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Up a very steep hill from Union Square (just a few blocks but worlds away) is San Francisco's prestigious Nob Hill neighborhood, beset with mansions and elegant hotels overlooking San Francisco from their privileged perch. The neighborhood lives on a grand scale and so do Nob Hill restaurants, many of which have a cultured, Old World aura. The Dining Room, an understated name for one of the top fifty restaurants in the country, at the Ritz Carlton is an ode to sophistication. The Top of the Mark at the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel has over 100 martinis on its list and unrivaled bird's-eye views of San Francisco and the Bay Area. Recently, intimate newcomers like Sparrow and Bar Crudo have given the Nob Hill dining scene a more neighborly feel without forgoing the requisite class.
603 Bush St., San Francisco CA 94108
Seafood, raw and cooked, especially raw, is the name of the game at tiny but hugely popular Bar Crudo. Tucked in a hideaway above Union Square, Bar Crudo is the perfect place to ditch the shopping masses below and meet over oysters and a glass of cava.
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Canteen
817 Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94109; Tel. +1.415.928.8870
Although it looks like little more than lunch counter, 20-seat Canteen has become a must stop for savvy food lovers. Chef Dennis Leary creates an engaging, personal menu that has included hearty yet refined dishes as spicy seafood soup with crab dumplings, pork tenderloin with lentils and black cod with spinach and artichoke chips.
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600 Stockton Street, San Francisco CA
Just walking into the colossal 1909 Nob Hill landmark building the Ritz Carlton hotel calls home is an experience in Nob Hill capital accumulation. The hotel's Dining Room is no less sophisticated. In a sumptous candlelit atmosphere, Chef Sylvian Portay's fine French dining is designed to "enliven the senses—sight, touch, taste, scent and sound," or at least impress a dinner date. Add regal service, and it's no wonder Food & Wine Magazine just dubbed San Francisco's Dining Room on the the top fifty restaurants in the country.
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905 California St., San Francisco CA 94110
An intimate, Mediteranean-style Nob Hill restaurant with two towering European-style roasting ovens in full view of posh diners. The restaurant's vast wine cellar, stocked with world-class wines, is one of the Wine Spectator's San Francisco favorites. Fournou's Ovens, housed in Nob Hill's commanding Stanford Court hotel, also offers a conspicuously consumptive Champagne Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
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1177 California St., San Francisco, California 94108
California Asian. An exciting addition to the Nob Hill restaurant scene, Sparrow is a well-designed space with modern, Asian elements, like an electric blue Buddha head and private, Zen-like booths. The inventive cuisine lives up to its fusion claims with gourmet hybrids. Across from Grace Cathedral, Sparrow caters to well-heeled patrons.
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950 Mason Street, San Francisco CA 94163
Home to San Francisco's best happy hour, The Tonga Room and Hurricane bar are a little tropical oasis on the top of Nob Hill. Done up like a rain forest including thunder and periodic rain storms, the Tonga Room serves Pacific Rim Pan Asian cuisine with tropical drinks and other libations from the full bar. Don't miss the Mai Tai voted San Francisco's best by Conde Nast Traveler.
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One Nob Hill San Francisco CA 94108
The Top of the Mark, a mahogany sky bar and lounge literally on top of the Mark Hopkins hotel, has one of San Francisco's most signature views: a staggering 360 degree bird's eye view of San Francisco and the Bay. Dip into a cocktail and light fine dining and then take a spin in the clouds on the Top's elevated dance floor.
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1257 Taylor St., San Francisco, California 94108
Italian. A romantic, neighborhood restaurant hidden on a quiet street atop Nob Hill, Venticello serves classic and comforting Italian cuisine.
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