A ticket to dinner at this recently renovated Mission District destination will set you back about $300 with the option to upgrade to an experience that includes dessert and an after-dinner drink for an additional few hundred bucks. But if you’re looking for a fine dining restaurant that’s not too stuffy, this is your spot. Though Lazy Bear no longer hosts diners at a single communal table to channel that extravagant dinner party vibe, this is still a high-energy dining room where staff circle throughout the cabin-like space, and the open kitchen allows for a full view of the team at work. In general, the food leans more rustic than fussy — think, airy whipped scrambled eggs infused with smoky bacon fat and a bone-in lamb chop that no one will judge you for picking up and eating with your hands.

In the Mission, Osito, chef Seth Stowaway’s deeply personal fine dining project, feels both casual and special. The tasting menu costs $215 per person, with an additional $135 for wine pairings or $95 for nonalcoholic pairings. The emphasis at the restaurant, which received a Michelin star in 2024, is on live-fire cooking, with an impressive open kitchen letting diners in on all the tricks. On the menu, unexpected combinations await: Fort Bragg sea urchin with walnuts, beef tongue with perilla leaves and nutritional yeast, miso pudding with figs and caramel corn. Service is personable, and Stowaway himself often approaches the tables, eager to chat about the inspiration behind each dish.

Dinner at chef Val M. Cantu’s Californios will cost around $300, which includes more than a dozen exquisite plates showcasing California produce including corn and masa from Tierra Vegetables in Santa Rosa. (You can find a full list of the restaurant’s farm partners and purveyors on the back of your menu, along with a list of every member of the team.) Staff will take time to explain the provenance and inspiration for dishes like a tostada topped with a mosaic of Brokaw avocado and sustainably farmed Mexican bluefin tuna, and an eye-catching machete taco made with golden masa and filled with Maine lobster. The sleek modern dining room, with towering black walls and bold art, makes a fitting backdrop for Cantu’s striking food.

One of the city’s hottest new restaurants also happens to be a great splurge. Chef Ryan Shelton recently relocated to a newer, bigger space in SoMa, where he hosts a monthly themed dinner party of multiple courses. While the space is large, the dinner is kept intimate by capping attendance at 12. Until January, diners can enjoy a menu titled Color Theory for which each dish features one color only. Then it’s time for Humpty Dumpty, which explores the English nursery rhyme through 15 egg-centric courses. It’s never a dull moment, priced at roughly $180 per person.

If the warm wood-wrapped dining room and kitchen strung up with bundles of drying herbs don’t tip you off, know that Birdsong is all about the wood-fired grill and whatever seasonal ingredients chef and owner Christopher Bleidorn and his team can rustle up to cook on it. Stepping into Birdsong feels almost like stepping into a dining oasis tucked away in a Pacific Northwest forest and the $295 tasting menu somewhat re-enforces that fact: root broth served with braised wakame, black cod made smokey over the grill’s embers, and buttery cornbread topped with a thick layer of caviar. Service manages to feel both warm and professional without too much pretense.

While tucked-away MKT, inside the Four Seasons Hotel, is never a bad idea on its own, for an intimate outing for a group of 6 or less opt for the Chef’s Table experience. Taking place in a cozy private room perched above the busy street, the $220 tasting menu (including wine pairings) is a personalized affair that manages to feel special. Executive chef Kevin Tanaka personally reaches out to the party prior to planning the dishes to inquire about likes, dislikes and other accommodations; he then tailors the appetizers, mains and desserts to everyone’s taste. The experience is accompanied by dish introductions by the chef, as well as a few more surprises.

Chef Harrison Cheney is a rising star in the California fine dining scene having recently been named Michelin Guide California’s 2023 Young Chef Award winner. Since joining the team at one-Michelin-starred Sons & Daughters, he’s sharpened the restaurant’s focus on New Nordic cuisine, drawing in part from his experience cooking at Gastrologik in Stockholm. The menu celebrates seasonal and local ingredients such as Gilfeather rutabaga grown in the North Bay and Half Moon Bay spot prawns. Then Cheney applies a Nordic ethos, resulting in elegant tasting menus that balance the bright flavors of preserved kumquat and green almonds with the delicate notes of a Maine scallop bathed in juniper syrup and brown butter.

Friends Only is the even more exclusive omakase counter from the team behind Akikos at Avery Lane. With just 10 seats, it’s not just the $330 starting price that makes this a hard reservation to score. But should you snag a stool at this L-shaped counter, you’ll be in for a multi-course meal that’s intended to flaunt a long list of premium ingredients including golden Kaluga caviar, black truffle, bluefin tuna, and a hell of a lot of uni. During the back half of the dinner, chef and owner Ray Lee showcases his unique approach to aging fish through a colorful parade of nigiri, which might include keiji sake, a hard-to-find dwarf salmon, and single line-caught deep-sea perch. Thanks to the small team and communal dining format, expect a lively meal with lots of opportunities to chat with both the chefs and your companions.

Ever since opening its doors in 2021, Nisei, the brainchild of chef David Yoshimura, has been a stylish special occasion restaurant worthy of parting with $300-plus per person — plus $77 Wagyu supplement, if you’re feeling especially festive. The elaborate tasting menu is a love letter to Japan, with nods to the San Francisco dining scene: Unagi with milk bread and tomato, Liberty Farm duck with persimmons, and anything else on the menu, arrive at the table theatrically presented and artfully plated. Service is always impeccable, and the jewel box-like dining room adds intrigue to the whole experience. Earlier this year, the one Michelin-star restaurant partnered with star designer Noz Nozawa on an artful update of its dining area. 

Quince and its three coveted Michelin stars returned to the Jackson Square neighborhood in late 2023 following a massive renovation and a refresh of the multicourse tasting menu. Chef Michael Tusk remains at the helm, gathering all manner of ingredients from across West Marin and crafting them into artfully composed plates that balance simplicity with thoughtful technique. The biggest change: more options for diners to pick an experience that best meets their needs. That means in addition to the full 10-course ($390) gastronomy experience, there’s also a four-course ($270) option and an a la carte menu available in the salon and bar. While you’ll need to book ahead for the tasting menus, seating for the a la carte menu are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Chef Dominique Crenn’s three-Michelin-star Atelier Crenn is a worthy dinner destination for any fine dining lovers out there. But those craving something a little out of the box would do well to check out what’s going on next door at the recently redesigned Bar Crenn. Here, the team offers a more interactive experience called Le Comptoir Crenn, during which staff cook a six-course meal on the bar right in front of diners’ eyes. It’s limited to six seats per service and offers the chance for guests to pepper the team with questions as they flambe cheese and unveil tepache-steamed scallops while explaining the processes behind each theatrical dish. It’s essentially dinner and a live cooking show, which isn’t all that bad for the $198 per person price tag. Beverage pairing costs an additional $130, and the nonalcoholic option, which costs $75, is just as compelling.