20 Bay Area blow-out meals for Valentine’s Day, whether outdoor dining or takeout

Comfort levels vary, but either way you’ll probably want to make decisions soon if you’re hoping to order a blow-out restaurant meal with the likes of steak and oysters on Valentine’s Day. That said, there are far too many restaurants preparing special menus to include on this list, so call your favorite local restaurant to learn what they’re planning. Similarly, many spots will be open with their usual menus — and celebrating a relationship with dumplings or tacos on the couch is never a bad option.

With Valentine’s Day falling on a Sunday this year, some restaurants are also opting to offer their special menus as early as Friday, giving diners more opportunities to score a table or order takeout on a less busy night.

Here are 20 Bay Area restaurants offering tempting Valentine’s Day meals, from tasting menus to fried chicken and waffles wrapped in a bouquet of flowers — really. We are separating this list by restaurants offering outdoor dining — typically in addition to takeout — and then those only offering to-go options, often in the form of meal kits. In most cases, those restaurants are not serving any outdoor diners, so safety-minded customers can feel more confident they won’t encounter crowds when picking up food.

Outdoor dining

Alamar Kitchen & Bar

This Oakland seafood hotspot is serving a feast big enough for two couples or a family of four celebrating together. Dubbed the Seafood Infatuation ($125), the meal includes a whole Dungeness crab and a whole lobster bathed in a rosemarry curry sauce, plus garlic noodles, sourdough and red velvet bread pudding for dessert. Bonus: This meal is available served hot on Alamar’s patio or for delivery as a meal kit through the entire Bay Area via Feastin.

Outdoor dining, takeout and delivery Feb. 12-14. 100 Grant Ave., Suite 111, Oakland. alamar-kitchen.square.site or feastin.com/r/alamar

Aurum

Vegetarians and meat-eaters will be equally taken care of at this new upscale Indian restaurant in Los Altos. Aurum is offering a three-course meal ($39.99 per person) with choices of appetizer — mutton kebab or stuffed tandoori mushroom — and entree — curry leaf butter-poached lobster or stuffed zucchini — plus sides, cocktails and dessert.

Outdoor dining, takeout and delivery Feb. 12-14. 132 State St., Los Altos. aurumca.com

Camper

There are subtle distinctions between the Valentine’s Day menus at this classy Peninsula restaurant, depending on if you dine-in or order takeout. Either way, you’ll get a family-style feast with options such as cured hiramasa crudo with kiwi, steak with smoky sweet potatoes and scallops cooked a la plancha. And you’ll definitely get a hefty dose of cheese through rolled lasagna and Basque cheesecake. The takeout version ($99 per person) also includes a bottle of wine, while the outdoor dining menu ($125 per person) features a Champagne toast, snacks and an optional $75 wine pairing.

Outdoor dining and takeout Feb. 13-14. 898 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. campermp.com

Compline

This downtown Napa wine bar is reopening its patio just in time for Valentine’s Day, with speical dishes such as broiled oysters with Dungeness crab, gougeres with whipped manchego and crispy duck leg confit paired with smoked duck crépinette. All together, the six-course meal ($150 for two) will be available for takeout Feb. 13; on the patio, the restaurant will offer the same dishes a la carte.

Outdoor dining Feb. 13-14, takeout Feb. 13. 1300 First St., Suite 312, Napa. complinewine.com

Fish & Bird Sousaku Izakaya

The chef at this Berkeley izakaya is merging her French and Japanese training for this five-course Valentine’s Day special ($110 per person). Highlights include guinea fowl ballotine with black truffle, wagyu tartare and an opera cake made by Patisserie Minoru Miyazaki, with Japanese whiskey served in a heart-shaped dropper for a final touch. Pre-orders for takeout and reservations for outdoor dining are required.

Outdoor dining and takeout. 2451 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. toasttab.com/fish-bird-sousaku-izakaya

Grossman’s Noshery & Bar

A Jewish deli from the same family behind hit Santa Rosa restaurants like Willi’s Wine Bar and Bird & the Bottle, Grossman’s is prepping Valentine’s Day picnic spreads ($66.50-$69.50) that are prime for taking to a nearby park — though the special will be available on the restaurant’s patio, too. You choose between boards of smoked meats, smoked and pickled fish, or a vegetarian Israeli-inspired assembly of fried eggplant, falafel, egg and pickles. On top of that, you get latkes, Israeli salad, hummus and desserts like chocolate babka.

Outdoor dining and takeout. 308 Wilson St., Santa Rosa. grossmanssr.com

Intu-on

This buzzy Isaan Thai pop-up happens to be taking place at Hayes Valley’s leafy wine bar Birba on Valentine’s Day. For the occasion, the chef is prepping boiled Dungeness crab ($55) with three spicy condiments: a garlicky lime sauce, chile oil and herb-flecked aioli. The chef says this is how she would eat crab back in Thailand.

Outdoor dining, takeout and delivery Feb. 14. 458 Grove St., San Francisco. birbashop.square.site

Izzy’s

For a classic steakhouse Valentine’s Day, consider the special Porterhouse dinner ($110 for two) from Izzy’s in San Francisco and San Carlos. The 32-ounce sous vide steak comes with mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and a lobster salad. If you order this meal for takeout, the steak will be rare so you can finish it off at home. For a more affordable spread, opt for the honey-brined roasted chicken ($60 for two) with sides instead. Wine pairings, cocktails and festive desserts, like chocolate-dipped strawberries ($10), are also available.

Outdoor dining and takeout and Feb. 12-15. 3345 Steiner St., San Francisco or 525 Skyway Road, San Carlos. izzyssteaks.com/valentines-weekend

Montesacro Pinseria Romana

This Roman-style pizza restaurant is serving the same three-course menu ($40 per person) on its roomy terrace and for those celebrating at home — and it’s a notable option for vegetarians as well as couples with different diets. To start, choose between meatballs or cheesy cauliflower flan. Pinsa options include mushroom with spicy pork sausage or radicchio with gorgonzola. Either way, the meal finishes with two desserts, and bottles of wine are available for $30.

Outdoor dining and takeout. 510 Stevenson St., San Francisco. montesacropinseria.com/san-francisco

Poggio Trattoria

A perennial favorite in Sausalito, Poggio’s four-course Valentine’s Day menu ($125 per person) begins with Prosecco and a series of antipasti with luxurious ingredients like caviar, Dungeness crab and black truffle. Pasta with lobster, grilled lamb chop and chocolate-hazelnut cake with passionfruit round out the meal.

Outdoor dining. 777 Bridgeway, Sausalito. poggiotrattoria.com

Takeout or delivery only

Acquerello

One of San Francisco’s more over-the-top luxurious takeout meals is coming from fine dining stalwart Acquerello. The seven-course meal kit ($350 for two) features butter-poached oysters in a Champagne-and-caviar sauce, veal tartare with black truffle and campanelle pasta topped with crab and salmon roe. It also includes three rounds of sweets, starting with a rich, sweet-savory bomb of duck liver wrapped into a Ferrero Rocher-esque treat.

Takeout and delivery Feb. 14. 1722 Sacramento St., San Francisco. exploretock.com/acquerellosf

Bacchus Events

Bacchus is the restaurant group behind Spruce in San Francisco, the Village Pub in Woodside and Selby’s in Atherton, which means you can pick up these meal kits from any of those restaurants. There are three different three-course menus: The vegetarian option ($75 per person) stars French braised artichokes; the seafood variation ($105 per person) features lobster and caviar tagliatelle; and the beef Wellington kit ($115 per person) comes with classic steakhouse sides. Order by Feb. 12.

Takeout Feb. 14. Locations in San Francisco, Woodside and Atherton. eventbrite.com/e/bacchus-events-valentines-day-at-home-tickets-135910390637

Cassava

Safety-minded Cassava is reopening for takeout after a winter break in time for Valentine’s Day. A five-course meal ($100 for two) is heavy on seafood with chilled uni custard, half a lobster, and squid ink bucatini with bottarga. These dishes and a few others, such as Dungeness crab mac ‘n’ cheese ($48) and black sesame pot de creme ($9), are also available in shareable portions a la carte.

Takeout Feb. 12-14. 3519 Balboa St., San Francisco. cassavasf.com

Ju-Ni

Celebrate the holiday with a glorious omakase at home ($235 for two) from one of San Francisco’s top sushi destinations. The set includes 16 pieces of nigiri and a hand roll-making kit, plus custom wooden chopsticks and house-aged shoyu. Extras include a wine and sake pairing ($70) and Basque cheesecake.

Takeout Feb. 14. 1335 Fulton St., San Francisco. exploretock.com/juni

Madcap

Madcap, one of Marin County’s most acclaimed and intimate restaurants, is prepping a luxurious feast replete with oysters, uni, caviar, black truffle, rib eye and more. The seven-course meal kit ($260 for two) requires some at-home cooking, but it comes with written instructions and a video in hopes of ensuring a great experience.

Takeout Feb. 12-13. 198 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Anselmo. madcapmarin.com

Malaya Tea Room

This British-Malaysian afternoon tea specialist in Alameda has designed a Valentine’s Day-themed takeout version of its tiny tea sandwiches and cute desserts. Each box ($30 per person) includes three sandwiches, two savory canapes, two desserts, a scone with clotted cream and a pot of tea. While the selection includes some meat, such as a bacon-strawberry sandwich and a prosciutto-cranberry canape, Malaya can make substitutions for vegetarians. Email [email protected] to pre-order.

Takeout Feb. 12-14. 920 Central Ave., Alameda. malayatearoom.com

Mockingbird

For those who hate prix-fixe menus — and are looking for a celebratory vegetarian spread — check out the Valentine’s Day options from Oakland comfort food spot Mockingbird. The restaurant gives suggestions for creating a multicourse meal, such as starting with a blood orange-beet salad ($18 for two), moving onto a mushroom bourguignon with crisp polenta cakes ($38 for two) and ending with a chocolate-covered mandarin-almond cake ($12). But you can also go hard on appetizers or just order an entree to keep costs lower. Pre-order by Feb. 10 and expect to reheat at home.

Takeout Feb. 13. 416 13th. St., Oakland. mockingbirdoakland.com

Popoca

Temporarily closed while it raises funds to build out its brick-and-mortar restaurant space, modern Salvadoran pop-up Popoca is serving an elegant family-style meal ($120 for two) starring a woodfire-grilled whole crab with pumpkin seed sauce, plus a starter of short rib and oyster salpicon, a minced salad served on a tostada, hand-pressed tortillas, beans, rice and sweet empanadas for dessert. Pre-order by messaging Popoca on Instagram.

Takeout Feb. 14. 411 26th St., Oakland. instagram.com/popoca.oakland

San Francisco Proper

Former Commonwealth chef Jason Fox is now behind the food at this hotel, including everything needed for a romantic fondue night at home. The fondue kit ($270 for two) includes a pot, truffled cheese fondue and sourdough, vegetables and shaved wagyu for dipping. The spread also includes Dungeness crab salad, dessert, wine and cocktails — and if you really want to go all out, you can also add dark chocolate fondue ($40, or $95 on its own) with fruit and Madeleines.

Takeout and delivery Feb. 12-14. 1100 Market St., San Francisco. sf-hotel-master-tenant-llc.square.site

Tokyo Hot Chicken

This new ghost kitchen from acclaimed restaurateur Michael Mina merges the chef’s love of Nashville hot chicken and Japanese fried chicken. For Valentine’s Day, it’s serving a fried chicken bouquet ($19.99) — literally fried chicken with green tea waffles wrapped into a bouquet with flowers.

Takeout and delivery Feb. 14. 101 California St., San Francisco. bbot.menu/tokyohotchickensf

Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @janellebitker