the restaurant's other two outposts on the Peninsula; this is the third location overall.

Open in Google Maps

395 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Nojo Ramen Tavern

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.

Open in Google Maps

231 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Nightbird

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.

330 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Nightbird

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Domo Sushi

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.

Open in Google Maps

511 Laguna St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Dumpling Home

The neighborhood got a destination for flaky scallion pancakes and hand-pulled noodles with the debut of Dumpling Home in late 2020. Already recognized by the Michelin Guide for its skillfully prepared dumplings of all shapes, sizes, and fillings, Dumpling Home also earned a shout out for making some of the city’s best xiao long bao — no small feat in town stacked deep with options.

Open in Google Maps

298 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

A bamboo steamer full of xiao long bao

Also featured in:

Rich Table

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.

199 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Rich Table.

Also featured in:

Le Fantastique

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.

Open in Google Maps

22 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Caviar eclairs from Le Fantastique

Also featured in:

Om Sabor

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.

Open in Google Maps

370 Grove St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Also featured in:

14 Soups to Keep You Warm in San Francisco

Loquat

The breezy atmosphere of the former 20th Century Cafe space is an earth-tone-laden testament to what makes cafes a delight: ease. The tahini chocolate cookie is a treasure, and the babkas are not to be missed. The coffee comes from Four Barrel Coffee, which is the same company founded by Jeremy Tooker that has yet to change its name or transition into worker-ownership despite prior plans.

Open in Google Maps

198 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Cookie and tea. — The chocolate-tahini cookie at Loquat.

Also featured in:

Rad Radish

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.

Open in Google Maps

301 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

A photo of waffles. — Gluten-free and vegan chicken and waffles.

Also featured in:

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Smuggler's Cove

650 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

650 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Tiki drinks at Smuggler’s Cove

Robin

620 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

Open in Google Maps

620 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Monsieur Benjamin

451 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

451 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Hayes Street Grill

320 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102

For more than four decades Hayes Street Grill has been a go-to option for a pre-theater dinner or post-opera drink. This is your neighborhood destination for seafood — everything from grilled swordfish to pan-fried oysters — with sides built around seasonal produce like Brentwood corn.

Open in Google Maps

320 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Anina

482 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

482 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

a Mano

450 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94117

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.

Open in Google Maps

450 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94117

Visit Website

A Mano’s agnolotti dal plin

Doppio Zero

395 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102

From the crew behind the Meatball Bar, Doppio Zero fires up Neapolitan pies including classics like margheritas to fried and stuffed Pizza Napule. Besides pizza, there are small plates like croquettes, grilled octopus, and polpettine (Neapolitan meatballs), a full menu of pasta, and larger entrees like fish soup. To go with it all is plenty of Italian wine, local beer, and a full cocktail menu. Diners may be familiar with the restaurant's other two outposts on the Peninsula; this is the third location overall.

Open in Google Maps

395 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Nojo Ramen Tavern

231 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

Open in Google Maps

231 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Nightbird

330 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

330 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Nightbird

Domo Sushi

511 Laguna St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

Open in Google Maps

511 Laguna St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Dumpling Home

298 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

The neighborhood got a destination for flaky scallion pancakes and hand-pulled noodles with the debut of Dumpling Home in late 2020. Already recognized by the Michelin Guide for its skillfully prepared dumplings of all shapes, sizes, and fillings, Dumpling Home also earned a shout out for making some of the city’s best xiao long bao — no small feat in town stacked deep with options.

Open in Google Maps

298 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

A bamboo steamer full of xiao long bao

Rich Table

199 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

199 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Rich Table.

Le Fantastique

22 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

Open in Google Maps

22 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Caviar eclairs from Le Fantastique

Om Sabor

370 Grove St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

Open in Google Maps

370 Grove St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Loquat

198 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

The breezy atmosphere of the former 20th Century Cafe space is an earth-tone-laden testament to what makes cafes a delight: ease. The tahini chocolate cookie is a treasure, and the babkas are not to be missed. The coffee comes from Four Barrel Coffee, which is the same company founded by Jeremy Tooker that has yet to change its name or transition into worker-ownership despite prior plans.

Open in Google Maps

198 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Cookie and tea. — The chocolate-tahini cookie at Loquat.

Related Maps

Rad Radish

301 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

Open in Google Maps

301 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

A photo of waffles. — Gluten-free and vegan chicken and waffles.

Related Maps