Good value restaurants in San Francisco
 

My husband and I will be staying in an apartment in the Nob Hill area in March and I would like to know some good value restaurants.

Last time we were in San Francisco, we really enjoyed the Nob Hill Cafe.

We like Chinese, Italian and American food. Barbeque and Pizza places are fine too. My husband enjoys seafood. We especially like family owned restaurants that are not too expensive.

Thank you for your suggestions!

Laurie

How far will you go - are you looking for restaurants in the Nob Hill area specifically?

There's a Delfina Pizza on California St at Fillmore that would qualify (my favorite pizza in the city). We also walked by another cute little French place right on Fillmore between California and Sacramento the other day - very very reasonable prices, but I haven't tried it yet. In the Financial district, Barbacco (California and Front) is very good. None of these is on Nob Hill, but not far either.

Thank you for your suggestions! We do not necessarily need to stay in the Nob Hill area. We will not have a car so we will need to rely on public transportation.

I am especially interested in places in Chinatown and the North Beach Italian district.

Bocce Cafe in North Beach meets all your requirement - sit outside if the weather cooperates!

If you like spicy sichan try chef Jia's on the edge of North Beach/Chinatown., Small placew, go for lunch , the food is great but no atmosphere. :)

What does good value mean to YOU? Is that a low priced place [and what is low priced to you] or does it mean that you get a great meal and the price is justified [whatever that price is]?

There are so many small cafes and the like all over SF, but it depends on your pricepoint and what you mean - for us Chez Panisse is a good value, because to US the food and dining experience is excellent and the prices are fair for the total experience.

That said, if you want to travel up to The Castro, Mission and Haight lots and lots of small cafes and such where you can get good food at good value [at least according to my views]:

Through Bread & Pastry
248 Church St (between Market & 15th)

Chilango
235 Church St,

Mission Beach Cafe
198 Guerrero St.,

Palmyra
700 Haight St,

L'Ardoise‎
151 Noe St

Farrallon (sp?) has the best value cocktail hour menu seven days a week. Menu is on their website. It is very good food. In a unique aquarium atmosphere. Right at Union Square.

You can do dim sum at City Views for a reasonable amount $40 for 2 - just get there about 11:45am so as to not have to wait for a table.

662 Commercial Street {between Kearny and Montgomery]

Look under Happy Hour Menu
http://www.farallonrestaurant.com/food.php

It is a small plates sort of dinner, served with linens and breads.

Thank you all for your suggestions! Bocce Cafe in North Beach sounds like a place we would love! We like to dine outside whenever possible.

I will look into Farrallon. Union Square is just a streetcar ride away from our apartment. Thanks for the link.

Thanks again everyone and Merry Christmas!

The Jellyfish lounge at Farrallon looks like a very interesting place to hang out! And the food sounds great too. Thanks for the suggestion!

The streetcar [I assume you mean the cable car] is an expensive way to get from your hotel to Union Square at $6 per person, each ride.

We plan to purchase a 7 day MUNI pass for $27.00 which covers the use of cable cars and buses.

Perfect, that is the best way to get around town!

Another good place on Nob Hill is Codon Bleu Vetnamese Restaurant:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cordon-bleu-...-san-francisco


It is tiny so it is best for an early or late lunch.

Yes, DD and I had a special dinner at the Farallon restaurant last spring. We were almost wishing we'd just planned on dining on their "$6 Before 7" menu, and skipped the very expensive dinner entrees. We stopped in and had a cocktail and an hors d'oeuvre before out dinner resie.

For the Happy Hour, you stay in the Lounge, but we were early and got a lovely table at the window. Service is as nice as most restaurants, with an awesome selection at $6 apiece for certain small plates/salads/soups/wine/cocktails.

It is a very interesting underwater theme. Amazing price for what you get, too.

Please let us know where you end up going.

Have fun!

I vote for Dim Sum-City View too.

For Italian - The Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa mentioned by spirobulldog has been enjoyed by many Fodorites and it is not unusual for them to return to the restuarant a second time during their time in SF or on their next trip to SF. If you decide to go do make reservations as otherwise you will normally find a long line outside on the sidewalk.

We lucked out and got right in. We arrived about 5:00pm though. By 6:00 there was a serious line outside. It gets mixed reviews sometimes on TA and YELP(but many very positive reviews too), but we really enjoyed it.

We head into SF frequently and typically enjoy these restaurants without planning ahead:
* In Chinatown: HUNAN HOME'S (on Jackson St between Grant and Kearny)
* CAFE CLAUDE : near Sutter and Kearney (I think) on Claude Alley - very cozy, friendly and dishes to share; nice bar
* E' TUTTO QUA : Italian, at the corner of Columbus and Broadway (between Chinatown and North Beach). Many on Fodors have recommended it. We've only had drinks and snacks so far, but the service is so welcoming and friendly, I think it would be a good dinner choice at a decent price.

I just re-read your post-I meant Cordon Bleu is on russian hill-sorry about that