Best Restaurants in San Francisco

It’s been entirely too long since I’ve shared a travel post. It’s not that we haven’t been traveling since I shared my favorite Stowe restaurants, but the blog has definitely suffered after that trip. I blame the pregnancy, newborn phase, home remodel and three home moves that followed. Yes, we moved three times in 15 months.

A few months ago, we left the boys at home and flew to San Francisco with the baby in tow. We were excited to go for my husband’s company holiday party. I LOVE San Francisco. Easily, one of my favorite U.S. cities. We found a great babysitter for the holiday party and some restaurant recommendations thanks to one of our friends so we were all set. The baby and I planned to sightsee during the day while my husband worked.

Have you traveled with a baby yet? You can pretty much bank on something not going the way you planned.

The morning we were leaving town, the baby woke up with a low fever. Because, of course. Since she was teething and had had a runny nose, I raced to the pediatrician to make sure we were ok to travel. We were cleared to go, but I knew it meant that I would spend a lot more time in the hotel room than planned. She would need her sleep.

Between the pediatrician appointment, dropping the boys’ stuff off, stopping by the pharmacy for saline spray for her nose, forgetting my husband’s briefcase on our front porch and having to drive back home to grab it, the trip was off to a great start.

We got to the airport parking garage 8 minutes before we would no longer be allowed to check the travel crib. It doubled as the baby’s suitcase so we couldn’t leave it behind at this point. After circling two levels of the parking garage with no luck, I threw the car into park and left my husband to deal with parking, the baby and the rest of the stuff, while I SPRINTED from the garage all the way to the other end of Dulles airport with the travel crib and my suitcase. I was a mess but was able to check the bag with 1 minute to spare!

Then I doubled back to help with the baby, and we ran to security since our flight was starting to board. Fun times. But we made the flight and arrived in San Francisco without any other craziness. Well, except for the man seated next to us, who had a weird medical episode during the flight, where my husband had to catch him and stop him from falling flat on his face.

Once in the city, we dropped off our stuff and hit the ground running by going to dinner. Some of these restaurants weren’t our first choice, but we had a baby with us. A quiet, romantic setting or endless tasting menus weren’t going to work out well for anyone. All of the restaurants listed here are family friendly as tested by us and the baby.

Amarena, 2162 Larkin St., Russian Hill

This restaurant wasn’t on our list, but we went to dinner with a large group of my husband’s work colleagues and the baby one evening. It’s a really lovely little neighborhood place. Not another tourist in sight. Excellent service and fantastic food would make me go back for sure. They’re not exactly equipped for babies since the restaurant has a total of two high chairs, but it was really great. They brought the baby an adult size portion of pasta bolognese that she didn’t even come close to finishing.

Arguello, 50 Moraga Avenue, Presidio

This restaurant is tucked a bit out of the typical tourist path and should be on your list for sure! We decided to go for brunch before walking to the Palace of Fine Arts and a full day of sightseeing. Basically, we loved the food so much that we talked about it until dinner. Not surprisingly, the baby couldn’t get enough of the guacamole and neither could we. I shared my huevos rancheros with her, and Mike ordered the Arguello burrito. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, both sound like something you’ve eaten before. But Arguello puts their own touch on each dish to make it really exceptional and a bit different.

PABU, 101 California St., Embarcadero

We ate dinner here on our first night. Bustling with the after-work crowd in Embarcadero, it was great people watching for an overtired baby who didn’t feel her best. The service was thoughtful and attentive, and the food was delicious! We ordered sushi to share, but the two dishes I can remember most vividly were the Ahi Tuna Poke and the Maitake Mushroom Tempura. Be sure to order them. The tuna was pretty spicy, but that didn’t stop the baby. She scraped her tongue after each bite and demanded more. A girl after my own heart.

Stones Throw, 1896 Hyde St., Russian Hill

Funny enough, this neighborhood spot is literally just down the block from Amarena. For us it was convenient to eat in Russian Hill again on our last evening before catching the red-eye home that night. The service here was top notch even when we were running late for our reservation. In all honesty, I only remember loving our food here – it was my husband’s favorite place – but I have no idea what we ate. We ordered a bunch of different small plates and shared them all.

American Eatery, Ferry Building Marketplace

In between naps one day, the baby and I strolled along the water for some fresh air. I decided to eat lunch in the Ferry building and felt the many choices there overwhelming. The whole building was busy, and most food options seemed difficult for the baby to eat/chew. I settled on lettuce wraps at the American Eatery, substituting sweet potatoes for meat. I knew I wouldn’t go wrong with sweet potatoes and avocado for the baby. It was all cut into small pieces so it was easy for us to share outside on a bench while we watched the ferry traffic.

Despite great reviews, a couple of lunch spots didn’t make my list. Such is life when eating out.