4 Best Restaurants in The Bay Area, California

Two Top Chef vets opened this stylish restaurant, which serves creative and memorable Mediterranean small plates in a lively setting with an open kitchen, wood-fired oven, communal tables, and snug seating. As the name implies, well-crafted cocktails are shaken (or stirred) and poured with panache.

This hot spot is all about seasonal and globe-spanning small plates, family-style eating, and excellent drinks. Intimate dining nooks, natural light, and a heated patio make this an ideal destination for couples, families, and the after-work crowd.

The coast at its most dressed up, Cetrella is all polished wood and pressed tablecloths, and it hits every mark: adventurous wine list, live jazz on Friday and Saturday night, and a creative menu that pairs regional produce and fish with choice imported ingredients. The resulting dishes are sophisticated but not stuffy. The bar has a smaller and cheaper but no less delectable menu, and Sunday brunch is popular.

Inside a charming flower-covered house, this restaurant serves dishes that reflect the entire Mediterranean region. The menu, constantly changing and unfailingly great, depends on the availability of fresh seasonal ingredients, and the two-level dining room is cheerful and light. Excellent and long-lived but not flashy, the restaurant has a legion of dedicated fans.