Benu San Francisco

Benu sits on Hawthorne Street, a ten-minute walk from Yerba Buena Gardens. It holds three Michelin stars and a five-star rating from the Forbes Travel Guide.

The restaurant offers a modern, creative take on Asian cuisine that stands in stark contrast to the casual tech-hub kitchens nearby. While much of the district focuses on speed and portability for the lunchtime crowd, Benu demands an evening of deliberation. It ranks no. 57 on La Liste, and the room runs smart and elegant, reflecting a level of formality that the surrounding streetscape has largely abandoned. Choose it if you prefer a quiet, controlled atmosphere over the noise of the nearby Union Square thoroughfares.