As a restaurant town, San Francisco is rivaled only
by New York. That rather brash assertion could be backed up by any
bona fide San Franciscan, who could present as evidence exquisitely
crafted dishes, trend-setting restaurants and the gushing raves of
food critics from Los Angeles to New York to Paris. As varied as the
San Franciscos ethnic patchwork, so is the plethora of dining choices.
One can eat Chinese in Chinatown, of course, and Italian in North
Beach, but a rainbow spectrum of ethnic cuisines awaits you in central
and outlying neighborhoods including some cuisines you may never have
known existed! Have you enjoyed the specialties of Eritrean, Afghan,
and Tibetan fare? In San Francisco, you can. You can even eat a five-course
meal of raw vegetables. Shining out over this sea of ethnic delights,
of course, are the downtown beacons of fine dining that have really
kept San Francisco on the culinary map such as the stylish downtown
restaurants of Postrio, Masas and Fringale. Chic and elegant or funky
and loud, you'll eat better than you ever have in San Francisco.
But lets not waste time,
Bon Appetit!
Castro Street and Noe Valley
In the Castro, casual, inexpensive and fun dining prevails and, of
course, there are lots of gay bars. Relaxed is a favorite meeting
place with (as the name suggests)Patio Cafe patio dining, while Hot
n Hunky serves the best hamburgers in the city. The loud and lively
Detour, the most popular bar in the Castro, is a favorite cruising
spot, while Harveys offers more relaxed conversations and welcomes
straight couples. Noe Valley offers more than its share of the citys
better, smaller, less pricey but well-reputed eateries. The Firefly
and Erics, both favorites with locals, have lines out the door.
Chinatown
One would do well here to avoid the upstairs restaurants on Grant
Avenue, which cater to the tourist trade. Instead, head up the side
streets and take your chances at one of scores of great and inexpensive
Cantonese rooms which feed locals. Try The Pot Sticker, on out-of-the-way
Waverly Place, and the frenetic House of Nanking, on Kearny. Brandy
Hos carries the banner of "spicy Hunan cooking." For dim
sum, head to cavernous Asia Garden on Pacific, a fixture with the
Chinese shoppers and businessmen during lunch.
The best restaurant in Chinatown, Tommy Toys Chinoise on Montgomery
Street, is not technically in Chinatown, but its just a short walk
down Washington Street past Portsmouth Square. Tommy Toys is elegant,
where gentlemen are expected to wear jackets and ties and where
the food (bearing a French accent), is absolutely superb. One of
the few bars in Chinatown, dimly lit Li Pos, is a legendary literary
hangout. Check out its over-the-top facade.
Civic Center and Hayes Valley
If one is dining before the opera, it makes no sense to go anywhere
else. Hayes Valley, the streets west of the Civic Center (wherein
reside the San Francisco Opera, Ballet, and Symphony) has its share
of the citys finest dining. The new star of the area, Jardiniere,
features a dining room so remarkably styled that its worth a peak
even if you can't get a reservation. On Hayes Street the Caffe delle
Stelles more homey, trattoria-style ambiance compliments clever
and unerring renditions of Italian specialties. The Hayes Street
Grill is a reliable favorite. For something quicker and cheaper,
try Epicurean Viccolo Pizzeria or Powells Place, a soul-satisfying
soul food place serving the best chicken in the city. A remarkable
selection of vintages from everywhere is to be found at Hayes and
Vine, a comfortable wine bar.
Cow Hollow/Union Street
Perrys, the Pierce Annex, Plumpjack, and Balboa Cafe (most worth
going to for the food, as well), are some of the more notable singles
bars in an area chock-a-block with them. The clientele here is young,
brash, beautiful and successful. Great restaurants line Union Street
and nip and side streets. For wonderful neighborhood Italian, duck
into Pane e Vino on Steiner, just off Union or for a Japanese meal
on a hibachi try Yoshida-ya, or gorge on all-you-can-eat sushi at
Sushi Cardonnay (more brash singles).
Downtown and Nob Hill
Swank dining is the rule here. Masas, Boulevard and Wolfgang Pucks
Postrio offer variations in the spectrum of French/California cuisine,
all of them expensive, and all of them worth it. For lovers of seafood
and creative design, Farallon, also pricey, is styled on an undersea
grotto theme. Don't think of going to these places without a reservation.
A large number of great sushi restaurants are to be found in the
area south of Post Street. For drinks, try some of the great bars
and lounges in Nob Hill hotels, especially if you can't afford to
be a guest there. The Top of the Mark (at the Mark Hopkins), Harry
Dentons Starlight Room (atop the ), and the classic Tonga Room (at
the Fairmont) wiSir Francis Drakell all let you say you've "been
there, done that!"
Embarcadero and Financial District
Restaurants here, whether stylish or traditional, are informed by
discretion and lack of pretense as befits a business environment.
On California Street, in the heart of the Financial District, is
the Tadich Grill, the states oldest restaurant. Heavy on tradition,
this seafood house hasn't changed much in the last 140 years. Celebrity-owned
Rubicon highlights California cuisine, and delightful Aqua does
incredible things with seafood. The shiny Fog City Diner, bestride
the Embarcadero, tips its hat to the American railroad diner, but
serves excellent food. Nearby Il Fornaio, at the Levis Plaza, offers
an exhaustive Italian menu, as well as a takeout deli and bakery.
The Occidental Grill (okay for cigars) and the Royal Exchange are
popular after-work destinations for the young movers and shakers
of Montgomery Street.
Fishermans Wharf, Ghirardelli Square and Aquatic Park
One word: seafood. Places like Aliotos and Scomas have been here
forever, serving serviceable seafood to tourists, and of course
have tremendous views. Ghirardelli Square offers everything from
haute Indian, Gaylords (with one of the best restaurant views in
the city), to a mind-boggling array of seafood at McCormick and
Kuleto, and superb and elegant Chinese at the Mandarin. For kids,
the huge, Barbary Coast-themed sundaes at the Ghirardellis Chocolate
Shop are big fun.
Lower Haight
For young bohos around the corner of Haight and Fillmore, Nickies
Barbeque is a favorite watering hole and dance hall but its hard
to find barbecue there these days. If you're hungry, go to the Indian
Oven around the corner, and be patient. Or, head to Axum for great,
inexpensive Ethiopian food. This area also has more than its share
of comfortably scruffy cafes, as well as bars such as the Noc Noc,
Toronado, Mad Dog in the Fog, and Ad Bodhran (where the Harps on
tap).
North Beach
You're in the culinary heart of the city! What to eat? Italian,
of course! Mangia! The only problem here is deciding just what kind
of Italian. Unpretentious, hearty North Beach institutions like
Little Joes or family-style Capps Corner? Calzones, or another one
of the sleek new Roman places on Columbus Avenue? Off-kilter Sicilian,
with gargantuan proportions and chairs on the ceiling? Well, that
could only be Caffe Sport. You can also treat yourself to a more
elegant and innovative approach to Italian food at hard-to-get-into
Rose Pistola.
But theres more to North Beach than Italian food, of course. Mooses,
facing Washington Square, does a wonderful job with California cuisine,
and for a change of pace, try Afghan favorite Helmand, on Broadway.
Cocktail hour? If you want to get close to the beatnik soul of North
Beach however, Vesuvios, Saloon, the Tosca Cafe and Savoy Tivoli
are where you must go.
Fillmore Street and Japantown
Fillmore Street has dozens of great restaurants so its hard to know
where to begin. Our advice?just go! Meet and greet at the Elite
Cafe, the best place in town to have Cajun blackened redfish. Enjoy
Italian refinement at Vivande or cozy Thai at the Thai Stick. Harrys
On Fillmore serves drinks and food and features jazz on weekends.
At Fillmore and Geary, pay a cover charge drink your blues away
(or blues your drink away) at the Boom Boom Room. Great noodle houses
and sushi bars like Isuzu, Mifune and Sanppo pack Japan Center.
Potrero Hill
Edgy cafes like the Universal Cafe and edgy restaurants like the
Slow Club and the Lilo Lounge attract the edgy bohemians in this
transitional loft/industrial area.
SoMa
The dynamism of this emerging area can be felt in its restaurant
scene, with more "important" restaurants than almost anywhere
else in the city, as well as places where the atmospheres the only
thing that counts. Fringale is considered among the very best French
restaurants in the entire city, if not the entire state. Restaurant
LuLu attracts a haute-yuppie clientele and offers imaginative food,
an extensive list of single-malt scotches, and a very loud dining
room. Blowfish Sushi To Die For has the best postmodern sushi served
anywhere. Brainwash is the best, and only, place to have a beer,
listen to a local band and wash your clothes all at the same time.
The Up and Down Club has surprisingly good live jazz, and the wonderfully
unrefined Paradise Lounge features open-mike poetry readings.
South Beach/China Basin
Towns End and Delancey Street are two of the better restaurants
at the end of the Embarcadero serving wholesome but refined California
cuisine. Nearby neo-retro Elroys is a popular destination serving
drinks and deluxe American fare to young professionals in South
Beach. Momos, ideally located across from Pacific Bell Park, suddenly
has the best address in San Francisco, and the powerful and glamorous
clientele to match.
The Haight-Ashbury and Cole Valley
Colorful, funky and intensely popular restaurants like Kan Zaman
and the Cha Cha Cha draw a young and festive crowd in the Haight
Ashbury. Nearby Cole Valley is less unkempt but features quite a
few good restaurants for its tiny size, most notably the wine bar
EOS.
The Marina District
On Chestnut Street, the college sweatshirt crowd dines and socializes
at quick, comfortable, stylish-but-not-edgy places like Cafe Marimba,
Rosti and Pasta Fuzio. Nightlife centers around lively singles bars
like O'Shaugnessys. On Sunday, brunch is hugely popular with bicyclists
and rollerbladers at places like the Grove.
The Mission District
The citys hippest, most popular, inexpensive restaurants are to
be found in the area around Valencia and 16th Street'referred to
as the Valencia Corridor. The Slanted Door, Flying Saucer, Firecracker,
Ti Couz and Picaro are among the dozens of imaginative, vibrant
places to dine without spending a fortune. Be forewarned of lines
and waits, however. For drinks, The Elbo Room offering drinks, music,
and photo booths, and the retro, red-leather Brunos, on Mission
Street gives new meaning to the word "swank." The Cafe
Babar offers better conversation with little pretense. In a parallel
universe to this boho scene are the dozens of great burrito places
on Mission and Valencia. Each have their adherents but El Cumbre,
El Faro, El Toro, Taqueria Can-Cun and the legendary La Taqueria
are the most popular.
The Avenues: The Richmond and Sunset Districts
In Clement Streets "Little Chinatown," you'll find Chinese
food rivaling (some say surpassing) the best Chinatown has to offer.
Ton Kiang, a Martha Stewart favorite, and seafood specialists Lei
Hou are but two of the many remarkable places to eat here with every
one of them unpretentious and a good value. On the other side of
the Park, on Irving Street around Ninth Avenue, are dozens of lively
and inexpensive restaurants catering to medical students at nearby
UCSF. Organica stands out as the only restaurant in the city, and
perhaps the country, to serve complex dishes made exclusively from
uncooked vegetables.
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