Why did we dine here? – Saam is the newest restaurant from chef Thitid Tassanakajohn of Thailand, this is his first venture in the United States after 18 years of cooking in Thailand. His restaurants in Bangkok are highly rated: Le Du earned a Michelin star and earned the No. 1 slot in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Nusara has a Michelin star and No. 5 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2026. We recently went to Thailand, so we were interested in seeing how close this is to food we had there. The restaurant is not very big and has nice decor with Thai-pop blaring. We dined here after it had been open for a week, so we expected glitches. Saam is doing better than we expected. 4.8 on Google, 4.7 on Yelp. Insider Tip – Use Resy Notify to score a hard to get reservation Cuisine – Thai Location – San Francisco SoMa District Opened – July 2026 Service – Saam had better service than expected for a 1 week old restaurant. The server was not equipped well for dietary restrictions. Verdict – Saam serves up inventive Thai food in a nice environment. It is not a curry […]

This post originally from Saam – San Francisco

HK Lounge Bistro in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood takes the place of burned down Hong Kong Lounge 2 that was in the Inner Richmond district. This spot opened in 2023. Be sure to read Foodnut’s Guide to Chinese Dim Sum Lunch Decor, Vibe – HK Lounge Bistro consists of a single room that is not very large, stuffed full of tables. Nicer decor than most dingy Chinese restaurants. It was clearly packed with locals with a mix of races. Many probably were old customers trying the new spot. HK Lounge Bistro Menu HK Lounge Bistro’s Dim Sum Menu has all the classic along with a couple specialty dishes and some older school dim sum items that you order from the check off menu. Specialty noodle and rice dishes are available from the menu. Prices are higher than expected indicating a slant towards non Asians. Stuff just comes out when ready. $2 tea charge, even if you drink water. HK Lounge Bistro Signature Dishes – Coffee pork ribs, Dumplings, Fried items Service – HK Lounge Bistro had fair service with servers running around in this small space. You check off what you want and the food starts to appear in a […]

This post originally from HK Lounge Bistro, San Francisco

Why did we dine here? – Ernest is a hot restaurant in the Potrero Hill area not far from KQED. We had to set multiple alerts on Resy to get a reservation. They have outdoor seating in their courtyard, complete with heat lamps. We dine here twice, once inside and once outside. The chef is Brandon Rice. Rice spent 5 ½ years as Chef De Cuisine at Rich Table in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley. Insider Tip – Reserve early and use alerts on rezy. Tables open up close to reservation dates. Cuisine – Japanese Fusion Location – San Francisco Mission District Opened – 2020 Service – Ernest Service was better than expected, although on our first visit, the waiter wasn’t very informed on some ingredients. Verdict – Ernest has some dishes that were great, while others didn’t work. This is one of those restaurants where you really have to know what to order – slant toward appetizers and dessert. Prices are not cheap, but on par with other restaurants of this caliber. Ernest has a trust the chef, Omakase option for $95. 6% Healhy SF Mandate added. Is this restaurant worth a 5 minute drive? Yes. 30 minute? Maybe. 1 […]

This post originally from Ernest, San Francisco

Why did we dine here? – The Morris it’s a restaurant in San Francisco’s Mission District that occupies the former location of the slow club. We read reviews that raved about their duck, so we had to give it a try ourselves. This restaurant recently made Michael Bauer’s best of 2018 list. Insider Tip – Bring several hungry people, because even half a duck is pretty huge. Cuisine – American Location – Mission District Opened – 2017 Service – The Morris had very good service for servers that knew the menu and maintained good pacing. The restaurant is pretty small, but they have a good ratio of servers to diners. Verdict – The Morris stands out with really well done duck, but all the other dishes were better than average. They are also open for lunch with the same duck dish. The small restaurant appears to be a high-quality neighborhood joint. If it was located in any other city, it would stand out far more. They’re just too many hotspots in San Francisco. Is this restaurant worth a 5 minute drive? Yes. 30 minute? Maybe. 1 Hour? No The Morris Signature Dishes – Roast smoked duck The Morris’s Menu is […]

This post originally from The Morris, San Francisco

Best place for Dim Sum newbies plus the Best xiao long bao steamed dumpings in San Francisco?!? Yank Sing Rincon Center How does San Francisco’s famous Yank Sing compare to the world’s best Dim Sum restaurants or nearby Chinese Restaurants? Since 1958, Yank Sing has been specializing in Chinese Dim Sum. Many folks have exclaimed that this is their favorite Chinese restaurant, so it was time to come back. Make reservations or be prepared to wait. They now have 2 locations, both in the San Francisco Financial District. We visited the smaller Stevenson street location, situated in an alley just off 2nd street. This location has fewer items, but is known for rapid fire service. Yank Sing is known for quality dim sum with very nice service, at high prices. Our last visit was in 2018 to the Rincon center location. Be sure to read our Introduction to Chinese Dim Sum. Yank Sing Decor, Vibe – Clean modern room that filled up rapidly after the doors opened. The Rincon center location is a lot bigger and nicer. On the weekends, they extend service into the courtyard. Even the bathrooms are clean. Dim Sum Carts roaming the room all the time. The […]

This post originally from Yank Sing, San Francisco Rincon Center

They moved back to NYC and closed 12/30/2017! They will be missed. Long lines before they even opened. Una Pizza Napoletana is a new legendary pizza place in San Francisco’s Soma District. Pizzaiolo Anthony Mangieri closed up his New York shop last year and headed westward with his wife to open this restaurant in 2010, aka shrine to pizza making. Our last visit was in December 2017. Be sure to read our review of Pizzeria Starita and Da Michele in Naples Italy. The real deal. Starita has an outpost in NYC. All pizzas are 12 inch round and not pre-sliced. They feature 100% handmade Neapolitan pizza, from a wood-fired brick oven baked that dominates the room. This is Magnieri’s passion and it shows. Naturally Leavened, no condiments available, no substitutions, no alterations, just a salt shaker on the table. The dough takes 3 days work. Get what you get and you don’t make a fit. They close when he runs out of dough, usually about 930pm. Our last visit was in late 2017 right before they closed. Would you believe that Magnieri is allergic to flour? He has to take care as flour is one of his staples. Cuisine – Pizza […]

This post originally from Una Pizza Napoletana, San Francisco