The 11 Best Restaurants In Jack London Square - San Francisco - The Infatuation (2024)

Jack London Square used to be a mostly industrial area, but recently the waterfront neighborhood has become a destination—you can now pop into a trendy oyster bar for lobster rolls and natural wine, just a few blocks away from a historic saloon that’s been around since the 1800s. Whether you’re taking the ferry over from SF for the afternoon or just want to soak in some sun on a patio to the sweet soundtrack of Amtrak rolling (and honking) by, here’s where you should be eating and drinking in Jack London Square.

THE SPOTS

The Salty Pearl makes the case that every day should be a casual wine and oyster day (though, they’re only open four days a week). At this seafood restaurant, you’ll eat oysters that are fresh as hell, crudo covered in citrusy, herb-infused olive oil, and clams casino overflowing with bacon. There’s also a great cold lobster roll that’s way more meat-packed than the average lobster roll, and a burger dripping with cheese. Still, you’re coming here for those bivalves and crudo, and to spend time with some pet nat in a space that feels like a tasteful nautical clubhouse, complete with a smooth playlist and lots of natural light.

If you’ve ordered a mezcal margarita at any point in the last month, there’s a very good chance you’ll want to become a regular at Odin. The mezcalería has an impressive collection of over 300 agave spirits, plus excellent co*cktails, mezcal flights, and a Happy Hour with a mezcal special of the day. Odin is a rebrand of the Mexican restaurant Nido, and they're serving light Mexican shareable plates, like queso fundido, quesadillas, and asada tacos. Odin’s interiors are dark and sexy, with slate-colored walls, hand-shaped chairs, and long church pews. It’s exactly where you want to be sitting while drinking chilled coupes filled with tequila, chilis, and orange bitters.

This food truck on the corner of 4th Street and Broadway makes some of the best quesabirria in Jack London, let alone the Bay. They’re stuffed with fork-tender beef that drips out of the crisp shells along with juices, pickled red onions, and melty cheese. If these life-affirming birria tacos weren’t enough to make you pledge your loyalty to this place, order the birria with stir-fried egg noodles and a squeeze of lime—it’s a less messy meal that’s equally flavor-packed. You can take it all to go, or plop down on one of the benches out front.

The first thing you’ll notice about this dive bar is that the floor is on a slant—not because you’ve had one too many pints, but thanks to the force of the legendary 1906 quake. This dark drinking den very much feels like a time capsule—there are black-and-white photos, newspaper clippings, and dust-covered knick-knacks all over the walls, plus beer, classic co*cktails, and chill energy to match. If hanging out in a place that feels like an eclectic cave isn’t your thing, drink on the huge front patio overlooking some boats and Jack London’s main path.

A new Cellarmaker could open every day, in a different neighborhood, for a year, and we’d still get excited. This San Francisco-based brewery and pizzeria is always a good time, so we embrace its third iteration. The superb Detroit-style pizzas are bordering on decadent, with crisp cheesy bottoms and sides, while the snacks, like the polenta fries and briny pickled okra, are also very good (though not as epic). This warehouse-like space has plenty of room inside, on the sidewalk, and on a street-side deck—so bring a well-behaved dog or a stroller, and don't forget to grab a pint.

If you’re looking for a maximalist group dinner near Jack London Square, all roads lead to Farmhouse Kitchen. The sceney Thai spot has locations in Berkeley, SF, and LA, but the Jack London outpost is its biggest by far—the party spills out onto the waterfront patio most nights, and the entire flower-filled restaurant is perpetually packed with birthday dinners, families, and groups clinking frosé topped with cotton candy. And the food, like the khao soi neua and crispy hat yai fried chicken served with a fragrant yellow curry for dipping, is just as excellent as the scene.

Nido’s Backyard is Oakland’s best place to kick back in a colorful acapulco chair, lick salt off a margarita rim, and channel your inner sunbathing reptile. The entirely outdoors Mexican restaurant and self-proclaimed margarita garden is big enough to fit an ice rink, complete with umbrellas and heaters if the weather isn’t cooperating. Go in on a spread of fall-apart carnitas and slow-roasted duck enchiladas, and keep the mezcal and tequila coming.

When you have exactly 25 minutes to get food before your next errand or meeting, Boxi Kitchen is here for you. The mostly takeout-focused Mediterranean spot has the whole quick midday meal thing dialed in—their loaded fries, wraps, and mezze platters are easy to take home or back to the office. The chicken shawarma wrap swaddled in grilled lavash is a well-stuffed beauty, and ordering anything involving the golf ball-sized falafel is always a good idea.

Ask anyone in Oakland if they’ve been to Yoshi’s for dinner and they’ll usually say something along the lines of “Yoshi’s has food?” The decades-old music venue is best known for its nightly live shows, so if you’re heading over to sway your head to jazz for a few hours, the Japanese small plates and sushi in the attached restaurant are a solid (and very efficient) option for dinner beforehand. Stick with the special rolls, which are torched and dressed up with spicy mayo from behind the sushi counter. The dining room is massive, so you can easily roll up with a dozen friends before walking the 20 steps to your seats.

The metal theme is strong at Hesher’s, a pizza and beer hangout spot decked out with arcade games, Venom flags on the wall, and a Metallica pinball machine in the back. The counter-service spot has a ton of big tables, so you can really spread out with your rectangular pies that have a non-soggy soft crust and dime bags of red pepper flakes and parmesan on the side. It’s also one of the few places in the area with a kitchen that stays open past 9pm, so hit this spot up for your late-night needs.

Kuidaore Handroll Bar only has bar seating, which makes it great for a solo pit stop or one-on-one dinner where you can be in and out in 30 minutes flat. This temaki spot on Jack London’s main plaza serves 16 different types of handrolls. The fish quality is stellar, and the rice is extra sticky—we especially enjoy the seriously spicy sake, fatty hamachi, and pickled radish. There’s also a short list of crudos and sashimi on the menu, but stick to the handrolls for the best experience.