San Francisco Restaurants
Things to do in San Francisco
When it comes to San Francisco dining, the type of food you get depends on where in the city you go. From standard deli fare to ristorante-quality Italian food and practically everything in between, the San Francisco food scene is a cornucopia of dishes served in all sorts of settings from fast casual up to high-end luxury restaurants.
Check out the articles here on HelloSanFrancisco.com before planning your next dining excursion in the Bay Area and try something new.
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Capurro’s Restaurant in the thick of Fisherman’s Wharf offers casual dining among a décor full of the maritime theme the wharf is famous for, with a taste of scrumptious seafood and classic Italian cuisine as the gems on the menu. Capurro’s also offers nightly entertainment from its in-house Jazz band, Trio de Swing.
If vegetarian cuisine is more your speed for a San Francisco restaurant, Greens in Fort Mason’s Building A is arguably the oldest gourmet vegetarian restaurant in the country. It remains among the best not only because of its stellar meals, but also because it offers the best close-up view of the Golden Gate Bridge you can get without taking a cruise through the Bay. Two more vegetarian options to take a look out for are Source in the South Beach neighborhood and Red Vic Peace Café in Haight-Ashbury.
The San Francisco restaurant scene wouldn’t be complete without mention of its Asian establishments. Alameda’s King of Thai Noodle has a small room that fills up fast at lunchtime, so make sure you get there with plenty of time to spare.
You can always tell when a restaurant’s got a master chef working in the kitchen. Traditional staples are treated with respect, reinvented, but not to the point where you forget why you loved them in the first place. Your dishes arrive like works of art, every element of food, with its unique color, texture, and shape, enjoyable to the eyes as well as the palate.
Pizza is meant to be eaten with the hands, not a spoon and fork, and that’s definitely the case at these independently owned pizza joints where you can get Bay Area pizza by the slice.
Every other sandwich will seem boring after biting into the Calle Ocho at Caña, Oakland, the Grand and Lakeshore District’s newest addition. This little walk-in Cuban café makes gourmet take-out with a savory, Caribbean kick. The likes of the Calle Ocho, a delicious combination of grilled sirloin, manchego cheese, carmelized onions and cilantro-garlic aioli, has both substance and brightness of flavor. Caña, Oakland conducts business with pride.
When it comes to Cambodian food, Phnom Penh in Oakland hits the mark, and now, Phnom Penh owners run a new Cambodian restaurant in Alameda – the Angkor Grill. Angkor Grill makes a welcome addition to the Park Street Shopping District and to Alameda in general. The dishes are unavailable elsewhere on the island, deliciously prepared, and affordably priced.
Dragon Rouge Alameda offers the rich flavors of Vietnamese cuisine in an upbeat, modern setting.
The Red Hut Café has been a breakfast-and-lunch institution at South Tahoe since 1959, known for its comfort food and old-fashioned, friendly approach. The funny thing is that it’s more popular now than it ever was in the “old days,” even as it’s refused to change — or perhaps because it hasn’t changed.
While Filipino Americans have made the Bay Area home, creating a large Northern California community, Filipino cuisine isn’t huge in the local restaurant scene. Filipinos like to cook at home to get the regional flavors of their homeland, but for those who don’t know the recipes or want to get their lumpia or adobo fix while out on the go, there are a range of choices out there, from Tribu Grill in San Bruno and Union City to Barrio Fiesta in Milpitas. In Alameda, the go-to spot is Sampaguita, a
Toasties claims to have the best crab melt in San Francisco. Made with fresh Dungeness crab meat, artichoke hearts, shallots, onion, parmesan cheese, spices, and Monterey Jack cheese, the crab melt is pretty good, though it probably isn’t the best. For a quick, gourmet sandwich on your lunch break, however, it’s definitely up there.
Where to have Italian food before an evening gondola ride at Lake Merritt, or after an afternoon matinee at the historic Grand Lake Theater? How about ZZA’s on Grand, right across the street from the lake and an easy jaunt from the theater? Open since 1988, the restaurant’s got 22 years of experience and success to offer in the area of homemade Italian food.
Some restaurants are inconsistent in the kitchen or simply overrated – Asena in Alameda is not one of them. When East Bay residents want a satisfying California/Mediterranean meal, without the risk of overpaying, Asena is a dependable choice. The restaurant has 15 years of experience, marked by good service, an impressive seasonal menu, elegant atmosphere, and fresh, delicious food.
Seoul House has long been faithful to its corner on 13th and Webster, where the entrance to the restaurant is characterized by large, wooden double doors and an original, distressed wood sign. In turn, fans of Korean food have grown attached to the establishment over the years, frequenting the restaurant regularly even though Oakland boasts strips of Korean establishments nearby on both Telegraph and Broadway.
Hawaiian barbeque spots are often small, casual, hang-loose sort of eateries. The same can be said of Hawaiian Drive Inn in Alameda. It's convenient and pleasant enough with good prices and a nice ambiance. It’s a place where you can get an easy barbeque fix, piled on a high mound of white rice.
Breakfast Alameda – for many, this can only mean one restaurant: Ole’s Waffle Shop on Park Street. Lines for a table at this down-home establishment stretch down the block on weekend mornings, which doesn’t hinder die-hard Ole’s fans who are willing to drive to the island and wait an hour or more for a taste of those giant, homemade waffles. When you want to breakfast Alameda-style, the local secret is definitely Ole’s.
If you don’t know a restaurant very well, some of the things you might look out for are the number of people dining there on a given day and, more specifically, the number of locals who frequent the establishment. Located on 8th Street in Oakland Chinatown, the New Gold Medal Restaurant is one of those places with a steady stream of locals stopping in for a bite.
It’s been in Alameda for decades, remaining a local favorite for pizza and pasta even as newcomers like Tomatina and Bowzer’s flood the ever-growing Park Street area. Linguini’s is accommodating. It has three dining areas: a Pizza and Brew side where the kids can play Ms. Pacman while they wait, a formal restaurant, and even a private banquet room seating up to 30 guests.
Maoz, Berkeley is new to California and the West Coast in general. The vegetarian restaurant franchise originated in Amsterdam and has been popular in Europe since 1991, spreading to regions such as Madrid, Paris, and London. In the U.S., it can be found in the likes of New York, Florida, D.C., and now, Telegraph Avenue near the U.C. Berkeley campus. Maoz, Berkeley is ideal for a quick and convenient meal that’s under $10. For a fast-casual dining option, Maoz offers an appealing menu.
You refuse to go the fast-food route, but often times, you wish a meal out could be just as quick and affordable – without all the grease and maybe even with some fresh, seasonal veggies thrown in. Well, guess what? There’s a new chef in town, Kyle Anderson, and he asks the same question Bay Area diners have been wondering for years. Why shouldn’t eating a healthy lunch or dinner out be affordable and convenient, as well as downright delicious?
There are many San Francisco vegetarian restaurants to choose from, but these three are among the best, with creatively prepared food and excellent prices in three distinct, appealing locations.
Located on Main Street in Placerville’s historic downtown area, Centro Café lives up to its name – it feels like it’s in the middle of it all. Right outside the large picture windows is the city’s Bell Tower. Dedicated in 1865 to volunteer firefighters, the Bell Tower was created for emergency signals, and more than 100 years later, it is a gathering place for local celebrations. When Main Street events take place, Centro Café patrons have a front-row view.
Even though Oakland’s irreplaceable Parkway Theater closed last year, there’s still reason to frequent the East Oakland neighborhood where the historic speakeasy theater once catered to local cinemagoers. Take Woody’s Café, found just across the street. This neighborhood destination serves good homemade food, offers free Wi-Fi, and has a nice, homey atmosphere where you can get some work done or enjoy a friendly conversation over coffee.
When you crave a nice, well-stocked bento box but don’t have the time (or the cash) for a fancy, sit-down lunch, Kobe-Ya on Encinal makes a pleasant alternative. It’s also a far healthier choice than the drive-through lane.
An independently owned coffee shop in Alameda’s Park Street shopping district, the Beanery is an essential addition to the Marketplace, which houses a range of all-natural, gourmet food vendors. Shoppers can stop at the Beanery for a relaxing sit-down over a cup of locally brewed, organic coffee before picking up dinner ingredients at the Alameda Natural Grocery or grabbing fresh pastries at the Feel Good Bakery.
Enjoying a Bay Area brunch at a restaurant overlooking the ocean needn’t be on a special occasion like Mother’s Day or a wedding anniversary. A memorable Bay Area brunch with a view of the Pacific will make it a special occasion. Here are our four wondrous weekend brunch places that overlook the sea.
Palio d’Asti is more authentically Italian than many of the generations-old Italian restaurants nearby in North Beach. It’s hidden in the Financial district among highrises filled with bank executives—who fill Palio with conversation while filling their bellies each lunch hour.
The best thing about Bocadillos (Spanish for “snacks”), a tapas bar/restaurant in the heart of downtown San Francisco, is its versatility. It’s a good place for breakfast, lunch or dinner—each with a separate menu—when you can enjoy a light or full meal, depending on how many tapas you order. But it’s also a laid-back sangria bar.
Zen, Alameda has gotten rave reviews since its opening two years ago. The restaurant received Alameda Magazine’s recognition of “Best New Restaurant” in 2009 and “Best Asian Restaurant” in 2010. Whether “Asian Restaurant” accurately describes Zen, Alameda, however, is debatable, as the cuisine combines a variety of Asian influences with a fusion of Greek, Caribbean, and California cooking styles. Such mixing and matching is what makes Zen Restaurant’s small plate specialties so tantalizing.
You may think that Source, San Francisco, which opened amid new condos and restaurants near the thriving South Beach district in March 2011, caters only to vegetarians and vegans. Far from it. Even carnivores will enjoy the memorable food and low prices. But above all, Source is unique. There is surely no restaurant like it on the planet.
How can Sam’s Chowder House in Half Moon Bay, 3,000 miles from Maine, boast of its Maine lobster rolls? Sam’s can because Maine lobsters are flown in fresh daily.
Situated at the busy intersection where University Avenue and the Eastshore Highway meet, Seabreeze in Berkeley is en route to several outdoorsy destinations, from the Adventure Playground and Cesar Chavez Park in the Berkeley Marina to the new bike paths along Frontage Road to Fourth Street dining or family hikes further up the hills beyond campus. Most people have seen it on their way to somewhere, and if they haven’t tried the food here, they’ve always wondered how it fares.
Owned and operated by a San Francisco-based family, BurgerMeister is located in a handful of cities around the Bay, the first one being in San Francisco’s Cole Valley and the latest one being in Alameda, Calif. The trendy burger joint makes a great addition to the historic Alameda Theater complex, along with the Alameda Wine Bar and Angelo’s Bistro and Bar, all of which give theatergoers and weekenders plenty of options for their night out.
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