It’s hardly a surprise that some of San Francisco‘s top restaurants are headed by women, as we all know who governs the world. On March 8th, in recognition of Women’s History Month, we wanted to shine the spotlight on some of San Francisco’s most fearless female chefs and restaurateurs. If you’re looking for a great eating experience, you can’t go wrong with any of these female-owned and/or female-led establishments.
This is why we’ve left out Octavia and Frances (chef/owner Melissa Perello), Boulevard (executive chef/owner Nancy Oakes), and all of the restaurants from the Big Night Group (Marlowe, Park Tavern, Leo’s Oyster Bar, Petit Marlowe, etc.). But we have nothing but admiration and admiration for all the women who have to work even harder, be more driven, and be more imaginative in order to succeed in a sector that is overwhelmingly male.
This Women’s History Month, and every day, we’ve compiled a list of San Francisco’s best female-owned eateries.
Atelier Crenn
The following is quite astounding: For the first time ever, a female chef in the United States has been awarded three Michelin stars for a single restaurant (for Atelier Crenn).
San Pellegrino named her “Best Female Chef” in 2016. “It’s stupid. “Chefs are chefs.” Mic slammed shut. For cuisine this amazing, there’s no doubt about it. There is a $700 two-person supper at Atelier Crenn, and the set cuisine is delivered in the style of a poem. If you’re on a budget, consider the pared-down tasting menus ($245 per person) or the sumptuous meal package ($155 per person) with Chef Dominique’s favourite menu items.
What to do next: The Winter Terrasse sampling experience or a Crenn Kit Luxe may be reserved on Tock.
Besharam
At the beginning of 2019, Chef Heena Patel took over full creative management of the Dogpatch Besharam from Daniel Patterson’s Alta Group, and the food and service truly began to shine. Despite the fact that Patel didn’t begin cooking professionally until later in her life, her Gujarati-inspired Indian food is so fulfilling that you wouldn’t know it.
During COVID, Besharam has pivoted to a takeout and delivery model with a rotating three-course menu featuring some of her greatest hits, like dry coriander chickpea fritters and pepper chicken with parathas for soaking up the sauce, as well as a couple of a la carte options and creative cocktails.
Until normalcy returns and we can eat together in the brightly coloured environment, this will suffice.
To order, go to Tock and place an order.
Soul Food from the Heartland of France
The Tenderloin Chef and owner Brenda Buenviajé grew up in New Orleans eating crawfish and gumbo, and, lucky for us, brought that style of cooking with her when she moved to San Francisco. She owns Brenda’s French Soul Food with her wife Libby Truesdell and has been feeding the masses indulgent meals since 2007.
Brenda’s is best known for its brunch (get the fried chicken benedict on biscuits with a side of grits), and sweet and savory beignets, but also puts out a satisfying dinner service with options like chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, chicken etouffée, and more of that (made with a secret recipe) fried chicken.
What to do next: For pickup, call 415-345-8100. Caviar and DoorDash are the two options for delivery. Brenda’s French Soul Food doesn’t have outdoor dining, but its sister restaurant, Brenda’s Meat and Three on Divisadero does.
Brenda’s French Soul Food-
The Mission
Foreign Cinema is an iconic SF restaurant perhaps best known for its charming open-air patio with twinkle lights and movies playing on the wall, but it wouldn’t have survived for 20+ years if the food weren’t also ambitious, a little playful, and consistently delicious.
Chefs and co-owners Gayle Pirie and John Clark met working at a restaurant near the Civic Center and then went on to work at Zuni, first as line cooks and then co-chefs de cuisine, eventually taking over to save Foreign Cinema which was floundering at the height of the first dotcom bust, and we are all happier San Franciscans because of it.
Especially after a few cocktails at brunch.
What to do next: Foreign Cinema is seating people at the restaurant and is also offering brunch and dinner to-go. If you’d prefer the latter, call 415-648-7600 to place your order.
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Jane on Fillmore
Pacific Heights
Amanda Michael opened Jane on Fillmore ten years ago because she wanted to create a casual restaurant that served healthy, flavorful food. And as soon as the doors opened up, the lines started forming.
Luckily, they move fast, although good luck snagging a seat during prime lunch hours. Still, it’s worth it for the big, satisfying salads, paninis served on homemade sourdough, and “healing” teas (the “hangover helper” truly does help—trust us, we know).
Jane on Fillmore’s instant success allowed Michael to open two more locations—Jane on Larkin and Jane the Bakery, where you’ll find all kinds of housemade bread and pastries. She also recently took over/rescued one of SF’s most beloved and nostalgia-inducing dessert destinations, Toy Boat (now called Toy Boat by Jane).
How to order: The counter-service restaurants are currently open for those who want to dine-in. To-go orders can be placed online ahead of time, and delivery is available via ChowNow, DoorDash, Caviar, GrubHub and Toast Take Out.
As one of the leading female voices in the UK hospitality industry @chef_chantelle is an amazing advocate for seasonality & sustainability. We caught up with her in our latest magazine to discover more about her values & upcoming restaurant @apricitydukest https://t.co/DySCLHJilO pic.twitter.com/1loXLVFlaA
— Women In the Food Industry (@women_food_wifi) December 20, 2021
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