Restaurant recommendations San Francisco Asian Art Museum
 

Taking my girls to see the Terracotta Warriors at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco on Friday and would like lunch recommendations, either near the museum so we could walk or if we need to drive someplace where I have a prayer of finding parking (don't mind paying). My older daughter likes Chinese food but the younger will only eat it grudgingly (so she's willing to keep with the theme for the day but will be happier if there are other options). Thanks for your help.

The museum has a nice cafeteria, but when we were there a few days ago it was so crowded that we decided to eat elsewhere. It was market day on the UN Plaza and we purchased food from one of the food trucks catering the market. Just a few blocks west of the museum, on the other side of city hall and around Hayes (going east-west) and Franklin and Gough (both north-south) are a number of restaurants of a varying price range. Hayes St. Grill is known for its fish.

6 of us had a GTG to see the Warriors, and all 6 liked the cafeteria. It's not exactly table service, you stand in line and carry your tray, but if your dish is not ready, they give you a number and bring food to the table.

The seats are inside and outside too.

We will try the cafeteria then and if that's too busy we'll go to Zuni cafe which looks walking distance.

I turned up a site called Gogobot by inputting restaurant close to Asian Art Museum. Really liked their interface!

I was going to suggest Zuni Cafe. We make it a point to eat there each trip to SF.

FYI Zuni is about 10 blocks from the Asian, about a 16 min or so walk. If you decide to walk there from the Asian, I recommend that you do not walk along Market Street--that stretch is very seedy.

For something very different, very urban, you might consider getting lunch from any of the food trucks that are typically in the Civic Center at lunch time--usually from 11 - 2pm.

<i>I recommend that you do not walk along Market Street--that stretch is very seedy. </i>

Not a problem during the daytime. In fact, I usually park on the other side of Market when going to a concert at the Conservatory of Music in the evening and have yet to have encountered a problem.

Michael, it is still very seedy even in the daytime and for people who do not live in SF it can make some uncomfortable. BTW just to be clear I was not warning anyone that there would be "problems". As a long time resident of SF there are situations that I am accustom to such as the "homeless" and street people in the Civic Center and elsewhere in the CIty and I do equate their presence with experiencing "problems." Indeed in the 35+ years that I have lived in SF I have never experienced a problem on the streets. I was simply making a recommendation for someone who is visiting the Civic Center from the South Bay with her girls.

Addendum: I do not equate.

<<<Michael, it is still very seedy even in the daytime>>>

It's almost worse in the daytime, because you can actually see the seediness. But anyway, you can walk over to VanNess and walk down Van Ness to Market, then only a block or two on Market. (We were once dining at Zuni and a street person was stationed at the window staring at us throughout dinner -- not dangerous, but not the most pleasant situation either)