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Restaurant Critic
Soleil Ho

Since 2019, Soleil Ho has been The Chronicle’s Restaurant Critic, spearheading Bay Area restaurant recommendations through the flagship Top Restaurants series. In 2022, they won a Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award from the James Beard Foundation.

Ho also writes features and cultural commentary, specializing in the ways that our food reflects the way we live. Their essay on pandemic fine dining domes was featured in the 2021 Best American Food Writing anthology. Ho also hosts The Chronicle’s food podcast, Extra Spicy, and has a weekly newsletter called Bite Curious.

Previously, Ho worked as a freelance food and pop culture writer, as a podcast producer on the Racist Sandwich, and as a restaurant chef. Illustration courtesy of Wendy Xu.

Stories By Soleil Ho

  • Restaurants January 2, 2023
    Best San Francisco restaurants
    Best San Francisco restaurants These are the best restaurants San Francisco has to offer, from classics to boundary-pushers. Soleil Ho
  • Restaurants December 19, 2022
    I’m a restaurant critic. Am I fueling gentrification in the Bay Area?
    I’m a restaurant critic. Am I fueling gentrification in the Bay Area? Spoiler: It’s complicated. Soleil Ho
  • Restaurants December 15, 2022
    The Bay Area’s 15 best new restaurants of 2022
    The Bay Area’s 15 best new restaurants of 2022 From fine dining gems in Wine Country to standout East Bay delis. Soleil Ho, Cesar Hernandez
  • Food December 8, 2022
    Sublime noodle soup and rich curry: 8 excellent new Bay Area restaurants to try
    Sublime noodle soup and rich curry: 8 excellent new Bay Area restaurants to try Where to find chewy bagels, superior loco moco and great ravioli. Elena Kadvany, Soleil Ho, Cesar Hernandez, Janelle Bitker
  • Restaurants December 5, 2022
    Best Filipino Restaurants in the Bay Area
    Best Filipino Restaurants in the Bay Area From casual buffet-style spots to upscale restaurants, Filipino food is available at all levels here. Soleil Ho, Cesar Hernandez
  • Restaurants November 28, 2022
    The best things I ate in 2022
    The best things I ate in 2022 Pastrami fried rice, live sea urchins, fried cauliflower with tahini — the list goes on. Soleil Ho
  • Restaurants November 24, 2022
    How this Bay Area restaurant is redefining the farm-to-table cliche
    How this Bay Area restaurant is redefining the farm-to-table cliche Oakland’s Pomet is a true collaboration between a chef and farmer. Soleil Ho
  • Recipes November 23, 2022
    These are the 10 best cookbooks of 2022
    These are the 10 best cookbooks of 2022 Expect creative takes on classics from Bay Area chefs like Reem Assil and Tanya Holland. Janelle Bitker, Soleil Ho, Elena Kadvany
  • Restaurants November 21, 2022
    The secret behind one of the Bay Area's best Ethiopian restaurants
    The secret behind one of the Bay Area's best Ethiopian restaurants Everything at Oakland's Cafe Colucci seems to taste immeasurably bright, with the kind of freshness you might associate with handmade puff pastry or green beans eaten off the vine. Soleil Ho
  • Food November 17, 2022
    S.F.’s Ferry Building has some great snacks. Here are 6 of the best
    S.F.’s Ferry Building has some great snacks. Here are 6 of the best Despite pandemic shake-ups, the San Francisco landmark still features an impressive roster of restaurants. Soleil Ho
  • November 12, 2022
    New play puts phở center-stage in a centuries-long cultural appropriation debate
    New play puts phở center-stage in a centuries-long cultural appropriation debate On one downtown Berkeley block, phở is both dinner and theater for two Chronicle critics.
  • Restaurants November 10, 2022
    20 courses. 4 dining rooms. A secret dessert closet? This Wine Country restaurant is like nowhere else
    20 courses. 4 dining rooms. A secret dessert closet? This Wine Country restaurant is like nowhere else Geyserville’s Cyrus embraces the theatricality of fine dining. Soleil Ho
  • Open Forum November 8, 2022
    San Francisco is no longer a real place. It has descended into fan fiction
    San Francisco politics has descended into fan fiction This election day, and really, every day, San Franciscans need to tune out those who want or even need our city to be a hopeless pit. Soleil Ho
  • Restaurants November 8, 2022
    Best ramen restaurants in the Bay Area
    Best ramen restaurants in the Bay Area These are the best restaurants for Japanese ramen in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Palo Alto and the rest of the Bay Area — featuring Ramen Nagi, Marufuku Ramen and more. Soleil Ho
  • Food November 8, 2022
    Warm up with these 8 soothing Bay Area soups, from pho to pozole
    Warm up with these 8 soothing Bay Area soups, from pho to pozole Staff favorite soups in the Bay Area, with borsch, laksa, cioppino and more. Caleb Pershan, Soleil Ho, Janelle Bitker, Cesar Hernandez, Jess Lander
  • Restaurants November 7, 2022
    This S.F. Vietnamese bakery is so good I want to keep it a secret
    This S.F. Vietnamese bakery is so good I want to keep it a secret I found the best version of a childhood favorite in an unlikely place. Soleil Ho
  • Food November 2, 2022
    Affordable sushi and showstopping pastries: Here are 8 of the Bay Area’s best new restaurants
    Affordable sushi and showstopping pastries: Here are 8 of the Bay Area’s best new restaurants New spots to eat smoky carne asada, flaky pastries and takeout omakase. Elena Kadvany, Janelle Bitker, Cesar Hernandez, Soleil Ho
  • Recipes November 1, 2022
    How a family-run food blog became a home for Chinese America
    How a family-run food blog became a home for Chinese America The family behind ‘The Woks of Life’ has written an essential new cookbook. Soleil Ho
  • Restaurants October 31, 2022
    Our critics reveal the telltale signs of great dim sum
    Our critics reveal the telltale signs of great dim sum From tea lists to house-made chile oil, these are the small things that tell us we’re in for something special. Soleil Ho
  • Restaurants October 28, 2022
    This new Bay Area restaurant shocks with incredible Italian food that's all gluten-free
    This new Bay Area restaurant shocks with incredible Italian food that's all gluten-free With focaccia this good, at Polenteria in Los Gatos, who needs wheat? Soleil Ho