Eating out in the San Francisco Bay Area is a little like playing an endless /delicious game of Whac-a-Mole: Every time you check one restaurant off your list, another appears, equally deserving of your attention and caloric intake. Not that we’re complaining: With great quantity has come great quality.

If there’s anything that unites a majority of this year’s crop of restaurants, it’s their resolute casualness. While there are still white-tablecloth, prix fixe holdouts, a laissez-faire nonchalance reigns far and wide. That’s not entirely surprising (blame the continuing success of high-end burger joints)—what is remarkable is how good they all are.

And maybe, despite San Francisco’s ever-growing class disparity, that’s where a semblance of democracy lies: Whether you’re eating a three-figure meal at Quince, a slice of peanut butter icebox pie at Brenda’s Meat & Three, or housemade Spam with rice and pickled cucumbers at Liholiho Yacht Club, you’re going to eat well.
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A Ground Meat Groundswell: Burgers aren’t going anywhere.

Prix Fixe Holdouts and Casual Refinements: Fancy still has its place.

Keeping it in the Family: Platters are the new plates.

Destination Neighborhood Joints: Local spots with wide-ranging appeal.

France, Now and Forever: The bistro still abides.

Eating, Drinking, and the Other Way Around: Bar or restaurant? You be the judge.

Next Wave Asian: Redrawing culinary borders.