Restaurants cuisine du monde San Francisco & Bay Area

The Pescatore Trattoria at Hotel Zoe, a terrace café on Fisherman's Wharf, is very good. We recommend it for the house specialty, Italian-Californian cioppino, a soup of crabs, clams, shrimp, scallops, squid, mussels and fish, then tossed with fresh tomatoes in a white wine sauce. But you can also opt for fried calamari with shrimp ravioli, chicken fettuccine or spaghetti bolognese. For dessert, tiramisu also works wonders.

The Argonaut hotel has opened a very nice restaurant with a marine atmosphere, between woodwork and ropes on a brick background. And of course, at the Blue Mermaid they serve seafood: steamed mussels, crab and squid casserole, fish and chips... The selection of wines, beers and cocktails is also up to par. Enough to enjoy with friends or in gallant company before continuing your walk on Fisherman's Wharf. That said, we don't guarantee that you will walk lightly...

In this elegant Japanese restaurant of wood and raw concrete design, you sit at the counter to watch the cooks prepare sushi and take your time choosing a sake, the bottles of which are displayed in the background. The menu changes daily according to fish arrivals, but guarantees a wide selection of sashimi, nigiri and chirasis. On the small plates, the Tombo tatai of just-seared Hawaiian tuna served with a spicy bouquet of black radish and chrysanthemum leaves is divine, as are the special rolls.

Located in the heart of Japantown, this ramen house is famous and crowded, so remember to make reservations for evenings and weekends. The star of the menu is the Hinodeya Ramen, a noodles soup with bonito (tuna), kombu and scallops. You can also add pork cha-shu, soft-boiled eggs, dried seaweed and green onions. Vegetarian ramen is also popular, with soy milk, sesame and spinach noodles, a creamy soup that can be topped with a tofu cake, pepper, fried kale and shitake mushroom. A must try!

This California-based Thai cuisine brand has several restaurants in the state (including one in San Francisco). The Berkeley address is particularly elegant, with Asian-design furniture focusing on wood. On the menu, you'll find daring and delicious proposals: for starters, tom yum granita; for main courses, crab pad thai, beef with yellow coconut curry, volcano cup noodle with braised pork... All accompanied by equally refined creative cocktails.

A quintessential Californian address that only exists in Oakland, with character. Serving both fine cocktails and Mexican-influenced gourmet plates. It's a busy restaurant by day and a lively bar by night. We love the floor, the refreshing chick-yellow and water-green colors, and the sunny bay windows. The à la carte menu features simple, affordable dishes, with veggy, vegan and gluten-free options, prepared with a variety of toppings (seeds, etc.). Brunch at weekends.

This little takeaway-only counter is easy to spot from the street, it's always full, and all the customers are Chinese! Ideal for a picnic break in a park (either Washington Square or Porthmouth Square). The food is authentic, inexpensive and delicious. We loved the pork buns, steamed shrimp and coriander dumpling, fried corn cakes, egg rolls, sesame balls... It's easy to choose: all the dishes have photos on the wall and in front of the counter with corresponding numbers.

Blackwood is an elegant new Thai-American restaurant on Chesnutt Street in Marina. Two inviting communal tables can be found by the fireside on the terrace, while inside there are more cosy banquettes with marble cushions and tables. Classic Thai dishes, such as pad thai, oyster mushroom egg rolls and crispy-crusted tiger prawns, coexist with American dishes twisted with Thai flavours, such as the BW Burger, wagyu seasoned with white cheddar, coriander aioli and Thai sesame salad on a brioche bun.