San Francisco’s Angler is named the best new restaurant in the country

Line cooks work to prepare dinner for guests inside the kitchen of Angler along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, Calif. Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018. Line cooks work to prepare dinner for guests inside the kitchen of Angler along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, Calif. Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018. Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close San Francisco’s Angler is named the best new restaurant in the country 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

A trio of high-profile San Francisco restaurants made Esquire’s Best New Restaurants list, with one local restaurant snagging the top spot.

Esquire bestowed its top honor to Angler, the glitzy Embarcadero seafood destination from four-star Saison chef Joshua Skenes. Angler opened less than two months ago.

Joining Angler on the list of 20 restaurants is Dominique Crenn’s Bar Crenn at No. 12 and Divisadero’s Italian hotspot Che Fico at No. 17.

Angler is the first San Francisco restaurant to crack the top three spots on Esquire’s list since the Progress did it in 2015.

The 100-seat Angler features a menu populated by $12 to $28 appetizers and main dishes like $60 whole chicken, $38 abalone and $34 fried rabbit. As an idea it was meant to be a more affordable spinoff of its sibling concept Saison, where a dinner can cost $298 per person.

(Read our guide to navigating the Angler menu here)

All of the restaurants on Esquire’s annual list have opened with the last year and the selections were made by the publication’s current drinks editor Jeff Gordinier. He describes Angler as “an Avalon of pleasure and ease. Go while you’re still alive.” The other locals on the list had similarly glowing endorsements:

Photo: Bar Crenn Bar Crenn

Bar Crenn: “If you’re going to gouge yourself into bankruptcy, you might as well do it right.”

Che Fico: “Che Fico is big and booming, with Blur and Devo serenading you as you scarf down chef David Nayfeld’s truffled gnocchi and ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms and (yes) pineapple pizza.”

Overall, Gordinier’s compilation is diverse in terms of style, volleying from the Korean fare at New York City’s Atomix to Southern comfort food tucked away in New Orleans’ French Quarter at Longways Tavern.

Up next in the realm of San Francisco restaurant awards: the Michelin Guide for the Bay Area set to be released on Nov. 29.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email:jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips