Where did your dinner come from?
In California, the answer is probably – your backyard. Ok, maybe not that close. But with a third of U.S. vegetables and 75% of U.S. fruits and nuts grown here, your food definitely didn’t need to take a cross-country flight to get to you. After a scenic drive up the coast, it often lands at one of the many farm-to-table restaurants in the San Francsico area. With such a huge selection available, the choice can be overwhelming. Not to worry: we’ve narrowed it down to our ten top picks, whether you’re looking for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Here are the best farm-to-table restaurants around The Bay Area.
Farm to Table in San Francisco #1
Greens Marina
- Address: 2 Marina Boulevard Fort Mason, Building A San Francisco, CA 94123
- Hours: Lunch Tue-Fri 11:30am – 2:30pm, Dinner Tue-Thurs 5:30pm – 9:00pm and Fri-Sun 5:00pm – 9:00pm, Brunch Sat & Sun 10:30am – 2:30pm
- Farm fact: Green Gulch Farm is part of the San Francisco Zen Center
While you’re sitting by the dock of the bay, dine at Greens Marina for award-winning farm-to-table vegetarian food. Greens is ranked in the top 100 bay area restaurants by the San Francisco Chronicle, recognized as one of America’s best restaurants by Zagat, and recommended by the Michelin Guide.
Their organic farm, Green Gulch, is in nearby Marin County in a residential Zen community that takes summer interns who want to learn about farming and Zen practices. They also source from local growers and organic farmers’ markets. Try their Radiatore pasta with caramelized cabbage & onions, gorgonzola, wild mushrooms, tarragon, rye breadcrumbs.
Photo courtesy of Shoshana G of Yelp
Farm to Table in San Francisco #2
Outerlands
- Address: 4001 Judah Street @ 45th Ave., SF
- Hours: Dinner: Wed-Sun 5pm-10pm, Brunch: Fri-Sun 9am-3pm, closed Monday and Tuesday
- Farm fact: They’ve worked with Dirty Girl farms for 10 years
Outerlands is a mainstay in the by-the-beach eating scene as well as farm-to-table cuisine in San Francisco. The long lines for brunch may intimidate you, but fear not – one bite of their house-made tagliatelle will show explain why people have braved the queues for over a decade. While they don’t have their own farm, their connection to local growers runs deep.
Owner Dave Muller says, “Our sourcing, relationships to our purveyors…we want to highlight that, because that’s something we’ve never changed. It feels good to buy produce and meat from the same people this whole time: K&J Orchards, Free Spirit farm, Dirty Girl.” Try the mussels or kampachi crudo for a taste the Sunset’s finest.
Photo courtesy of Tiffany on Yelp
Farm to Table in San Francisco #3
Plow
- Address: 1299 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
- Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-2pm, Sat-Sun 8am-2pm
- Farm fact: In keeping with their commitment to sourcing local, even the restaurant itself was built with materials found in the Bay Area
Joel Bleskacek and Maxine Siu brought Plow to the Potrero Hill neighborhood in 2010. They focus on no-fuss recipes and have a great menu just for kids. Breakfast and lunch are the stars here with options like lemon ricotta pancakes and smoked trout toast.
Farms and purveyors featured at this farm-to-table restaurant include Brokaw Avocados, Five Mountains Tea, and Far West Fungi. Get ready for a wait – brunch lines can take about two hours (!!!), but trust us – it’s worth it. They also have an online shop for merch and some shelf stable foods like jam and granola.
Photo courtesy of Joyce C on Yelp
Farm to Table in San Francisco #4
Farm:Table
- Address: 754 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94109
- Hours: Mon 8am-1pm, Tues-Fri 8am-1:30pm, Sat 8:30am-2pm, Sun 8:30am-1pm
- Farm fact: They partner with local wholesaler Greenleaf
A quaint spot in Nob Hill, we couldn’t make a list of farm-to-table restaurants in San Francisco without featuring Farm:Table. Their coffee is fresh and their menu rotates to highlight what’s in season. You can hang outside on their parklet with their resident pugs Francisco & Nisha .
They source veggies, fruits, milk, and cheese locally through Greenleaf, who work with farms like Christopher Ranch and Full Belly Farm. Their coffee is roasted at Roast Co Coffee of Oakland and they provide tea from local T-WE Tea Company. Try the mascarpone toast with fruits and nuts!
Photo courtesy of Hana B on Yelp
Farm to Table in San Francisco #5
Fish and Farm
- Address: 424 Clay Street San Francisco, CA 94111
- Hours: 6:30 AM – 11:00 PM, every day
- Farm fact: They’ve pledged to source within a 100-mile radius
Originally located inside the Mark Twain hotel, this San Francisco farm-to-table restaurant has relocated into a bigger space in the Financial District. In addition to top-tier seafood such as grilled calamari and cioppino, Fish and Farm now offer an expanded happy hour and cocktail menu, live music, and private events.
They source most of their fish, meat, and produce within a 100 mile radius. They only serve sustainably harvested seafood and naturally fed, antibiotic-, hormone-, and steroid-free meats. They default to organic produce, and offer wines from small, biodynamic producers. We recommend the seared ahi tuna!
Photo courtesy of Fish & Farm
Farm to Table in San Francisco #6
Spruce
- Address: 3640 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, CA 94118
- Hours: Dinner 5pm – 10pm, Brunch Sat & Sun, 11:00am – 2:30pm, Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30am – 2pm,
- Farm fact: About 80 percent of their produce comes from SMIP Ranch
One of 100 winners of Wine Spectator’s Grand Award in 2018, Spruce not only makes great farm-to-table food, but pairs it with over 2,500 excellent wine selections! Executive Chef/Partner Mark Sullivan cultivates a personal relationship with local farmers and ranchers to bring the Bay’s best food to life.
He says of this relationship: “We take our food philosophy one step further by working directly with the farmers at SMIP Ranch, a private farm located in the hills above Woodside that grows a special selection of organic, ethically-grown, hyper-seasonal vegetables, fruits and herbs for the Bacchus Management Group’s family of restaurants.” They’re open for casual dining or private events. Either way we suggest you try the pistachio and coriander-crusted duck breast.
Photo courtesy of Anne S on Yelp
Farm to Table in San Francisco #7
Gracias Madre
- Address: 2211 Mission St. San Francisco, CA
- Hours: 11am – 9pm daily, brunch on weekends from 11am – 3pm, happy hour weekdays 3pm – 6pm
- Farm fact: Owners Terces and Matthew Engelhart own and live on the restaurant’s farm, Be Love Farm in Pleasant’s Valley just 50 miles north of the city
In Solano County California, you’ll find Be Love farm, which provides ingredients for San Francisco vegan restaurant Gracias Madre. Their farm store is open 9-6 daily, and you can even stay overnight for a price (check out their listing on Airbnb.)
At Gracias Madre, enjoy dishes like Pozole, Gordita’s, and bbq quesadillas with their homemade honey glaze. Their focus on health and sustainability means that all of their house cocktails are sweetened with fruit purée instead of refined sugar, so it’s basically like drinking a salad 😉. Terces and Matthew created their restaurant to fill the void in organic, plant-based, non-GMO Mexican food, and they continue to deliver.
Farm to Table in San Francisco #8
Nopa
- Address: 560 Divisadero St. @ Hayes SF, CA 94117
- Hours: Sun – Thur 5:30pm – 1op, Fri – Sat 5:30pm – 11pm
- Farm fact: Nopa sources from local farmers markets, so you can shop for the same produce at markets like Hayes Valley on weekends.
With a focus on organic wood-fired cuisine for their seasonal menu, Nopa is one of San Francisco’s best-known farm-to-table restaurants. Their open air kitchen lets you see their chefs at work.
Their dinner menu reads more like a list of superheroes and sidekicks: pan roasted trout with parsnip purée, country pork chop with roasted rutabaga, moroccan spiced fried chicken with – wait for it – chili honey. We also recommend the bread from local baker Josey Baker Bread, just another homegrown touch on one of our city favorites.
Photo courtesy @nopasf on Instagram
Farm to Table in San Francisco #9
Namu Gaji
- Address: 59 9th St (between mission and market)
- Hours: Wed-Sun 4:30pm – 10pm, open until 11pm Friday and Saturday
- Farm fact: Namu’s farmer Kristyn Leach, uses organic, biodynamic, and permaculture practices without any fossil fuels
Namu Gaji offers hearty dishes with such a variety that you’ll end up eating long after your pants have stretched to their limit. Get gamja fries, hand cut potato, kimchee relish, gochujang kewpie mayo, teriyaki, bulgogi beef (also available vegetarian) and delicious stone pot and ramen with a cold cocktail on the side.
Their head farmer Kristyn highlights the integrity in their process. She says, “At the end of the day, no matter how stressful it is, I pick up dirt from the farm and know that positive things are going on. We’re farming in a way that emphasizes people’s relationship with a place that they care about.” Like all great farm-to-table restaurants, they make food that’s good for your taste buds and your heart.
Photo courtesy of Alex T on Yelp
Farm to Table in San Francisco #10
Stem Kitchen & Garden
- Address: 499 Illinois Street San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Hours: Lunch, Mon-Fri 11am – 3pm, Social hour Wed-Thurs 3:30pm-7pm
- Farm fact: Stem partners with Farmscape, an organization dedicated to urban agriculture, to plan what to grow in their on-site garden
Stem Kitchen and Garden serves up savory new American cuisine with artisan, farm-focused twists. Try the grilled cheese with local Cowgirl creamery gouda, fontina, and caramelized onions! Pizza lovers should get the prosciutto with mozzarella and arugula or the seasonal veggie with whatever’s fresh in the Stem garden.
Stem is all about the collaboration between growers and chefs for a perfect process from beginning to end. They have “dedicated and experienced farmers oversee the planting, growing, and harvesting of the produce, freeing up the chefs to do what they do best – create delicious menu items that feature produce grown a tomato’s throw away.” In addition to their restaurant, they offer Health Kids Saturdays in the garden to teach children about farming and preparing their own food.
Photo Courtesy of Leonardo A. on Yelp
Want more great San Francisco Food?
If you’re looking for even more must-eat farm-to-table restaurants in SF, then check out our delicious San Francisco Food Tours. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon on a culinary experience with plenty of stories and SF history. We work with restaurants and vendors to give you the freshest local tastes of pants-stretching goodness.
