San Francisco Restaurants with the Best Views

Unusual Places to Eat and See the City at the Same Time

Apr 7, 2009

From a floating restaurant on its own island to a one with a bird's eye view of the Golden Gate bridge, San Francisco has a range of eye-popping, palate-pleasing eateries

Everyone wants to see the sights, and we all have to eat. Why not do both at the same time? In San Francisco, America's most picturesque city, if you can't see the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz or squabbling sea lions from your table, you're in the wrong place. Here are restaurants with great food and stunning views.

Cliff House is Perched on the Edge of the Pacific

Clinging literally to the edge of the continent, the venerable Cliff House, to one side of Golden Gate Park, looks out on the Pacific, with sea, seals and views all the way to the Marin coastline. Descend the stairs to Sutro, the retro, high-ceilinged seafood restaurant decorated with framed bathing togs from 1901, and have the sea scallops with arugula and fava beans or line-caught Pacific swordfish. Airy and full of light, this landmark location also gives you a front row seat to passing cruise ships. It’s hard to get any closer to the ocean and still keep your clothes on. Call 415/386-3330.

Combine Gilligan’s Island, the Grand Tour of Europe and classic French cuisine, then throw in the slo-mo vision of fish and crabs swimming by the porthole near your table and you have Forbes Island. It is a sprawling floating houseboat estate, complete with real palm trees, fireplaces, paneled Tudor interiors and gilt-framed paintings. Reservations are a must. Appear at the dock near Pier 39, and the restaurant's boat will come and take you on the three-minute ride to dinner. The food is excellent, from the pork loin with pear chutney to the half-rack of lamb with lemon crème fraiche. Before leaving, climb the island’s lighthouse to spy on the bay from Coit Tower to the Bay Bridge. Call 415/951-4900

Located in the Financial District, on the Embarcadero at the water’s edge, Waterbar is relatively new, chic and packed. When you enter, soaring columns of aquariums compete with the view of the Bay Bridge sailing literally overhead. Local and sustainable seafood is the focus, from the sea scallop ceviche to whole fish roasted in the wood oven to grilled lobster you can see in its tank just minutes before it hits your plate. They offer seven kinds of oysters, including local Cove Miyagis, all served with a tasty fennel vinaigrette. Chef Parke Ulrich buys organic produce at the Ferry Building nearby, including tomatoes from the Full Belly Farm stand. Take time to wander the festive Ferry Building shops and stalls yourself before or after your meal. Call 415/288-9922

Murray Circle: In a Historic Fort Under the Golden Gate Bridge

Just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, a steep road winds down to the former Fort Baker, built in 1900 to protect the coastline. The historic white-clapboard buildings clustered around the parade ground make up the Lodge at Cavallo Point, and Murray Circle is located in one of them. Décor is calm, clubby and traditional and there is a startlingly close view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Michelin 2-star chef Joseph Humphrey is in charge, drawing on local sources to offer quail with dried cured olives, "pekin duck," as the menu lists it, and petrale sole flavored with a garlic/saffron emulsion. Sit on the porch with a drink, watch the sun go down over the Golden Gate Bridge towering overhead, and pretend you’re a famous general. Call 415/339-4750.

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