Where to Get a Michelin-Starred Brunch in San Francisco
-
Aaron Hutcherson
- 10 Nov 2017 | People & Places
People are always in search of a great restaurant to get their fill of eggs, bacon, mimosas, and all other manner of brunch fare. Throughout San Francisco and Napa Valley, there is a plethora of great options to fill this need, so why not go for the best? Though there are a number of Michelin-starred restaurants in the area that offer lunch on Saturdays and Sundays, brunch is a category unto itself.
Use this list of the Michelin-starred restaurants to make your Bay Area brunch plans this weekend.
Use this list of the Michelin-starred restaurants to make your Bay Area brunch plans this weekend.
Given it’s location in Napa Valley, it's no surprise this dining destination boasts a 15,000-bottle wine list. Auberge du Soleil has been offering diners its Mediterranean-inspired cuisine for over three decades in a stunningly beautiful setting. The brunch menu ranges from an onion tartlet with smoked salmon, crème fraîche and watercress, to a duck confit hash with slow-cooked eggs, mâche and red wine sauce. Can't decide what to order? Book a room at the connected resort and eat through the menu the entire weekend.
Bouchon
Bouchon
This outpost of Thomas Keller's restaurant empire in Yountville is just steps away from the three-starred The French Laundry. If you can't make a reservation there, you can cross the street to sample Keller's French bistro fare at a more budget-friendly price. At brunch, try Keller’s take on chicken and waffles (poulet et gaufres)—roasted chicken with bacon and chive waffles, maple syrup and sauce chasseur—and wash it down with any of a variety of sparkling beverages, including a pear mimosa with pear liqueur, pear purée and sparkling wine.
Campton Place
Campton Place
Located inside the Taj Campton Place hotel, this eponymous restaurant has offered Michelin-level dining since 2011. The kitchen, helmed by Srijith Gopinathan, serves what it describes as when "European-Californian sensibility combines with a Spice Route influence." At brunch, you can taste this in the duck samosa with tomato butter, and a pear and cucumber salad.
Luce
Luce
This SoMa hotel/restaurant serves what we consider brunch standards with a higher focus on the best ingredients the area has to offer, such as its brioche French toast with seasonal fruit, candied hazelnuts and Meyer lemon cream. The best part is that "you probably won't have a hard time getting a reservation at this InterContinental Hotel restaurant—Luce is often inexplicably empty." It's the perfect place to slide into one of Luce's shiny cushioned banquettes for a leisurely midday meal.
Madera
Madera
The menu at this restaurant features an array of thoughtfully crafted dishes coming out of a kitchen centered around a wood-burning grill and hearth. Hints of the oak wood can be found throughout many components of the menu, from the tomato flatbread baked in the hearth with goat cheese, basil and sea salt, to the grilled 24-ounce ribeye with pearl onions and scrambled eggs. Situated in Menlo Park, you'd be remiss to not sit enjoy the outdoor patio to take in views of the Santa Cruz mountains.
Spruce
Spruce
Looking at the pastries alone will make your mouth start to water—from the just-baked coffee cake with cinnamon and butter to the sweet cinnamon rolls with cream cheese glaze, brunch at this Presidio Heights favorite is already off to a great start. Spruce offers "cooking that's both simple and undeniably elegant," utilizing the seasonal produce that supplies the majority of its vegetables, herbs, and other specialty crops. Other menu items include buttermilk pancakes with roasted almonds, honey butter, warm maple syrup and optional seared foie gras, or pastrami hash with kimchi, a farm egg and toasted levain.
The Village Pub
The Village Pub
Located in the town of Woodside just south of San Francisco, this spot boasts "fine-dining that exceeds this sophisticated restaurant's humble name." At The Village Pub's Sunday-only brunch, menu items include baked Greek feta with proscuitto and pain au levain; country-fried chicken with cornmeal waffles and honey butter; and a pub burger with fries that inspectors have deemed "superb."
Hero image: Cow's Milk Burrata with Farmers' Market Vegetables, Extra-Virgin Olive Oil and Maldon Salt. Courtesy of Auberge du Soleil.
Hero image: Cow's Milk Burrata with Farmers' Market Vegetables, Extra-Virgin Olive Oil and Maldon Salt. Courtesy of Auberge du Soleil.