San Francisco has a number of acclaimed beer bars, including world-famous spots like Toronado, Monk's Kettle, and Mikkeller Bar. But when it comes to finding a restaurant where you can reserve ahead for a sit-down meal—and enjoy a great beer with it—the pickings are slightly more limited. So we've rounded up five restaurants with extensive selections that will appeal to fans of craft brews, where it's also possible to book a table in advance.
Belga
2000 Union St.
This Cow Hollow spot from Adriano Paganini—the local hitmaker behind Beretta, Delarosa, and Super Duper Burgers—specializes in both Belgian cuisine and Belgian brews, ensuring you'll sample the most accurate pairings this side of Brussels. Classic Trappist ales like Orval and Rochefort sit side-by-side with American brews that take their inspiration from Belgium, including North Coast's Pranqster golden ale and Sierra Nevada Ovila dubbel. Pair them with moules frites or a housemade sausage board.
Stones Throw
1896 Hyde St.
This neighborhood spot in Russian Hill draws a young crowd for a small but mighty menu of hip comfort food, like heirloom tomato salad, crispy octopus, braised short ribs, and "Da Burga" (complete with loaded baked potato tater tots). But its bottled beer list is impressively deep and thoroughly global, divided into useful categories like "Thirst Quenchers" and "Sour Patch" that will help you find the perfect selection, whether local, Belgian, or even from more unusual ports of call like New Zealand.
Dirty Water
1355 Market St.
With a selection of 52 beers on draft, this sleek spot in the Twitter building is paradise for craft beer enthusiasts, who'll find both California favorites like Firestone Walker Pivo Pils and some more exotic selections, like Oud Beersel lambic. The menu is thoroughly adventurous, with several game dishes like venison tartare, roasted elk, and antelope (as well as vegetarian creations like basil tagliatelle with summer squash). There's a big cocktail selection, too.
Schroeder's
240 Front St.
Germany is one of the cradles of global beer culture, but few U.S. restaurants carry a strong selection of traditional German brews on draft. One of the few exceptions is this historic Bavarian beer hall in the FiDi, which has been in business downtown for more than 120 years. A 2014 makeover refreshed both the food menu and beer list, meaning you can now enjoy authentic brews like Schönramer pils and Weltenburger dunkel alongside classic dishes like bratwurst, spätzle, and weiner schnitzel.
Rusty's Southern
750 Ellis St.
Though some inroads are being made, beer in the South tends to run more to mass-market lagers than high-end craft brews. But Rusty Olson is aiming to change that at his Southern-fried Tenderloin spot, where diners can enjoy a barrel-aged triple or peach berliner weisse with their fried green tomatoes or shrimp and grits. Olson was formerly the bar manager of popular German spot Suppenkuche, and Rusty's stocks a strong selection of German brews—try the Schlenkerla smoked märzen with the pulled pork plate or smoked meatloaf.
