This family-run omakase restaurant is moving to a new space in the East Cut, but for now, you can still find some of San Francisco’s best sushi in the Union Square neighborhood. Akiko’s chef and owner Ray Lee wows with a one-two punch of quality ingredients and innovative techniques making Akiko’s one of the city’s essential dining experiences. The restaurant is an intimate space so reservations are always encouraged. 

If you’re chasing those shiny Michelin stars around the Bay Area, then don’t overlook Sons & Daughters with its quintessentially Californian tasting menus built around seasonal produce from local farms. The interior of the restaurant was redone during the pandemic, now featuring warm woods and an elegant fireplace.

Korean meets Mexican cuisine at Tacorea, explaining that odd portmanteau of a name. Don’t be put off: Fusion delights are well worth it, including kimchi burritos — the big Ricardo is a smothered version — quesadillas, and bowls like “Mama Lee’s” spicy pork. More stoner-y food includes tater tot nachos. Portions are huge and service is kind.

With soaring ceilings and large skylights, this Lower Nob Hill watering hole feels almost like the outdoors — if the outdoors offered a menu of thoughtful cocktails with Oaxacan influence at a modern bar dressed with wood-topped stools. The namesake Peacekeeper is a spicy blend of serrano tequila, pineapple, ginger, and lime — perfect for sipping next to the bar’s fireplace.

Just off the square is this TV-filled arcade bar where, by virtue of having Skee-Ball, pinball, and hoops machines, is going to skew pretty bro-y most days. It’s more sports-focused than its other recently opened counterparts in the city like Brewcade and Coin-Op Game Room, and it’s not a place where you’re going to “dine” in any real sense of that word — but it’s a place to drink lots of beer and graze on things like popcorn shrimp and chicken nachos, aka the bare necessities after braving the shopping crowds.

It’s the only spot near Union Square serving up old-school, red-sauce Italian, and Cesario’s has probably some of the best of that genre of food that you’ll find outside North Beach. Chicken parmesan, lasagna, and penne Bolognese are the specials of the house here, and it’s all served on white tablecloths in a cozy dining room overlooking Mason Street. If Italian comfort food is what you’re craving and you don’t mind the small hike up the hill, this is a good bet where getting a table likely won’t be a problem.

Ryoko’s is way, way outside the ordinary: It’s in a basement and open late-ish, while a DJ (typically a good one) plays loudly to keep the atmosphere lively. When ordering, stick mostly to the basics, though some weird house creations (like the “sexy roll” topped with melted American cheese) are worth a try. Overall, it’s a refreshing departure from the Union Square usual — and pretty much anything else.

If you’re going to dine in Union Square, might as well pull out all the stops, right? The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus is all white tablecloths and fine dining, set beneath the store’s iconic stained glass dome with unparalleled views of the square itself. The traditional move is to catch afternoon tea, though dinner is also offered.

This spacious, often-busy outpost is just one block off the square on O’Farrell and has a focus on beer, burgers, and fried stuff. There is typically at least one in-house brew on tap, made in the microbrewery that occupies the rear of the space, as well as eight others on tap, and a solid (if brief) cocktail selection featuring things like a barrel-aged Manhattan. Brunch includes a good huevos rancheros, and eggs Benedict with an optional topping of carnitas and jalapeño hollandaise. Expect the place to be packed with sports fans watching one of the many TVs around the bar, but otherwise, Bartlett Hall makes for an easy resting spot before tackling Macy’s head-on.

Some of the best Indian-Pakistani food in the city (at prices below those at nearby New Delhi Restaurant) can be found a few blocks from Union Square on Jones Street. Shalimar is known for its chicken jalfrezi and excellent tikka masala, but the restaurant itself is stark and fluorescent-lit, so it’s no place for visiting moms or first dates.

Since it opened, Jasper’s has been a reliable pre-theater, post-shopping destination with a solid cocktail situation and plenty of hearty, slightly upscale, pub-style dinner options. Think poutine topped with duck confit, wings three ways (Sriracha Buffalo, Asian, and salt & vinegar), and a mac and cheese made with smoked gouda. Also, for this ’hood, the prices are pretty reasonable.

Bodega SF is the reimagined comeback for Tenderloin favorite Bodega Bistro, which shuttered back in 2017. Matt Ho, son of one of the restaurant’s co-owners, brought back the family restaurant as a pop-up during the pandemic, but now the Vietnamese spot has permanently relocated to a more Union Square-adjacent spot with some modern touches befitting Ho’s time as manager at Nobu Palo Alto. The restaurant will serve old favorites, such as the shaking beef and pho at lunch, as well as updated dishes like the bun cha made with heritage pork belly and cha ca, a whole branzino fish that is deboned and butterflied. If you’re feeling thirsty, there’s also the addition of a cocktail menu to help wet the whistle.

Bottle Club Pub is in that squishy area that is maybe Union Square and maybe Tenderloin, but makes it onto this list for a number of reasons. Sure, this Future Bars spot is in an area awash with other bars from the group (namely Zombie Village and Bourbon & Branch), but it’s a definite indicator that you’ll get some strong, well-crafted cocktails with a showstopper element — in this case, an enormous bottle and decanter collection situated on rotating shelves. Add that to the fact that the pub also has a small-but-mighty food menu (a first for Future Bars) featuring the requisite fish and chips, a smashburger (who doesn’t love a smashburger?), and fried chicken, and is kid-friendly if you have some little ones in tow.