Best Vegetarian Tasting Menus in San Francisco 2026

Printed menu or made to order: the two kinds of vegetarian tasting

The dividing line in San Francisco is whether the vegetarian tasting already exists or gets built for you. Quince, Californios, Sons & Daughters and Nightbird hand a vegetarian a fully composed menu, in some cases printed as its own card, so the meal is designed rather than patched together. Rich Table and Octavia reshape their set menu to order, which works beautifully with a little notice. Knowing which kind a room runs tells you how much warning to give and what to expect on the plate.

What makes all of this possible is the dairy a vegetarian keeps. Cheese, butter, egg and cream are the backbone of the French and Italian technique these kitchens use, so a vegetarian tasting loses nothing structural, unlike a strict vegan brief. Each entry below names the price, the format and the lead time. For the rest of the city, open the San Francisco dining guide; for the meat-free field nationally, the best vegetarian restaurants worldwide; and for strictly plant-based rooms in town, vegan fine dining in San Francisco, which covers Acquerello's Tasting of Vegetables and Greens.

The vegetarian list

Quince

Cal-Italian · Jackson Square · vegetarian tasting, ~$298

Format: a full vegetarian tasting run in parallel with the standard menu

Quince holds the highest rating on this list and earns it for vegetarians too. Michael and Lindsay Tusk's three-Michelin-star room, in a brick building on Jackson Square, runs a complete vegetarian tasting next to its standard one, around $298, much of it grown at the family's Fresh Run Farm up in Marin. The two menus run in tandem, which means a vegetarian sits down to the same number of courses, plated to the same three-star standard, not a thinned-out version. The dining room is among the most formal in the city, all dark wood and hush. Note the vegetarian tasting in your reservation. The choice for a vegetarian marking a major occasion. Book it for a San Francisco anniversary.

Californios

Modern Mexican · SoMa · tasting ~$325, printed dietary menu

Format: dietary diners receive their own printed menu, so the vegetarian version is fully composed

Californios is the strongest argument that a vegetarian tasting can be designed, not improvised. Val Cantu's two-Michelin-star Mexican tasting in SoMa, around $325, hands diners with restrictions their own printed menu, which means a vegetarian gets a parallel composed run rather than dishes pulled from the main one. The cooking treats masa, heirloom corn, chiles and Mexican technique with the rigor of a French tasting house, so the vegetable courses carry real weight. It is the most ambitious vegetarian meal here outside Quince, and the most distinctly Californian. Flag the dietary need when you book so the kitchen prints your menu. Good to impress a client in San Francisco.

Sons & Daughters

New Nordic-Californian · Mission District · 24-course tasting

Format: a vegetarian version of the long tasting with at least 48 hours' notice

Sons & Daughters is the long, slow tasting for a patient vegetarian. The two-Michelin-star room, which also carries a Michelin Green Star for sustainability and relocated to the Mission District in 2025, runs a 24-course tasting grounded in classical technique and Northern California produce, and will rework the whole sequence for a vegetarian when given at least 48 hours' notice, substituting the meat, fish and shellfish courses. The length is the point: two dozen small, precise plates that lean hard on the farm. Because the menu is so built-out, give the kitchen the full notice rather than asking on arrival. The choice for a vegetarian who wants the city's most extended tasting. Pair it with the best tasting menus worldwide.

Nightbird

New American tasting · Hayes Valley · vegetarian menu, $165

Format: a standing vegetarian tasting printed nightly; pairing $155

Nightbird is the value pick with a vegetarian menu already in print. Kim Alter's small Hayes Valley room on Gough Street prints a full vegetarian tasting every night at $165, with a wine pairing at $155, so a vegetarian books it like anyone else and skips the advance call entirely. Alter, a James Beard semifinalist, cooks a refined, seasonal menu, and the room is intimate enough that the meal feels personal. This is the most accessible serious vegetarian tasting in the city and the easiest to land on a normal weeknight. Choose the vegetarian menu when you reserve. The choice for a midweek vegetarian dinner without a three-star bill. Good for a San Francisco anniversary dinner.

Rich Table

New American · Hayes Valley · tasting $125, made vegetarian

Format: the "Let Us Choose Your Adventure" tasting, built vegetarian with notice

Rich Table is the fun, produce-loving option. Evan and Sarah Rich's Hayes Valley room on Gough Street is famous for its porcini doughnuts and sardine chips, and its set "Let Us Choose Your Adventure" tasting, $125, can be built vegetarian when you give the kitchen the heads-up. The cooking is playful and ingredient-led rather than formal, which makes the vegetarian version feel like the menu it always wanted to be rather than a concession. Pass the dietary note ahead of time so they can shape the courses. The choice for a vegetarian who wants a relaxed, characterful tasting over a hushed dining room. Pair it with the best tasting menus worldwide.

Octavia

Californian · Pacific Heights · four-course tasting, ~$98

Format: the four-course family-style tasting, run vegetarian on request

Octavia is the affordable, vegetable-fluent room to finish on. Melissa Perello's one-Michelin-star restaurant on Octavia Street in Pacific Heights runs a four-course family-style tasting at about $98 that changes daily with the market, and Perello, who made her name on vegetable cookery, will turn it vegetarian on request. At this price the produce already leads, so the vegetarian version is a light adjustment rather than a rebuild, and the family-style format keeps the table sociable. Mention the request at booking so the kitchen can plan the courses. The choice for a vegetarian who wants a real tasting at the lowest spend on the list. Good for a San Francisco anniversary.

How to lock in your vegetarian tasting

Match the notice to the menu. At Nightbird and Quince the vegetarian tasting is already set, so you just select it when you book. Californios prints a dietary menu, so flag the request at reservation and it will be waiting. Sons & Daughters wants a full 48 hours to rebuild its 24 courses, the longest lead on the list. Rich Table and Octavia will compose a vegetarian menu closer to the day, though a note in advance always buys a better-built meal. Whichever room you choose, write vegetarian rather than no meat, and say plainly whether cheese, butter and egg are welcome, because that single detail decides how rich the kitchen can make the plate. Plan further with the best vegetarian restaurants worldwide or, for strictly plant-based, vegan fine dining in San Francisco.

Frequently asked questions

Which San Francisco restaurant has the best vegetarian tasting menu?

Three-Michelin-star Quince in Jackson Square sets the bar, running a complete vegetarian tasting in parallel with its meat menu at around $298, built on produce from the family farm in Marin. If you want the vegetarian version printed as its own menu rather than improvised, two-star Californios in SoMa and two-star Sons & Daughters in the Mission both do exactly that. For a lower-priced standing vegetarian tasting, Nightbird in Hayes Valley prints one nightly at $165. Begin with the San Francisco dining guide to sort by neighborhood.

Does San Francisco have a printed vegetarian tasting menu, not just substitutions?

Yes. Californios prints a separate menu for dietary diners, so a vegetarian receives a full composed tasting rather than swapped courses, and Nightbird prints a standing vegetarian tasting every night. Quince runs a vegetarian tasting alongside its standard one. Sons & Daughters and Rich Table compose a vegetarian version of their set menu with notice, and Octavia adjusts its four-course tasting to order. So a vegetarian here can choose between a printed menu and a made-to-order one, depending on the room.

How much does a vegetarian tasting menu cost in San Francisco?

It mirrors each restaurant's headline price. Californios runs about $325 and Quince around $298 for their multi-star tastings, vegetarian or not. Sons & Daughters prices its long tasting at the two-star level. The mid-tier rooms are gentler: Nightbird's vegetarian menu is $165, Rich Table's tasting is $125, and Octavia's four-course is roughly $98, the cheapest serious tasting on the list. Add wine pairings, San Francisco's service charge and the city health surcharge to every figure.

How much notice does a vegetarian tasting menu need in San Francisco?

It depends on the kitchen. Nightbird and Quince need none beyond noting it in the booking, since the vegetarian tasting already exists. Sons & Daughters asks for at least 48 hours so it can rework its long menu, and Californios prefers advance warning to print the dietary menu. Rich Table and Octavia will build a vegetarian tasting on the day, but a day or two of notice gets a better-composed meal. As a rule, the longer the menu, the more notice it wants.

Is a vegetarian tasting better than ordering a vegan one in San Francisco?

If you eat dairy and egg, yes, because vegetarian opens the cheese, butter and cream these kitchens build flavor on, which a strict vegan brief removes. That latitude is why Quince, Californios and Sons & Daughters can hand a vegetarian a full tasting without thinning it out. A vegan has to ask each room to strip the dairy, and fewer go all the way. For plant-based without dairy, see our guide to vegan fine dining in San Francisco; for vegetarian, the rooms above are the move.

Menus and prices verified against each restaurant's published information in June 2026; confirm vegetarian availability and notice directly when you book. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.