Date Locations
San Francisco is a very romantic place. The City by the Bay provides so many great settings for your date night. On a date, it is always a good idea to find a place that is cozy and relaxed to help make you and your date feel very comfortable and less stressed. In San Francisco, there are many places that would be perfect for your first date and here we have listed the best restaurants/bars for your perfect date. Choose one of these and enjoy!
Foreign Cinema
2534 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94110
First off, go at night! Secondly, make your reservation at least two weeks before, as the venue gets booked by many guests. This in itself tells you how amazing this place is. Foreign Cinema has nailed the environment, branding, and overall aesthetics. Book a seat on the outdoor heated patio if you want to see the movie showing on the big screen. The patio with cement walls has overhead heat lamps, strings of light, and candle‑lit dining tables. It's an atmosphere to experience. If you want a seat indoors, no worries, the cement walls continue inside, with wooden floors, a tall fireplace that warms up the space, and a wooden beam‑framed bar at the far end.
The best entrees you can have here are duck breast and trofie pasta. You also want to try lavender‑baked goat cheese, fried chicken, and calamari. If you're in the mood for fish, go for the Pacific swordfish, with Moro blood orange, butter beans, rainbow chard, picholine tapenade, and citrus gastrique.
For drinks, you get suggestions (if you want) for wine, champagne, and cocktails. The cocktail menu references movies with drinks like The Trouble With Angels (Woodford Reserve Rye, apple juice, fresh lemon, house yam, brown sugar, and baking spice syrup, $13) and High Fidelity (El Charro silver tequila, house hibiscus, and smoked chili syrup, and fresh lime with tajin‑salt rim, $14), and the spirits list includes a whiskey of the week, as well as special offerings like "rums we love."
The wine list has glass, carafe, or bottle options, with most glasses hovering around $15, and carafes from $24 to $83. The bottle list could be overwhelming as it is several pages long, arranged by country, and with everything from an $881 Burgundy magnum to a $29 Ribeiro.
Opens for Dinner on Tuesdays to Saturdays from 5 pm to 10 pm, and for Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 2 pm.
(415) 648‑7600
Charmaine's
45 McAllister St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Charmaine's has a beautiful view of the city and is great for pictures! Located at the top of San Francisco Proper Hotel, 120 floors above Market Street where the energetic chic of a European terrace meets the laid‑back vibes of "California cool", Charmaine's Rooftop Bar & Lounge offers a fantastic mix of bites, drinks, and views. The rooftop comes with both a quirky and colorful indoor lounge and a spacious outdoor terrace. It gets cold up there due to the cool San Francisco breeze, but they have fire pits and they offer you a blanket if necessary. You get seated on small benches and eat near the fireplace which warms up quickly.
It's a wonderful location to celebrate anniversaries or birthdays with unique signature cocktails, crafted by Josh Harris and Morgan Schick of BVHospitality, as well as elevated bar snacks and bites by Chef Jason Franey, made perfect to share. Their prices are on the higher side so keep that in mind. The minimum spend per person for a dinner reservation is $75 for a two‑hour time slot starting from the time of the reservation. Be sure to book the accurate number of guests as you will be held to that minimum regardless of whether they show up.
Also note that tables will be held for 15 minutes for all reservations, after which the reserved seating will be released. Failure to cancel within the 24‑hour window will result in a charge of $25 per person cancellation fee. It is also highly important that you make a reservation as a walk‑in is not allowed. This restaurant requires a credit card to secure reservations.
It is recommended that you get a ride there as it is very difficult to find a spot to park your car in the area unless you valet. It has a limited menu and it's more of a place to drink than eat. If you want something fruity and sweet, order Kissing in the California Sun! There's usually a line outside, and it may take a bit of time to get into the elevator and up to the roof, so you should give yourself some time for that if you're trying to plan your time.
Accepting breakfast reservations from 8:00 am ‑ 10:15 am, lunch and brunch reservations from 11:00 am ‑ 2:30 pm, and dinner reservations from 3 pm. Closes at 11 pm daily.
Bix Restaurant
56 Gold St, San Francisco, CA 94133
Tucked away in a charming Financial District alley in San Francisco's historic Jackson Square, a lone neon sign leads into a soaring room of fluted columns, mahogany paneling, plush banquettes, and distinguished artwork, Bix is a restaurant like no other in the city. Live jazz hums as classic cocktails flow at the bar and the lofty two‑tiered dining room is alive and popping every night.
White-jacketed bartenders hold forth behind a gently curved bar, mixing what many have called the city’s best classic cocktails. Variously described as a civilized speakeasy, a supper club, and an elegant saloon, BIX offers modern American cuisine. The menu has an actual hors d’oeuvres section with things like puff potatoes and deviled eggs, and the mains are classics like strip steaks and lobster spaghetti. Yes, there are terrific, locally accessed, and delicious dishes for dinner here, and even a fruit‑only gelato that will melt away all troubles. The Spicy Chicken is incredible. The spices on the chicken are perfect and the side ranch is amazing, not to mention the mouth‑drooling crunch. You also want to try the American Wagyu New York Steak, Chicken Hash, and Chocolate Bread pudding.
Bix is not formal, but it is elegant. It allows for romance, the dark and lush moments of intimacy, and the evocative press of closeness on the body and soul. The live piano music is lovely and adds the perfect touch to date night. Certainly, the Friday night scene is much more an after‑business‑hours crowd. But a Saturday evening dress‑up date at Bix is rich with ardor. Each Saturday evening, a perfect piano player named Michael Lipskin plays Scott Joplin‑inspired pieces with perfect ease.
415‑433‑6300
Chapeau
126 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA 94118
Chapeau! is one of the only six Bay Area restaurants to receive Wine Spectator's "award of excellence," and its menu reveals why. Nearly 300 selections from California, Oregon, and French producers are included in this massive tome. This bistro, which is decorated simply with white tablecloths, serves delectable French country food. Two or three prix‑fixe menus are frequently available on the menu, as well as a bargain‑priced early‑bird special. Appetizers like sautéed sweetbreads or a silken lobster bisque set the stage for entrées like crispy salmon on lentils or pork loin steak with a persillade crust. Desserts at Chapeau! are similarly fabulous, especially the berry napoleon.
Begin with some freshly baked bread and tomato soup. Duck confit frisée with chicken liver would be the ideal salad. It's incredibly delicious and garlicky. A la carte options include steak au poivre, roast chicken, cassoulet, and duck a l'orange, but multi‑course prix fixe menus and the early bird special provide great value for money.
All of this is topped off with wine options from the extensive wine list. Also, take advantage of Chapeau's location on Clement Street, an eclectic but often overlooked area of San Francisco that includes the city's beloved bookstore, Green Apple Books.
415 750 9787
Seven Hills
1896 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Locals queue up for Italian‑inspired delicious food and meals at this family‑run, farm‑to‑table neighborhood gem, which has hardwood tables and sea‑glass chandeliers to create an atmosphere that is just the right mix of cozy and luxurious. Executive chef Anthony Florian creates signature meals with passion and thought. Florian has a special talent for preparing everything from scratch and bringing out the best in each item. Fresh carrots in the agnolotti dough give the pasta an earthy, sweet flavor. Wild mushrooms compete with the Piedmontese flat‑iron steak for your attention.
A solid wine list favors Italy and California, with an exceptionally large selection of dessert wines. Seven Hills' "Moka" budino is not only exquisite but also local, thanks to TCHO chocolate. Order several of the kinds of pasta as half plates so you can try an ample selection without feeling stuffed. The ravioli uovo, scallops agnolotti, mushroom risotto, panna cotta & ricotta cheese are the best! Unfortunately, parking in the neighborhood is extremely limited with the nearest garage at 1959 Polk Street. Please plan accordingly. Opens every day from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
(415) 775‑1550
