4 RESTAURANTS AND BARS TO TRY THIS WEEKEND IN THE BAY AREA: APRIL 26

As we head into the weekend, Eater SF editors have compiled a list of recommendations to answer one of the most persistent and, arguably, pressing questions of the day: “Where should I eat?” Of course, we have several resources to help guide your dining and drinking decisions — for example, the San Francisco and East Bay heatmaps, which reflect the hottest new restaurants to try right now. But here we offer four suggestions of places to check out this weekend around the Bay Area. And if you’re looking for places to grab a drink, try these lists of the best new places to grab a cocktail in San Francisco and the East Bay.

For chocolate and cocktails: Craft Chocolate Experience

Chocolate is one of my favorite thank-you gifts — from Japanese Kit Kats to unusual and fun chocolate bars, it doesn’t usually break the bank and feels like a treat. In another sense, I’m also into food nerdery and learning more about different aspects of pairing food and drink. This weekend, both of those worlds align at the Craft Chocolate Experience, where several independent chocolate makers are gathering to sample their wares and talk about chocolate. Throughout the weekend, there are some exciting companies to check out, along with some good local shops, and quite a few chocolate pairing sessions worth considering, such as sake or amaro, for an extra fee. On Friday, April 27, there’s even a dedicated pairing and tasting event, if you’d rather get your fill of chocolate and drinks in three hours. The Craft Chocolate Experience at the Palace of Fine Arts (3601 Lyon Street), runs from April 26-28. Tickets are available at craftchocolateexperience.com.

— Dianne de Guzman, Eater SF deputy editor

For festive FiDi drinking and dining: Pacific Cocktail Haven

Touring the swankiest of swanky bars and eating the most sumptuous of San Francisco fare is not a bad way to spend a weekend night. Not really even a little bit, and why not in the Financial District, home to West Coast masters of the universe? Just one way to run that cosplay gauntlet would be to start at Pacific Cocktail Haven, recently recognized as the 38th-best bar in North America. After ringing in the good news with that crew, head to Starlite — if you can overcome the wait — to take in all 360 degrees of glamor. For late-night food, you know your sensibilities best, but for me, I’m headed to Pinecrest Diner to tie off the evening. Even the ritziest of Richie Richs can enjoy a Denver omelet at 3 in the morning. Pacific Cocktail Haven, 550 Sutter Street

— Paolo Bicchieri, Eater SF reporter

For a little something to nosh on: Grossman’s

Happy Passover to all who celebrate, and even if you don’t, this weekend is as good a time as ever to enjoy some of the fantastic food from across the Jewish diaspora available in San Francisco and the Bay Area. I’m itching to get up to Santa Rosa for a meal at Grossman’s Noshery and Bar, where the breakfast menu (available 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends) includes dishes such as potato and leek latkes, vareniki in lemon brown butter with smoked trout roe, and cinnamon babka French toast. It’s an impressively long menu that also offers deli sides such as smoked whitefish salad and pickled beets by the pint, sandwiches on gluten-free bread, and a full cocktail list including bloody marys, house-infused vodkas, and hot options like an Irish coffee. The Grossman’s Noshery and Bar, 308 1/2 Wilson Street, Santa Rosa

— Lauren Saria, Eater SF editor

For a pizza moment: Three One Four Pizzeria

As a Berkeley local, I will never stop bragging about our stellar pizza scene, and now there’s yet another pizza spot to try: the newly-opened Three One Four Pizzeria in the Westbrae neighborhood. Chef Mario Vollera is leading the kitchen, formerly of SoCal’s South End pizza restaurant, and he’s baking sourdough pies for this new restaurant. The pizza names are Bay Area-themed with an enticing mix of toppings, such as Lalime — a tribute to the long-running restaurant that operated in the space Three One Four now calls home — which features braised lamb with sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, feta, and tzatziki. There’s also a mysterious $23 menu item under the “ask quietly” section, which feels promising if you’re looking for something surprising. Three One Four Pizzeria, 1329 Gilman Street, Berkeley

— Dianne de Guzman, Eater SF deputy editor

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