Alfred's Steakhouse
659 Merchant Street
(415) 781-7058
Lunch, dinner
An old-school establishment that delivers exactly what you want from a steakhouse.

Aqua
252 California Street
(415) 956-9662
Lunch, dinner
A well-heeled, sharp-suited Financial District crowd frequents this sleek-as-a-shark dining room.

Campton Place
340 Stockton Street
(415) 781-5555
Lunch, dinner
Campton Place pairs an ambience steeped in serene, old-money traditionalism with a kitchen that delights in innovative ideas.

Cypress Club
500 Jackson Street
(415) 296-8555
Dinner
Over-the-top decor combines with masterful, restrained New American cuisine.

Elisabeth Daniel
550 Washington Street
(415) 397-6129
Lunch, dinner
A high-ticket palace without the attitude, serving a smart take on classic Cal-French.

Farallon
450 Post Street
(415) 956-6969
Lunch, dinner
The swank downtown eatery that caused such a splash on opening a few years back is truly dinner as theater.

Kokkari Estiatorio
200 Jackson
(415) 981-0983
Lunch, dinner
Greek food has received little attention in San Francisco, but this sprawling, elegant eatery could change all that.

Lapis
Pier 33
(415) 982-0203
Lunch, Dinner
North African-influenced Mediterranean fare in a stylish waterfront venue.

Morton's
400 Post Street
(415) 986-5830
Dinner
For serious meat eaters only; prime, Midwestern and aged beef available.

Postrio
545 Post Street
(415) 776-7825
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Postrio crackles—and sometimes roars—with energy the moment you set foot in the handsome entryway.

Rubicon
558 Sacramento Street
(415) 434-4100
Lunch, dinner
Beamed ceilings give Rubicon an almost loft-like feel, and celebrity-watchers can only hope investors Robert De Niro, Francis Ford Coppola or Robin Williams might drop by.

Scala's Bistro
432 Powell Street
(415) 395-8555
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
In a former life, this glamorous spot in the Sir Francis Drake Hotel was a dingy sports bar with the singularly unappetizing name of Crusty's.

Waterfront
Pier 7 on Embarcadero at Broadway
(415) 391-2696
Lunch, dinner
Upscale, sophisticated seafood in an elegant and understated room with a view.

Anjou
44 Campton Place
(415) 392-5373
Lunch, dinner
Anjou's hidden location hasn't kept Conde Nast Traveler, Gourmet, Esquire and the New York Timesfrom singing its praises.

B-44
44 Belden Place
(415) 986-6287
Lunch, dinner
A Catalan-style restaurant that celebrates the food of northern Spain.  

Bix
56 Gold Street
(415) 433-6300
Lunch, dinner
Hidden just north of the Transamerica Pyramid, Bix does a convincing impression of a 1930s-era art deco supper club.

Cafe Bastille
22 Belden Place
(415) 986-5673
Lunch, dinner
Bastille is a hangout for European expatriates and downtown habitues seeking a little continental atmosphere.

Cafe Claude
7 Claude Lane
(415) 392-3505
Lunch, dinner
Bring your Gitanes, your best air of stylish insouciance and your motorcycle jacket to this rigorously authentic Gallic cafe.

Cafe Metropol
168 Sutter
(415) 732-7777
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Metropol combines an emphasis on fresh ingredients and house-made items with extremely reasonable prices.

First Crush
101 Cyril Magnin Street
(415) 982-7874
Dinner
The concept is simple: Pair upscale, all-American food with an extensive, affordable all-American wine list.

Globe Restaurant
290 Pacific Avenue
(415) 391-4132
Lunch, dinner
Wood bistro-style doors lead into a dining room that's a perfect embodiment of the bare-bones restaurant look of the '90s.

Hana Zen
115 Cyril Magnin Street
(415) 421-2101
Lunch, dinner
This cute (if somewhat slick) addition to little Cyril Magnin Street offers an opportunity to try unusual Japanese delicacies.

Kantaro Sushi
124 Ellis Street
(415) 986-2339
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Utilitarian in appearance, this little restaurant turns out a wide variety of excellent dishes, from the familiar to the unusual.

Palio d'Asti
640 Sacramento Street
(415) 395-9800
Lunch, dinner
The brilliantly colored heraldic banners recall Palio's namesake: the famous medieval Italian horse race still held in Siena.

Plouf
40 Belden Place
(415) 986-6491
Lunch, Dinner
Plouf makes a splash, adding a French seafood bistro to what is already a mini-French Quarter.

Ponzu
401 Taylor Street
(415) 775-7979
Dinner
A large, sleek bistro serving pan-Asian fare with a California spin.

Puccini & Pinetti
129 Ellis Street
(415) 392-5500
Lunch, dinner
A stone's throw from Union Square, P&P strives for the homey feel of a neighborhood bistro.

Zingari Ristorante
501 Post Street
(415) 885-8850
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Airy and bright, Zingari (which means "gypsies" in Italian) is ensconced in the Hotel Donatello.