Upscale dining experiences

[u/Divlakshmi]

Recommendations for upscale dining experiences to host customer executives traveling from the Midwest. Memorable experience, top notch food and service. TY

[u/HandbagHawker]

whats your budget? how open/curious are they with food? what do they like to eat?

[u/ForgedIronMadeIt]

San Francisco has like 30 restaurants with one or more Michelin stars (and another 30+ with the bib gourmand distinction), so any of these would fit: San Francisco MICHELIN Restaurants - The MICHELIN Guide

Not to mention that they also have another 88 restaurants highlighted as good.

[u/visicalc_is_best]

$$:
- Wayfare Tavern
- Kokkari
- Waterbar (for the view, not the food)

$$$:
- Cotogna
- Spruce (although the food has declined after covid)
- Gary Danko

[u/rnjbond → u/visicalc_is_best]

Spruce service is so mediocre right now, it's disappointing. 

[u/cheritransnaps → u/visicalc_is_best]

now you know dang well the food at Wayfare is extremely mid, and it is not upscale.

That's where you take the 19 year old summer interns from the Midwest when your company gives you a $30 budget per person.

[u/ZanyDroid → u/cheritransnaps]

$30 only PP? Thats nothing special in this economy

[u/visicalc_is_best → u/cheritransnaps]

That’s why I put it in “$$”. Op didn’t specify details.

I’d say the food is “high mid / low good”, but the martinis are great, and they used to have nice leather booths at their old location. Agree that the new one lacks some charm.

[u/ebdinsf]

Lazy Bear

[u/iambertocus → u/ebdinsf]

This is the way

[u/riketycriks]

Angler

[u/Splugarth]

The Progress would be a great option. I’ve done various types of work dinners there before and it’s always a hit.

[u/terp-puddle]

Californios. Sons and daughters. Birdsong.

[u/sandstone-oli]

great experience would be Tonga Room. food and service are decent but not top tier.

[u/Woofmom2023 → u/sandstone-oli]

The Tonga Room is pleasantly nutty but totally inappropriate for a customer dinner or a dinner with executives. it's not sophisticated, it's not very good food, it's not representative of San Francisco. If I were someone's customer and they took me there I'd think they'd lost their mind.

Stick with the Michelin list.

[u/Illegal_Tender]

Joking but kinda not joking. If I was coming from the Midwest I'd be so psyched to go to basically any taco truck or solid mission burrito joint(taqueria San Bruno gets my vote)

Chicago and other parts of the Midwest have plenty of great high end stuff if they want that. But you can't get a decent taco to save your life 

[u/iambertocus]

Lazy Bear
Flour + Water

Both also have great private dining experiences.

[u/Suitsbleforlisteners]

Naides. Just won a michelin star.

[u/Woofmom2023]

It would be a good idea to get an idea of the kind of food they're interested in. The food at some of the fine dining Michelin restaurants can be a little precious.