My Favorite SF Restaurants

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March 7th, 2009

Emily and I moved out of the hotel and into a temporary apartment on Thursday.  We are enjoying having a little bit more space and being able to cook again!  While the restaurants are good here, eating out every night was starting to get a little old (and expensive!).   One of the things that I will miss most about San Francisco is the amazing food (and the prices).  I thought I would write down some of my favorite restaurants in San Fran before I forget.

Best SF Restaurants

1. Burma Superstar – Most Unique. I had never eaten Burmese food before (and I was slightly scared of it) but this place is amazing.  Samusa soup, tea leaf salad, noodle dishes, curries, and amazing coconut rice.  A must try when in San Fran.
2. Q – Best Comfort Food.  For some reason SF has an obsession with comfort food and Q is the best of the bunch.  Good atmosphere and good food.  Try the mac & cheese with tater tots!
3. Darbar – Best Indian.  Emily and I were regulars here.  Everything on the menu is delicious and cheap.  Great naan.  Chicken makhani (butter chicken) and chicken tikka masala were always our go-to dishes.
4. Neecha Thai – Best Thai.  This one is more sentimental than for the actual food.  Good local place with very friendly staff.  Pad thai and massaman curry are all we ever ordered.
5. Jake’s Steaks – Best cheesesteak.  Whiz wit, the real deal.
6. Mama’s on Washington Square – Best brunch.  I love the crab eggs benedict.
7. Gary Danko – Best meal.  By far the most expensive place I ate in San Francisco (maybe ever).  Only ate here once.
8. Bobo’s Steakhouse – Best steak.  I only ate here once and it was the last week I was living in San Fran.  Second most expensive meal I had in SF.  Get the bone-in filet, trust me.
9. Myconos – Best Greek.  We have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Myconos.  Love the food, hate the service.  But we keep coming back because the food is great.
10. Okoze Sushi – Best Sushi.  I don’t eat sushi (no raw fish for me, thanks), but Emily loves it.  She is a bit of a sushi connoisseur and this is her favorite sushi restaurant in SF so I thought it deserved a spot on the list.

Best SF Taquerias

1. La Taqueria – My favorite Mission spot.  All the ingredients seem fresh and high quality.  I go for the tacos here, not the burritos.  Get a crispy taco with either carne asada or carnitas.  You won’t regret it.
2. Taqueria Cancun – Two locations.  I frequented both.  Great carne asada super burrito.
3. Taqueria Papalote – Slightly more classy than the average taqueria.  High quality food.  Good burritos.
4. Taqueria San Francisco – Only found out about this one right before I left town.  Solid carne asada burritos.
5. Rico Mex – I’ve only ever had the breakfast burritos here, and they are amazing.  The eggs are cooked to order and it is only $3 for a chorizo and egg burrito.  You can’t beat that.

Best SF Lunch Spots

1. Muracci’s Japanese Curry – I had never heard of Japanese curry before this place, but now I am hooked.  Delicious.
2. Naan ‘n Curry – Great Indian buffet.  Chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken, vegetable curries, naan, fruit, soda….all for $10.
3. Oasis Grill – Amazing chicken shwarma.  To go only.  On nice days, great to grab food here and eat outside in the plaza by the Ferry Building.
4. Taylor’s Automatic Refresher – Best burger.  A little expensive for lunch, but it is a good place to splurge.  Try the Western Bacon Blue Ring burger and garlic fries.  Especially good on nice days when you can eat outside.
5. King of Thai Noodle – Great place to grab a quick, cheap Thai lunch.
6. Escape from NY Pizza – Best pizza by the slice in SF.  Big slices, cheap.
7. Boudin Sourdough – Very SF.  Clam chowder or chili in a sourdough bread-bowl.  I like the O’Farrell St. location way better than the Market St location.
8. Tara – Another good Thai restaurant.  Way better than the nearby Osha Thai.
9. Manhattan Hub – Good deli/sandwich place in the Financial District.  Went here often.
10. Chipotle – Ok, I know I’m not supposed to admit this, especially in SF where Mission burritos reign, but I love Chipotle.  It was also the best place downtown to get a burrito (without walking down to Taqueria Cancun or getting on the BART).