Good places to eat in San Francisco?
Big_Chan
5,088 Posts
Wifey and I will be in San Francisco for the weekend and would like some suggestions on breakfast & lunch spots. Already have dinner reservations for Saturday and Sunday nights. We eat everything so all suggestions are welcome.
We are staying downtown/Union square and will not have a car. So please no places that are a crazy far cab ride away.
Thank you folls!
We are staying downtown/Union square and will not have a car. So please no places that are a crazy far cab ride away.
Thank you folls!
Comments
Swan's Oyster Depot
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if you head down to clement area go to burma superstar. burmese food = excellent! stay away from the chinese food selections, you can get that elsewhere.
R.I.P. for about 4 years now.
Chan, I couldn't get a pre-visit shout? Fine, then. Find a good burrito on your own.
No Nanking Never! Next door is Chef Jia's--best cheap Chinese in the City.
Sorry hommie! I'm bringing Wifey down for her birthday and we'll just be there for the weekend. Real chill so she can shop and we can eat at some nice spots. Dinner at the Ritz-Carlton dining room Saturday night
We'll go for a late lunch tomorrow! Dinner reservations are at 9PM tomorrow night so that will be perfect.
What up BIG CHAN! The House of Prime Rib (or was it the Prime Rib House oh well) on Van Ness. So Good!!
AFRODESIA!
for breakfast i recommend it's delectable. its in the castro, but so is that joint tin pan and that place is gomi in my opinion. anyways, its delectable is on 16th [?] i believe like a block or so west of castro. great french toast.
since you wont be leaving the franfran, i guess id suggest lotus garden if you want that dim sum breakfast. its on powell a block north of broadway in chinatown. there's a pretty cool tea shop across the street. never been inside, but it looks cool and it looks like they have some raer teas or some shit.
on the go? then how about arrizmendi on like 9th ave and irving. its a co op bakery and my homegirl works there so i can guarantee the quality. if you catch them at the right time, the bread is still warm, and i believe they get their cheese, tapenade, olives, and babaganoush from the cheese board which is an east bay co-op that arrizmendi modeled themselves after. the golden gate park is 2 blocks away.
tartine is another excellent EXCELLENT bakery. better than arrizmendi in the pastry dept. grab some sweets and head over to dolores park which is like a block away.
(but honestly, the good breakfast spots are in the east bay)
ok, for lunch/dinner, i mean, there's a ton of places. i tend to eat on the cheap (~$12 and under) and i really cant speak on the fancy shit in sf. anyways, here goes.
ti couz. haha. i like that word couz. it sounds dirty. anyways, ti couz is a belgian creperie. the shit is good, there's usually a line around dinner time and theres no reservations so expect to wait.
burger joint. dude, if youre a burger man, hit this spot. the one in haight, and hey! right across the street is groove merchant. funny how that works out, no?
sam tung. broholio, this is some tasty northern chinese cuisine. tasty tasty tasty! do not miss. im sure some folls on the board are more than willing to join you. that place is how you say da bomb. btw, im gonna bring back that phrase this year "da bomb". along with "pud". but i digress.
there's a sushi joint in jtown on laguna and i think sutter. its real small so you might miss it, but its right on the corner. it seats like 5 people and is only open like 3 hours out of a day or something ridiculous. i figured its super double d OG. but ive never been.
uh, anyways, that's some starting points. my memory is getting hazy so i might remember some other shit later in the day.
have fun!
I'm already knowin' hommie!
Domo arigato you for the list of spots tomodachi! We will check some of those out. The Belgian crepe spot sounds dope.
down the block from swans is harry's [?] donuts. open 24 hrs, and theyre one of the few places that still make flavored dough donuts. like remember the orange donut with orange icing? yeah, and theyll custom make a donut for you. depending on how charming you are.
When I went to San Fran I really enjoyed the food market right on the water next to the Embarcadero. A lot of nice places to eat within and some of the best peaches I've ever had in my life.
Also, there was a great burrito spot near my hotel (I believe it is a chain) called Taqueria Can-Cun.
I found great ice cream at Mitchell's Ice Cream. And, although I believe it is a tourist trap, the brunch at Dottie's True Blue Cafe was superb.
Natives, pile on.
Well I'm glad I got my fill then.
The places I'm missing most since moving away...
M&L for pastrami sandwiches.
Hong Kong on Church for tomato beef chow mein.
Picante in Berkeley for mole tacos.
Salerno in Berkeley for their salad.
Fort Bragg Grill for seafood gumbo.
Edit: Gotta add Cha Cha Cha's too for their sangria.
1) If you're there over the weekend, walk down to the Ferry Building at the end of Market and scope out the Farmer's Market. It will be a madhouse but the selections are insanely good. Beats waiting in line for hours at Ella's or Kate's for breakfast IMO, and there's a lot of eye candy (in terms of food. No comment on all the Nob Hill, Marina types who roll through).
2) I'd stay away from Chinatown as a whole and don't go anywhere near House of Nan King. There's always a line in front but you'll notice, there's never any actual Asian people there eating UNLESS they're in a party with white people. Self-respecting Chinese couples/families know that Nan Jing is not the Real Schitt.
The only Chinatown spot I'd recommend there is Jai Yun. If folks have never been there, it's a hole in the wall joint but with a prix fixe menu...prices start around $40 a person and it's worth it if you feel like spending.
3) But yeah, Union Square is a fucking soulless place to try to go eat. It's like asking if there's good food in Times Square but even worse. You don't have to cab it but don't stay around the hotels if you expect to find anything worthwhile. That said, if it's late and you're hungry the two Thai noodle joints on/by Powell are perfectly acceptible. Duck noodle soup = highly recommended.
4) A decent lunch spot in terms of "finer" dining would be Zuni Cafe. That's within walking distance, though a bit of a hike. I find their dinner to be more overpriced however.
5) If you want some grub Vietnamese jawn, I always like Tu Lan on 6th. If you want fancy Vietnamese, then roll through Slanted Door (in the Ferry Building)
6) My favorite French restaurant that won't break your wallet is Absinthe in Hayes Valley. Walkable though the bus would be faster. If they have it, I totally recommend 1) the cassoulet (but not the coco vin) and 2) the Scharfen-Berger chocolate creme de pot.
I've never had lunch there but I hear it's not as good; I've had great dinners there however.
7) Shig has some good suggestions but if I were you, I wouldn't take Muni all the way out from downtown to go to the Sunset to go eat at Arizmendi or San Tung. I live within two blocks of both spots, love both, but they're not worth the effort unless you plan to spend the day in Golden Gate Park already. The new De Young Observation Tower is off the rails and it's free.
8) Personally, I think Ti Couz is overrated and it usually takes too long to get a seat. On the other hand, I think Tartine, which is in the same neighborhood, is great though again, long lines, especially on weekends. My friend Robin works there on occasion so if you see a beautiful hapa woman working there, say hi for me. BTW, to get there, you'll want to take BART, not MUNI. Get off at Mission/16th.
BUT LET'S TALK THAT REALNESS...
If you end up at Groove Merchant, here's your options:
A) Rosamunde Sausage Grill. Kick ass and cheap. Ask Danie* and Tony*: I think Hogg, Justin, I and a few others rolled through there to eat when they came to town (this being the oriigns of the sexy pink striped polo photo).
B) Memphis Minnie's. Get the Southern Star sandwich combo. 1/2 pulled pork, 1/2 beef brisket. Mustard sauce, not the red sauce.
C) Burger Joint is ok but frankly, for what they charge for a basic burger and fries, it should be a lot better. Not recommended.
D) Ali Baba's Cave. The shwarma is very good though not the best in S.F. (that'd belong to Truly Mediterrean which is in the same neighborhood as Ti Couz and Tartine). Get the lamb, not the chicken.
E) Kate's Kitchen is a popular breakfast spot. I'd go with medium expectations. Don't get the biscuits and gravy, do get the hash and defintely get the hush puppies. And get there early. If it's between 9-Noon, forget about it; the wait will be too long, especially on a weekend.
good choice. its on 16th st. and valencia in the mission. after dinner you can walk down valencia. there's quite a few boutiques for wifey to peruse.
if your lady is a mall shopper, i think youll do better downtown. but for that one off stuff, here's some suggestions
there's another belgian joint in the hayes valley called fritz. its a fairly decent cafe of sorts that serves them belgian fries that are delicious. and they have all these newfangled ketchups and mayo dips for them fries. oh, and hoegaarden on tap. its on hayes and i think laguna. some more cute boutiques on that block.
haight. haight is like the melrose of sf. no good food on haight though. well, no good food on upper haight where all the lady shops are.
fillmore between pine and like clay or so has a bunch of frou frou boutiques like betsey johnson or something. higher end boutiques. there's an italian joint on fillmore between california and uh, whatever the next st. is. that place is good. cant remember the name but they have a white front with glass windows. i feel like its "sol____something or the other". whatever. its not bad. grove is a small cafe with decent food. boulangerie on pine and fillmore has great croque monsieur.
alright, i gotta do some work now.
this from the guy that thinks the best pastrami in LA is at the fucken Hat.
dude, seriously, where's the best burger? the chinese food/donuts/burger joint across from the balboa park bart station?
dont listen to the dub, chan. burger joint. first of all, they use niman ranch beef. second the burger automatically comes with fries, so $7 for a burger and fries and a free range chuck is not a bad deal. in fact, its "da bomb"
No, no, no. Chan will miss out on the best burger in SF, which is served at Ro*am*nde's on TUESDAYS ONLY. They run out by 1:30 or 2, which means that they sell 160 burgers in a few hours.
No one is seein' their burgers. No one.
Thank you for all the info and a great post! I already know to stay out of Chinatown. I have friends whose families run restaurants there and they told me not to eat at their own restaurants! LOL. They said all the food is for tourists. We're not really looking to eat Chinese food anyway. We have good spots here in our hood and Wifey gets the real deal when she goes to Hong Kong and China on work trips.
1)Saigon Sandwiches[/b] on Larkin and Eddy for the best Bahn Mi in the city, you can't beat it at $2 a pop.
2)Turtle Tower[/b]; up the block from Saigon, its my favoirte place for pho, but its Northern style, which is like minimalist pho with thicker noodles.
3)Chutney[/b] Great Indian food, much better than the ever-popular Naan and Curry. At Jones and O'Farell.
4)Original Joe's[/b] Some swear that this is best Prime Rib spot in the City, better than House of Prime Rib - I like their burgers. On Taylor at Turk.
5)Old Chelsea Fish and Chips[/b] One of the few remaining quality fish and chip spots left in the city, still served in newspaper like it should be.
Damn I love that spot!
I actually have to concur with this sentiment, its a shame they only make 'em once a week. Cheese burger and a pint of Racer 5 next door at Toronados - pure heaven.
Sparky's on Church St. near Church and Market is my favorite joint. Between 5PM and 10PM everyday beers are just $1.25! I hang there for hours at a time with friends. The Ranchero Burger is awesome and so is the Chicken Quesdilla. Everything else is pretty
Miyabi's is my favorite sushi joint in the world. Too bad their waitresses are rude as hell. Family business I think. It's right across the street from Sparky's. Very reasonable prices.
There's a sandwich place I love on lower Haight St. I think it's called Luv and Haight. Get the tuna sandwich.
If you want to venture over the bridge try Zachary's Pizza in Oakland on College Ave. next to the Albertsons.
please to PM secret squirrel burger spot.
I was the graveyard cook at Sparky's from 1990 - 1992. Blech! Place is gross.