|
Dining
With well over three thousand restaurants crammed onto the small peninsula, and scores of bars and cafés open all day, eating in San Francisco is never difficult. Eating is the culture in this town, with excellent food often at modest prices. Be warned, though - San Francisco closes early, and you'll be struggling to get served much after 10pm. Mexican food is big in the Mission, Italian places abound in North Beach, and, of course, Chinatown naturally has plenty of Chinese, while Japan Center - the heart of Japantown, located at Post between Geary, Laguna and Fillmore, a mile west of Union Square - boasts a few fine Japanese places. In health-conscious San Francisco you'll find vegetarian entrees on every menu and quite a few entirely vegetarian restaurants. With the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma Valley on the city's doorstep, quality wines have a high profile in most San Francisco restaurants. State law prohibits smoking in all restaurants, cafés and bars, as evidenced by crowds of people puffing illicitly on the pavements.
Aqua 252 California St tel 415/956-9662. The city's best seafood restaurant (and some say, best restaurant, period) with an amazing wine list. Open for lunch and dinner, make reservations and bring your credit card: a meal here won't be cheap. Entrees start around $30.
Boulevard 1 Mission St tel 415/543-6084. Outstanding French/California cuisine in this chic brasserie catering to a smart crowd. Prices keep it a special occasion for most. Reservations strongly recommended.
Café Claude 7 Claude Lane, Union Square tel 415/392-3505. More than any of the other imitations in town, the great old furnishings of this one make it feel like Paris. A young, loose crowd listens to jazz with their $20 dinners.
Farallon 450 Post St, Union Square tel 415/956-6969. Sumptuously styled as an undersea grotto, serving highly creative seafood dishes in small portions. Definitely worth a splurge if you're into elegant dining experiences.
House of Nanking 919 Kearny St tel 415/421-1429. One of the city's most popular Chinese restaurants, despite the lack of decor and elbow room. You wait ages for a table, but the inexpensive food doesn't disappoint.
Plouf 40 Belden Place, off Bush between Kearny and Montgomery tel 415/986-6491. Convivial South-of-France seafood bistro, with sidewalk seating in good weather. The garlicky mussels - the house specialty - are the best in the city.
Tadich Grill 240 California St tel 415/391-2373. The oldest restaurant in California, and a wood-paneled San Francisco institution. Grilled fresh seafood and excellent desserts.
|
|
