The Bay Area’s Best Restaurants for Celebrations, No Matter the Occasion

by The OpenTable team

Updated 18 November 2020

From takeout omakase to iconic roast chicken, this list highlights some of the Bay Area’s best ways to celebrate a special occasion with restaurants right now, with outdoor and takeout options for every restaurant to meet your comfort level.

China Live

4.7

4.7 (3218)

$30 and under

Chinese

Chinatown

About the restaurant

When China Live opened in 2017, it was unlike anything else in San Francisco, let alone the United States. Sprawling over 30,000 square feet, the space is ambitious in its scale and offerings, with a sit-down restaurant, marketplace selling Chinese pantry items and home goods, a cocktail bar, tea counter, and more. And while much of the space remains closed, fortunately diners still have ways to sample the restaurant’s stellar Chinese menu. Outdoor seating is available on the sidewalk, where diners can enjoy signature dishes such as stone oven-roasted Peking duck and sheng jian bao, or pan-fried soup dumpling al fresco. The food emporium also offers both delivery and curbside pick-up. The to-go menu has many of the restaurant’s mainstays; bring home dishes such as mapo tofu or crispy-skinned Cantonese garlic chicken to create a festive feast at your dining room table.

Top review

AnneVIP

Dined 6 days ago

Great for, fun environment, wonderful night out! Will definitely go again.

Zuni Cafe

4.6

4.6 (7853)

$31 to $50

Modern European

Civic Center / Hayes Valley / Van Ness

About the restaurant

The simple, but refined California cooking of late chef Judy Rogers put Zuni Café on the map, making it a place where San Franciscans would flock to mark milestones, meet friends, or just have a Monday dinner. Since the 1980s, the restaurant has focused on seasonal, farm-to-table cooking, long before both terms were buzzwords. The results are comforting and sophisticated, like the legendary roast chicken. The restaurant currently has outdoor dining for both lunch and dinner. Clad in white tablecloths, the al fresco tables are the perfect setting for toasting over oysters, seasonal salads, and a rotating selection of mains like pan-seared King salmon. If there is a bright side to this year, it’s that Zuni Café’s epic roast chicken, served over chicken juice-soaked bread salad, is available for takeout for the first time in recent history. For an extra-special evening, tack on a bottle of Champagne and a bouquet from the restaurant’s florist to your order.

Top review

Wanda

Dined 2 days ago

Everything was absolutely delicious -- the tuna, the steak, the pasta, the appetizers, the dessert.

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5.0

5 (218)

$50 and over

Sushi

SOMA

About the restaurant

With a focus on precision and ceremony, Japanese kaiseki (seasonally focused) and omakase (chef’s choice) tasting menus have a naturally celebratory air about them. Hashiri, a Michelin-starred Tokyo offshoot in SoMa, offers first-rate versions of both experiences with a focus on quality — the restaurant’s fish is flown in from famed Tokyo fish market Tsukiji on a daily basis. Hashiri has two seatings per night on the restaurant’s Mint Plaza patio, when diners can choose from a five-course kaiseki or omakase menu, both for $200 per person. For celebrating at home, the restaurant has a rotating selection of bento boxes that go beyond typical takeout. Menus are posted weekly to Facebook and Instagram, with pick-up available Wednesday through Sunday. Past offerings have included a $100, ten-piece sushi and hand roll set.

Top review

JohnVIP

Dined 4 days ago

My third time here. It’s really good. It was Christmas so limited staff. Ken was great at serving and beverages and chefOno was fantastic,

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Experience

"KODAWARI EDOMAE SUSHI"

Experience

"OMAKASE EDOMAE SUSHI"

ROOH San Francisco

4.4

4.4 (896)

$31 to $50

Contemporary Indian

SOMA

About the restaurant

One of the San Francisco Chronicle’s Top 100 restaurants, ROOH dresses up California ingredients in regional Indian flavors, creating a unique, seasonally driven menu. The restaurant’s shared platters and small plates make for a celebratory spread, which are complemented by the Ayurvedic-themed drinks menu that revolves around sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent flavors. ROOH is welcoming diners for dinner on the restaurant’s patio, which features heaters and, on cooler nights, sells branded fleece blankets for $17. The outdoor area serves the full menu, featuring creative dishes such as beef short rib curry, served with semolina and bone marrow dumplings. The restaurant offers a pared-down menu for takeout or delivery, focusing on more traditional preparations like butter chicken and vegetable pulao.

Top review

JoVIP

Dined 7 days ago

This is not your typical Indian restaurant, although most dishes incorporate Indian ingredients. Loved the Dahi Puri, an interesting melange of savory & sweet flavors. Chili Garlic Crab had chunks of meat swimming deliciously in ghee with lots of garlic plus chili flakes, accompanied by petite lime scented dinner buns to soak up the rest of the sauce. Chicken Masala had 3 skinless/boneless thighs in a flavorful sauce. Saffron rice & Naan were fine. Cocktails yummy & strong. Desserts not overly sweet: 3 layer Cashew cake dessert had acflavor reminiscent of halvah. Sago & coconut panna cotta nice. Our desserts not quite as scrumptious as savory courses, next time I might order the Dari Puri to end the meal. Our entire dinner experience was top notch & I am looking forward to returning. My companion stated it was the best meal he had in a year ( & his family owns a restaurant lol ). I’ve had plenty of traditional Indian food including in the UK & India; the food at Rooh is decidedly different in a good way.

The Progress

4.8

4.8 (2469)

$50 and over

Contemporary American

Western Addition

About the restaurant

Run by James Beard award-winning chefs, boasting a Michelin star, and appearing on both the San Francisco Chronicle and Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 restaurant lists, The Progress is one of the city’s most awarded restaurants serving new American cuisine. With an extensive wine list and a constantly changing menu that always includes a celebratory “banquet” section of family-style dishes, a meal here elevates any occasion. The Progress currently offers outdoor seating for dinner and weekend brunch. The restaurant’s inventive cuisine is on full display at both meals, with recent menus featuring dishes such as smoked local albacore tuna with castelvetrano olives, pine nuts, and egg bottarga. The Progress and sibling restaurant State Bird Provisions have joined forces for a takeout and delivery menu that features the greatest hits from both kitchens, such as State Bird’s fried quail and The Progress’ barbecue duck.

Top review

Tim

Dined 3 days ago

These are innovative, awake and aware professionals. The original energy and spirit of the restaurant are alive and evolving. Service: Excellent. Food: Excellent. Ambience: Excellent, energetic, present, engaging. This is what an exceptional experience feels like. Thanks to everyone at The Progress.

Burma Love Downtown

4.6

4.6 (552)

$31 to $50

Burmese

SOMA

About the restaurant

Waves of Burmese immigrants in the 1960s and late 80s helped turn San Francisco into a hub for the country’s complex cuisine. Burma Club built on this tradition and catapulted the cuisine onto the city’s fine dining scene, serving refined Burmese food in an industrial setting in SoMa. Stop by to celebrate with dishes such as the famed tea leaf salad, which pairs fermented tea leaves with nuts, beans, garlic, and lettuce. Burma Club is currently serving lunch and dinner on the restaurant’s patio space located in Mint Plaza. Both times serve up a full menu of Burmese favorites such as mohinga, a noodle soup with slow-cooked catfish that the restaurant calls “the national dish of Southern Burma.” The majority of Burma Club’s menu is also available for takeout, letting you celebrate at home over Burmese beef curry and platha, a buttery layered bread that’s served with a side of either chicken or vegetarian curry dip.

Top review

Mike

Dined today

The host and bartender couldn’t be bothered to be welcoming at all. The food was great. The nearby streets feel like a zombie apocalypse at night.

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Popular dish

TEA LEAF SALAD

Popular dish

Eggplant Garlic Sauce

Popular dish

Spicy & Crispy Chicken

Spruce

4.8

4.8 (5407)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Presidio Heights

About the restaurant

Spruce has received awards for both the restaurant’s food and wine list, landing a Michelin star and a Wine Spectator “Grand Award.” The tasting menu changes constantly, with all ingredients sourced directly from SMIP Ranch, a private five-acre organic farm located just south of San Francisco. Stop by to celebrate at a restaurant that has hosted everyone from tech leaders to President Barack Obama. Spruce is open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch outdoors. The $80-per-person dinner tasting menu includes three courses with options such as binchötan-grilled Wagyu bavette steak and sweetbread salad. Caviar service can be added on for those extra-special evenings — and it’s highly recommended. Both takeout and delivery are available with items from the tasting menu interspersed with fine dining takes on comfort food, like a pastrami sandwich and the restaurant’s famed burger. Caviar service is also an option for an over-the-top takeout experience.

Top review

Jeffrey

Dined 5 days ago

Our “go to” for Christmas Eve for years. Consistently outstanding.

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Maine Lobster Spaghetti

La Mar Cocina Peruana San Francisco

4.7

4.7 (8501)

$31 to $50

Peruvian

Financial District / Embarcadero

About the restaurant

Inspired by Peruvian cevicherias, La Mar Cebicheria Peruana is far from your average waterfront restaurant, offering a myriad of seafood preparations that range from raw to simply grilled. The real star here is the bandeja cebichera, a ceviche tasting option that highlights the international influences on the country’s cuisine through dishes like the nigiris criollo: a sushi-like preparation of ahi tuna with an aji amarillo cream sauce that’s distinctively Peruvian. When a view is in order, La Mar is the place to be, with sweeping bay views available from any seat on the restaurant’s patio. Mark a special night with the $72 per person, four-course tasting menu — an exciting way to try many quintessential dishes during one meal. Takeout includes several large format “experiencia” dishes for celebrating at home with your family or quarantine pod. Items like cazuela de pulpo include three pounds of grilled octopus with potato gratin, huancaina sauce, chimichurri, and fried garlic, tailor-made for pairing with the menu’s wide selection of cocktails made with Pisco, a South American brandy.

Top review

Maria

Dined 5 days ago

Amazing food (think incredible flavor in each bite), fantastic staff, wonderful location. Will be back for sure!

Slanted Door - San Ramon

4.6

4.6 (1551)

$31 to $50

Vietnamese

San Ramon

About the restaurant

This sibling location of the famed San Francisco restaurant serves the same high-end Vietnamese fare in a sleek building designed by star architect Renzo Piano in San Ramon. Celebrate outdoors overlooking the complex’s public plaza with iconic dishes such as the shaking beef, a dish of cubed filet mignon, watercress, red onion, and lime sauce, while toasting from the menu of tropically inspired cocktails. The restaurant is currently accepting reservations for patio seating, where the well-spaced tables are interspersed with heaters, providing a comfortable area to enjoy standbys such as crispy imperial shrimp rolls.

Top review

NancyVIP

Dined 1 day ago

Excellent lunch, very good service, not super crowded so not too noisy. Lovely experience. We’ll be back soon.

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Experience

3-5pm Happy Hour at Slanted Door

Trader Vic's - Emeryville

4.6

4.6 (2601)

$31 to $50

Global, International

San Francisco Bay Area

About the restaurant

One of two remaining Trader Vic’s locations in the United States, it’s worth a visit to celebrate at an iconic place in American cocktail history. Trader Vic’s is widely credited with two things: creating the distinctly American amalgamation of Polynesian flavors and culture symbols known as “tiki," and inventing the mai tai, a now-famous cocktail of rum, lime, orgeat, orange curaçao, and simple syrup. While many versions of the drink exist today, there’s nothing quite like the original — and views of the Emeryville marina don’t hurt either. The waterfront patio has a slightly more limited menu, but still serves Trader Vic’s classics such as crispy prawns and, of course, many, many rum-based drinks. The entire patio menu is available for takeout or delivery. Bring home hits such as the sweet, salty, and sour huli huli chicken, and wash it down with a glass of Trader Vic’s grog — a potent mix of rum, grapefruit, lime and allspice. Feel like celebrating on a weekday? The restaurant makes $10 drinks to-go every Thursday.

Top review

ELizabeth

Dined 5 days ago

Love the ambience of Trader Vic’s. We continue to celebrate Christmas Eve here as it is a special Place! The location, decor and drinks are the best plus food yummy. Great for place to celebrate special occasions.

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4.8

4.8 (487)

$50 and over

Japanese

Napa

About the restaurant

Kenzo combines Napa Valley’s penchant for luxury with Japanese refinement. Owned by Kenzo Estates Winery, the restaurant serves kaiseki — a seasonal tasting menu — and high-end sushi, both made from ingredients flown in daily from Japan. For a complete experience, opt to add a flight of wines from the parent estate. The set kaiseki menu runs $225 per person and typically includes nine seasonally driven dishes and a selection of sushi. Both a la carte items and bento boxes are available for takeout. For an opulent tasting at home, pick up the $400 premium kaiseki bento box for two and a bottle of Kenzo Estate’s unique sparkling semillon, made with a grape normally reserved for dessert wines.

Top review

ChristineVIP

Dined 1 day ago

We absolutely love this restaurant. The experience is truly unbeatable. It is the best wine pairing we have ever had, including fabulous Kenzo wines and sake. We think it is a terrific value. Could not recommend this place more highly!!

Mustards Grill

4.8

4.8 (10949)

$31 to $50

American

Yountville

About the restaurant

At Mustard’s Grill, the menu comes with an apology at the bottom: “Sorry, everything is delicious.” There’s truth to this statement, and it is what has made the restaurant a Napa Valley institution for over 30 years. But don’t let the informality fool you, this is a quietly serious restaurant with top notch “roadhouse food” and an excellent selection of wines from around the world. Mustard’s is currently on its lush patio, where you can enjoy hearty stand-bys like the famous Mongolian pork chop and newer favorites such as seafood tostadas. The restaurant’s entire menu is available to take home. If you’re tired of wine after a day of tasting, check out the selection of cocktails with staples like the Mustards margarita, made with higher-end 100 percent blue agave tequila.

Top review

Stephen

Dined 3 days ago

The wings are a fantastic appetizer. I got the pork chop and she got the steak stroganoff special. Everything was delicious. Lemon pie was a treat. We’ll be back.

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Popular dish

Dungeness Crab Cakes

Popular dish

Our Famous Lemon-Lime Tart

Popular dish

Grilled Ahi

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