Good eateries in SF

[jonjones13]

I'm lucky enough to be being sent over to San Francisco in Dec for a week (for a conference) and am bringing my lovely wife with me and am after a few restaurant recommendations - we'll be staying around Union square.

Also related - who does the best burger in SF ? (best burger thread gave me this idea :-)

Any help appreciated !
Jon

[AngryScientist]

Are you a garlic fan?

[Climb01742]

so many good places. one of my favs:

http://www.betelnutrestaurant.com/

[redir]

Oh god almost anywhere in SF. Actually one of my fav Mexican spots is in San Bruno near the airport called Don Pico's: http://www.donpicosbistro.com/

Of course if you like Italian then you can head to North Beach and pretty much go anywhere.

Mara's Italian Pastry is a great place for any cyclist to refuel.

Marrakech Moroccan Restaurant is really cool place with great food.

AsiaSF is a.. er um.. entertaining place to dine.

The list just goes on and on and on

I never had a burger in SF there is too much other stuff to have.

[Karin Kirk]

Which conference? American Geophysical Union, by any chance?

[ronlau]

Jon,

For a Cafe, A16 or Rose Cafe in Cow Hollow
Burger: Super Dupper close to Castro or downtown.

My wife is a chef and foodies, send me a email can I can have my wife write a looooooooooooooong list of places she likes.

Find time to rent a bike too, riding cross Golden Gate Bridge always fun.

Ron



I'm lucky enough to be being sent over to San Francisco in Dec for a week (for a conference) and am bringing my lovely wife with me and am after a few restaurant recommendations - we'll be staying around Union square.

Also related - who does the best burger in SF ? (best burger thread gave me this idea :-)

Any help appreciated !
Jon

[rinconryder]

Mamacita is good mexican.

[jonjones13]

Wow - you guys love your food !

Yeah, AGU2011 - here I come....

[Uncle Jam's Army]

Magnolia Pub and Brewery in Haight Ashbury. Great food and great beer they brew on premises. Haight Ashbury alone is worth a visit.

[DogpawSlim]

Best burger is at Mo's, hands down. Grant between Green and Vallejo, walking distance from Union Square.

[mvrider]

Oh my gosh... how big is your appetite? The choices are numerous and will depend greatly on budget. Union Square is a bit touristy, so we tend to avoid it. Therefore some our favorites will be a bit out of the way, requiring either a car or public transportation (or a bike!). If you want a comprehensive list, check out:
http://www.sfgate.com/food/top100/

Higher budget:
Boulevard - on the Embarcadero. Fantastic food & dessert, but bring a big wallet.
Yoshi's - on Fillmore. Wonderful Japanese fusion, and you can take in world-class jazz afterward. We held our wedding & reception there.
Jardiniere - near Davies Symphony Hall. Great place before or after the symphony or opera.

Mid-range:
Absynthe - also near Davies Symphony Hall. If the restaurant is full, you can order the full menu at the bar.
Ti Couz - in the Mission, at 16th & Valencia. Very authentic and flavorful Brittany-stype crepes.
Front Porch - in the lower Mission. Great fried chicken and a fun ambience!

Ethnic:
Shanghai Dumpling King - get the Shanghai dumplings!

Baked goods:
Acme Bread - in the Ferry Building. Bread and pastries that rival any boulangerie in France.
Fillmore Bakeshop - on Fillmore. Father/daughter baking team.

Happy eating! If you want to go for a ride, let me know! December is still riding season in the Bay Area! If you ride a 55 to 56-cm top tube, you can borrow my Vamoots.

[foo_fighter]

Unfortunately Ti Couz closed a little while ago...it will be missed. It was replaced by Giordano Brother's sandwich shop.

Oh my gosh... how big is your appetite? The choices are numerous and will depend greatly on budget. Union Square is a bit touristy, so we tend to avoid it. Therefore some our favorites will be a bit out of the way, requiring either a car or public transportation (or a bike!). If you want a comprehensive list, check out:
http://www.sfgate.com/food/top100/

Higher budget:
Boulevard - on the Embarcadero. Fantastic food & dessert, but bring a big wallet.
Yoshi's - on Fillmore. Wonderful Japanese fusion, and you can take in world-class jazz afterward. We held our wedding & reception there.
Jardiniere - near Davies Symphony Hall. Great place before or after the symphony or opera.

Mid-range:
Absynthe - also near Davies Symphony Hall. If the restaurant is full, you can order the full menu at the bar.
Ti Couz - in the Mission, at 16th & Valencia. Very authentic and flavorful Brittany-stype crepes.
Front Porch - in the lower Mission. Great fried chicken and a fun ambience!

Ethnic:
Shanghai Dumpling King - get the Shanghai dumplings!

Baked goods:
Acme Bread - in the Ferry Building. Bread and pastries that rival any boulangerie in France.
Fillmore Bakeshop - on Fillmore. Father/daughter baking team.

Happy eating! If you want to go for a ride, let me know! December is still riding season in the Bay Area! If you ride a 55 to 56-cm top tube, you can borrow my Vamoots.

[Bradford]

Are you a garlic fan?
Are you thinking of Thanh Long?

It is not only my favorate restaurant in SF, it is one of my favorites all time.

Order the garlic crab and the garlic noodles. I think there is a sister restaurent closer to Union Sqaure, but I always make the trek out to Thanh Long.

[pavel]

Cheap / street food:

Get a shawerma or a falafel from alibaba's cave on Haight and Filmore.

Down the block is Love and Haight, a vegan vietnamese place that is unusually good. (I am not vegan.)

Get a chorizo super burrito or a torta with carnitas from taqueria La Altena on Mission and 24th; or a veggie burrito from Faralito's down the street (1800 mission.)

Walk around the mission on a friday night and get a bacon wrapped hot dog with everything. You will both love and hate me for this.

Go to Sam Wo's in china town. Its 813 Washington: It is a hole in the wall and has been around since the 1900s. Its ridiculously cheap.


fancy-ish:

The Slanted Door is a cool place for Vietnamese fusion. Its pretty big, but not unpleasantly so. (Embarcadero.)

Clementine is cool and quiet for French food.

I've never been, but people I know rave about SPQR for italian.

Yoshi's, as someone already mentioned is absolutely great.


And as someone already mentioned, Union Square is going to be touristy. Make the trek out to a few spots further away, you wont be disappointed - and SF is so tiny that nothing is more than 20 minutes away by taxi.

[EvanOT]

I am a sous chef at a fairly popular restaurant in the mission district.

What would I recommend off the top of my head?

For a nice date:
Zuni Cafe
Sons & Daughters
La Folie
Flour & Water

For a nice meal in a casual setting:
Walzwerk
Starbelly

Where I eat...bar type places with food:
Alembic
Locanda
Magnolia
Citizens Band
Hog & Rocks (if you're an oyster fan)

[Ken Robb]

Les and I were at California and Van Ness for several days this year and had several wonderful Asian meals at places in the neighborhood. A favorite was Golden Carousel on Pine St. where we had more than we could eat for lunch for less than $10.
I had a really good burger at Fog City Diner and the ambiance is nice too.
For a blast from the past we ate at The House of Prime Rib. It was great to see a place that has been doing one thing well for years still busy on a Tuesday night.
Pals took us to a couple of their favorite neighborhood places for foodie fodder. They were great and I can't remember the names of either one. Rats!

[maunahaole]

I lived in SF many years ago. Please add your fave burrito spots on to the list as well. You can't say that you have taken in SF eating completely withoput hitting one of the great taquerias.

[etu]

Best Burger - Spruce on Scramento, bar menu only
http://www.sprucesf.com/

Since you guys sound like carnivores, if you really want to splurge big time... the best steak ever was at Alexander Steakhouse in Soma http://www.alexanderssteakhouse.com/

Their Wagyu steaks run around $250, but it is worth a once in a lifetime experience. Think of it as a carbon fiber handlebar that you can eat. ;)

[jonjones13]

Thanks guys for all the info and very useful tips.

Also big thank you to mvrider for the offer of a ride and a loan his Moots ! I love this forum and the guys and gals on it - genuinely restores my faith in human nature :)

I'm gonna enjoy my trip I think, but gonna need to drop a few pounds afterwards I think!
Jon

[alexstar]

Best burger? I haven't had them all, yet, but my favorite thus far is at Epic Roasthouse on the Embarcadero. Go for lunch and order the "3 B's" - you get a burger, a brownie, and a beer for $20. It also comes with fries.

[slowpoke]

Magnolia Pub and Brewery in Haight Ashbury. Great food and great beer they brew on premises. Haight Ashbury alone is worth a visit.

Amoeba Music (ginormous record store) and American Cyclery are also close by! Unfortunately the Haight itself is too commercialized for my liking, but there are plenty of crusty "gutterpunks" to experience if you're into that.

Seconding the Super Duper recommendation for bugers and Ike's for sammiches.

And you should try getting out and riding up to the Headlands if possible.

[bdavis999]

So, I used to live in SF about 7-8 years ago, and the very first thing that came to mind was that Sycip, back in the day when they used to build out of one of the pier warehouses, used to have a listing of great dives/burrito joints, etc....

thank god for google 'cause it came up when I searched:
http://www.sycip.com/Pages/savoryselections.html

my fav for burritos is/was Gordo's (on 14th? near the park in SF, but better off of Solano in N. Berkeley)

For Sunday (or any morning) brunch, Zazie's in Cole Valley - sit on the back porch even if it's chilly (not too chilly, though).

and I have to second whoever said Magnolia -- the beer rocks, and the menu is pretty damn good!

have fun!!! (wish I were there...)

[tylercheung]

this is my (out of towner) list which is admittedly a bit rusty:

ice cream: bi rite, humphrey slocumbe
taqueria: vallarta, there's a bunch in the mission on what I think is 24th st.
brunch/breakfast: brenda's soul food, plow, farm:table (actually that may go more under the coffee section).
Senegalese: bibim baobab in the mission.
coffee: blue bottle/intelligentsia - good but expensive (wish there was a stump town in there somewhere)

fancy stuff in the ferry building, maybe a little overpriced.

japanese: Eiji in castro, norikonoko in berkeley, Suzu(sp?) and Kiss in Japantown.

Burmese: there was some place in inner richmond which was decent, i forget. but never pass up a chance to get fermented green tea leaf salad ;).

cornmeal crusted oyster po-boy in some cafe on california ave in palo alto - i forget what it was called, but everything else there was not that exciting.


Cantonese: interestingly enough, i never had great experiences in SF proper although city view is accessible by english speakers for dim sum - Millbrae has fook yuen and hong kong flower lounge, and cupertino has a huge amount of stuff if you go poking around innocent-looking strip malls there....

[slowpoke]

re: Burmese in the Inner Richmond - there's BStar on Clement and Mandalay on California. I recommend both over Burma Superstar simply for the (lack of a) wait.

[roydyates]

Boulevard - on the Embarcadero. Fantastic food & dessert, but bring a big wallet.

Another vote for Boulevard

[alexstar]

The secret to successfully dining at Burma Superstar is: call it in, then pick it up.

In addition to B-Star and Eats, they also have a location here in Alameda that is every bit as good as the original.

[pavel]

If for any reason you end up in the east bay, go to House of Chicken and Waffles in jack london square. Which is, incidentally just down the street from the original Yoshi's.


This thread is making me hungry.

[weaponsgrade]

best burger: the Richmond
ice cream: bi-rite
best burrito: John's snack and deli kimchi burrito (suicide version)
seafood: fish in Sausalito
croissants: tartine
other faves: aziza, tomaso's, shin tobei (Korean), koo (sushi)

[roguedog]

hey for something totally different (and something I've wanted to try) go to http://offthegridsf.com/ and you can try all sorts of food but bring lots of cash and be prepared to wait in line is what I hear.

i've also heard great things about house of prime rib

on the flip side, i also like greens for brunch.
i've hear cafe claude and chapeau are good for french.
espetus for brazilian meat-a-thon

foreign cinema is kinda fun place too

have fun!

[henrypretz]

My daughter used to work at NOPA (http://nopasf.com/) near the Panhandle.

We also like Chow (http://www.chowfoodbar.com/) at either location.

[zetroc]

Giordano Bros sandwiches are really good.

Re: burgers - I've heard mixed reviews about the Super Duper located at 3rd and Market, but the one on market in the Castro made me one of the best burgers I've ever had. Zuni has a popular burger, but so do a lot of places, including Epic Roasthouse (epic prices), Fifth Floor, Maverick, and Nopa. Burgers are in.

Do not go to most places near Fisherman's Wharf. There are exceptions, but the majority are tourist traps.

[tannhauser]

This thread will go to 10 pages.

[benv]

Oh Man. Please don't get me started. I have been living in San Francisco for the past 7 years and eat out pretty much every day. One of my jobs is in the food industry and my other is delivering food by bike. Many of my good friends work in kitchens of Michelin starred resto's.

If I could give you one piece of advice it would be to visit chowhound.com and follow/lurk around the SF Bay Area forum. You will be in good hands.

And just to give a short list of my favorites:

High end:
-Coi
-Aziza
-Perbacco
Mid range (which we do best in SF):
-Commonwealth
-Delfina
-Zuni (to experience an SF classic)
-Suppenkuche
-SPQR
-Frances
Cheap/Ethnic/Whole-in-the-wall:
-Burmese Kitchen ( nowhere else in the states can you find so many great burmese restaurants than in the bay area)
-Poc Chuc
-San Tung
Pizza:
-Pizzeria Delfina
-Little Star (better deep-dish than anywhere in Chicago)
Burgers:
-Nopa
-Spruce
-4505 Meats
Sweets/Bakeries/Snacks:
-Tartine Bakery (A F**KING MUST!!)
-Mr. & MRS. MISCELLANEOUS (best ice-cream in California)
-Dynamo Donuts
DO NOT EVEN BOTHER:
-Slanted Door
-Any BBQ spot
-Chinese in Chinatown

I could go on and on and on.

You are in for some good eating!

[jtakeda]

+1 on Shanghai Dumpling King and Sons and Daughters.

Mission Chinese I hear is really good but I havent been yet.

Best burger..not sure but go to Arinell's Pizza in the Mission.

[shiftyfixedgear]

Yeah lots of decent suggestions so far. But I second the Mission St. Bacon Dog Cart(s) as true ambrosio, as long as you've had a few (i.e. around 7) pints of good beer as a light appetizer.

And why has everyone else neglected to mention a long afternoon / evening in the back of Zeitgeist ? Enjoy your choice of beers and/or smoke weed, watch the fog roll in overhead, eat the burgers, or if you are lucky the famous Tamale Lady will come by and bring you something cheap and yummy. And all the Michelin five-star restaurants in the world rolled into one will NEVER even come close to equalling the culinary satisfaction you will get from that Tamale after a long hard night at Zeitgeist.

All those other previous suggestions are just restaurants. I am offering you up here one of the very few remaining Non-Touristy, Non-Yuppified, Non-Gentrified "San Francisco Experience" type things. I'm betting that within five years it will be gone as the Valencia Street corridor continues to morph into the heinous Marina District. Goodbye Zeitgeist, hello Pilates!

And one final piece of SF advice - when you are outside walking around and soaking up the local "flavor", it is good to keep in mind that San Francisco is probably the world's largest outdoor outpatient mental health and drug-treatment clinic.

I love this city ! Bon Appetit !

[Ken Robb]

This thread will go to 10 pages.


And 4,000 calories!

[tribuddha]

2nd epic for burger.. one of the best..heard good things about burger bar
( herbert keller)

house of nan king for chinese

[gregj]

If you get bored of SF or want a change of scenery, take the 15 min BART trip over the Oakland, check out the Occupy scene (that's kind of a joke), and hit the Trueburger at Grand/Broadway.

I mention it only b/c you wanted a burger. Also I hear the 510 burger truck in the East Bay (oakland.emeryville) is the bomb.

No shortage of amazing food in the bay area, that's for sure.

And we haven't even mentioned the various Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, etc.

Greg

[troymac]

Roccos like I said in the title this place rocks. Originally saw review on Guy Fieris triple d ... http://www.roccoscafe.com/ :beer: :hello: