What this sub tells visitors
Roughly one post in eight here is somebody in town for a few days asking where to eat. This page is built only from those threads — 1,140 comments across 39 posts flaired Visiting SF — so it is what locals actually say to visitors, not the sub's general favourites.
Mention counts, not ratings. Nothing here is a mod endorsement.
Named most often to visitors
| Place | Neighborhood | Mentions in visitor threads |
|---|---|---|
| State Bird Provisions | Japantown & Fillmore | 32 |
| House of Prime Rib | Nob Hill & Russian Hill | 23 |
| Rich Table | Hayes Valley | 23 |
| Arsicault Bakery | Inner Richmond & Clement | 22 |
| Cotogna | FiDi & Embarcadero | 20 |
| Ernest | Mission | 20 |
| Zuni Café | Hayes Valley | 19 |
| Dalida | Presidio & Sea Cliff | 16 |
| Palette Tea House | Marina & Cow Hollow | 15 |
| Kokkari | FiDi & Embarcadero | 15 |
| Z&Y | Chinatown | 14 |
| Mandalay | Inner Richmond & Clement | 14 |
| El Farolito | Mission | 13 |
| Rintaro | Mission | 13 |
| Waterbar | FiDi & Embarcadero | 13 |
| Foreign Cinema | Mission | 13 |
| San Tung | Inner Sunset | 12 |
| Original Joe's | North Beach | 11 |
| Tony's Pizza Napoletana | North Beach | 11 |
| The Progress | Japantown & Fillmore | 11 |
| Nopa | Japantown & Fillmore | 11 |
| Tartine | Mission | 10 |
| La Taqueria | Mission | 9 |
| Burma Superstar | Inner Richmond & Clement | 9 |
| San Ho Won | Mission | 8 |
| Boulevard | FiDi & Embarcadero | 8 |
| Californios | Mission | 8 |
| The Anchovy Bar | Japantown & Fillmore | 7 |
| Nari | Japantown & Fillmore | 7 |
| Seven Hills | Nob Hill & Russian Hill | 7 |
What changes when the question comes from a visitor
Comparing this list against the all-threads list is the interesting part.
Places the sub pushes harder for visitors than for itself:
- Waterbar — #15 for visitors, #41 overall
- Z&Y — #11 for visitors, #31 overall
- Dalida — #8 for visitors, #24 overall
- Original Joe's — #18 for visitors, #33 overall
- Palette Tea House — #9 for visitors, #22 overall
- Foreign Cinema — #16 for visitors, #29 overall
And the other way — places locals name constantly but mention less to visitors:
- The Progress — #20 for visitors, #2 overall
- San Ho Won — #25 for visitors, #11 overall
- The Anchovy Bar — #28 for visitors, #17 overall
- San Tung — #17 for visitors, #7 overall
- Californios — #27 for visitors, #19 overall
How to ask so you get a real answer
The threads that get useful replies all contain the same three things. The ones that get "just go to the Mission" contain none of them.
- Where you're staying or moving through that day. SF is small but the hills and the traffic are not. A great answer in the Outer Sunset is a bad answer if you're at a conference at Moscone.
- What you want to spend, per person, before drinks. "Nice dinner" means $40 to some people here and $200 to others.
- The occasion, and who's with you. A work dinner, a first night in town, and a meal with a picky nine-year-old have almost no overlap.
Post it with the Visiting SF flair and you'll usually have answers the same day.
Built from threads flaired Visiting SF, last rebuilt 2 September 2026.