Unique Places for Must Try California Cuisine in San Francisco


California cuisine in San Francisco restaurants start with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Chefs then prepare dishes using a variety of cooking styles to create unique flavors. The food is often presented in a visually appealing manner, with small portions and lots of color. The freshness, preparation techniques and serving style work together to turn simple meals into stunning, flavor-filled cuisine.


California cuisine at Trestle is geared toward pleasing guests with sophisticated palates. The fixed price menu at Trestle delivers three courses for diners, and it changes daily due to the local sourcing and based on what the chef is inspired to prepare. The menu never gets boring with the frequent changes, and this venue makes the list as one of the Bay Area’s top 10 restaurants. The restaurant is cozy with only 49 seats.

State Bird Provisions

The California cuisine at State Bird Provisions is wheeled out to guests’ tables on carts. The carts hold a variety of food options on small plates so diners have the fun of choosing from a wider selection. State Bird Provisions has a printed menu, but most of the offerings aren’t on it. The food prepared changes daily based on local availability and the chef’s inspiration that day. Even the pancakes at State Bird Provisions are examples of California cuisine. Regular pancake batter is enhanced by adding unexpected ingredients like poppy seed, beef tongue pastrami, smoked fish and beets.


Nopa does California cuisine by taking traditional comfort foods and American cuisine and adding a special touch of flavor. The plain burger and fries are transformed into a Cali-style meal by cooking the patty over a wood fire and serving fries with a dip created from feta cheese and red pepper instead of ketchup. Nopa adds a West Coast touch to pork chops by serving them beside braised greens with a dash of mustard seed vinaigrette.


Surisan serves Korean and American cuisine with that added touch that makes it uniquely “California.” Simple dishes like eggs Benedict and bacon are prepared to adapt the flavor. The bacon is cooked with a special sauce to turn it into the popular San Francisco bacon dish called Millionaire’s Bacon. This savory delight is made starting with extra thick-cut bacon. Two slices of this Cali-cuisine bacon are equal to about six regular slices of bacon. The pieces of bacon are covered with a mix of cayenne pepper and sugar and then slow cooked in the oven to bring out the flavors and textures even more.

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