Californios

There are certain restaurants you visit just for the food and others you visit just for the experience. Californios is a restaurant that excels in both. Chef Val Cantu and his team brought forth amazingly unique dishes and impeccable service in a trendy yet relaxing environment. Each dish presented was a delight for both the stomach and the eyes. Everything was beautifully plated and the flavor combinations were amazingly balanced. There were so many dishes that it's difficult to pinpoint a single favorite, but honestly thats a testament on how good the food actually is - very rarely can I say that I enjoyed every dish at a restaurant. As for the service, it was top notch. The service staff were attentive without being overbearing and the read our family's needs very well. It's easy to tell that the people working there really enjoy their jobs. Overall, the meal was an absolute delight and the restaurant would be an excellent option if you're looking for an impressive date night or special night out.

Going to a fine dining restaurant can sometimes be a risk. Will the food be good? How will you be treated? Will it be worth the price? Californios is worth every penny. Food is packed with flavor, the menu seems thoughtfully planned, service is great, atmosphere is great, and the drink pairing really showcases the sommeliers knowledge. If you’re considering celebrating a milestone in your life and want to go to of the many Michelin star establishments in San Francisco, I would highly recommend Californios. A great demonstration of Mexican gastronomy!

Mexican food taken to the next level, and definitely worthy of 2 Michelin stars. The quail & pineapple taco in particular was striking, but really every single savoury dish was fabulous. Stellar locally-sourced ingredients, bold flavour combinations, outstanding craftsmanship. The veggie replacements I got in lieu of the seafood dishes were lovely (that mushroom taco!!). We were celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary and enjoyed the lovely touches, from the complementary glasses of bubbly to the card and chocolates - thank you! 3 (small) things need fixing: - I don’t like to read about a yummy sounding dessert item in the paper menu I’m given at the start of the meal, and not getting it on my table. The explanations I got for its absence were confused and confusing. - The floating island had a very, very eggy flavour. I’m very aware it’s made of egg whites, but it shouldn’t taste so eggy. - The music isn’t right. Hip-hop / trap is the last thing I want to hear while I’m having a Michelin star dinner, no matter how on trend it is.

Visited in Aug 2023 Only if I could give a rating of 6 out of 5, I would have done so. I have visited fine dining places across Asia, Europe & US , and Californios is probably the 2nd best place I’ve ever dined at (a place in Bangkok called Gaggan Anand being my #1). Californios has everything - excellent service, a supremely well thought-out & mouth watering menu, beautiful food presentation, and amazing drinks/cocktails. It is very difficult to choose a few dishes as my favourites as I can’t recall any dish where I didn’t say ‘wow’. One of the most exciting parts of the menu were the tortilla dishes. The meat preparations were also so perfectly done/made. And to round off the desserts were exquisite too. Service was top notch and they even accommodated a last minute reservation change for me (of course that is subject to availability). A 1000% recommendation for any person visiting San Francisco. This place needs to be on your bucket list of F&B establishments to visit.

I have visited Californios twice. Both times were consistently excellent. My first visit was in 2021 just after the restaurant reopened after lockdown. The meal was extravagant, decadent but it was a little too large. The waiter did warn us that the chef was still experimenting after the long shutdown from COVID, and as such they needed to do some editing. We counted over 20 unique dishes across the 8 courses. Most memorable was the tacos. Not just because you rarely get tacos at a Michelin star restaurant, but because there were five different masterfully executed flavors. The ingenuity to deliver something comfortingly familiar and yet surprisingly unique in flavors is the chef's true calling. In 2022 I returned and had another excellent experience. Unlike the year before the meal was mercifully smaller and more targeted. The staff is attentive and you will never want for anything, but they are young so they’re still learning grace. The wine pairing was well executed but there was nothing outstanding in vintage or rarity. We dined outside in the courtyard both times. It is well protected from the elements and is fine even on a chilly San Francisco evening. You aren’t isolated from other guests, but not on top of one another either. Intimate enough for date night. If you are visiting San Francisco this is my top recommendation for tasting menus in the city. Sure Benu still has its 3-stars, but it’s honestly playing it safe and too similar to other Michelin restaurants. Californios is uniquely California and worth the visit.