Romantic Restaurants In The San Francisco Bay Area

Chef/owner Pim Techamuanvivit infuses her bold, vibrant Thai cooking with a thoroughly modern Californian sensibility—sliced fresh stone fruit in a Massaman lamb curry, for instance. The result is delicious, elegantly composed food in an equally sleek setting. Kick things off with a starter of crispy fried veal sweetbreads, tangy with tamarind and spicy with chilies; or tender Monterey Bay squid and chili-spiced pork jowl, accompanied by sticky rice served in a banana leaf. Desserts are an absolute must: try the Dreaming of Lod Chong with cold, salted coconut cream around a pandan parfait; or Babin coconut cake, topped with long, curled pieces of toasted coconut and purple basil.

This tiny, intensely personal restaurant from chef/owner Melissa Perello has been a local hit from the get-go. Chic and always packed, it’s as perfect for a low-key date night as it is for dinner with the kids. And while reservations are nigh-impossible to score here, its astonishingly cozy setting attended to by a gracious staff justifies planning ahead. Perello eschews trendy powders and foams for hearty and seasonal fare like charred baby octopus with homemade yogurt and olive tapenade. Honey-brined pork chop rests over creamed escarole and fennel slaw; while McGinnis Ranch carrots are roasted with sunchokes for an interesting blend of sweet and savory. Desserts like a black sesame pavlova with chicory root ice cream offer a light, fresh conclusion.

For decades, this iconic location housed one of Chinatown’s most storied banquet halls, and now its kitchen dishes out refined, modern Cantonese fare with a touch of California seasonality. The prix fixe menu, well-suited to groups, features a flurry of tempting dishes. These might include skillfully made shrimp dumplings with truffle and summer squash; or crispy, juicy fried chicken in a Malaysian curry sauce (a nod to the chef’s birthplace) served alongside fragrant lotus rice with dried scallop and shrimp.

The dining room here, with its cathedral-style ceilings and skylight, is masculine yet modern—think studded leather chairs and splashes of charcoal and chocolate. Micro-seasonal and thoroughly Californian, Spruce spotlights cooking that’s both simple and undeniably elegant. Rustic and homey starters may include hand-shaped ravioli filled with fresh ricotta and bathed in a broth of tart whey with fava leaf purée. A roulade of guinea hen stuffed with pork and duck sausage is exquisitely moist, juicy and accompanied by thick fingers of nutty-sweet brown ale toast that is perfect for sopping up every last drop. For dessert, a decadent crème fraîche cheesecake is thick, creamy—and necessary—with sweet vanilla flavor and a classic graham-cracker crust. Juicy citrus segments and a quenelle of brilliantly tart makrut lime ice cream add a delicious bit of zing.