San Francisco's 5 Must Book restaurants for May

Fans of chef Ingi Son’s Financial District omakase The Shota now have a casual offshoot for inventive cocktails and share plates. Soaring ceilings, a giant Japanese-style gold mural, and red leather booths set the stage for glasses of Myoga, a Moscow mule-like drink, or the pickled plum liqueur-based cocktail Ichigo Ichie. Son collaborated with Intu-on Kornnawong of Jo’s Modern Thai fame on the menu, so you can pair your drinks with Thai-Japanese dishes like halibut ceviche with nam-jim sauce. 

A marble horseshoe bar anchors this red-hot Embarcadero French spot that feels like it was plucked out of the streets of Paris by owner Kais Bouzidi (he’s from there, too). On any given day, the restaurant is packed with small groups of people clinking glasses of Champagne over plates of garlicky snails, oeufs mayonnaise, and steak frites, all while taking in views of the Bay Bridge. Bon Délire’s dessert game is strong, too, so you won’t want to leave without the silky chocolate mousse.

Tyler Florence’s British pub-style restaurant has been an SF favorite for more than a decade, but it’s an especially exciting time to visit because the restaurant just moved into new digs a couple of blocks away in the Financial District. You can still expect all the favorites like the beloved tavern burger and the espresso martini, and you’ll now enjoy them in a swanky two-story space with exposed brick walls, massive windows, and cozy booths.

Few dining-room views rival the one you’ll find at this two-MICHELIN-Starred stunner perched above the Pacific Ocean in Mendocino County. Chef Matthew Kammerer’s hyper-seasonal, northern California-focused menu is equally breathtaking. Almost everything on your plate is from nearby, and you might be treated to Dungeness crab chawanmushi, fried maitake mushrooms with lace lichen, and mugwort candy. Pair it with a selection from the French and California wine list that spotlights small producers.

PRESS is peak Napa Valley. The restaurant earned a MICHELIN Star for the third consecutive time last year under famed chef-partner Philip Tessier and owner Samantha Rudd. The duo have made the restaurant a must-visit destination with their celebration of all things Napa. Choose from what’s considered the largest collection of Napa wines in the world (10,000 bottles!) and definitely ask for the caviar pretzel add-on to the seven-course seasonal tasting menu.