Date Night in San Francisco: Dinner and What to Do After

A good date night in San Francisco is a pair: one table, then one place to land afterward that is a short walk or ride away. This guide gives you seven pairings across the Mission District, North Beach, Fisherman's Wharf and Chinatown, with budget and splurge options in each. Every place below is inside the city limits of San Francisco, California, and each one was checked against its own official site.

The idea is simple. Dinner is the main event, but the second stop is what makes the evening feel planned. A scoop of ice cream, a film, a drink in an old bar or a browse through a bookshop all turn a meal into a night.

How we chose

We picked places that are known for the occasion, not just nearby, and that are open to the public with hours posted on an official site. We started with about twenty candidates and dropped anything we could not confirm from the venue's own page.

Hours and menus change, so the times below are typical ones. Check each official site before you go, and book the splurge tables ahead. Price tiers are our own read: where we say budget, we mean casual and easy on the wallet. Where we say splurge, expect a full evening of spending.

Which neighborhood is best for date night in San Francisco?

The Mission District and North Beach are the easiest for walking from dinner to a second stop, because the pairs sit on the same street or within a few blocks. Fisherman's Wharf suits a waterfront evening, and Chinatown suits a more adventurous one. Each section below pairs a table with an after.

The Mission District

The Mission District is our pick in San Francisco for an easy two-stop evening, with dinner, ice cream, cocktails and film all within reach. See our Mission District area guide for the wider neighborhood.

Pair 1 (mid): Delfina, then Bi-Rite Creamery

Delfina at 3621 18th Street in the Mission serves a menu that changes daily and leans on handmade pasta. Its website lists dinner typically Monday to Saturday from 5:15 pm to 10 pm and Sunday from 5 pm to 9 pm. A 7 percent surcharge is added to checks, so factor that into the bill. Its chef, Craig Stoll, won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Pacific in 2008, according to the restaurant.

Bi-Rite Creamery at 3692 18th Street is on the same street, so you can walk to dessert. Its official page lists 24 flavors, including Salted Caramel and Ritual Coffee Toffee, made with Straus organic dairy and Guittard chocolate. It is typically open daily from noon to 9 pm.

Pair 2 (splurge): Foreign Cinema, then Trick Dog

Foreign Cinema at 2534 Mission Street has served Californian-Mediterranean food since 1999, and its signature move is pairing dinner with films screened in the courtyard at dusk. Dinner is typically Monday to Thursday from 5 pm to 9:30 pm, Friday and Saturday until 10 pm, and Sunday from 5 pm to 9 pm. Book ahead and ask for a courtyard table when you reserve.

Trick Dog at 3010 20th Street is a cocktail bar whose menu changes theme completely from season to season. It is typically open from 4 pm to midnight Sunday to Thursday and until 2 am on Friday and Saturday, with food served until 10 pm, or midnight on weekends. Take a car or a short Muni ride between the two, since they are several blocks apart.

North Beach

North Beach is San Francisco's old Italian-American neighborhood, and it packs red sauce, bookshops and late bars into a few blocks. Read more in our North Beach area guide.

Pair 3 (budget to mid): Tony's Pizza Napoletana, then City Lights Booksellers

Tony's Pizza Napoletana at 1570 Stockton Street in North Beach is run by Tony Gemignani, who is described on the restaurant's site as a 13-time World Pizza Champion. The kitchen works seven ovens and serves twelve pizza styles, so a couple can order two different ones and compare. Its site lists hours of noon to 10 pm Monday to Thursday and noon to 11 pm Friday to Sunday, and treats those closing times as last seating.

City Lights Booksellers at 261 Columbus Avenue is a short walk away. It was founded in 1953 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and its publishing arm launched the Pocket Poets Series in 1955. It is typically open daily from 10 am to 10 pm, so City Lights in San Francisco's North Beach works as a genuine after-dinner plan. Pick a book for each other and trade.

Pair 4 (mid): Original Joe's, then Tosca Cafe

Original Joe's at 601 Union Street in North Beach is a classic Italian-American dining room. Its site lists typical hours of 4 pm to 10 pm Monday to Thursday, 11:30 am to 10 pm Friday, 11 am to 10 pm Saturday and 11 am to 9 pm Sunday, plus weekend brunch. Check the menu on its official page before you go.

Tosca Cafe at 242 Columbus Avenue is a few blocks away and is the place for a nightcap. It is typically open Tuesday to Wednesday from 5 pm to 10 pm and Thursday to Saturday from 5 pm to 11 pm, and it is closed on Sunday and Monday. Its menu features a house drink it calls a cappuccino, which is actually a boozy hot chocolate with no coffee in it. Order one and watch your date's face.

Fisherman's Wharf

Fisherman's Wharf is the waterfront district at the north edge of San Francisco, and a date here is about seafood and a famous warm drink. See our Fisherman's Wharf area guide.

Pair 5 (splurge): Scoma's, then Buena Vista Cafe

Scoma's Restaurant at 1965 Al Scoma Way on Pier 47 runs its own fish receiving station on the pier, according to its website. Its menu calls the Lazy Man's Cioppino a Fisherman's Wharf original: Dungeness crabmeat, scallops, shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari and market fish in a tomato broth. Order one to share. It typically serves from noon to 9:30 pm Sunday to Thursday and until 10 pm Friday and Saturday, and it closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Buena Vista Cafe at 2765 Hyde Street is the old saloon at the cable car turnaround, and Irish coffee is the drink it is known for. Its website honors the newspaper writer Stanton Delaplane as the man who started it all, with a photo of him at the bar in 1975. The Buena Vista Cafe is typically open from 9 am to 11 pm Monday to Thursday, 9 am to midnight Friday, 8 am to midnight Saturday and 8 am to 11 pm Sunday, and the kitchen closes at 9:30 pm. Walk or ride along the waterfront from Scoma's, and order the Irish coffee.

Chinatown

Chinatown in San Francisco is the most adventurous date on this list, with lantern-lit alleys a few steps from dinner. Start with our Chinatown area guide for orientation.

Pair 6 (splurge): Mister Jiu's, then a walk up Grant Avenue

Mister Jiu's at 28 Waverly Place in Chinatown serves modern Chinese food from chef-owner Brandon Jew, whose restaurant its own site says won a James Beard award in 2022. Dinner is typically Tuesday to Thursday from 5 pm to 9 pm and Friday and Saturday until 9:30 pm, and it is closed Sunday and Monday. Reservations go through its website only, so book there and not by phone.

Afterward, walk out onto Waverly Place and keep going to Grant Avenue, since the lanterns are at their best after dark.

Pair 7 (budget to mid): R&G Lounge, then the Chinese Historical Society of America

R&G Lounge at 631 Kearny Street in Chinatown is known for salt and pepper Dungeness crab, Peking duck and garlic steamed Maine lobster. It is typically open from 11 am to 8:45 pm Sunday to Thursday and until 9:15 pm Friday and Saturday. Prices are in menu files on its site.

The Chinese Historical Society of America museum at 965 Clay Street is the daytime follow-up, so plan this one as a lunch date. Its site lists typical hours of 10 am to 5 pm on Wednesday and Saturday only, and closed other days. Check admission and current exhibits on its official page before you go.

What is an easy one-evening date route?

If you only get one night, use this order. It keeps the walking short and ends somewhere with a view or a drink.

1. Start in North Beach with pizza at Tony's Pizza Napoletana on Stockton Street.
2. Walk to City Lights Booksellers and pick out a book for each other.
3. Finish at Tosca Cafe on Columbus Avenue with the boozy hot chocolate, Tuesday to Saturday.
4. On a Mission night, swap in Delfina and Bi-Rite Creamery on 18th Street.
5. For a waterfront splurge, book Scoma's and end with Irish coffee at Buena Vista Cafe.

Practical tips

Book the splurge tables, including Foreign Cinema, Mister Jiu's and Scoma's, before the weekend. Closed days matter here: Tosca Cafe and Mister Jiu's are closed on Sunday and Monday, and the Chinese Historical Society museum is open only two days a week. For getting between stops, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) runs Muni, and you can find routes on the SFMTA site. To browse more places to eat, see our food and dining listings.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where should you go for date night in San Francisco?

North Beach and the Mission District are the easiest neighborhoods because dinner and a second stop sit within a few blocks. In North Beach, try dinner at Tony's Pizza Napoletana then City Lights Booksellers. In the Mission, try Delfina then Bi-Rite Creamery on 18th Street.

What is a romantic splurge dinner in San Francisco?

Foreign Cinema in the Mission District pairs dinner with films screened in its courtyard at dusk. Mister Jiu's in Chinatown and Scoma's on Pier 47 at Fisherman's Wharf are also splurge options. Book ahead for all three.

What is a cheap date night in San Francisco?

Pizza in North Beach followed by a free browse at City Lights Booksellers keeps costs low. Ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery on 18th Street is another easy second stop. Check official menus for current prices.

What can you do after dinner on a date in San Francisco?

Pick a second stop close to dinner: a nightcap at Tosca Cafe, a bookshop at City Lights, a cocktail at Trick Dog or an Irish coffee at Buena Vista Cafe. City Lights is typically open until 10 pm daily.

Do you need reservations for date night in San Francisco?

For splurge restaurants such as Foreign Cinema, Mister Jiu's and Scoma's, yes, book ahead. Mister Jiu's takes reservations through its website only. Casual places may take walk-ins, but check each official site.