@Kerry Beal, would be helpful to provide a guide of the type of places that interest you. Everyone has an opinion of the best burrito place in the city. El Farolito, for example, has been named the best burrito in America by FiveThirtyEight but I like El Castillito, Castro location better. But if you're not interested in low end Mexican, this isn't a helpful recommendation.
Are you more looking for places that serve the best X in San Francisco or places which serve something that you can't find anywhere else in the world? For example, Saigon Sandwich has a great Banh Mi and R&G Lounge is still the reliably good Cantonese place in town but I've had better Banh Mi and better Cantonese food elsewhere in the world.
On the other hand, the general consensus appears to be that Mission Chinese Food has gone significantly downhill since the opening of MCF NY but it still might be worth a visit as it was one of the progenitor of an entire genre of new Asian food.
edit: State Bird Provisions has lost a lot of the hype from when it first opened but I haven't heard anyone say a bad thing about their food yet. It's still difficult to get into but worth a shot if you manage to snag a spot.
