There are many fun restaurants in San Francisco, but if you are looking for the truly original, unique, or perhaps even bizarre, this is the list for you! Whether it’s date night, entertaining out-of-towners, celebrating a special milestone, or just looking for something to break the monotony of traditional dinners, we’re certain this list of San Francisco’s unique restaurants has you covered.
Since 2011, we’ve helped organizers create 5-star dining experiences that connect people better. From team building offsites and corporate events to milestone celebrations, we specialize in elevated experiences that go beyond the traditional dinner. Because connection doesn’t happen over boring meals.
Our San Francisco Interactive Meal is a great way to make any restaurant unique! We team up with the best restaurants in San Francisco to deliver an exciting dining experience where you enjoy a beautiful four-course meal along with three beverages (either alcoholic or N/A alternatives). In between courses, there are three hosted, interactive activities. For the first activity, we’ll have your group shake up some cocktails, for the second, you can choose between SF Foodie Trivia, a sommelier sniffing lesson, or a chocolate tasting, and last—but certainly not least—we always end the experience with a taste bud-twisting surprise!
Lazy Bear is throwing the best dinner party in town every night! It’s no wonder, given its humble beginnings in Chef David Barzelay’s own apartment. His passion for hosting elaborate dinner parties became a career when he was laid off from his job as a lawyer in 2009. He went from cooking out of the apartment to a secret warehouse, to this fabulous space in the Mission District where Lazy Bear resides today. Lazy Bear proves that fine dining does not have to be boring or stuffy. It can be a party!
If you’re an Italian Food-lover, the North Beach Food Tour might be just what you’re looking for. We often stop at Sotto Mare for their famous Cioppino and Tomasso’s for the best pizza in the whole city! By the time this tour is done, you will have learned about the history of this neighborhood during the gold rush, as well as eaten the equivalent of two appetizers, an entree, and a dessert after all the restaurants we have visited.
On Foreign Cinema’s menu, appetizers are labeled “Premieres” and entrees called “Features”. The movie theme of the restaurant name carries over to service. Every night, movies are screened during the meal in the outdoor courtyard. Each night’s movie is different and diners never know what will be showing. So skip dinner and THEN the movie, and have dinner and a movie at the same time, with food that is a favorite or SF Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer and diners all over the city.
Did you know that SF is home to the oldest Chinatown in North America? On our Chinatown Food Tour, you’ll hear the story of its origins while you chow down on Chinese food at 3-4 of the best restaurants in the area. Look forward to dishes like scallion and beef dumplings, chocolate xiao long bao, and honey walnut prawns on this tour. There’s also a tea tasting at a family-run tea shop modeled after a wine bar.
Head to the Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar for fake thunderstorms and real (and really strong) mai tais and pina coladas. It’s fun to dance alongside the big crowd to the sounds of the live band, which floats on a tiki boat above the pool. As you’re enjoying authentic Polynesian cuisine packed with flavor, a tropical storm may literally blow through the restaurant. It doesn’t get much more immersive than that!
It’s a well-known fact that some of the best Latin food in the US is being cooked in the Mission District in SF. Come on a Mission District Food Tour where one of our expert guides will take you to 3-4 of the best spots to eat in the area. We set up a perfect menu at each place so you get to taste a bit of everything the Mission has to offer during this pampered three-hour experience.
Housed in the remains of an authentic 1920s speakeasy, Bourbon & Branch still has some old-fashioned rules—but repeat customers love the no cellphone policy and the soft spoken conversations (because you have to speak-easy… get it). There are multiple secret rooms inside that require a password (hint: try “books” to get into the Library.) Or you can make a reservation to go to the “Wilson & Wilson Private Detective Agency,” where a mystery will unfold around you as you sip craft cocktails.
Tiny chefs compete to make you the best dish at Le Petit Chef. A 3D projection on your table shows a tiny chef constructing your dish right on your plate! And when the chef is done, your food flies right out and is ready to taste. Another exciting aspect of this experience is that every meal is a different cuisine, so a tiny Spanish, Italian, French, and Japanese chef are competing to make you the best dish from their culture. It’s a thrill for kids and adults alike because it’s just so damn unique!
If you love puzzles, secrets, and cocktails, you’ve come to the right place! Lore Speakeasy & Escape Room is “the world’s first boozy puzzle experience.” The escape room is Alice in Wonderland themed, and a live actor guides you through the interactive puzzles as you enjoy a craft cocktail flight with three tastings throughout the experience. After you break free, mosey on over to the speakeasy for creative cocktails, tapas, and even more puzzles and games!
Traditional dinners are boring, whereas Avital experiences are unique and crowd-pleasing! If you’re looking for an experience that blends great food and interaction, skip the guessing games and book an Interactive Meal with Avital Experiences. If you want to explore North Beach, the Mission District, or Chinatown through a foodie perspective, book one of our fabulous food tours.
Avital Ungar is dining and restaurant expert and the founder of Avital Experiences. She has spent 15+ years designing dining experiences nationwide and has been featured in The New York Times, Shark Tank, Travel Channel, Bon Appétit, and more. Learn more
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SF Interactive Meal
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North Beach Food Tour
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Mission District Food Tour
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Chinatown Food Tour
