San Francisco Restaurant Tips by tinyvulture

Restaurant Name: La'zeez

We stumbled upon this Asian fusion restaurant our first night in town; it seems to be in kind of a bad area but it looks quite nice inside. There were only a couple of other diners in the restaurant, but the service was extremely slow. Also, when the bill came I was surprised to see that we were charged extra for the rice and the basket of bread that was brought to our table without us asking for it. It was just $5 extra so we did not make a big deal, but I have never experienced that before.

Favorite Dish: I had the baingan bartha (an Indian dish of spicy eggplant puree), my husband had a very hot Chinese chicken dish. These were both great, and there was a big selection of vegetarian dishes that all sounded good.

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Theme: Pan-Asian and Pacific Rim
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: 25 Mason Street
Directions: intersection of Market and Mason (in between 5th and 6th st)
Website: http://www.lazeezrestaurant.com

Restaurant Name: Steps of Rome Trattoria

Since there are so many Italian restaurants in the North Beach area, we just walked around and picked this one at random. This trattoria is a cute, small, cozy space not to be confused with the larger Steps of Rome down the block. The service was fast, and the food was great.

Favorite Dish: We had the caprese appetizer, and the tomatoes were very fresh. I had fusilli with eggplant and my husband chose one of the daily specials: fettucini with porcini mushrooms and truffles. We tasted each others dishes and everything was delicious.

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Theme: Italian
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: (415) 986-6480
Address: 362 Columbus Ave
Directions: North Beach
Website: http://www.stepsofrometrattoria.citysearch.com

Restaurant Name: Taqueria Can Cun

In one of the local papers I saw that this place was named Best Taqueria. Maybe we should have tried one of the other locations, because the vegi burrito I got was not the best of anything! The tortilla actually tasted sweet, like a donut. It was gross. Also a really dirty guy was walking from table to table demanding that someone buy some knick knacks he was carrying around, and nobody did anything to kick him out.

Favorite Dish: My husband enjoyed his chicken burrito just fine.

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Theme: Mexican
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: 1003 Market

Restaurant Name: Rasselas

This place was awesome! It is a jazz club in the evening, but we went before the music started and had a wonderful Ethiopian dinner. Our waitress was really helpful with letting us know what exactly was in the dishes.

Favorite Dish: I got the vegetarian sampler, which is a variety of vegi dishes served on injera, the Ethiopian bread that is spongy, kind of sour, really good! You break off pieces of injera and use it to scoop your food - no utensils. The sampler had a couple different kinds of lentils, some spinach, and a cabbage salad, all very spicy and tasty! My husband had tibs, which is spicy beef strips. Fight off the spiciness with some Harar beer, from Ethiopia as well.

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Theme: African
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 415-346-8696
Address: 1534 Fillmore
Website: http://www.rasselasjazzclub.com/

Restaurant Name: Mona Lisa

We stopped in here for lunch and had a basic cheese pizza and a bottle of Chianti. Friendly waiters, not too pricy. Oh and the ceiling looks cool, as you can sort of see in the pic.

Favorite Dish: The best thing was the "Sicilian candy." When we asked the waiter what it was he just started laughing and asked if we like garlic. We do, a lot, so he said it would be perfect. The "candy" turned out to be a big bowl of roasted garlic cloves! They are really good when you scoop them up on some chewy bread with a little olive oil. And you will not get really terrible garlic breath since the cloves are not raw.

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Theme: Italian
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: 353 Columbus @ Vallejo
Directions: North Beach

Restaurant Name: Ar Roi

There were 3 Thai restaurants right by my hotel, and this one had the most vegetarian options on their menu posted in the window. I'm glad I chose Ar Roi simply because of their tofu satay appetizer. Mmm! My main dish, a vegetable stir fry, was kind of average.

Favorite Dish: The tofu satay appetizer rules. The tofu is crispy on the outside and chewy inside, and the peanut sauce that you dip it in is the perfect complement. I wish I had just ordered another one of these and called it a meal :)

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Theme: Pan-Asian and Pacific Rim
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 415-771-5146
Address: 643 Post Street (at Taylor)

Restaurant Name: A La Turca

Very cheap and very good!

Favorite Dish: We started with a combo plate with hummus, baba ganoush, white beans, and grape leaves. Then I ordered a pie with cheese and mushrooms. It was only about $4 so I thought it would be small, but it was huge - too much for one person! But pretty tasty.

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Theme: Middle Eastern
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: 869 Geary St (at Larkin)

Restaurant Name: Greens

I was excited to eat at an all-vegetarian restaurant, but the entrees all seemed really expensive for what you get - and this was at lunchtime. I looked at the dinner menu and the prices were crazy. If you are rich, go here, but if you are a vegetarian in college and on a budget, you are better off going to an Indian buffet or something. I ended up ordering a $9 salad that was nothing special, and a glass of iced tea was $4.


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Theme: Vegan/Vegetarian
Comparison: more expensive than average

Address: Ft. Mason
Directions: Marina

Restaurant Name: Golden Gate Bakery

If you are walking around in Chinatown and you get hungry for a little snack or dessert, stop in here. They have so many kinds of sweets and pastries, you will be sure to find something to tempt your sweet tooth.

Favorite Dish: The macaroons were delicious.

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Theme: Bakery
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 415-781-2627
Address: 1029 Grant Ave.

Restaurant Name: Trattoria Volare

Nice location in North Beach with a view of Washington Square Park. Fast, friendly service. The prices were low compared to other restaurants in the same area, especially for the amount of food you get. Free bread and marinated olives come with your meal, and the portions are huge and hearty.

Favorite Dish: I had the Penne Sicilia with eggplant, tomato basil sauce, and ricotta cheese. My husband had the Linguine alla Palermo, with shrimp and scallops. Both dishes tasted fresh and tasty, rich but not too rich.

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Theme: Italian
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: (415) 362-2774
Address: 561 Columbus
Directions: on Columbus at Union St.
Website: http://www.volarecafe.com