Restaurants - San Francisco

[bandgbasset]

We will be in San Francisco for a couple of days before our cruise. Can anyone recommend some good restaurants?

 

Thank you for your help.

[Capt_BJ]

San Fran has a BILLION great restaurants .....

 

narrow it down a bit

 

wanna be walking distance from where you are staying?

 

type of food?

 

price range?

[YubaSutter]

San Fran has a BILLION great restaurants .....

 

narrow it down a bit

 

wanna be walking distance from where you are staying?

 

type of food?

 

price range?

 

The City is called San Francisco, not San Fran.

[bandgbasset]

Good italian restaurants that are not tourist traps or seafood or a steakhouse or a good German restaurant.

 

We love house of prime rib, would like to try something different.

 

Staying near north beach, but we could take a cab anywhere.

 

A friend mentioned "frisco", i quickly corrected him lol.

 

Thank you for your help.

[skandls]

So many choices - so little time.

 

You need to give an idea of budget, food preferences and transportation preferences.

[Keith1010]

Scoma's near Fisherman's Wharf.

 

I started to go there in the early 1990's.

 

http://www.scomas.com

 

Keith

[BruceMuzz]

Scoma's near Fisherman's Wharf.

 

I started to go there in the early 1990's.

 

http://www.scomas.com

 

Keith

 

I was the General Manager of Scoma's on Fisherman's Wharf in 1978. It was - and remains - a very nice, incredibly touristy restaurant. It is also the largest volume restaurant in California.

Locals would not be caught dead in that place.

But their Cioppino (actually invented by Al Scoma) is quite good.

[Keith1010]

I was the General Manager of Scoma's on Fisherman's Wharf in 1978. It was - and remains - a very nice, incredibly touristy restaurant. It is also the largest volume restaurant in California.

Locals would not be caught dead in that place.

But their Cioppino (actually invented by Al Scoma) is quite good.

 

 

It's funny what you said about locals. For me it brings back a lot of great memories from going there first for business, then taking my family there when we were deciding whether to move to the Bay Area, then going there from time to time when we lived there and then returning when we've come back to visit the Bay Area including on cruises.

 

Interestingly enough I had the same perception as you and I realize as a General Manager your perspective would be bettter than mine. However, I have several friends who live in the Bay Area who dine at Scoma's from time to time and also enjoy it as we do.

 

Anyway, I think it's a great place for someone visiting to go.

 

Keith

[PORT ROYAL]

We will be in San Francisco for a couple of days before our cruise. Can anyone recommend some good restaurants?

 

Thank you for your help.

 

Consider

ACQUERELLO

GARY DANKO

BURBON & BRANCH

 

Enjoyed in June this year. Could locals update the current dining exoerience?

[Lois R]

It's funny what you said about locals. For me it brings back a lot of great memories from going there first for business, then taking my family there when we were deciding whether to move to the Bay Area, then going there from time to time when we lived there and then returning when we've come back to visit the Bay Area including on cruises.

 

Interestingly enough I had the same perception as you and I realize as a General Manager your perspective would be bettter than mine. However, I have several friends who live in the Bay Area who dine at Scoma's from time to time and also enjoy it as we do.

 

Anyway, I think it's a great place for someone visiting to go.

 

Keith

 

Hi Keith,:) and maybe things have changed since 1978:eek:.....that is

a long, long time ago.......maybe "some locals" do it there now.

I had lunch there the last time I was in San Francisco.....it was

not all tourists.....and the food was quite good:)

1978 is almost 40 years ago.

 

But I also agree, there are so many restaurants to choose from:D

[YubaSutter]

It is also the largest volume restaurant in California.

 

Bold claim. There are many restaurants in California that have a higher volume of customers per day. Two of them are Mrs Knott's Chicken Restaurant in Buena Park and Pink's Hot Dogs in Los Angeles. Not uncommon to wait 2 hours just to get in.

[Keith1010]

This discussion is making me very hungry.

 

I think that San Francisco is one of the best cities in the world and that includes dining.

 

To the original poster I hope you find a restaurant you will be happy with. There are certainly many to choose from.

 

Read reviews too and look at menus on line.

 

Oh and have some of the sourdough bread wherever you go.

 

Keith

[Northern Aurora]

This past September we had a lovely meal at Fior D'Italia. It is located several blocks away from the bay so doesn't have a bay view, but of course, diners are not paying for a bay view either.

 

Regarding Scoma -- we also took a ferry from the Ferry Building to Sausalito and had lunch at the Sausalito Scomas. Great view of the city from Sausalito.

[skandls]

I have not been there in a long time but I did like Harris steak house (especially the martinis). Another legacy steak place is Izzy's. The food is OK not the best but there is a fun neighborhood vibe.

 

There are so many restaurants that come and go that I usually look on tripadvisor or other restaurant rating websites. We like the small places on Polk and in the Marina. Especially if I am not looking for upscale dining - just a really good meal. Note the prices will most likely be upscale even if the restaurant seems to be casual. When we lived in the city we were bus or walking close to those areas.

 

For down scale entertainment - The Saloon (oldest bar in the city - with restrooms that prove it) usually has some fun music in the North Beach area.

[Bruin Steve]

First, a short note on the tangential issue of the "highest volume restaurants in California"...

 

The two busiest restaurants in terms of sales in California are two I know very well--one within a couple of miles of where I grew up and the other within a couple of miles of where I live now...BOTH in Southern California...#1 being Gladstone's in Pacific Palisades, CA--where Sunset Blvd. hits Pacific Coast Highway--the place is almost legendary in these parts. #2 is the Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas--located right off the 101 at the Valley Circle/Mullholland offramp. Just go by their parking lot on a Sunday morning and you'll know why. Both are very large restaurant/bars in extremely good and accessible locations. Both restaurants' sales are boosted by the extremely high volume of bar sales.

 

I am not sure if Knott's is tabulated in the same class of restaurants or is considered a special case, being now within the greater amusement park. Obviously, any of the "restaurants" within Disneyland would likely bring similar high volumes as millions of people pass through the park on an annual basis and have little choice but to eat in one of their establishments.

 

(I spent a little time early in my career in the restaurant industry).

 

Going back to the OP's question:

 

If you are indeed staying near North Beach, you are in the heart of the best collection of Italian Restaurants anywhere. My usualy approach while in North Beach is to just wander around the area and smell...and look at the menus posted outside...and just pick one at random...

 

The Stinking Rose on Columbus is quite popular...

I enjoyed North Beach Restaurant on Columbus and Stockton--but it's been a while since I've been there...Vicoletto or Sotto Mare on Green St....LOTS of others...As I've said, just let your nose lead you...

Edited December 5, 2014 by Bruin Steve

[PonyPair]

Yes, The Stinking Rose!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[paluni]

On Fisherman's Wharf. Pricey, but very good. Nice ambiance. We really enjoyed it.

[brunello22]

There is a plethora of wonderful Italian restaurants in North Beach. We enjoyed Trattoria Contadina one night before going to see the Beach Blanket Babylon show, and then went to Pinocchio for dessert and an after dinner cocktail.

[SadieN]

On the other end of things---

 

Boudin's on the Wharf.

Particularly fond of the crab cake sandwich from the take-away counter.

The chocolate raisin sourdough bread is usually our breakfast.

The regular sourdough is iconic.

 

(Dungeness crab is a must to eat on the West Coast.)

Edited December 12, 2014 by SadieN