These are the 16 most romantic restaurants in San Francisco

Since 2018, Chef Mike Lanham has gained a loyal following for "modernist cuisine with Southern accents” via his fine-dining pop-up Anomaly, which has run in various spaces throughout the city. Since January 2023, Anomaly has a permanent home in Pacific Heights. Within a moody and intimate space, diners can feat on an 11-course meticulously executed tasting menu that’s focused on experimentation and creative presentation. The restaurant makes for a romantic and special night out; food is often brought to the table and explained by the chef himself. If your aim is to impress your date, this place is the winner. 

One of San Francisco’s hottest restaurants, Penny Roma is a culinary creation by co-chefs Ryan Pollnow and Thomas McNaughton of Flour+Water. Everything about Penny Roma oozes romance, from the moody ambience and the fountain at the entryway to the deeply satisfying traditional Italian fare. Book a table here to enjoy conversation over a bottle of stellar wine paired with homemade pasta and dessert, sourced using seasonal ingredients sourced from local farms and purveyors.

What is more romantic than Golden Gate views from the restaurant's terrace? Head across the bridge to Sula, the restaurant inside the historic Cavallo Lodge nestled in Fort Baker. Sula is a sophisticated yet relaxed lounge serving seafood-forward small plates and a curated selection of wines and cocktails.

At Kim Alter’s tasting menu only spot Nightbird, you and your date can relax while savoring fine dining worthy courses like meatloaf beef tartare or Hokkaido scallops layered in paper-thin matsutake mushrooms. Impress your special person by starting or ending the night in Nightbird’s hidden back bar, Linden Room.

Meaning “sister” in Italian, Sorella is a relaxed restaurant from the team behind two-Michelin-starred Aquerello. Impress your date by bringing them to this cozy place where you get Michelin-level techniques without Michelin-level prices. Choose either a leather banquette or two seats at the bar, grab a cocktail or glass from the extensive wine list and feast on one of the many homemade kinds of pasta grounding this hearty menu. You’ll also find antipasti, secondi and side dish options if you’re looking for more.

Looking for an eclectic spot to celebrate your offbeat love?  Marianne’s combines Grandma’s living room, Gypsy Rose’s dressing room and a cabin in the woods. Named for the glamorous Marianne Faithfull (who was also Mick Jagger's ex, but we're hoping things go better for you and your date), this speakeasy inside the Hotel Zetta is intimate and just a hair zany, with taxidermy, stained-glass lamp shades, royal purple walls and zebra print banquettes. The cocktails are classic, like the Rail Car and the Kir Royale, and the bites are as well, like the smoked deviled egg and the caviar service. Marianne’s is only open on Friday and Saturday evenings, with reservations open a week in advance.

For 45 years, Zuni Café has retained an iconic status among San Francisco restaurants. With a homey feel across the two-story interior and massive windows that usher in warm daylight, the interior perfectly matches the California cuisine on offer. You and your significant other can bask in the warmth while ordering the famous Zuni “chicken for two,” a full bird that’s dry-brined for several days, cooked in the restaurant’s piping hot brick oven and served atop a signature salad of Acme Bread pieces and seasonal greens. (The chicken takes 60 minutes from ordering, so sit back in anticipation.) After decades, the original vibe remains: the walls serve as a rotating art gallery, the Parisian-style copper bar still is standing room only and a pianist plays regularly. 

For a whimsical twist on dinner and a movie for your romantic date, make a reservation at Foreign Cinema. It’s been a Mission standby since 1999 and one of the most stunning restaurants in town, showcasing an expanse of marble, stone and exposed beams under 18-foot ceilings in the interior dining room. Sit outside under the partially covered, heated courtyard to watch a movie that starts at dusk, projected onto a large screen. The seasonal California-Mediterranean fare is complemented by wines from an impressive 35-page list.

For couples on a budget, it’s hard to find a better deal than Trestle, steps from the Transamerica Pyramid—take a lover’s lane cruise through its courtyard before dinner. With its weekly $45 prix-fixe menu and a warm, comfortable space, Trestle offers exceptional ingredients, a smart craft beer and wine list and skilled service. Dishes change regularly with the seasons, but the add-on pasta course is often the highlight.

With its roaring fireplace, dark wood detailing and uncommonly gracious service, this beloved Greek spot feels luxuriously old-school. Kokkari’s inventive Hellenic cuisine hits the mark in its quest to create the “food of the gods.” Begin your meal with mezethes (small plates) like marithes tiganites (crispy smelt with garlic-potato skordalia and lemon, also affectionately referred to as “fries with eyes”) or some of the most magnificent grilled octopus in town. Once you’ve plowed through those, dig into Kokkari’s traditional moussaka—a rich, creamy baked casserole of eggplant, lamb ragout, and béchamel—or their famed lamb chops. For dessert? Various iterations of baklava, loukoumades and Greek doughnuts with honey, cinnamon and walnuts round out the menu. 

Del Popolo’s dining room, arranged around a green-tiled kitchen island and massive oven serving naturally-leavened, wood-fire pizza, offers a tagline of “doing the most with the yeast since 2012.” It’s a Bib Gourmand site with a variety of small plates like house-cured king salmon with apple, caper and horseradish to complement modern Neapolitan-style pizza classics. Plus, the decor is, like your date, Instagram-worthy, from the black walls to the gallery wall of oil paintings.

This California-Italian hybrid is everything you want in a date night spot. The interior is industrial but warm, with exposed brick walls and steel beams, a slatted wood ceiling and large picture windows. The entryway offers a glimpse of the wood-fired oven, usually packed with an array of tantalizing pizzas. The menu is rustic but refined, including a daily-changing menu of spit-roasted meats, grilled fish and handmade pasta.

The entrance to this tranquil Noe Valley gem is adorned by the signature glowing firefly, indicating that the experience will be magical. Inside, for romance of the homey kind, Firefly’s comfort food delights, whether you order the signature fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, to more creative plates like Japanese sweet potato tostones in a citrus-ginger glaze. Save room for heartwarming desserts like apple galette with brown sugar sour cream ice cream.

Known as the only Mexican restaurant in the U.S. with two Michelin stars, Californios offers an extravagant night for you and your sweetheart. Chef Val M. Cantú's Californios elevates Mexican heritage cuisine with ingenuity and complex ingredients, while colorful artwork on dark walls and a pleasing patio create great ambience. Michelin mentions standouts like lime cured cold-smoked hamachi with a sweet lime aguachile with pickled buddha’s hand and cold pressed cilantro.

This hip spot serves contemporary local omakase in a bright chic setting—from the fuchsia and rose mosaic tiles behind the bar to the camel-hued leather seats. The seasonal omakase-style menu progresses from lean to fatty fish; guests can expect standouts such as starry flounder served with Meyer lemon, shiso and blood-orange kosho, and a bluefin shoulder marinated in poblano soy. Uniquely, guests can personalize their omakase experience, dramatically affecting the pricing.

If you’ve only been to Manufactory for the line-out-the-door brunch, you’re missing out. After the crowds die down, the ambience turns downright quieter and… dare we say, romantic? The wood-on-white space is simultaneously chic and calming while giant orb paper lanterns glow overhead. The menu consists of upscale comfort food like roast chicken and fresh pasta, deftly dressed veggies and a daily-baked array of bread.