Michelin eateries worth a visit

This story was updated October 2017

In October, the 2017 Michelin stars were awarded, and six San Francisco restaurants received three stars, a tie with our fair city’s gastronomical competitor, New York City. And like NYC, we have a great public transit system to get you to these starred destinations. We picked a variety of places with flexible dining options, all less than a ten minute walk from BART. For a full list of Michelin-recognized restaurants in San Francisco, visit Michelin’s interactive map.

Two-starred Campton Place inside the Taj Hotel is a lovely and quiet oasis from the hustle and bustle of Union Square. For the second year, the restaurant and chef Srijith Gopinathan were recognized with two stars for its inventive take on California-Indian cuisine. The food is a juxtaposition of California fresh with intense Indian spices, executed with traditional French mastery. For under $50 a person, lunch guests can enjoy an appetizer, entree, and dessert and get an introduction to chef Sri’s $129 Spice Route Menu.

Campton Place

Almost three years ago, food blogger Pim Techamuanvivit opened her Thai restaurant, Kin Khao, inside the Parc 55 hotel. Since then, she’s attracted adventuresome diners looking for creative and lesser-known Thai dishes. It’s a casual, bustling place that isn’t defined by its decor, but rather its spicy and playful approach to food and cocktails. read more...

Kin Khao

Al’s Place looks like your friendly neighborhood cafe on the outside, but once inside and seated, you’ll see why everyone’s buzzing about this place. Service is top notch and chef/owner Aaron London has created a California-focused seasonal menu full of vegetable-heavy a la carte dishes organized by cold, hot, sides, and limited availability. Depending on how many shareable dishes you order, you could walk away satisfied and still have enough for your BART ride home. Expect to spend $30 to $50 per person.

Al's Place

Aster, part of the Daniel Patterson Group, received its first Michelin star after only six months of being open. Once again, the restaurant and chef Brett Cooper received another star for its casual vibe and stellar food. Though Cooper’s seasonal California-focused menu at dinner is priced fair considering the quality and portions, if you really want to enjoy his creations, consider brunch instead. Items like porchetta breakfast sandwich and duck confit hash and eggs elevate the brunch experience to another level.

Aster

Fans of Mourad Lahlou’s Outer Richmond restaurant, Aziza, finally have a transit-friendly option to enjoy the chef’s iconic Moroccan and North African cuisine. The dramatically designed space at the base of the historic PacBell building serves the food well as popular ingredients like harissa, za’atar, and preserved lemons flavor and infuse lamb, poultry, and vegetable mains. read more...

Mourad

The Michelin guide describes Mister Jui’s as bringing “the sparkle back to Chinatown with this contemporary treasure, which puts a modern California spin on Cantonese classics.” The space, a former banquet-style Chinese restaurant, has garnered almost as much attention for its cool decor and design as it has its cuisine. Dishes are served family style with a couple different tasting menus at $45 and up, but dishes are also offered a la carte. Condiments are made in-house and cocktails are creative and fun. Lots of options to pace yourself, dollar-wise.

Mister Jiu’s

by Sophia Markoulakis

Sophia Markoulakis is a Bay Area-based freelance journalist covering lifestyle and human interest topics. Her first memory riding BART was while attending UC Berkeley when she would ride the train to the Powell Street station when she needed a break from studying and her 7 roommates and to window shop. She still window shops and finds BART the best way to get to Union Square.