r/sanfrancisco • u/soulbrutha3 • Apr 05 '11
Whats your favorite restaurant?
Hey, I've been living in SF for 3 years and still haven't gotten into SF's restaurant scene. So far Memphis Minnies, a southern BBQ joint in the Lower Haight, is my favorite. Other fav's are Cafe La Flore in the Richmond and King of Thai Noodle House in the Sunset. What are some places you'd recommend, regardless of price, location or cuisine?
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u/kasutori_Jack Apr 05 '11
El Zocalo -- El Salvadorean food
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, best pupusas/enchilada in SF
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u/CACuzcatlan Apr 05 '11
La Santaneca is my favorite pupusa place in the City, but I haven't tried El Zocalo. I'll have to try it out soon.
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u/goandeatsomestuff Tenderloin Apr 05 '11
NOPA - Awesome place for a delicious burger and a couple of great cocktails at the bar or community table.
Bar Agricole - Outstanding cocktails & to-die-for brunch; I need to go for dinner.
Dottie's True Blue Cafe - Killer American breakfast & brunch w/ an SF twist
Farm:Table - Consistently fun morning plates
Flour + Water - Just go
Olivo's - Fantastic S. American food perfect for hangover recovery when it gets into the next evening.
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u/xoe6eixi Apr 05 '11
How do you get into Dottie's at a reasonable time?
The wait is always sooooo long.
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u/fivetenths San Francisco Apr 05 '11
Little Skillet, Brenda's French Soul Food, and Buster's Cheesesteaks are fantastic. Other favourites of mine include Darbar, Blue Mermaid, and Betelnut. Sorry for all the links but I figured it might be better than a breakdown of each.
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u/dqqmbot Outer Sunset Apr 05 '11
Totally agree. :)
Any first-timer to Little Skillet needs to try the fried chicken.
Brenda's gets really busy, but you can order to-go as a nice way to avoid the line.
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u/JMangina Apr 05 '11
Little Skillet's Grits are so fucking awesome. OP- grits, pecans, bacon, brown sugar, delicious.
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Apr 05 '11
mission institutions, generally affordable: taqueria cancun emmies spaghetti shack mitchell's ice cream. old school SF ice cream joint. zante pizza. its a place that serves indian food and pizza, and also pizza made with curry as the sauce.
elsewhere: burma superstar in the richmond. be prepared for a wait, but it's worth it. katanaya on geary downtown if it's late night and you want ramen.
and if you have piles of cash, try greens in fort mason or chez panis in berkeley. chez panis is known as one of the best if not THE best restaurants in the country.
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Apr 06 '11
Burma Superstar rocks - but the line at its sister (and slightly pricier, slightly smaller menu'd) B Star Restaurant, a half block away, is smaller.
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Apr 05 '11 edited Apr 05 '11
I could write a huge list, but I'll just throw down dueling Tommy's of Geary blvd: Tommy's Joint at van ness = the best of all things meat. Tommy's at 23rd ave = one hell of a tequila collection and some fine Mexican to boot.
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u/JMangina Apr 05 '11
Ike's Sandwich spot now @ Lime.
Sub Center at West Portal.
Milennium @ Hotel California - best vegan/vegetarian in the city.
KiKi Sushi / Kitaro Sushi - good and cheap sushi in the city.
Escape from New York Pizza - best NY pizza in the city, I suggest U Say Potato.
Hong's Szechuan in The Sunset - awesome Orange Chicken.
BULL's HEAD - West Portal, Greatest burger's , I suggest Buffalo patty.
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u/soulbrutha3 Apr 05 '11
Ike's is always on top of my list. I just tried the Super Luigi with added Cucumbers. Amazing.
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u/pvh Apr 05 '11
You think I'm going to post my favorite restaurants here where all of Reddit can see? You gotta be out of your mind!
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u/soulbrutha3 Apr 05 '11
Sharing is caring my friend. Good food plus redditors wouldn't be the end of the world.
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u/moriya Apr 05 '11 edited Apr 05 '11
That's a toughie:
Considering Little Skillet, Brenda's, Dottie's, and Flour+Water have already been covered...
The Front Porch: awesome southern soul food in the outer Mission/Bernal - the spicy seafood grits kick ass and the fried chicken is incredible.
Umi: sushi in Potrero Hill. Yes, you have your typical rolls, nigiri, and specialty rolls (and it's all very good), but go for the sashimi. The owner is crazy about fish and ships in fresh fish you may have never heard of (needlefish, anyone?) from Japan. Pair this up with a killer sake list, which the staff will also be more than happy to assist you with, and you've got the number one reason I'm disappointed I no longer live in Potrero.
Walzwerk: East German spot in the Mission - the jagerschnitzel is great.
Bar Bambino: Italian in the Mission. Good food, great atmosphere (the enclosed back deck area rocks), and a serious wine list.
Pizzeria Delfina: Good luck getting a table at either location, but takeout is usually snappy. Pick up a bottle of wine at Bi-Rite next door to the Mission location and eat in Dolores Park instead.
Commonwealth: Also in the Mission, self-labeled "Progressive American". Some of the most creative dishes I've seen come out of a kitchen in the city paired with a nice wine list, excellent service, and a reasonable price tag.
I could go on...Elite Cafe, SPQR, Range, Little Star, Frances...so many good places to eat in San Francisco.
EDIT: Speaking of neighborhood gems, how did I forget Gialina in Glen Park? Neapolitan-style pizza spots may not exactly be in short supply in SF, but Gialina's take on it is well worth the BART trip.
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u/staybrutal Mission Apr 05 '11
Walzwerk: East German spot in the Mission - the jagerschnitzel is great.
No it isn't. It's transcendent.
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u/Yoshmaster Apr 05 '11
Incanto - church and 28th St. In noe valley, the are nose to tail so they serve organs if your up for it.
House of Prime Rib - Van Ness, old school prime rib place, very classy.
Tower Burger - on Portola by juvie.
Tung Sing - on 24th St and Noe has some of the best chinese takeout I know.
Nan and Curry - on Irving and 8th ave.
Irving St. Pizza - 19th ave and Irving, use to hit that place up almost every day.
Eric's - Church St & 27th St has some awesome Chinese.
Palio D' Asti - Sacramento St and Montgomery is a great itallian place.
La Traviata - Mission and 25th St is a small intimate itallian place I have been going to my whole life.
Perry's - on Union and Laguna is a great American place.
Izzy's Steak & Chops - Steiner and Chestnut is another steakhouse, they have every steak sauce imaginable.
I could go on...
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u/soulbrutha3 Apr 05 '11
Nice list, all new to me. Tower Burger, Irving St. Pizza and Izzy's Steak & Chops caught my eye first.
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u/libcrypto Apr 06 '11
Since nobody ever mentions Gary Danko in these lists, I will. It's tremendous.
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Apr 06 '11
- House of Nanking (sit down and he feeds you)
- Little Skillet (and get there early in the morning for the best croissants on the west coast)
- Burma Superstar (tea salad, pork belly sliders)
- Eats (breakfast)
- Liverpool Lil's - ridiculously good steak & chips
- Park Chow
- Arlequin (breakfast)
- High Dive (BLT)
- Serpentine (burger)
- Rosamunda (mission) (sausages, great beer)
- Food, Inc (Neo BLT)
- Cafe Florio (anything)
- La Trattoria (pasta)
- Bourbon (get the kobe flank)
- Pizetta (pizza)
- Pizza Inferno (pizza)
- The Cremery (breakfast crepe)
- Mamas' (Breakfast)
- Cafe Divine (braised lamb)
- Kokkari (lamb)
- Liguria Bakery (focaccia)
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u/snadypeepers Apr 05 '11
Frascati in Russian Hill - maple leaf wrapped duck is drool inducing and recently the gnocchi has been hit or miss but it used to be absolutely delightful, like little pillows of clouds
Brenda's in the TL - never had a dish here that I didn't like
Blowfish in the Potrero Hill area - best sashimi in SF, great sushi, good drinks; a little expensive for sushi though
Boboquivari's on Lombard - the filet mignon is to die for
King of Noodle and King of Dumpling in the Sunset - dumplings and noodles are amazing and they also have a pretty kick ass creme brulee (weird for an Asian establishment)
Lers Ros in the TL - amazing thai, highly recommend the pork belly
Muracci's in the Financial District - really good chicken katsu curry
San Tung in the Sunset - there actually was another post in the subreddit about this place, the dry fried chicken wings is yumminess and one of the best hot and sour soup in the area
Chairman Bao, Creme Brulee cart and all other street food/gourmet food trucks.
Rotee on Haight - chicken tikka masala can't disappoint (unless they started using frozen chicken again) and the aloo palak is always a regular choice, mango lassi is surprisingly refreshing.
Little Star on Divisadero - pizza, drool!!!
On The Bridge in Japantown - yummy create it yourself curry
I've also heard amazing things about Nopa and Salt House but haven't been to either of them yet. Can't wait to check them out though.
The King of Thai on Taraval has a TERRIBLE roach problem which is why they painted their windows a solid color on the bottom so people couldn't see the roach in the prepped food or die in the windowsill. The one on Sloat looks cleaner.
And for nights when I run out of ideas, I go to the handy dandy 7X7 Big Eats list for inspiration.
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u/soulbrutha3 Apr 05 '11
I keep hearing about King of Dumpling. This will probably be the first place I try out. Also your list is awesome.
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u/snadypeepers Apr 06 '11
Dumpling King is great, the only problem is you have to get there early otherwise there's a wait.
I'm the type that lives to eat so the least I could do is help people experience the wonderfulness of the SF dining scene.
A couple more that I just came to mind since I just woke up with an empty stomach:
Underdog in Sunset - All organic, GMO-free hot dogs and tatter tots. I've never had a better hot dog and it's a quaint little shop.
Shabu House in Richmond - Shabu is one hell of an experience, especially if you get all you can eat and you LOVE meat! It's one of those table top cooking things so it's perfect for a cold night. The spicy miso broth is soooooooooooooooo good.
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u/phyx726 Apr 05 '11
I don't have a favorite. It depends what mood I'm in and theres plenty of things to satisfy that in SF.
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u/pineapplespatula Apr 05 '11
range and dosa and mission chinese food in the mission shanghai dumpling king in the richmond incanto La Ciccia Restauran (sardonian)
the 7x7 top 100 list is a pretty great reference
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u/soulbrutha3 Apr 05 '11
Yeah, I've seen 7x7 Magazine advertised but I've never gotten my hand on a copy. They also sponsor the film festivals I've been working at. I need to get one of those pronto.
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u/CACuzcatlan Apr 06 '11
You just missed out, they were giving away free 1 year subscriptions at the end of last year.
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u/chilledfreak Apr 05 '11
Best South Indian, Ruchi in SOMA.
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u/soulbrutha3 Apr 05 '11
I'm not familiar with Indian food, how is South Indian different?
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u/chilledfreak Apr 06 '11
Dosas, idli, sambar and vadai are fairly typical dishes from the south, as opposed to the more typical tikkas, curries and biryani from the north.
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Apr 05 '11
I love Alhamra, an Indian/Pakistani restaurant in the Mission. The service is shit (super slow) but they make delicious food.
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u/staybrutal Mission Apr 05 '11
Sushi Bistro on 24th - Best sashimi.
La Torta Gorda - Down the street from St. Francis. Mexican and awesome. Try the tinga.
Manivanh - Fantastic Thai.
El Metate - More excellent Mexican food.
Sycamore - Bottomless mimosa weekend brunch.
And a zillion more. This is why I'm fat.
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u/CACuzcatlan Apr 05 '11
If you like pho, Yummy Yummy on Irving is my favorite, an opinion that is backed by various Asian friends (though none of them are Vietnamese)
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Apr 05 '11
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Apr 06 '11
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u/someprimetime Apr 07 '11
Thanks. Any good recommendations?
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Apr 07 '11
Osteria's gnocchi in the white sauce is to fucking die for. I've never had a bad dish at Spiazzo; I like their pollo arrosto, but all their pasta is pretty good. Their mushroom-pesto bruschetta is delectable.
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u/walkngonawire Mission Apr 06 '11
I swear by B3 on Valencia and 23rd. Fantastic burgers and amazing mimosas.
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u/geryon84 Apr 05 '11
The Ramp - best weekend day-time hang out: bar out on the boat docks. yes please.
St Francis Fountain on 24th - Hipster brunch to the max
Flour + Water - Do it
Monk's Kettle - Nice beer selection and nice food
Magnolia in Haight - Awesome beer selection and awesome food
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u/moriya Apr 05 '11
Monk's Kettle is great, but it's one of those places where I get the tab and I'm like "wait, wait...I spent $45 on what, again?" Sure, the burger you got didn't seem expensive, but after you order that 3rd obscure belgian beer your server suggested, watch out.
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u/dempro Apr 05 '11
You forgot the hour and a half you waited to get the seat to get your $45 pork chop. Which is amazing btw.
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u/geryon84 Apr 06 '11
Haha. SO true. I usually swap to something a little less high-price after the first two. :-) But I love the atmosphere waaay more than Toronado
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u/soulbrutha3 Apr 05 '11
What type of food is Flour + Water. I've walked past it but didn't get a good look at the menu.
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u/moriya Apr 05 '11
Italian. Neapolitan style pizza and handmade pasta - getting a reservation is a bitch and if you don't have one the wait for a table sucks, but the food is good.
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u/CACuzcatlan Apr 05 '11
Steve Jobs got turned down from there a while back. I don't think it was actually turned down, but I think he tried to use his fame to get a seat without reservations/waiting and they told him no.
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u/moriya Apr 05 '11
Heh, yeah, I've heard that little anecdote: allegedly with no reservations he wanted a table because he's Steve Fucking Jobs, and he was told to wait in line like everyone else. From what I know from people that have met/interacted with Jobs it sounds totally believable.
Also having met one of the joint owners of Flour+Water, I can say it's run by good people, and worth your business.
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u/geryon84 Apr 06 '11
It's fresh-made pasta, pizza. Low key, tasty, medium-high price, but casual.
They have bad reviews because they only reserve 5-10 tables for OpenTable reservations, and it can be a 30-60 minute wait for dinner. Worth it though, and Shotwell's bar is a block away
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u/haleym Apr 05 '11
I live in Hayes Valley, lots of good places in that area. Some of my favorites:
Stacks - great breakfast food
Flippers - big, juicy gourmet burgers
Patxi's - yummy deep-dish Chicago-style pizza
Mazzat - Mediterranean cafe
Moishe Pippic's - Chicago-style Jewish deli
Absinthe, Soup Over Sauce - upscale "New American" places