Haven't dined there for a long time, but the nearby Japanese Garden used to be a nice place for lunch. http://japaneseteagardensf.com/

Go out to the Cliff House. The food is fine but the view spectacular.

There is a variety of eating places on 9th between Lincoln and Judah, all within walking distance of the de Young.

There are a plethora of restaurants, either in the Inner Richmond (north of the Park) or the Inner Sunset (south of the Park).

Your main problem may be if you are there on a Saturday. The nicer restaurants aren't open for lunch on Saturdays.

Google Inner Richmond or Inner Sunset and see what you may like. Most of the food is ethnic oriented.

I am not aware of the Japanese Tea Garden (which is next door to the de Young) offering lunch. They only offer tea, cookies and snacks as far as I know.

The area around 9th Ave. and Irving has a million (slight exaggeration perhaps) restaurants, cafes, bakeries, etc. and is within easy walking distance of the deYoung.

The following are some of my favorites in that area (all on one block just across the street from the southern edge of GG Park) and are open all day continuously from morning till night:

Park Chow has good food, a casual, cheery family pub-type atmosphere, fireplaces, etc. Makes the "100 Best Restaurants in Bay Area" list, but don't expect upscale, super-foodie fare. Expect good quality comfort food and friendly casual service:
http://www.chowfoodbar.com/reviews.html

Nopalito's (the 9th St. location) is an interesting Mexican food place, not the usual Mexican food:
http://www.nopalitosf.com/

Marnee Thai (the 9th St. location) is a very good Thai restaurant:
http://www.marneethaisf.com/

Ebisu (the 9th St. location) - Japanese, sushi - unlike the others above, I believe they close between lunch and dinner:
http://www.ebisusushi.com/

There are many other choices - I would head to that neighborhood.

well I suppose one could try to make a lunch out of tea and snacks, but it would be tea and not lunch

http://japaneseteagardensf.com/documents/New%20JTG%20menu%20Winter%202012%20One%20page%20Final.pdf

Lots of good suggestions above (except for the tea garden - it really is just snacks)

If you don't want to move the car, the Moss Room is a nice restaurant down stairs in the Academy of Science.

I think the Tea Garden served lunch back in the 1970's.

I for one could make a nice little lunch from this - in a great setting. Year ago - they did have more offerings, and several times enjoyed bicycling around the park and stopping there for lunch.

http://japaneseteagardensf.com/documents/New%20JTG%20menu%20Winter%202012%20One%20page%20Final.pdf

Thanks for the ideas. I will find something in the areas you mentioned. I just needed someone to point me in the right direction. Park Chow sounds perfect. Thank you.

It has been a few years since I've been to the de Young. I can't wait to see how the copper siding is weathering.

For additional lunch spots - a few blocks over from the Park - toward the Golden Gate Bridge - just beyond Geary - is Clement St - where there is a great selection of Asian and other restaurants, including a bargain place for big and tasty baked Char Siu Bao /BBQ Pork Bun (Wing Lee Bakery sum http://www.yelp.com/menu/wing-lee-bakery-san-francisco ) - around 5th and Clement - and they have other dim sum.

Also for a great treat - check out Schubert's Bakery in the same block. https://www.schuberts-bakery.com/index2.php

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=clement+street+restaurants&find_loc=San+Francisco%2C+CA

http://www.viamagazine.com/food-wine/savoring-west-whats-cooking-clement#

You can also find a good selection of lunch spots/casual dining - along Geary St - http://tinyurl.com/bu3dqpn, and if you get back toward downtown, at Van Ness, the fabled Tommy's Joynt is a San Francisco tradition/institution for not only Roast Beef sandwiches and the like - but the atmosphere. http://www.tommysjoynt.com/ and http://www.tommysjoynt.com/menu1.htm

There are also some good Irish pubs on Geary St. (although fewer than there used to be) - where we used to play darts and have a good time after Rugby games in Golden Gate Park.

Our favorite Italian restaurant is Villa Roma on Irving near 9th. Walking distance from de Young.

We are heading up this morning. We are planning on eating at Chow after the museum. Look for a mini-report on this thread. Thanks!

check out Pacific Cafe

Chow ended up being just fine. I'd give our salads and burgers a solid "B+". The ten minute walk from the de Young was very convenient. As has been mentioned, there are a ton of places to eat on 9th, so I have a lot of choices for next time.

What a beautiful day in San Francisco it was! The sun was shining and Golden Gate Park was packed with people out enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. It is a lovely park.

Our visit to the de Young was great.

I have around a 2 - 3 hour threshold at most museums and that was enough to go through the Paley Collection, the Nureyev Retrospective and to wander the New Guinea rooms. Much of the permanent collection will have to wait for another day. I especially liked the Nureyev retrospective. It was mainly a show of costumes he and others who danced with hime wore, but there were film clips and the way in which things were displayed was unique and memorable.

We did take a trip up to the top of the tower and enjoyed the clear skies and wide open 360 degree views of the city. This is a must do for any visitor to the de Young. Our friend who was with us has been to the museum several times, but this was her first time in the tower.

Thanks again for the restaurant suggestions!