Good Chinese food and other San Francisco, CA Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: Pearl City

This place wasn't in any guidebooks, but when we walked by and notices that most of the customers inside were of Asian descent, we figured it would be worth a shot. It's a very simple, but clean restaurant with basic chairs and tables and uninspired decorations, but the food was good.

Favorite Dish: We had a few very good dim sum dishes and then ordered some guylan and snow pea leaves. Yum. They specialized in seafood, so try some. We tried the shrimp as part of the dim sum and it was delicious.

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Theme: Chinese/Dim Sum
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: 641 Jackson Street
Directions: Chinatown, Jackson at Kearny

Restaurant Name: L'Osteria del forno

One of the best meals I've had in a long time!! This place is an awesome, authentic, Northern Italian place located in the heart of San Fran's Italian neighborhood, North Beach. The place only sits 25 or 30 people, so there's a good chance that you'll have to wait for a table (we waited about 20 minutes). The atmosphere is very romantic and the the service was authentic Italian, which means not overly attentive, but business-like and knowledgeable when asked about the food.

Favorite Dish: We ordered exclusively from the specials board because everything sound so good. We had Swiss Chard and Gruyere Gratin which was unbelievable. Gooey cheese and strong on taste. Along with that, we had Roasted Fennel and Carrots, which was the perfect accompaniment to the stronger taste of the Gruyere cheese. Fennel of course, is a more subtle taste. Then, for the main course, we split a deliciously fresh and simple pumpking ravioli and had a great Sangiovese to go along with it all. The wine was uniquely served in water glasses. I can overlook that . . . ;-)

* with tip the bill was $70, so it might be closer to $31-40 per person . . .

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Theme: Italian
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: 415-982-1124
Address: 519 Columbus Avenue
Directions: Columbus at Green in North Beach

Restaurant Name: Caffe Roma

The owner will greet you with a smile (the family is from Turin and Rome) and the coffee is great. The interior is airy and most likely will be crowded with locals and tourists alike.

Favorite Dish: I had a great latte and a wonderfully moist raspberry crumb cake.

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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 415.296-ROMA
Address: 526 Columbus Avenue
Directions: Columbus at Green, North Beach
Website: www.cafferoma.com

Restaurant Name: Caffe Trieste

On Saturdays there is live Italian music performed by the Giotta family and others. This is a real must see! The interior is very warm and cozy and will make you feel the history of the place (it's been around since 1956).

Favorite Dish: I've only tried the coffee. You can even buy it online. Check out their website for details.

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Theme: Coffeehouse

Address: 601 Vallejo St.
Directions: North Beach
Website: www.caffetrieste.com

Restaurant Name: Cafe Claude

Wow! Another great meal in SF. Cafe Claude's furnishings were salvaged from a Parisian cafe (I got that from the website) and the feel of the place is definitely evocative of good old Paris. The service was not at all snooty as you might expect and the food was great.

Favorite Dish: Gina and I drank a lot of wine . . . French, of course. We made the wise decision of trusting our server to select the wine (with price limitations set in place of course) and he picked a perfect complement to the roasted quail we ate. The cheese board was also amazing with a really unique selection of cheese varieties.

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Theme: French
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: 415-392-3515
Address: 7 Claude Lane
Directions: Between Union Square and the Financial District at Kearny & Grant at Bush.
Website: www.cafeclaude.com

Restaurant Name: Fresca

This place was great. My friend Gina went to school with a guy who had just moved out to San Francisco the week we were there, so we met him (Shunpei) and his girlfriend Wendy at this great restaurant. The interior was modern and urban with orangish-red walls and a bar set at the rear.

Favorite Dish: They have seven types of Ceviche on the menu and we tried three of them as part of the Ceviche sampler. All of them were delicious and one in particular was spiced with Peruvian aji chile pepper, which made it good and hot. After the ceviche, we overindulged in roasted pork and a few different forms of antecuchos (although, here they are not actually baby beef hearts!). The service was awesome. Really friendly and helpful.

For 4 people, it was $160 with tip.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: 415-447-2768
Address: 2144 Fillmore
Directions: Pacific Heights, California and Fillmore

Restaurant Name: Indonesia Restaurant

Okay, so the owners of this Indonesian restaurant called, "Indonesia Restaurant" weren't the most creative bunch. It's a hole in the wall type of place located in the Tenderloin (slightly seedy neighborhood, but not too bad right here). Actually, based on the menu, the place is more of a cross between Chinese and Indonesian.

Favorite Dish: The curried chicken was decent, if not spectacular, but the Chicken Satay was pretty good. I wouldn't exactly call this place disappointing, but I probably would go try a different Indonesian place next time I'm in San Francisco. I'll give them credit for one thing though. When I asked them to make it spicy, they didn't skimp on the spice like many places do!

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Theme: Other
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 415-474-4026
Address: 678-680 Post Street
Directions: Tenderloin, Post at Taylor

Restaurant Name: Cha-Cha-Cha

With a name like Cha Cha Cha, you gotta be cool. Well, this place is definitely cool. It's a happening bar/restaurant, although we focused more on the bar! They have what they like to think of as a tapas style bar menu, although the portions are a tad big to be real tapas. We had a wild time here!

Favorite Dish: The beer is great and the mussels in garlic sauce were decent. We also tried sample tastes of about half the menu from all the many people we met at the bar. The focus is really on a more Caribbean (or is it Louisiana style? African maybe? Spanish, Cuban?) style menu and FUN! Ask the bartenders about the Santeria altar that they must pay homage to before every shift.

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: (415) 386-5758
Address: 1801 Haight St
Directions: Haight Ashbury District near Golden Gate Park
Website: http://chachacha.citysearch.com/

Restaurant Name: Bean Bag cafe

This is a really cool, neighborhood coffee shop located just down the hil (on the Golden Gate Park side) of Alamo Square. The walls are sponge-painted and the paintings are French fakes, but nonetheless cool. Exposed brick walls, stools facing the windows and a sunny front room make it a great spot. We stopped in for a quick and cheap breakfast and were not disappointed.

Favorite Dish: They have good coffee, fresh squeezed juices and smoothies and a full sandwich, pasta and soup-filled menu. However, in the morning, it was all about the crepes. Good stuff.

Mon.-Fri. 7am-9pm, Sat. & Sun 8am-9pm

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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 415-563-3634
Address: 601 Divisadero Street
Directions: Alamo Square area on the corner of Divisadero and Hayes, across the street from The Justice League

Restaurant Name: Gordon Biersch Brewery

This is part of a national chain, but the headquarters is in nearby Palo Alto, so this area is its home.

Favorite Dish: Everything on the menu is designed to complement the beer which is brewed on site. The staff will help you pair your food choice with a great beer.

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Theme: Other