Onsen

The Best, Most Relaxing Dinner Plans Begin With a Soak at San Francisco Bathhouse Onsen | Eater SF

"Few restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area replicate the Japanese bathhouse experience like this co-ed soak-and-supper destination: on weekends, the restaurant opens for in-house pop-ups and special menus from visiting chefs (past nights include yakitori and izakaya specialist Aku’s BBQ and Vietnamese food from Claws of Mantis, with dishes like uni toast), and patrons can use the co-ed bathhouse for up to two hours—alternating between a sauna, brisk cold shower, steam room, and a peaceful sunken hot tub—for an additional $50, with the meal serving as a relaxing end to the experience. It’s typically a set menu with add-ons, priced from $60 to $80, and drinks keep the mellow post-bathhouse vibes going, from green and oolong teas to herbal tisanes composed of Japanese buckwheat or turmeric ginger, plus kombucha or ume soda, a selection of beer and cider, and a matrix of Japanese sake that helps diners decide between clean, rich, umami, or light flavor profiles. The dining room sets a calm tone with square wooden Japanese stools, compact two-tops, and an izakaya-like bar facing the kitchen, while strings of folded origami cranes rustle overhead in the fan-cooled room. The check-in desk will confirm the earliest time you can head to the dining room after the bathhouse; check for reservations a month in advance to secure seats for your preferred pop-up (chefs typically pop-up for a full weekend), snag bar seating if you’re skipping the schvitz, and expect mostly casual dinner attire—most diners opt for jeans and something nicer rather than athleisure or sweats." - Dianne de Guzman