San Francisco, CA + Add a trip

Best chinese restaurant in town (budget)

Check out House of Nanking in SF Chinatown. Tell them that you are there for the first time and ask them to handle the order for you. Trust me, it'll be good!

You can find it at: 919 Kearny St San Francisco, CA 94133, USA +1 415-421-1429

Yank Sing Dim Sum

A little pricey but rather good. I liked the simple serving system: pick what you want off the trolleys that the staff push around the room. They mark it all off on a card and you pay at the end.

Axis Cafe for chilled chat / work

I spent an afternoon doing a little work with friends coming and going here. A huge place with lots of places to sit and conspire or relax. It's very near the Califoria College of the arts, so there's a smattering of students, nice comfortable chairs and wifi (although it's a little flaky)

Zuni Cafe

The signature roast chicken for two is awesome, and the pizza is great. Grill specialties are often wonderful. Dicey neighborhood, so don't plan to walk.

Gold Mountain for dim sum

Right on Broadway, with parking across the street. Small parties bypass the line! Great, less expensive dim sum.

EOS

I really heart the mushroom dumplings here. It's a great atmosphere with great food. Book a reservation, though. Almost every night is busy.

Ozumo for contemporary Japanese food

It's not cheap, but it's really amazing food and you'll almost certainly have to book in advance. Larger parties can get semi-private rooms. The food really is extraordinary. For Londoners it's like an even better version of Kobe Jones.

Asia SF for an extraordinary night out (and good food)

Asia SF really is an experience. Really decent asian food and fusion stuff alongside performing gender illusionists. Really amazing, fun and the food's good too.

Suppenküche is pretty good for interesting German and Austrian food. Latkes, german sausages, beer, good brunches and a lovely environment in Hayes Valley. The Almdudler ginger ale-like drink is particularly nice and the apple juice and mineral water is suprisingly good too.

Pancho Villa on 16th street is the best Taqueria I've ever been to. I hear there are better Taqueria but I've never been to one. I love the prawn super tacos and could eat them by the ton. The Agua Fresca is a traditional Mexican drink. The Horchata is a flavour of the Agua Fresca drink that tastes a bit like the milk in a rice pudding only cold and awesome and flavoured with cinnamon. Best place on the planet bar none.

Deep Sushi for really decent Sushi

Really, really good and not ridiculously expensive at all.

El Farolito - Best "drunk food" in town

Sure, there are better taquerias, but El Farolito is open late, super-super cheap, the food comes lightning fast, and has that perfect level of grease to cut through the worst "2am wobbles"

Cafe La Taza for a good, fast weekend brunch in the Mission

If you head for Boogaloo's or The Pork Store on a weekend, you'll be waiting outside for at least half an hour. Cafe La Taza (Mission & 21st) is a fun and friendly place with a big menu, decent food and no waiting. Plus, Yelp loves it too.

Bar None - Hands Down - Best Sushi in Town!!!!

Zushi Puzzle and master chef Roger are amazing! Have been here 3 times now and it is beyond comparison.

Be sure to sit at the bar if you can to go for the amazing and ALWAYS changing omakase.

This guy is warm and totally knows his sushi. There's nothing like it in SF.

St. Francis for breakfast

Try the St. Francis Soda Fountain for delicious brunch, tattooed staff, an excellent tuna melt, fantastic shakes and apple pie. It's a nice part of town to wander around in with a full belly too. Plenty of Mission history, murals, mexicana and atmosphere.

Noname Sushi on Church south of Market

It's actually called "Yokoso Nippon" but there's no sign and imperious waitresses administer the place with a maze of weird rules. Lunch chirashi, the "golden california", special sauces, and a lot of awesome veg sushi - esp. the gobo and natto - and geishas on the walls make people wait on line outside anyway.

The House of Nanking

Best restaurant in China Town. Food here is just amazing plus the prices are very reasonable. The place is charming and the service really nice and helpful. We came back several times and the experience was always positive. Without any doubt this is one of the best Chinese restaurants I have ever visited.

Dottie's True Blue Cafe

This is the best breakfast/brunch cafe in San Francisco. You might have to get up early if you want to avoid the queue but your effort will be greatly rewarded with some of the best breakfast you might have in your life. The place is charming, the service nice, the portions very generous and the food just amazing. Everything is good but if you want a tip taste the home-breaded French toast with chocolate chips and cinamon.

Blue Bottle Coffee

Best coffee in town. Arguably. Try it, then argue with me.

Bittersweet Hot Chocolate

Fantastic hot chocolate and chocolate-related treats and a great, cozy little atmosphere.

Just for You for breakfast/brunch

Located in the formerly sketchy neighborhood Dogpatch, Just for You is a typical American diner, with a twist: it is really, really, really good. Expect to come here and get filled up. The omelets are creative and delicious, the beignets huge, fluffy, and heavily powdered with sugar. The pancakes come in a selection of buttermilk, cornmeal (my favorite--not too sweet, but big enough to eat one for breakfast and one leftover for lunch), buckwheat, or gluten-free oatmeal. Plus there's good old-fashioned pancake syrup, not that sissy maple syrup. The coffee is excellent, and the menu is rounded out with a selection of burgers, Mexican food, and the California usual (think garden burgers and granola). Just for You is a true classic.

Chilaquiles

Very good chilaquiles at the Saturday farmers market at the Ferry Building. They run out early, try to get there before noon. Not sure of the vendor, but the booth is at the back of the market.

Delfina for great Italian

One of my favorite places in town for Italian.

Mistral: rotisserie at the Ferry Building

carry out or get a plate to eat looking at the water; rotisserie Neiman Ranch lamb, pork, chicken with sides like yams roasted under the meat, mac n cheese, cassoulet... yum. Then Ciao Bella for ice cream for dessert.

Southern Comfort Food

Farmer Brown has excellent southern comfort food. The menu had catfish, cheese grits, homemade mac and cheese, short ribs, pecan pie, etc.

The atmosphere is excellent as well. The bar makes some killer drinks. Last night we tried the Tangerine Margarita and the Blood Orange Margarita.

Great breakfast at Sears Fine Foods

I love this place - the food is excellent, but it does get VERY busy - mainly with tourists. If it's busy, and there's just a couple of you, ask for the counter - there's nearly always space there and you can jump the queues for the tables :))

Cafe Flore

Cafe Flore, at Noe and Market, has a great outdoor dining area. They have an eclectic menu, good food, and full service bar, plus wifi. It's a great place to hang out and work, read a book, etc on a nice day.

House of Nanking

If you are looking for the most flavorful and best quality chinese food joints in town. They have a custom of serving up julienne vegetables along with all the meat dishes, you get sweet potatoes, zuchini, etc. really special touch! Favorite dish is the crispy pepper beef... amazing!

I rem when it was a hole in the wall spot and no one knew about it. Since they remodeled the spot its got a line out the door starting around 7pm... hence why I usually now go there now around 6pm whenever I am in town... They dont take reservations, its all first come first served, but the line goes pretty quickly...

Absinthe Brasserie & Bar

Great restaurant in the Mission. I didn't try the Absinthe.

hotel biron: Wine and Cheese and Art

Nice little place in an alley between mid-town and the Mission.

Grant Place for Dim Sum

It looks a little sketchy (read: dirty) and the truth is, it just might be. That said, I had the best shrimp dumplings I've ever tasted here. The skin is so paper-thin that it's transparent. Literally. The Kung Pao chicken was above average, too.

The service was also a little dicey, but if you can get past the ambience and focus on the food, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

House of Nanking - great chinese food

House of Nanking is crowded, delicious, and cheap. Don't use the menu - just ask the old chinese man to bring whatever he wants until you're full. You won't be disappointed.

Yummy Italian Paninis

This place has a fantastic Italian panini. The service was really good. The restaurant is clean, trendy and in a good location (near lots of shopping and in walking distance to the streetcar and BART).

Starbucks on 8th street

thank god they are 24 hours

Brenda's French Soul Food

Outstanding, huge New Orleans-style breakfasts. Peach cobbler pancakes with vanilla creme fraiche. Eggs Benedict with molasses-glazed ham. Beignets! Oh, the beignets. You will find a huge line and you will wait in that line. You will ignore the hungover hipsters and that distinct Tenderloin smell. You will sit in a cramped, hot and noisy space. And you will die and be reborn a better man.

Ti Couz for buckwheat crepes

I also had the best mango mojito here after Bay to Breakers 2008!

Cafe Trieste Saturday concerts

The Italian family that runs one of the oldest and oldest-school cafes in town is a family of musicians as well.. Every Saturday afternoon they play/sing w/ friends, swing by for a great taste of old SF. Pavarotti sang here. Tell Papa Gianni who sent you!

Best fish tacos: El Metate

delicious and reasonable.

Chow

I think this is my favorite restaurant in SF. Food is good, turnover is high, service is prompt and friendly and there is that pleasant background noise of clinking of silverware and china with a buzz of conversation. Everything I want in a restaurant.

Supperclub

An avantgarde canvas for the pretentious, where you can eat and be eaten or become part of the entertainment, the meal and the muzik (definitely with a z and a k). Lay back and chill or get up and get sweaty. If you want a very SF night out and to watch some beautiful peeps, pay a visit to Supperclub.

Always the best sushi here

If you want the best sushi, go to Japan. But since you are in San Francisco, the closest thing is of course, Japantown. And the best restaurant I've found there is Takara. The itamae there always gives us great service and the fish is always fresh.

Great chinese food

We stumbled on this restaurant by chance, but since then we try to go there at least once every trip. The place is called Cathay House and apparently many famous people go there. The food is awesome (in particular the hot & sour soup), and the service is really good. And cheap too!

Awesome Veggie Meals at Ananda Fuara

Located at 9th on Market St., Ananda Fuara is run by students of Guru Sri Chinmoy and the energy there is sublime. Breakfast starts at 8am and they close by 8pm except on Wednesday then they close at 3pm. Food is absolutely fantastic, the servers a delight and the ambiance transcendent. There is always a line out the door for lunch so be prepared. Dinner often the same. Enjoy and eat healthy!

Great Chinese Food

I ate here last night and was very impressed. Nothing fancy but the food is outstanding

Mission Creek café

Friendly and spacious café on Valencia St. There's something very agreeable about this place.

Always lots of space to sit down and work, it feels like you could sit there all day as there's no pressure to drink up and leave. In fact, there's always lots of people around who are concentrating on their work. (Sounds a bit like a library, in a good way.)

On top of all, they serve good coffee, foccacia and staff often play good music.

Tlaloc has the best breakfast burrito's I've ever eaten

Tlaloc, on 525 Commercial st, is a tiny little burrito joint. The lady who runs it is super warm and friendly, and she puts together a massive log of a burrito. It's delicious, a giant bomb of flavor. There is a huge assortment of high-scoville hot sauces if you are into that.

Hanabi

Great, simple Japanese food in Lower Haight. Perfect place to have some sushi or ramen with tempura.

Very yummy, super-friendly staff and it's quite cheap too. And: they often play awesome music at somewhat unusual volumes (like many places in SF), which is great.

As an extra attraction, sometimes glasses will move without human intervention, giving customers the opportunity to impress their dates with telepathic powers.

Ryoko for late night Sushi goodness

Ryoko was perfect when I got in to the city at 11pm on a Friday from a late arriving flight.

The food was excellent, as were the cocktails. Get services and the icing on the cake was the funky ambience with a deep house DJ playing some fantastic tunes.

Latin American Club

KILLER margaritas

Crepes!

The Crepe House is absolutely amazing! I went there twice, once for breakfast once for lunch and they did not disapoint. Absolutely delicious!