Diners' Choice: Innovative restaurants in San Francisco Bay Area

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for the best restaurants that are fit for foodies in San Francisco Bay Area? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Sun Moon Studio

5.0

5 (62)

$50 and over

Californian

Oakland

About the restaurant

Sun Moon Studio is a farmer and producer-driven restaurant in West Oakland by Chefs Alan Hsu and Sarah Cooper.

We offer a multi-course tasting menu for $150 per person in our intimate, 4-table dining room. An optional beverage pairing is available for $90 per person. The focus of our menu is to highlight the bounty of local producers and farmers through the lens of our life experiences. *Please note: beginning July 18th, 2025 the tasting menu price will increase to $180. *

We are happy to adjust our menu to accomodate dietary restrictions, but require advanced notice. Please let us of your party's dietaries when making a reservation so we may plan for your arrival.

Reservations are released on a rolling basis, 6 weeks in advance at 12 noon.

We are looking forward to cooking for you!

Alan and Sarah

Top review

OpenTable DinerVIP

Dined on Jun 20, 2025

Phenomenal experience. Thoughtful, delicious cooking. Looking forward to our next visit!

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Experience

Sun Moon Studio Tasting Menu

Sushi Hakko

4.9

4.9 (301)

$50 and over

Japanese

Marina / Cow Hollow / Presidio

About the restaurant

**Welcome to Sushi Hakko on Union St. + Fillmore St.**
We'd like to offer our tasting menu that's reflecting Chef Alex Kim and his team's pursuit of top notch sushi experience. Our approach is a harmonious crossover of authentic Edo-mae style with Western skill. From fish to rice, cooking rice to garnish prep - a true synergy of not only Californian but Japan.

**Sushi Bar Experience**
For the best experience of our tasting menu, we'd recommend the sushi bar seating, where chef will serve and explain the dish by dish, piece by piece with an extensive information of the skills and ingredients.

**Regular Tables**
Our regular tables are also available for the tasting menu and you can make a reservation at any time slot to your convenience.

*Large Group*
For any party of 7 or more, please kindly call us at 415.814.2886 or email at sushihakko@gmail.com. We will get back to you asap.

All parties will be subject to a 20% service charge.

We look forward to serving you soon.

Top review

Ryan

Dined 6 days ago

An unforgettable sushi experience for any sushi enjoyer!

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Experience

Sushi Hakko Bar Experience

Experience

Sushi Hakko Table Experiences

KUSAKABE

4.8

4.8 (420)

$50 and over

Sushi

Financial District / Embarcadero

About the restaurant

Come and experience San Francisco's original Omakase (chef's choice) sushi in the Kyoto-kaiseki style.

Kyoto-kaiseki is considered to represent the ultimate in Japanese dining; combining art and the finest seasonal ingredients.

Kyoto-born and trained chef Mitsunori Kusakabe's creative accolades include winning the Creative Sushi Award from the National Sushi Society and Sushi of the Year in competition against other world-renowned sushi chefs.

If your party size is more than 11 guests or if you are considering a buyout, please contact us at info@kusakabe-sf.com.

Top review

Leo

Dined on Jun 20, 2025

We had a fantastic anniversary. We were really well taken care of by both Shinji and Mika, who added lots of smiles and positive energy to our night. The omakase and appetizers were delicious and complex, and I couldn’t help but smile with each piece of sushi. I would highly recommend this establishment and will certainly be back for special occasions.

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Experience

Petite Omakase for Tuesday through Friday

Urban Putt San Jose

4.7

4.7 (33)

$31 to $50

Gastro Pub

San Jose

About the restaurant

An immersive three-in-one experience: Delectable food and drinks, plus our custom-built indoor mini-golf course! Our menu features specialty pizzas, unique burgers and shareable plates designed to delight your taste buds. Award-winning California chef Chad Ferry has crafted an inventive menu with imaginative ingredients, from pad thai pizza to plantain sliders, from "loaded tot'chos" to the outlandish "OMG burger." Our communal plates are perfect for sampling and sharing with friends and family, and a perfect complement to our extensive bar program. With 12 local brews on tap, a full slate of innovative cocktails, and a selection of mouth-watering mocktails, Urban Putt's bar has something for everyone to enjoy.

Top review

HeatherVIP

Dined on Apr 12, 2025

Fantastic birthday option for a teenager Easy to putt and eat for dinner Ordered pizzas so it was easy Wish they had pitchers of soda etc for big groups Innovative way to putt A few arcade options upstairs that were fun at the end

Valley Goat

4.6

4.6 (42)

$30 and under

Californian

San Jose

About the restaurant

Celebrate the vibrant flavors of Northern California's seasonal ingredients, offering a shareable menu infused with bold, globally inspired culinary creativity by award-winning Chef Stephanie Izard and the nationally celebrated Boka Restaurant Group. Valley Goat is a perfect spot for any occasion-from a casual meal to an evening of cocktails or a lively group dinner.

Top review

Krissy

Dined on Jun 24, 2025

The food was unique, delicious, came out quickly and served and explained perfectly. Jose our server was excellent, knew the menu front to back and helped us make excellent choices!! The whole staff from start to finish were wonderful. This is a Gem in Sunnyvale!

ROOH San Francisco

4.5

4.5 (921)

$31 to $50

Contemporary Indian

SOMA

About the restaurant

ROOH is a progressive Indian Table and Bar located in the heart of San Francisco’s burgeoning SoMa district. Meaning soul or spirit, Rooh brings the spirit of India to San Francisco through the restaurant experience. Renowned Executive Chef, Valice Francis, delicately balances rich traditional flavors with fresh local ingredients prepared with modern techniques.

Top review

Kshama

Dined on Jun 24, 2025

Great food and service, but music was a little loud.

Broma

4.5

4.5 (227)

$50 and over

Spanish

Mountain View

About the restaurant

A modern palette blended with regional tastes embodies an atmosphere that welcomes novel thought and casual gatherings. Inspired by Spanish cuisine, yet influenced by many places, our restaurant is a culinary journey—one that’s as bold and diverse as the flavors found on our menu.
Inspired by his travels through Spain and Portugal, Michelin-starred chef Jarad Gallagher Latin influenced cuisine at Broma.
We work closely with our purveyors to source only the finest ingredients, both local and abroad.
In addition, we offer hand-crafted cocktails from The Emerald Hour, craft beer, American and international wines, and a variety of delightful non-alcoholic options.

Top review

Arthur

Dined 2 days ago

The food is among the best anywhere in the Bay Area. The service is impeccable at every level of the experience.

Bevri - Palo Alto

4.4

4.4 (362)

$31 to $50

Georgian

Palo Alto

About the restaurant

Bevri (which means “a lot” in Georgian) is the Bay Area’s first Georgian restaurant, famous for its hot gooey cheese bread khachapuri, juicy and flavorful dumplings khinkali, mouth-watering grilled meats and, of course, unique luscious Georgian wines.

Top review

Ken

Dined on Jun 15, 2025

Excellent food especially the pork ribs Mmyy date had the smashed chicken which she loved. The other items on the menu are genuine and appear very tasty Réservé ‘ahead as it was packed from 6:00 -9:9:30. No such thing as a quite table but the acoustics are very good.

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4.3

4.3 (36)

$31 to $50

Pan-Asian

Los Gatos

About the restaurant

First Born is an ode to our family, a tribute to our heritage, and a high-five to where we grew up, all cheekily brought together (don’t make us say ‘fused’) to create an unforgettable dining experience.

Fuelled by relentless energy, an obsession with food, and an unflinching desire to prove the naysayers wrong, First Born is home to a group of rag-tag renegades dedicated to doing things our way.

Headed up by our executive chef, Brandon Le, and supported by our dedicated in-house staff, we're not blowing smoke up anyone's ass when we say we really, really, really love to show people a good time.

Top review

sasha

Dined on Jun 12, 2025

Great food and service. Drinks well crafted and fun experience

Pinstripes - Walnut Creek

3.7

3.7 (22)

$31 to $50

American

Walnut Creek

About the restaurant

Our Walnut Creek location offers a unique variety of entertainment and events every day of the week. Enjoy our made-from-scratch Italian-American cuisine during Saturday & Sunday Brunch with the family, happy hour after work, or a night of bowling and bocce.

Top review

MONA

Dined on May 18, 2025

Tim was our server and such an amazing person… So attentive to our needs and has a great sense of humor… The food is amazing as always… Pinstripes is definitely one of our go to places

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