World City Guide

Restaurants

We have selected 25 restaurants, which we have divided into five categories: Gastronomic, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments.

Restaurant prices are subject to a state tax of 7.5%, which is added to the bill at the end. A service charge is not typically added, unless your dining party includes 6 or more, so it is assumed that diners will tip 15-20% of the total bill. Restaurants may also assess an additional cost for large seatings (usually over 15 guests) to cover overhead expenses. Reservations are recommended wherever possible; in the case of upscale and popular restaurants, they are essential.

The prices quoted below are for an average three-course meal and for a bottle of house wine or cheapest equivalent; they do not include tax or tip.

Gastronomic

Arcadia
One of San Francisco’s most celebrated chefs has opened a new spot for haute cuisine in San Jose, a Silicon Valley town a short drive from San Francisco. The followers of celebrity chef Michael Mina will doubtless track him to suburbia, and it’s clear his floor-to-ceiling windows and open kitchen will spruce up both the suburban setting and the landscape of modern American cuisine. His modern approach to American classics are best seen in corned salmon and cabbage and Mina’s signature lobster pot pieand in his humorous ‘finger foods’ like lobster corn dogs and truffled popcorn. The chef shows his serious side with a brilliant slow roasted prime rib (wheeled to the table) and with a seafood bar proffering an outsize assortment of clams, oysters, and other shellfish. If diners can’t make the trek, in April 2004 Mina is slated to open a restaurant in San Francisco’s Union Square, in the lobby of the historic Westin St. Francis Hotel.

Marriott Hotel, 100 West San Carlos Street, San Jose
Tel: (408) 278 4555. Fax: (408) 278 4556
Price: US$55. Wine: US$40.

Boulevard
Located in the 1889 Belle Epoque Audiffred Building, of the few heritage sites to have survived San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake, Boulevard is the brainchild of an award-winning designer and a noted San Francisco chef, Pat Kuleto and Nancy Oakes. The kitchen is where it rightfully deserves to be – in the centre of the restaurant. Counter seating allows guests to watch the chefs at work while savouring the fragrances of West Coast-French cuisine. Specialities from the vast menu include sautéed foie gras and crispy duck pancake with fresh blackberries in Minus 8 ice wine vinegar and a wood-oven roasted trio of lamb. Advance dinner reservations are essential.

1 Mission Street, Embarcadero South
Tel: (415) 543 6084. Fax: (415) 495 2936.
Website: www.boulevardrestaurant.com
Price: US$65. Wine: US$30.

Gary Danko
Guests to Gary Danko’s Relais & Chateau restaurant make their reservations months in advance for the pleasure of dining in the modern space with stylish dark-wood banquettes. The James Beard award-winning chef focuses on French, Mediterranean and regional American cooking, using seasonal ingredients, free-range meats and local artisan cheese. Dishes might include a risotto appetizer with lobster, rock shrimp, toy box tomatoes and zucchini followed by pan-roasted quail stuffed with wild mushroom ragout and port glazed figs. Desserts include a decadent chocolate soufflé with two sauces and a cholesterol-free mango. Set menus are available for three, four and five courses. Seasonal tasting menus with optional wine pairings selected by wine director Christie Dufault are available as well.

800 North Point, Fisherman’s Wharf
Tel: (415) 749 2060. Fax: (415) 775 1805.
Website: www.garydanko.com
Price: US$55?US$74. Wine: $45. No lunch served.

Millennium
Those who believe that vegetarian cuisine cannot be classy or inspiring have not been to Millennium. Take, for example, the Asian udon cake, a ‘cake’ of seared udon noodles topped with sautéed Asian vegetables, oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu, and kaffir lime in a Thai basil coconut curry. Raw food choices may include the Rawvioli, in which Portobello mushroom and walnut pâté is stuffed between golden beet sheets. The restaurant has an open and airy atmosphere. The wine list features organic, vegan and biodynamic bottles and half bottles. Reservations for dinner are recommended.

580 Geary Street, Savoy Hotel, Civic Center
Tel: (415) 487 9800. Fax: (415) 487 9921.
E-mail: info@millenniumrestaurant.com
Website: www.millenniumrestaurant.com
Price: US$30. Wine: US$25.

One Market
One Market is located in the Embarcadero district, a perfect locale for an establishment that specialises in fresh seafood. The impressive menu items include a sea urchin omelette, Maine lobster ‘sangria’ for two, a rack of veal with oyster mushrooms, along with plenty of fish entrées. Its dessert selection includes a caramel-roasted stack of cinnamon-butter cake topped with warm peach sauce and buttermilk ice cream. The decor is elegant and clubby, but the restaurant’s most striking visual characteristic is its 90-degree view of the waterfront and historic Market Street. Located directly across from the Hyatt Regency, One Market also offers a catering menu and two private dining rooms with intimate settings.

1 Market Street, Embarcadero South
Tel: (415) 777 5577. Fax: (415) 777 3366.
Website: www.onemarket.com
Price: US$60. Wine: US$35.

Business

Aqua
Ultra pricey Aqua, never a stranger to the corporate credit card, still commands a crowd despite the economy’s decline, and a change of guard. The upscale seafood restaurant has been consistently credited with offering one of the city’s finest meals. Laurent Manrique, a Gascon chef who has pleased the palates of diners at Campton Place Hotel, has recently stepped in to run the show that Michael Mina (see Arcadia) began. He continues to offer some of Aqua’s signature dishes such as crab cakes and tuna tartare and adds to the menu his own French touches to sea bass and lobster. The professional service, decadent desserts and spectacular wine list has also remained.

252 California Street, Financial District
Tel: (415) 956 9662.
Price: US$55. Wine: US$45.

The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton
The Dining Room offers seasonal modern French cuisine in a formal, elegant setting. Chef Sylvain Portay and sommelier Stéphane Lacroix have put together an exquisite tasting menu available with wine pairing; alternatively diners can choose three, four or five courses from the à la carte menu. In autumn, the two-person entrée of ‘baron’ of rabbit, caramelized with tarragon mustard, is served with oven-baked autumn vegetables; while in summer, a sautéed turbot and crayfish is served with leeks, summer truffles and tomato basil sauce. Dinner only. Closed Sunday and Monday.

The Ritz-Carlton, 600 Stockton Street, Nob Hill
Tel: (415) 773 6198.
Website: www.ritzcarlton.com
Price: US$59-US$78. Wine: US$48.

Silks
Silks has been at the top of San Francisco’s restaurant list for several years. Its excellent New Californian cuisine might include entrées like tea-smoked duck breast with endive and bulgur salad in a cherry dressing, or lemon-verbena-steamed halibut, with clamshell mushrooms and Israeli couscous. The restaurant’s elegant setting and accessible location in the Mandarin Oriental hotel (see the Hotels section) means that it caters to both business and luxury clientele. No lunch is served at weekends, however, there is an Executive Lunch Menu during the week.

Mandarin Oriental, 222 Sansome Street, Financial District
Tel: (415) 276 9888 or (800) 622 0404. Fax: (415) 433 0289.
E-mail: mosfo-reservations@mohg.com
Website: www.mandarinoriental.com
Price: US$50. Wine: US$30.

Plouf
A business favourite, Plouf’s quaint location and sociable atmosphere remind one of a busy Paris bistro. Set in a small out-of-the-way lane in the Financial District, it also has sidewalk seating. It is known for its classic French seafood specialities, such as the bourride, a Provençal fish-and-shellfish soup, sautéed prawns with citrus beurre blanc, sautéed scallops with a potato gratin and a rum vanilla sauce, and peppered Ahi tuna with a shallot red-wine sauce. The filet mignon is also a sound and popular choice. Reservations are recommended. Closed Sunday. No lunch Saturday.

40 Belden Place, Financial District
Tel: (415) 986 6491. Fax: (415) 986 6492.
Website: www.plouf.citysearch.com
Price: US$25. Wine: BYO (corkage US$12).

ThirstyBear
ThirstyBear, within walking distance of the Convention Center, is the melding of two different inspirations: a Spanish restaurant and a Californian brew-pub. No doubt part of what makes this marriage work are the tapas – around 30 different dishes, ranging from mixed olives to sautéed fish cheeks, but including hot and cold, familiar and more unusual dishes, using potatoes, vegetables, ham, chorizo, Manchego cheese and so on. The restaurant also offers a wide selection of entrées, from a classic Valencian paella to delicately roasted lamb chops and savoury potatoes. And the best part is the price, which is affordable, even with the beer. No lunch Sunday.

661 Howard Street, South of Market (SOMA)
Tel: (415) 974 0905. Fax: (415) 974 0955.
E-mail: commandcenter@thirstybear.com
Website: www.thirstybear.com
Price: US$25. Wine: US$20. Beer: US$3.50 (22-ounce glass).

Trendy

Eastside West
Located on historic Fillmore Street, this neighbourhood pub, one of San Francisco’s newest restaurants, is as much known for its inspired jazz performances as its chic West Coast ambience. Eastside West takes fresh seafood to the limit, with is raw bar. Classic raw bar specialities include ceviche (raw fish or seafood cured with lemon) and market fresh oysters on the half shell that are served with a tequila lime sauce and wine mignonette. The restaurant also serves a selection of baked and grilled seafood. A popular Sunday brunch is served on the outside patio when weather permits.

3154 Fillmore Street, Marina/Cow Hollow
Tel: (415) 885 4000. Fax: (415) 885 4001.
Website: www.eastsidewest.citysearch.com
Price: US$25. Wine: US$30.

Greens
A popular vegetarian restaurant, with an equally popular cookbook, Greens enjoys a steady clientele of non-vegetarians as well as vegetarians. The restaurant is in a former US military warehouse, among dozens of art galleries, with enchanting views of the San Francisco Bay. Its nine-metre-high (30ft) ceiling and rich, handcrafted wood interior lend further character to the restaurant’s unique setting. Lunch items might include a deep-dish pie of winter vegetables in a mushroom sherry sauce topped with a Parmesan potato crust. Dinner selections might include Mesquite grilled brochettes of assorted vegetables and marinated tofu, served on almond currant couscous. The dessert menu is just as impressive, with selections of gourmet pastries, ices and fresh fruit dishes. Greens’ menu always includes vegan recipes. There is also a takeaway menu for those who prefer to dine in the park.

Building A, Fort Mason, Marina
Tel: (415) 771 6222 (reservations) or 6330 (takeaway). Fax: (415) 771 3472.
Website: www.greensrest.citysearch.com
Price: US$35. Wine: US$25.

Moose's
A true San Francisco icon, Moose’s on Washington Square is frequented by an upwardly mobile group of locals, a crowd SF Chronicle has likened to famous novelists or celebrity winemakers. The comfortable setting allows for lingering meals over business or pleasure, and jazz is a regular accompaniment. Guests are presented with an eclectic choice of à la carte dishes and specially designed tasting menus, both featuring solid contemporary American fare. A sample seasonal menu may include a velouté of white beans and parsley oil, followed by seared blue nose sea bass and a shellfish ragout, and a warm pear puff with huckleberries and fromage blanc sherbet. The Sunday brunch menu is also extremely popular and delicious.

1652 Stockton Street, North Beach
Tel: (415) 989 7800 or (800) 28 MOOSE/66673.
E-mail: moose@mooses.com
Website: www.mooses.com
Price: From US$21.95 (fixed-price); US$40 (à la carte); US$15 (brunch). Wine: US$25.

Rose’s Café
The sister property of North Beach’s famed Rose Pistola restaurant, Rose’s Café is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its Californian-Italian kitchen is cut from the same cloth, with fragrant sourdough breads, hearty pastas, such as fusilli tossed with anchovies, broccoli and chillis, and many popular seafood dishes, such as roasted mussels or grilled salmon. The casual café setting is a great place for people-watching, while taking in a cappuccino and slice of fruit-filled focaccia. There is also heated patio dining, when weather permits.

2298 Union Street, Cow Hollow
Tel: (415) 775 2200.
Price: US$20. Wine: US$20.

Zuni Café & Grill
Open from noon till night, chef Judy Roger’s restaurant serves creative Italian-Mediterranean fare at very kind prices, which makes it incredibly popular with the locals. The menu, like the airy and angular setting, is casual and eclectic with roasted-to-order chicken (it can take 45 minutes), a hamburger with Gorgonzola cheese on focaccia, and a Tuscan bread salad. These dishes have become almost famous in their own right and have been documented in Roger’s 2002 cookbook. Around these staples are daily changing menu items. A balcony affords people-watching and an oyster bar draws hip crowds. Reservations are essential.

1658 Market Street, Hayes Valley
Tel: (415) 552 2522.
Price: US$25. Wine: US$25. Closed Monday.

Budget

Fog City Diner
Possibly the country’s most famous diner, Fog City serves an upmarket version of the casual American comfort food. Macaroni and cheese is made sharp and sassy with Gouda, and meatloaf is served with wild mushroom gravy and truffled mashed potatoes, thereby surpassing the culinary cliché. Banana-chocolate brioche bread pudding and chocolate-toffee crunch cake are homemade dessert delicacies. The club car setting with typical diner booths might be a set, stylised with chrome and hardwood, and indeed many movies and television commercials have been shot here.

1300 Battery Street, Embarcadero
Tel: (415) 982 2000. Fax: (415) 982 3711.
Website: www.fogcitydiner.com
Price: US$12. Cocktails: US$9

Los Hermanos
Some of the best Mexican food can be found in small, unadorned diners where the locals line up in droves. The food at Los Hermanos (‘The Brothers’) definitely fits that bill. The beef burrito is an unpretentious blend of sautéed beef, rice, beans and salsa, with optional cheese, guacamole and sour cream. Located in the trendy shopping district of Marina, this place also does take away.

2026 Chestnut Street, Marina
Tel: (415) 921 5790.
Price: Dishes from US$5. Unlicensed.

Noah’s Bagels
A small Bay Area chain, Noah’s Bagels offers a variety of wildly flavoured bagels from Asiago cheese to chocolate chip along with some standbys like salt, poppy, and egg. The attractive selection of shmears (cream cheeses) include Garden Veggie, Maple Raisin Walnut, and Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil, and there are other tasty toppings like smoked salmon (‘lox’), hummus, and peanut butter. Hot deli sandwiches at some stores include a corned beef Reuben. Since this is San Francisco, one can also get an espresso and fresh juices. Limited seating is available.

1887 Union Street, Marina/Cow Hollow
Tel: (415) 346 4095. Fax: (415) 346 4097.
Website: www.noahs.com
Price: From US$2. Unlicensed.

Pyramid Ale House, Brewery and Restaurant
A trip to the historic city of Berkeley on the east side of the Bay is a mandatory excursion for some, especially for those who enjoy the East Bay’s eclectic entertainments, its bookshops, coffee houses and venues such as this one. Home to one of California’s more popular breweries, the Pyramid Ale House features a classic assortment of West Coast draughts, including Pyramid’s own wheaten ale and Northwest-style Hefeweizen. Seasonal brews are also available. The restaurant’s cuisine is standard American – appetisers like nachos with jack and cheddar cheese, two kinds of salsa, sour cream and garnishes, and mains like baby back ribs or honey Dijon chicken.

901 Gilman Street, Berkeley, East Bay
Tel: (510) 528 9880. Fax: (510) 528 9921.
Website: www.pyramidbrew.com
Price: US$15. Beer: From US$5.

The Slanted Door
The upmarket Vietnamese restaurant, formerly in the urban Mission District, now operates from the Embarcadero. The well-prepared food (with a nod to a Westerner’s palate) for which it was known now comes at slightly less attractive prices. As ever, though, the menu hits the mark with standard starters, such as cold rice-paper rolls stuffed with thin noodles, pork, shrimp, and mint, served with peanut sauce. Particularly refreshing are the green papaya salad and caramelised catfish in a pot with fresh ginger. The tamarind five-spice chicken and steamed fish dishes (order a side of greens to accompany both) are also good choices. There is also a wide selection of green and black teas.

100 Brannan Street, Embarcadero
Tel: (415) 861 8032. Fax: (415) 861 8329.
Price: US$15. Beer: US$6.

Personal Recommendations

Chez Panisse Restaurant & Café
Alice Waters, the godmother of organic gardening, opened her legendary Berkeley restaurant in 1971. In the formal dining room, the prix-fixe meals and the ingredients change daily to allow for the freshest, most seasonal farm-to-table experience. For weekly menus and prices, which start at US$50 on Monday and increase over the week, diners can visit the restaurant website. A seasonal menu might include garden lettuces with autumn fruit and balsamic vinegar, sautéed striped bass with lemon-verbena butter and leek compote, Niman Ranch fillet of beef, and bittersweet chocolate soufflé with Cognac crème anglaise for dessert. Reservations are essential for the two nightly seatings. Upstairs, an informal café with a wood-burning oven serves simpler, a la carte dishes.

1517 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, East Bay
Tel: (510) 548 5525 restaurant or (510) 548 5049 café.
Website: www.chezpanisse.com.
Price: US$50-US$75. Wine: $40.

Ebisu
Lines snake around the corner for a table at Ebisu, considered by many to be one of the top sushi restaurants in the Bay Area. Wise patrons attempt a visit at non-peak dining hours for a shorter wait. This plain-Jane neighbourhood spot has been here for about 20 years and is a legend for its creative maki-roll concoctions such as Two Balls No Strikes. Translation: spicy tuna wrapped in thinly sliced avocado with no rice. Diners need not stick to the menu, however. They are welcome to order any combination they’d like or put themselves in the hands of Steve Fuji, the chef and owner, who is happy to bring cuts of the freshest fish in nigiri or delectable maki combinations. Diners need just ask.

1283 9th Avenue, Sunset District
Tel: (415) 566 1770.
Price: US$25. Unlicensed.

Jardinière
Although the food is a performance in its own right, Traci Des Jardin’s French-California cuisine is particularly coveted before the theatre, given that it is within steps of the Opera House and major theatres. Like many San Francisco menus, Jardinière’s changes daily. Guests to this brick landmark building with enormous windows might find a seared foie gras appetizer with caramelised rhubarb and gingered baklava and such entrées as duck breast with bing cherries, lentils and braised bacon. A six-course tasting menu is available for US$75.

300 Grove Street, Civic Center/Hayes Valley
Tel: (415) 861 5555. Fax: (415) 861 5580.
Website: www.jardiniere.com
Price: US$45. Wine: US$38.
No lunch served.

Ti Couz
This little French find, named for the Breton expression for ‘old house’, serves savoury buckwheat dinner crepes and delicious sweet ones for dessert. Diners can’t go wrong with the thin ham and Gruyere cheese crepe, folded Brittany-style into a square. For dessert, a lighter batter creates wispy, thin crepes with fillings such as Nutella and orange caramel. French hard cider is the beverage of choice at this very popular spot.

3108 16th Street, Mission District
Tel: (415) 252 7373. Fax: (415) 252 7712.
Price: US$15. Cider: US$7.

Yank Sing
Specialising in the little tasty Chinese dumplings called dim sum, Yang Sing has more than 100 varieties. On any given day, about 60 choices are offered, so the regulars (and there are lots of them) never get bored. Rather than a formal menu, servers wheel carts around the dining room, stamping a card with each diner’s selections. Look for a cutesy goldfish look-alike dumpling with shrimp, Chicken Fun Gwor, a steamed crescent-shape dumpling filled with chicken, shiitake mushroom, and cilantro, and Stuffed Lotus Leaf, a little parcel filled with sticky rice, sausage, chicken, and sun-dried shrimp. There are plenty of vegetarian choices, too. The Spear Street location is larger and more refined; The Stevenson branch is cosier. Both have take-away service.

One Rincon Center, 101 Spear Street, Financial District
Tel: (415) 957 9300.
49 Stevenson Street, Financial District
Tel: (415) 541 4949.
E-mail: yanksing@yanksing.com.
Website: www.yanksing.com.
Price: US$18.