Ethnic Dining in San Francisco
 

When vacationing, we generally like to try different types of restaurants. We will be staying in the Wharf area and were looking for recommendations. We like Thai, Mexican, Italian, Middle Eastern, Indian and most any type of Oriental. Any recommendations? Walking distance would be great but is not a necessity. Thanks!

Depending where you are from, the Indian food here won't be as good as you can get elsewhere (i.e., New York or London). I like Indian Oven in the lower Haight (Fillmore b/n Haight and Waller). Half a block down is Thep Phenom, a great Thai restaurant.

In North Beach, there is a wonderful Afghan restaurant called The Helmand (Broadway near Kearney). A16 in the Marina, Delfina in the Mission, Incanto in Noe Valley, are all good Italian. I'm sure others will have some recommendations in North Beach for you. I don't tend to eat Italian there for some reason.

As for Mexican, SF is good for casual burritos and tacos as opposed to good sit down mexican (although those options are growing). I'd go to the Mission and try get a burrito. Options for burritos are La Taqueria, Pancho Villa (one just opened next to the Ferry Building too), La Cumbre, El Farrolito - everyone has their favorite!

I'd do dim sum for Chinese if you come here. Yank Sing (near the Ferry Building), Ton Kiang (a little far from where you are), or Mayflower. R&G Lounge is good for a regular chinese meal (Kearney and Clay - I think).

Burma Superstar on Clement (and 4th Avenue) is good for Burmese if you stick to the Burmese part of the menu.

SF has a lot of great Asian food (as opposed to "oriental" - I'm half Chinese and that word makes me cringe unless you are referring to rugs!) and so many other options.

Check out chowhound.com for many more options. Good Luck!

Dear Don:

We have eaten several times at Anamandara. It is located at street level at Ghirardelli Square and serves Vietnamese/French type food. The atmosphere is Viet/Fr.colonian. Very cool.

MY

I've heard good things about the Slanted Door for Vietnamese food.

Shanghai 1930 on Steuart is a winner; no, I'm not related to the owners.

I like the search feature that the Chronicle's food section has-you can look for reviews and info by cuisine and neighborhood. Their Top 100 and Bargain Bites (scroll down on the page) is a great source, too.

http://www.sfgate.com/eguide/food/

You are walking distance from all of the following:

For Italian, walk up Columbus from the Fisherman's Wharf area, turn right on Union Street, just past Washington Square. Walk up the hill 1 block to the corner of Mason and you are at Trattoria Contadina. It's amazing that this delicious, comfortable, and affordable restaurant is only a block from the awful tourist traps that line Columbus... The stuffed pepper app is a must.

In the same neighborhood, at Powell & Union there is a Basque restaurant called Iluna Basque, or another on the east side of Telegraph Hill (Battery St & Union) called Piperade. Iluna Basque head chef is about 20 years old, working since he was 10 or something, put Piperade on the map and opened Iluna Basque on his own in 2004.

There is a great Argentine restaurant on Union Street in North Beach called El Raigon, between Grant and Stockton.

Mangarosa, on Stockton just North of Columbus serves Brazilian food. If you miss cooking while vacationing, they have a steak dish where they bring you raw meat and various accompaniments and you grill it on a portable open-flame apparatus that they put on the table.

I can't remember what it is called, but the Vietnamese restaurant right in Ghiradelli Square is top notch.

Mexican - my place was Cafe Marimba in the Marina on Chestnut. It has reopened as Mamacita and I haven't been there yet, but friends say it hasn't gotten worse... A bit longer walk this one, perhaps a cab home?

If you like Chinese, pretty much everything in Chinatown is good!! New Asia is really good as well as Yuet Lee.