Vegetarian in San Francisco
 

We are visiting San Francisco from Chicago (very few great vegetarian restaurants). Please post your favorites in San Fran...the only one we've thought about going to is Millennium. Thanks.

Ekh, any place has some vegetarian dishes, or you can ask to prepare any dish vegetarian style. This is not a problem in the city at all!

Green's....it's on the Bay, let's see, is it Fort Mason? Kind of precious, though. It's pretty easy to order vegetarian meals at most restaurants, isn't it?

Greens is justly famous - sort of the Chez Panisse of the veggie circuit. The view is spectacular because it's in Fort Mason. I agree it can be a tad precious .... literally.

Yes, most S.F. restaurants include a vegetarian entree and several several vegetarian starters on the menu - how good depends on the restaurant. At a place like One Market, the veggie options are well executed and take good advantage of seasonal specialties. At other places, the non-meat option is an afterthought - something slapped together with pasta and vegetables.

Herbivore is a nice casual place with two locations - one on Divisadero, the other on Valencia.

Medicine Eat Station is a beautiful, serene place serving the cuisine of the Japanese Zen aethestic. Very popular at lunch. In the Crocker Galleria near Sutter and Montgomery.

Dosa at Valencia and 22nd serves the cuisine of South India, with a large part of its menu being meatless. Specialties are the crepe-like dosas (naturally!) and idlis in sambar - a dumpling-like dish in a seriously hot soup.

Just thought of another ....

If your San Francisco plans include hanging out at the Ferry Building, check out Delica. It's a new-style Japanese "deli" serving all kinds of to-go meals, including the beloved bento lunch. An o-bento, to use the correct Japanese term, is a box lunch packed to go to school or to the office or the fields, etc. It's a combination of cooked foods at room temperature. Delica always has a vegetarian bento as well as individual food items which are non-meat. I like Delica a lot and often walk down to the Embarcadero to buy lunch there and sit down on one of the outdoor benches to look at the Bay.

My vegitarian friends rave about Greens also.

I must be the only one who doesn't like the Greens :( Was there once, the service was slow, food overpriced and not that good, the view was only a bunch of yachts, not a real beautiful view I'm used to living in SF.

I found the food combining to be really off at Millennium...and too starchy.

FainaAgain,

Yes, you noticed I used the word "precious" to describe Greens. They acted as if they were doing a favor to finally wait on us and actually serve some food.

Took a vegetarian friend from UK to Green's thinking it would be a great idea--after waiting 20 mins for our reservation the oh so preoccupied hostess tried to seat us at the table next to the bathroom and gave major attitude when we declined. All of this would less relevant if the food had been fabulous--it was not, just expensive. I think Green's has been getting by on its reputation as a vegetarian temple and location for a long time.

Thank you, guys, I feel so much better now ;)