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!