I'm happy to participate - for this area in particular, do you think we should include Napa/Sonoma and or Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove or leave those to their own threads?

Is seems like way too much work but more to the point a way too large geographic area

I can think of two favorites of ours in Palo Alto.

Sushi House in Town and Country Shopping Center. The sushi is fresh and very good. My go-to eats are the Ebi Fry bento box with a chicken kaarage appetizer. Under $25 per person.

Osteria in downtown Palo Alto. Nothing fancy Italian is a dependable standby that we've been eating at for years. The polenta appetizer with mushroom ragu is good as are any of the pasta dishes. $25 - $50 per person.

Thank you iamq for contributing a couple of ideas. That's exactly what we're looking for: Places that locals eat that might be good for travelers to visit as well when they are looking for a good meal at a reasonable price without a horde of people lined up at the door.

Again, to be helpful to tourists especially, the difference between San Rafael and Santa Clara is way too large esp if they are using SF as a base.Locals will understand distances but not necessarily visitors.

So in addition to your suggestions, it would be helpful to state whether it's in the city of San Francisco, or outside the city. Iamq's first two suggestions are in the city of Palo Alto, home of StanfordnUniversi and Facebook (and iamq), about 20 miles south of the city.

For anyone staying near SFO, these recommendations are in the suburb of Burlingame - a lot of the airport hotels are also in Burlingame: Mingalaba (excellent Chinese and Burmese), Copenhagen (very good American/Scandinavian, best burger in town). These are our two "go to" places - where we eat on a very regular basis.

Query- are we only supposed to list the places we like, and not offer negative reviews of those we don't?

Oops, forgot to mention prices - both of those would come in under $25 per person, in fact, they likely come in around $15, before drinks, tip and taxes.

FWIW I did mention that the restaurants are in Palo Alto.

I agree that it would be helpful to say where the restaurants are. There is a similar thread on the LA area, and so far we have a bunch of places that are listed as being in Pasadena and a bunch of places from the Culver City area, plus the San Fernando Valley. If you want to see how that list has worked it is headed "Places to eat like a local in Los Angeles."

Yes, SF2707, the point is to list places that you do like, not to offer negative reviews of places that you don't. Maybe you can offer some alternatives instead.

Almost any restaurant in Noe Valley, up and down 24th St. and along Church St. depends on locals more than tourists.

Have any of you SF locals eaten at Burgermeister on Columbus. It seemed to be a local hangout even though we were tourists.

Awesome Bugers and Sublime Fries!!!!

Iamq I gave more info on Palo Alto because mztery seems to think non-Bay Area people won't know it's not in or near the city.

I like Mingalaba in B'game also, but be warned that there can be a 30 minute or more wait for a table, so if you are on a layover at SFO allow LOTs of time.

I'm not sure I like playing this game.

I'd recommend starting this inquiry over on www.chowhounds.com - you will be flooded with replies from dozens of locals.

<<<like Mingalaba in B'game also, but be warned that there can be a 30 minute or more wait for a table, so if you are on a layover at SFO allow LOTs of time>>>

Definitely, and every night of the week! That's why we mostly get takeout.

The only places that really cater to tourists are at Fisherman's Wharf, which is why you will rarely find locals eating in them or recommending them. Other than that "locals" eat in many places that tourists visit--North Beach, Union Square, Embarcadero, etc. BTW I'm not sharing my personal favorite 'cos I want to still be able to get in!!!

Tadich Grill, 240 California St. About the end of the California Street cable car line.
A San Francisco institution since 18 something. No reservations, so you stand in line for a while for a table, but can also eat at bar, which sometimes is less wait, and a lot more fun.
When in SF, we never miss it.

BTW I'm not sharing my personal favorite 'cos I want to still be able to get in!!! LOL! SAB

It's true --a secret shared is no longer a secret. BTW Deb you asked about Frances on another thread and I have posted a reply.

Eat Vietnamese food on Story and/or Tully roads in San Jose.

https://chezspencer.net/home.php

http://www.gitanerestaurant.com/

There. I gave you 3 great ideas. Enjoy.

Cool, I'm in San Jose fairly often, and I'm on a quest to find great Vietnamese food other than pho. Are there any specific restaurants you recommend?

Vung Tau, in downtown San Jose, is excellent, and it's not a dive either. Well-populated by the Vietnamese locals, so that should say something about the food.

Two places near the Rockridge BART station in Oakland: Oliveto, very upscale Italian, classical food. Very pricey. Right across the street from BART. A Cote, about 2 blocks south on College Avenue. small plates, Mediterranean/French food, can run maybe $80 a couple without alcohol. Great bar. Superb frites. Everyone orders them as an appetizer, with garlic aoli, and you get a big plate for about $5.

Also in Oakland is Bay Wolf, on Piedmont Ave, near Broadway and Macarthur. Excellent Mediterranean food, entrees around $25 up. Known for their duck.

And of course in Berkeley is Chez Panisse, the Mecca of fresh food from Alice Waters. Very expensive. I admit I have not been there in the last year.

Charnees, what about the Rockridge Cafe? We used to eat there all the time when we lived in Oakland, but I didn't want to recommend it because it has been so long.

I loved Izzy's Steaks and Chops, recommended by a friend. www.izzyssteaks.com It's on Steiner in the Marina district, in the $25-30 range, and the creamed spinach and Izzy's Own potatoes are to die for. And I HATE cooked spinach!

There's also an Izzy's in San Carlos near the San Carlos airport. San Carlos is about 20 miles south of S.F. Better priced than Flemings and just about as good.

I totally agree with A Cote above, and will note that their cheese plate (featuring cheeses from the Market Hall down the street, awesome selection and quality) is the best in the east bay as far as I'm concerned.

Other favorites are Fang in SoMa (SF), easy to get to via Montgomery St. BART and right near SFMoMa and Yerba Buena Gardens. The food is great, especially the buns with chicken and their special sauce. The owner will ask you what your dietary preferences are and customize a suggested menu for you and you group, I remember a really good chicken rice, and rice puff type of dish, delicious! Average price is about $25 per person without drinks.

Other favorites are Regalito in the Mission, superb food and the chef often looks at the guests taking their first bite into his dishes to see their reaction. Price is probably less than $25 per person, quality food, the enchiladas are spectacular.

Another Mission favorite is Andalu, and I can personally vouch for it being a wonderful place for a group party as well. They have a special for 10 tapas at $22/person or 7 tapas at $19/person plus 2 hours of unlimited sangria (both red and white) for $15/person for large parties. The thing is no matter how many people you have, they keep bringing far more than enough for everyone to share, definitely a great way to go for a large party, we dined well and the service was great. Since I eat mostly vegetarian, I was afraid that I would not have enough to eat, but I had plenty of choices and good ones at that.

Yet another Mission favorite is Gracias Madre. Normally I am not such a fan of raw or full on vegan food, but I am a huge fan of this place. The pozole (vegetarian) soup was the best that I've ever had (besides my mom's version of course), so rich without being heavy. The black beans were simply delectable, and I forgot what else we had since it's been months, but so good. I have wanted to return and shall soon.

Sf7307 - Grand century mall at corner of Story and McLaughlin has good restaurants. Hazel is right, Vung Tau on Santa Clara in SJ is good. Cao Nguyen on Tully is great.Pho Ga An Nam on Tully specializes in chick dishes and they are great. Anh Hong on Tully specializes in 7 jeweled beef dishes.

We've dined at Chez Spencer and Gitane many times. Always seems to be about $160 for 2 with tax & tip - a little less at Gitane. We've lived in the Bay Area for 36 years and dine out in SF about 20-30 times a year.

If we want to keep the cost of dinner under control and we want a "creative" meal in the City - we head to the Noe Valley and dine at Pomelo. Lots of other options in the Noe Valley too (as Michael has mentioned). We're dining with friends at Contigo next week, and if the weather nice in the City tommorrow - we're going to Fattouch on Church St. Firefly in the Noe Valley is one of our favorites also.

If we want great Asian food & don't mind driving 15 mins more & searching for a place to park, we'll dine at Burma Superstar or Thanh Long.

These are our choices if we don't want to break the bank.

Stu Dudley

cfrrb, we don't go to the Rockridge Cafe because when we are in that neighborhood we always go to A Cote. So I can't report.

I vote for Izzy's and also for Louisa's Italian (on Union St - Marina district)

Also around the Rockridge area at 55th and Telegraoh is Pizzaiola. Great pizza and pasta, noisy, crowded, fun.

>>noisy, crowded, fun<<

Not everyone thinks noisy & crowded is "fun".

Stu Dudley

Moderately priced Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero, off Hwy 1 about 15 miles south of Half Moon Bay. My favorite is the fried oyster sandwich.

Sociale on Sacramento Street, out in the neighborhoods west of downtown--not far from Pacific/presidio Heights. Small, attractive, great food, some Italian and some bistro style, for lack of better phrase. Locals In there every night. Try to reserve ahead.

Taqueria La Cumbre in the Mission district and in San Mateo, on the Peninsula (San Mateo is about 15" south of SFO). Definitely for the casual stop.

I think Duarte's is cool, although the food maybe not the reason for the drive. I liked the artichoke soup, though I know people say to do the half and half with the green chile. Whatever else I had was not memorable.

>>Duarte's is cool, although the food maybe not the reason for the drive<<

I agree - neat place, but I've had better food at Dennys.

Stu Dudley

I think breakfast at Duarte's is better than Denny's, but that's not the reason to go there - go for a piece of ollalieberry pie ( and only if you're passing through)!

I had the fried shrimp at Duartes for lunch.

Stu Dudley

The half and half soup at Duartes (half green chile soup/half artichoke soup)is a vast improvement over just the artichoke soup, which tends to be a bit bland sometimes.

La Taqueria on Mission in SF..best carnitas, good guacamole and chips..under $10 per person

Tony's Pizza in North Beach, SF...great pizza and salad ..under $25 per person

Zachary's Pizza...East Bay, College ave Oakland...good pizza and salad ..under $25 per person

Burma Star in San Francisco. Always a long line to get in, but wonderful food at reasonable prices.

Mocca on Maiden Lane near Union Square.

After a shopping excursion at Britex Fabrics we walked out the back door and down the street to Mocca. We had tri-tip sandwiches and an antipasto platter of grilled vegetables. The sandwiches were fantastic. The vegetables were well prepared and cooked nicely.

They have outdoor seating right in the middle of the pedestrian only street. On a sunny day like today sitting outside in the sun was great. There was also an accordian player playing French tunes which added to the ambiance. It was mostly business people on their lunch breaks, but also a few tourists or shoppers like us. I think it is only open for lunch.

Ooops...Lunch for two came to around $35.00 without wine or beer.

Last night we ate at the Presidio Social Club which would be convenient for anyone staying in Cow Hollow. During the week it offers set menus at $25 (pork on Thursday). It's not fancy cuisine but worth the price for a salad, main dish and dessert. The atmosphere is nice, although a little noisy.