San Francisco Restaurant Recommendations
San Francisco is a great city for eating out! There are so many cultures, styles and flavors to try. Here are a whole lot of recommendations for places to eat out, whether it's just a quick bite, or a special occasion. And all of the restaurants reviewed here are ones where I've actually dined.
Restaurant Reviews and Recommendations
a guide to this dining lens
Park Chow
breakfast, lunch, dinner - family-friendly
There are actually several Chow locations in the Bay Area, but the one that really does it for me is Park Chow, located on 9th Avenue, just off Golden Gate Park in the Sunset District. Whether you choose to just grab a drink at the bar, dine by their roaring fireplace, or eat up on their fantastic roof, the whole space has charm and good food.
The food is a mix of down-home type recipes and California cuisine, with a good amount of ingredients coming from local and organic sources. They have a wood-fired stove where they bake a number of yummy breads and pizzas. The bar has a wide selection of brews, but also offers fresh-pressed organic juice blends. (In summer, go for the tangerine coolers!)
How much do you spend on a night out?
Firefly
Firefly is a cozy little restaurant found in Noe Valley at 24th and Diamond Streets. Parking may be a bit tricky (read "hilly") but the location away from the hustle and bustle of the Castro is well worth it. When I first ate at FIrefly, they weren't far off their original 20-seat incarnation. Diners now will find them about three times as large but still nicely-intimate.The food might be considered home-style by some, but there's also hints of regional cuisine, attention to organics and a Prix Fix menu option Sundays through Thursdays.
Guides To SF Restaurants
Michelin Guide 2009 San Francisco (Michelin Guide San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country)
Amazon Price: $12.71 (as of 12/16/2009) 
List Price: $16.95
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BlackBook Guide to San Francisco 2009 (BlackBook Guide series)
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 12/16/2009)
List Price: $9.95
Used Price: $5.74
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Zagat San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants 2009
Amazon Price: $11.21 (as of 12/16/2009)
List Price: $14.95
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Millennium
dinner only - vegetarian - organic - sustainable
My first experience with a vegetarian restaurant was at Millennium, located just off Civic Center in downtown San Francisco. It was a real-world gathering of an internet community and was chosen as the best place to feed a diverse group with a wide range of tastes. Even though MIllennium is vegetarian, their skill with soy-products was so good they produced beef and chicken taste-alikes that completely satisfied the omnivore-carnivores in the group.
Millennium is devoted to organic and local produce, and works closely with several local farms to procure their fresh produce. Their menus spans a wide range of ethnic styles and flavors, bringing you some of the best vegetarians dishes from around the world. Vegans will also find they can find a variety of suitable dishes.
Reservations recommended!
San Francisco Restaurant News
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byAqua
upscale - lunch and dinner
If Michelin star dining is more your style, you may want to try Aqua, located down in the Financial District.
I had an extremely classy lunch here for one of my grandmother's birthdays. My sister was rather late to the meal, and arrived, telling one of those "funny when it doesn't happen to you" stories of having a bird poop on her head while she waited at the bus stop, necessitating her having to go home and clean up. We all found it so hysterical, we actually made her tell the waiter when he arrived to take our orders. Poor sis...
The menu here is a fusion of European and California cuisine with exotic sauces and flashy presentation. However, things do taste as good as they look.
Reservations required!
Other SF Favorites
- HOME Restaurant - San Francisco, California - Market Street
- Our restaurant was created under the guiding principle that simple, classic comfort food can be prepared in a way that dazzles your taste buds, evokes the emotions from a wonderful home-cooked meal and goes easy on your wallet.
- Farallon Restaurant, San Francisco
- Farallon, nominated as one of the best new restaurants in the country in 1997, by the James Beardnamed Foundation; chosen 2nd best restuarant in the bay area, September 1998, by the SF Chronicle Reader's Poll. Farallon, is the restaurant created by restaurateur/designer Pat Kuleto and chef Mark Fran
- Sparky's 24 Hours Pizza & Diner
- Sparky's Late Night Food Delivery in San Francisco. We deliver breakfast, pizza, pasta, steaks until 4am. 24 hours SF Diner
- Postrio
- Since Postrio debuted nearly two decades ago, Wolfgang Puck's San Francisco restaurant continues as a local favorite while still garnering international acclaim. Just steps from Union Square, guests can indulge as comfortably in jeans as in a tuxedo, enjoying one of Wolfgang's signature wood-fired pizzas or a four-course meal and Champagne.
- Bagdad Cafe
- Bagdad Cafe open 24 hours in San Francisco.
- EOS Wine Salon | Wine Bar | Asian Fusion Restaurant
- Conveniently located in the heart of Cole Valley, internationally acclaimed Asian-fusion cuisine and a unique wine list make EOS a must-experience for fine or casual dining in San Francisco...
- Golden Era Vegetarian Restaurant
- Golden Era features affordable Asian-style vegetarian and vegan cuisine in downtown San Francisco. Voted one of the best vegetarian restaurants in Bay Area, California. Preview and print our menu and driving directions online.
- Ella's
- Ella's was established in July 1990 by Danny Wilser and Robert Merryman%u2026both veteran restaurant enthusiasts, who sought to create a price-friendly restaurant where their guests would feel comfortable enough to "dine-out" as frequently as they might "eat-in" at their own homes.
- Greens Restaurant
- reens Restaurant is located in a converted warehouse at historic Fort Mason, which currently is home to more than 50 non-profit cultural and environmental organizations. We opened in 1979 under the auspices of the San Francisco Zen Center. Built by San Francisco Zen Center carpenters, the restaurant incorporates 12 types of wood - from the massive black walnut doors, the hickory stairs at our entrance, the curved bar featuring Port-Orford-Cedar, and the dining tables of maple, walnut and cherry. Much of the wood has been recycled or reclaimed.
- Zuni Cafe :: San Francisco
- Billy West opened Zuni Café in 1979, with a huge heart and exactly ten thousand dollars. In the early years, the restaurant consisted of a narrow storefront with a creaky mezzanine, roughly one quarter of its current size.
Where Do You Like To Eat In San Francisco?
If you have eaten out in San Francisco, please share your recommendations and reviews! If there's something you're looking for restaurant-wise, please tell us as I'm sure someone will be able to make a recommendation for you.
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- kiwisoutback kiwisoutback Jul 1, 2009 @ 10:34 pm
- I've had trouble finding good food in San Francisco. I've been 5 times, and I didn't have good luck (but those sundaes at the Ghirardelli store are pretty good). I'm glad you wrote this.
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- bdkz bdkz Jun 30, 2009 @ 6:49 pm
- Great places!
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- calicoskies calicoskies Jun 29, 2009 @ 11:37 pm
- They all look great!
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- rms rms Jun 29, 2009 @ 5:31 pm
- Never been to any of these but they sound delicious.
by Euryale
In myth, Euryale was an immortal Gorgon. I'm a gardener and Giant Squid, growing things via Lenses. I have a wide range of interests including playing...
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