Whether you’re planning to go out for a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner or just looking for a charming place for a brunch date, there’s plenty of great options at any budget. These are the spots we would take any one we want to woo — and yes, the food is all perfectly Instagrammable.

San Francisco

Cotogna

A cozy Italian restaurant offering wood-fired pizza, freshly made pasta, and spit-roasted meat. This is our recommendation if you’re looking for something classy. For the dungeness crab season, they offer a crab and meyer lemon tagliolini. The thin strands of chewy tagliolini are made in house, the crab is delicately cooked until tender, and the meyer lemon sauce is carefully crafted to add just enough acidity to balance the dish without making your lips pucker.

Lunette

This Cambodian food outpost in the Ferry Market building has been featured on Netflix and SF Chronicle’s top restaurant list. The space itself is small with limited seating, but the decor is grand and personalized into a cozy street food vibe. We recommend the rice noodle soup and fried chicken. Make a day out of your visit by exploring the fun food shops.

Four Kings

Four Kings is probably the hottest restaurant in the city — you’ll need to snag a reservation three weeks before you plan to visit. It was listed as a top restaurant in the country by Esquire, Bon Appetit, and the New York Times. This is the place to go if you’re looking for something exciting like three colored steamed eggs, mapo spaghetti, fried squab, or XO Chinese cauliflower.

Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement

If you’re craving soul food, there’s no better option than Minnie Bell’s. This is a casual, classy spot specializing in crunchy fried chicken, gooey mac and cheese, and collard greens. They also offer one of our desserts with a twist — banana pudding given the creme brulee treatment with a crackly torched top.

Abacá

This contemporary Filipino-Californian restaurant is the way to go if your goal is to sneak into your date’s heart through their stomach. The can’t miss dishes here are the crispy pata and sisig fried rice. To drink, go for the vibrant ube colada or mango peach mimosa.  We also like that they offer coffee for a caffeine boost to power through the food coma.

Shuggie’s Trash Pie + Natural Wine

Okay, the name might not sound date worthy, but one look at the yellow, artsy interior will blow you away. They’re best known for their Grandma-style, thin square pizzas topped with everything from mussels to salt cod to pistachio mortadella. Don’t sleep on their chicken wings, livers, gizzards, and hearts prepared buffalo style.

Dalida

This Mediterranean restaurant is all about stylish decor and beautiful plating. This is our recommendation if you want to sip on high end cocktails while feasting on pastas, lamb chops, burgers, and black cod.

 

Oakland

Popoca

Named the top restaurant in the country by Bon Appetit, this restaurant sets a high expectation, but it lives up to the hype. It’s a Salvadoran spot that’s both high-end and cozy (especially if you get seated near the fire outdoors). We recommend the chicken wings, grilled fish, and the pupusas. Don’t skip dessert either — the passion fruit tres leches is both creamy, bright, and unforgettable.

Jo’s Modern Thai

Jo’s is a lively restaurant serving up reinventions of classic Thai dishes. Their oysters dressed in chili jam and strawberry puree are the best we’ve ever had. Our favorite dish here is the Yum Pla Dook Phu — a dish of crumbled fried catfish served with  mango, avocado, cashew, herbs, and shallot along with a side of little gem lettuce to scoop. They also offer a fun selection of herby cocktails.

Burdell

Burdell serves fancy soul food that transforms familiar favorites into finely tuned culinary art.  This is our top pick for a brunch date (Sundays only). To start, we recommend the old-fashioned donut holes served with a coffee custard dip and the smoked salmon croquettes. They also offer the best buttermilk pancakes in the city topped with apple butter and yogurt. For the full brunch experience, grab a mimosa made with freshly-squeezed orange juice.

South Bay

Acopio (San Jose)

Acopio is a Modern Mexican restaurant that draws influence from Asian cuisines. This is our South Bay recommendation for Mexican staples like aguachile or mole with a twist. The can’t miss item here is the duck mole which tastes as good as it looks. The kitchen doesn’t take any shortcuts here — the tortillas are made by hand and the salsas made fresh. For a fun fusion, try the kampachi tostada topped with citrus and yuzu.

10 Butchers (Santa Clara)

This is easily one of the most expensive restaurants on the list, but it’s worth it if you’re looking to take your date on a feast. The star of the show here is the high-quality meat options you won’t find at other Korean BBQ spots, like black pork jowl and A5 Wagyu. Don’t overlook the banchan or appetizers like short rib-stuffed dumplings and beef tartare.