Best Family Style Restaurants in SOMA

My wife and I recently took my sister and her husband, who were visiting from Charlotte, to State Bird Provisions, and it was nothing short of amazing. The food was absolutely exceptional—each dish was a perfect blend of creativity and flavor. My sister and her husband couldn’t stop raving about how unique the food was, especially the bold use of spices. It was a hit with all of us! The ambiance was also fantastic. The space has a warm and inviting vibe that strikes the perfect balance between trendy and comfortable, making it a great spot for both special occasions and casual nights out. What truly elevated our experience, though, was our waiter. He was excellent—extremely friendly, attentive, and impressively knowledgeable about the menu. He had such a genuine enthusiasm for the food and shared thoughtful recommendations, which we greatly appreciated. At one point, we mentioned we’d heard Ryan Gosling had dined here, and he surprised us by saying he’d actually been Ryan’s waiter! He even told us about the time Ryan came in with Eva Mendes and their two kids. Such a cool story to hear directly from someone who was part of it! State Bird Provisions delivered on every level: amazing food, great atmosphere, and top-notch service. My sister and her husband loved it as much as we did. We’ll definitely be back and can’t recommend it highly enough!

Amazing dining experience for my husband's birthday. Daria was our server and was excellent. We loved her suggestions on the menu as well. We enjoyed the octopus (best I've ever had), lamb meatballs, Gigantes, Smelt, and the goat stew to finish. We were absolutely stuffed and definitely slept like babies! Everything was stunning. I've heard such wonderful things before coming here, and they had exceeded my expectations.

The roasted tomato burrata with pesto starter was amazing. I had the kale salad with salmon and my husband had the chicken pot pie. It was all delicious. Servers (we sat at the bar) were very attentive. Seems to be a neighborhood spot as all the customers seem to know each other, which is nice. We’ll definitely be back.

Had an amazing experience last night at Taksim. True to its culture, it indeed blended the old traditional Turkish cuisine with a modern touch by having locally sourced sustainable ingredients. Food is really good! The kitchen is so organized. Our host named Birkan made our dining experience a great one. Very attentive to our needs (not to mention he’s very good looking). I highly recommend this restaurant.

It’s a fun spot with tasty food at a moderately premium price. There is better Chinese food to be had in San Francisco, but the vibe here makes it worth the occasional trip. We had the chrysanthemum salad, which was very tasty and fresh though I didn’t much care for the dressing. It seemed a little bland to me. We had the xiao long bao, which I usually love. These were very tasty, but nothing special. The fat noodles were great. The sauce was a little sweet to my taste. The winner for me was the tofu clay pot with minced pork. Wonderfully spicy and full of interesting flavors, offset by the creamy creamy tofu. Really beautifully prepared.