San Francisco, fun, unique, good value restaurants?
 

San Francisco moderately priced restaurants for dinner? We are looking for good value, perhaps fun or different experiences. Any ideas? Thank you! SG

Moderate means different things to different people. What is your dollar amount/range for entree? What type of food? Fun or different - can you elaborate?

The very upscale Farallon restaurant in Union Square is a uniquely designed place. Its dinner menu is expensive, BUT they have an awesome happy hour menu, called "6 until 7", available every day. It makes a very good meal, actually. Service is at a table, hopefully in the front window, with complimentary bread, too.

http://www.farallonrestaurant.com/6until7.html

S I X U N T I L S E V E N
Available before 7 p.m. in the Jellyfish Lounge & Oyster Bar
$6 per selection
  
TRUFFLED YUKON GOLD FRENCH FRIES
parmigiano-reggiano, aïoli
HALF DOZEN DRAKES BAY OYSTERS
champagne mignonette
STAR ROUTE FARMS MIXED LETTUCES
Sierra Beauty apples, toasted pistachios,
cider- whole grain mustard vinaigrette
CREEKSTONE FARMS BEEF SLIDERS
yukon gold fries, aïoli
STEAMED LITTLENECK CLAMS
silva chorizo, shaved garlic, grilled levain toast
YUKON GOLD POTATO CROQUETTES
basil pesto, tondo balsamic
CONFIT OF DUCK GIZZARDS
fennel seed, kirsch
TODAY’S SOUP
  
Traditional Rye Manhattan
Hemingway Daiquiri
Classic Margarita
Pinot Grigio, La Fiera, IGT, Veneto 2009
Grenache, Core Wine Company, Santa Barbara County 2007 9.00
Napa Smith Brewery, Organic IPA, California, Draft

I normally recommend the Bargain Bites section of the SF Chronicle's website:
http://www.sfgate.com/bargainbites

Two come to mind -
If you haven't eaten at the Cliff House, be sure to go for this wonderful waterfront dining experience -
http://www.cliffhouse.com/

If you are trying to save some money instead of the Slanted Door at the Ferry Building -
http://www.slanteddoor.com/
get a meal to go behind it at "Out the Door" -
http://www.outthedoors.com/
and have a picnic.

Wander the Ferry Building shops for the makings of a picnic -
http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/

If you are there on Tues, Thurs or Sat, wander the stalls of the farmer's market for other great offerings -
http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace....ers_market.php

I enjoyed afternoon tea at http://www.lovejoystearoom.com/ in the Noe Valley. I enjoyed the City Guides walking tour less, but I think our guide was brand new.

What is "different experiences" for you? What are your experiences??

Have you dined at many ethnic restaurants?? - If so, what type??? We have a bundle of them here.

Stu Dudley

Thank you, all! I consider spending under $50 ish for 2 people a "moderately priced" meal. Is that reasonable for San Francisco? Yes, we love the ethnic restaurants - all of them, especially Mexican.

OK, now does the under $50 for 2 mean all in - tax, tip, drinks, appetizer, dessert and main? If so, eating at ethnic restaurants is really going to be your best bet. There are a few places that will have Prix Fixe, that might get you close to your price.

I would also suggest that maybe you eat your "fancier" meal at lunch when the prices are cheaper, and then eat light for dinner.
http://www.ploufsf.com/06_prixfixe.html

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc...rancisco%2C+CA

What time of year is this trip? San Francisco has restaurant weeks, that have some good prix fixe lunches. June 1st to 15th.
http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/taste/dineabouttown/

www.belden-place.com

It's an "alley" of restaurants in the Financial District. They are all very good. It's a fun place to go.

starrs, thank you for the information about the farmers' market. I will be there from Monday to Wednesday and thought that I would totally miss the farmers' market.

When I'm in SF on business, we're usually having dinner somewhere that wouldn't fit your good value description. A favorite is The House of Prime Rib on Van Ness. Old Sf haunt that probably doesn't fit what you're looking for. But, it is good.

The colleagues I go with and I always carve out time for a lunch at the really good burger spot in the Ferry Building. Can't remember the exact name but it's something Automatic. If looking for a lunch spot on the Embarcadero near Market, that could be a good option.

AGM, I'm glad you will get to go. It's a great experience!

I'll assume that your $50 is the total tab for dinner (including $6 tip & $4 tax), leaving $40 for food. No drinks - except water.

My wife & I have lived in San Francisco and the Bay Area for 36 years, and we are major foodies - dining at all types of restaurants in The City and also in France. One of our favorites (acually my wife's VERY favorite) restaurant in the City is within your price range, and is also perhaps the best value in San Francisco.

Pomelo at the end of Church St in the Noe Valley. From downtown, take the J-Church to get there - there's a stop just in front of the restaurant just north of 30th st. Save your transfer when you get on the J-Church because you can probably return to downtown using this ticket. Sit on the east side of the car (side you board the car on if you get on at one of the downtown stations,) and sit in a seat facing north (facing the rear of the train when you get on). This will give you a great view of the SF skyline as you leave Dolores park.

Pomelo is perhaps classified as "world food". My favorite appetier at Pomelo is the Red Snapper (fish) soft-shell tacos with mango salsa (called the Cabo San Lucas). There are two of them, so you can split this appetizer. My favorite main is the Havana - which is black beans, plantains, chipoltes, ginger, avacado, cilantro and then a marinated & grilled skirt steak on top - wonderful. The appetizer is $8.50 and the main is 16.50 - so if you split the appetizer and have the havana (or another simiar main) - the tab for food will be $42. There are other selections that are less expensive. My wife often orders 2 appetizers - and we have witnessed many guests just ordering soup. We have dined at Pomelo around 25-30 times. We had Valentines Day dinner there. After dinner and while you are returning on the J-Church, get of the train at the 18th street stop, walk 1 1/4 blocks east to BiRite ice cream, and order a salted caramel (or other flavor) for dessert. Dinner at Pomello and dessert at BiRite will be the ultimate San Francisco Experience. Pomelo does not take reservations, but if you get there at 7pm - you won't have any problems getting in.
http://www.pomelosf.com/

I've never considered Mexican to be ethnic food - but a good choice might be Tropisueno on Yerba Buena Ln downtown.
www.tropisueno.com

For Asian in your price range, try Burma Superstar. This is a very popular restaurant & has excellent dishes. They don't take reservations and there is usually a line to get in. We've dined there twice, and always got there just as they opened for dinner
www.burmasuperstar.com

Stu Dudley

>>good burger spot in the Ferry Building. Can't remember the exact name but it's something Automatic<,

It was called Taylor's Automatic Refresher, but was re-named last year to Gott's Roadside Tray Gourmet. Excellent burgers & fries. Very popular with the Financial District lunch crowd. Get there by 11:45 (everyday except Sunday) - or wait in line.

Stu Dudley

Oh sorry, I didn't see the $50 limit.

That's probably not enough for two people to eat at the Belden Place restaurants I mentioned (if that $50 means total bill needs to include beverage, entree, tip, tax).

All good! Thank you! Thank you so much for your time!

We like going to Mamacita on Chestnut, a few doors down from A16

http://www.mamacitasf.com/

I will warn you that you should get reservations, and keep in mind that it gets VERY lively with the under 40 set the later you go. But it is fun, has great food, and is moderately priced. But LOUD!

Also -- forgot to mention, parking is relatively easy in the evening (less so weekends, but you can still find a place), or if you're staying at a hotel downtown (this is in the Marina district) you can get on the number 30 electric bus off Stockton/Columbus, and it will drop you off right in front of the place.

City View for Dim Sum
Mona Lisa for Italian

<<<parking is relatively easy in the evening>>>

Really? :-)

My most memorable Chinese restaurant in SF is Sam Wo's (chinatown).
The small dining room is upstairs. The kitchen is on the ground floor. You order in English and your waiter writes the order in Chinese and sends it down the dumbwaiter. The food comes back on the dumbwaiter in a reasonable time. Unless you order extravagantly, you should be able to keep your budget.
We were a bit leery when we went up the stairs but we were satisfied when we went back down.

The best breakfast I've had in SF was at the Grand Cafe. I was staying at the Monaco at the time but if you are in the area, it is fabulous. Gorgeous building, fabulous food, wonderful service. It's not inexpensive but I was amazed at how expensive the "inexpensive" places nearby were. For only a few dollars more, the meal was light years better.

http://www.grandcafe-sf.com/about_overview.php


It's a wonderful SF experience. Check out their breakfast menu (well, the other ones too). I had their Oeufs Brouilles and it was one of the best meals ever.

I would consider it "good value" for SF.

<<parking is relatively easy in the evening<<<

If you park in the parking garage on Moulton (small alley), and Fillmore - otherwise it's difficult to find parking, IMO.

We are dining at Mamacita this Saturday at 6PM. Our "normal" dining time is 7:30 - but we are going there early to avoid the noise (hopefully).

Stu Dudley

Well sure there are a loads of great San Francisco places could be recommended. But a restaurant where entrees alone cost ~$20 isn't going to work for the budget this OP asked about.

I think meals in Chinatown (drink tea, not cocktails) would work, for one idea.

Mona Lisa will work.

Looked at Pomelo's menu -- even there, you'd have to be careful of your selections in order to stay within your price range :-) It's just really hard. A Buffalo chicken salad at a bar costs $13 at Pete's Tavern across from AT&T (and it's not that good!). You could probably squeeze out an okay meal of shared plates at Barbacco for $40.00. Again, no drinks.

It's just a tall order around these parts :-)

AGM, the Ferry plaza market is there on Tuesdays and Thursdays too.

Another vote for Burma Superstar, and it's easily accessible by bus - don't remember how late line 2 runs, but lines 38 and 1 are close.

Also, La Mediteranee on Fillmore @ Sacramento, bus lines 3 and 1.

Hand-pulled noodles from San Dong are unique, delicious, and super cheap http://www.examiner.com/wine-in-san-...g-house-review.

Cafe Zitouna serves great Moroccan and Tunisian food for not-too-much http://www.examiner.com/wine-in-san-...zitouna-review.

seriously, where do you people eat? specially if you're willing to leave downtown a bit and just have a glass of house wine each...

tropisueno is a good value especially for lunch. We also like Coliibri, in Union Sq. which has a great happy hour and excellent food.

Cha Am Thai on Folsom and 3rd near the MOMA has excellent thai food and a hop drink menu. Osha Thai on the Emarcadero is very nice, excellent food and way cheaper than Slanted Door.

Some Fodorites recently went to Esperpento , a tapas resto in The Mission District. We just ate there last week, and for a huge amount of food and a bottle of inexpensive white wine the tab was $80 for 4 !The tapas there are good sized portions, or else you can get two entree plates,maybe share a dessert and a bottle of wine for $50.

I could go one but you get the idea.

Stu, how do you rate John's Grill (the Dashiell Hammett place)?

Mocca, on Maiden Lane (really nice for lunch if you happen to be shopping in the Union Square area)

Never visited John's Grill

Stu Dudley

I will out there next month and was looking for places to eat around the Union Square Hilton.

We had a GTG at John's Grill and it is my DF's favorite restaurant in SF. We've gone back since the GTG. It's a classic restaurant and everything we've had there is good. DF has gone every visit for about 30 years. Great steaks, fabulous mussels - and other seafood. Stiff drinks. A classic.

Everything including the Maltese Falcon. Well, then anyway -
http://articles.sfgate.com/2007-02-1...t-john-konstin

<<<seriously, where do you people eat? specially if you're willing to leave downtown a bit and just have a glass of house wine each...>>>


We had dinner tonight at a local Indian restaurant in a suburb of San Francisco. One beer, one hot tea, onion kulcha, vegetable biryani, chicken tikka masala and a green been dish. Total with tip and tax: $65.00. We could have had one less dish (took some home), so it would have been $10.00 less. Still more than $50.00 for two.

(Stu, we tried to get into All Spice, but we were too tired and hungry to wait for the 8:30 reservation they could give us)

>>We had dinner tonight at a local Indian restaurant in a suburb of San Francisco<<

Roti??

Stu Dudley

OK, I may have gotten lucky in the Marina area with the parking. To be honest, I had free parking at the motel down the street, but seem to be blessed with luck in the area (especially around Union St. in the Marina area when I do drive. Like I said, best to take the bus.

We don't know where you're staying, and whether you want to eat near your hotels, or anywhere, but here are some places we (as tourists, not locals) that we have enjoyed.

Dim sum is very popular in San Francisco. The most-known place, Yank Sing, can get expensive, and you could possibly go above your budgeted amount. We've also had dim sum at Great Eastern, and enjoyed it very much. And quite cheap; you'll easily be under $50 for two. Also, if you're up for adventurous breakfast ideas, I love strolling through Chinatown in the morning and picking up breakfast items (buns and things like that). Very very cheap and fun; just know that you can't guarantee that the person you buy from will speak a lot of English.

On our last trip to S.F., we found E Tutto Quo, which is located in North Beach. We've visited Italy a number of times, and felt that E Tutto Quo was pretty authentic (caveat: we only had pizzas and pasta, I don't know what their main dishes were like). If you watch what you buy, you can stay under your limit. Their pizzas were great, by the way.

Thanks, starrs!