12 James Beard Award-Winning Restaurants to Try in San Francisco

There are, truly, so many award-winning places to try. Start here.

by Paolo Bicchieri Feb 23, 2023, 3:11pm PST

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by Paolo Bicchieri Feb 23, 2023, 3:11pm PST

Zuni Cafe

San Francisco has 48 hills, a mere 49-square-mile area, yet it manages, somehow, to play host to legions of well-acclaimed restaurants, bakeries, and cafes. The James Beard Foundation, one of the powerhouse institutions that dole out recognition to the hardworking cooks and servers throughout the city, will crown a new crop of must-try businesses by mid-spring 2023. And while the organization has had its share of issues in the past, it was back in form in 2022 ringing in good fortune for places like Chinatown’s Mister Jiu’s and more. Here are just 12 restaurants and cafes that have won over the years that are worth adding to your list.

Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Foundation Awards.

Yank Sing

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There’s a reason this dumpling dealer was recognized with an America’s Classic James Beard Award in 2009. The restaurant was involved in a wage theft lawsuit in 2014, which has since been settled, becoming a standout Chinese restaurant in the city for years, offering plenty of siu mai and shrimp dumplings to its legions of fans.

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49 Stevenson St, San Francisco, CA 94105

(415) 541-4949

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Tartine Bakery

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Then husband-and-wife titans Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt took the world by storm in 2008 with sourdough country loaves at their Mission District bakery Tartine. Such was the power of their baking prowess that they each won a James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker. Still, it’s worth noting the bakery has ongoing union trifles.

600 Guerrero St, San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) 487-2600

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b. patisserie

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This Lower Pacific Heights institution is loved for its black sesame kouign amann, available for two weeks every Lunar New Year. The masterminds behind the sweet operation, Belinda Leong and Michel Suas, both won Outstanding Baker James Beard Awards in 2018.

2821 California St, San Francisco, CA 94115

(415) 440-1700

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Mister Jiu's

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Brandon Jew is quite comfortable atop San Francisco’s restaurant game. He was awarded the Best Chef: California award in 2022, winning another James Beard just the week before, a Media Award, this time for his cookbook Mister Jiu’s in Chinatown: Recipes and Stories from the Birthplace of Chinese American Food, co-authored by Tienlon Ho. Plus, his Peking duck is a legend all in its own right.

28 Waverly Pl, San Francisco, CA 94108

(415) 857-9688

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Quince

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There aren’t too many restaurateurs as well-known as Michael Tusk, nor restaurants as well-loved as his Quince in Jackson Square. He and his wife Lindsay Tusk may have temporarily closed the 20-year-old restaurant, but there are still chances to get a taste of what made Tusk land a Best Chef: Pacific James Beard Award in 2011 at his other outpost Cotogna.

470 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

(415) 775-8500

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La Taqueria

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Over the years, the minds behind the James Beard Awards have learned to recognize community destinations as well as fine dining outposts. Enter La Taqueria, which has won plenty of acclaim for its burritos — and is possibly the best in the nation. In 2017, the restaurant was recognized with an America’s Classic James Beard Award.

2889 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) 285-7117

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Benu

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Much has been written about Corey Lee’s tutelage under Thomas Keller at the French Laundry and his subsequent rise to fame with his SoMa restaurant Benu. Nevertheless, Benu remains one of the only restaurants to tout all three Michelin stars in San Francisco. And in 2017 Lee won the Best Chef: West award, followed by a 2019 Outstanding Wine Program win for the restaurant.

22 Hawthorne St, San Francisco, CA 94105

(415) 685-4860

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Bar Agricole

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In 2019 this Mission District bar won the Outstanding Bar Program award, and in 2022 it emerged from its COVID-induced hibernation with a sharp redesign. Owner Thad Vogler previously navigated wage theft claims and financial challenges, but with the bar’s recent return, Bar Agricole is continuing its pioneering and seasonal approach to cocktails.

1540 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103

(415) 341-0101

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A16

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This Italian dynamo opened in 2004, and in 2015 its wine program, helmed by Shelley Lindgren, took home the Outstanding Wine Program James Beard Award. The Chestnut Street favorite sports a Michelin Bib Gourmand recommendation, to boot. Come for the creamy pasta, stay for the creamy pasta (as well as the pizza).

2355 Chestnut St, San Francisco, CA 94123

(415) 771-2216

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Zuni Café

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If you’ve yet to try this Market Street icon, or sink your teeth into its roast chicken, take this as your sign to do so. In 2018 James Beard recognized the restaurant with its Outstanding Service award, and in 2022 it won a Media Award from the organization for its book The Zuni Café Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco’s Beloved Restaurant, which entered the group’s Cookbook Hall of Fame.

1658 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94102

(415) 552-2522

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Atelier Crenn

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Alongside Corey Lee, Dominque Crenn is one of the few San Francisco restaurateurs who can claim three Michelin stars at one of their restaurants. For Crenn, that restaurant would be her eponymous Atelier Crenn, recently redesigned to resemble a The Menu-esque platonic ideal of a fine dining restaurant. No matter how meta one gets, Crenn won a James Beard Award in 2018 for the Best Chef: West category.

3127 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94123

(415) 440-0460

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State Bird Provisions

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In 2015, this Fillmore District restaurant was given a thumbs up by the James Beard Awards for both of its chefs, Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski. Each received a Best Chef: West award, only two years after State Bird won the coveted James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. Diners delight in Brioza and Krasinski’s low-lit dim sum-style service.

1529 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94115

(415) 795-1272

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Yank Sing

Tartine Bakery

b. patisserie

Mister Jiu's

Quince

La Taqueria

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Benu

Bar Agricole

A16

Zuni Café

Atelier Crenn

State Bird Provisions

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Yank Sing

Tartine Bakery

b. patisserie

Mister Jiu's

Quince

La Taqueria

Benu

Bar Agricole

A16

Zuni Café

Atelier Crenn

State Bird Provisions

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All sharing options for: 12 James Beard Award-Winning Restaurants to Try in San Francisco

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