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San Francisco Restaurants

China Live, San Francisco

Posted on May 8, 2017

Why did we dine here? – China Live is a $20 million Chinese food extravaganza from Chef George Chen and crew. (Shanghai 1930, Betelnut, etc) Very ambitious, this complex seeks to help put Chinatown back on the map along with Mister Jiu. Billed as an Eataly of Chinese Food, we were chomping at the bit to try it, but waited 3 weeks for things to settle down. The food was still marginal at that point. We returned about 2 months after it opened and found things a lot better. They focus on high quality ingredients: organic, local, etc…

Michael Bauer’s Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants 2017 Review

Posted on April 29, 2017

We review the San Francisco Master Foodie’s Michael Bauers Top 100 2017 list.

Aina’s Spam Musubi

Mensho Tokyo, San Francisco

Posted on March 20, 2017

Best Ramen in San Francisco. Why did we dine here? – Mensho Tokyo SF is first USA outpost of Mensho, an acclaimed Tokyo ramen chain. They have 7 locations in Tokyo and are usually on the short list for top ramen in Tokyo. We waited for the 2-hour lines to die down, before dining here.

Chili House, San Francisco

Posted on February 27, 2017

Hot Stuff! Why did we dine here? – Chili House is a Chinese restaurant in the SF Richmond district. It is special because in November 2015, Tong Gang Wang became the chef at Chili House. He has cooked for several Presidents in China. This is a sister restaurant to Z&Y Sichuan restaurant in SF’s Chinatown. With the new chef, there is more Beijing food on the menu, like hand-pulled noodles, Beijing pot stickers and lamb hot pot. This restaurant reminds us of China Village in Albany.

R & G Lounge Review, San Francisco

Posted on January 28, 2017

Best Authentic Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown. R & G Lounge is a popular Hong Kong style Cantonese Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. Since 1985 they have been serving top notch Chinese food in Chinatown.

Tartine Manufactory, San Francisco

Posted on January 23, 2017

Bread heaven! Why did we dine here? – Tartine Manufactory is Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt’s new bakery, ice cream shop, and restaurant. We love their bread, so we could not wait to try their sandwiches and desserts. This 5,000-square-foot restaurant is home to their bakery, so you can see them working their magic. They crank out a lot of bread than the old Tartine Bakery 18th street location, making it easier to score this fantastic bread. Bread from 10:30 until it is sold out.

Marnee Thai, San Francisco

Posted on January 1, 2017

Marnee Thai has been serving up Thai food since 1986 in San Francisco. They have 2 locations in San Francisco’s Sunset District. We were in the neighborhood and having not eaten here in a long time, decided to give them a try. Our last visit was in October 2017.

Mister Jiu’s, San Francisco

Posted on December 5, 2016

Why did we dine here? – Mister Jiu’s (Bar Agricole) is Brandon Jew’s long awaited Chinese restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown. He took years to remodel the old Four Seas restaurant and assemble a cast of pros (Pastry Chef Melissa Chou – Aziza) with solid pedigrees. It was at the top of our hit list, but we somehow managed to give them two weeks to get into their groove. Not a large restaurant, but a clean modern look with a large stenciled drawing on the wall. (It too 4 1/2 years to do) Initial reports from Yelp feel into the disappointing 3 star range.

Pancho Villa Taqueria, San Mateo

Posted on November 29, 2016

Restaurant.com sells discounted Certificates for this restaurant.

Akiko’s Restaurant, San Francisco

Posted on June 20, 2016

Why did we dine here? – Akiko’s Restaurant is a small Japanese restaurant that has been on our list for a while. They are known for serving fresh fish but now have a lots of competition from newcomers. (Kusakabe, Yoshizumi, Juni, An, etc) The restaurant is stealth, without a sign in the front. It is located below the irish bar sign. They had a chef change from Ricky Yap to Geoffrey Lee in 2014.

Beijing Restaurant, San Francisco

Posted on March 28, 2016

Beijing Restaurant San Francisco is a Beijing style Chinese restaurant in San Francisco’s Excelsior district that opened in early 2009. Located a couple blocks off Highway 280 near City College, this place has gotten lots of hype on Chowhound. It is a family owned place that focuses on authentic Beijing dishes. Basketball player Yao Ming had been here 2 days earlier to one of our visits. We dined here last in 2016 when we learned they have added a location in the South Bay.

Tartine Bakery, San Francisco

Posted on February 13, 2016

There always seems to be a line here! Tartine Bakery, San Francisco serves up legendary freshly baked bread every Tuesday through Sunday at 430 PM. After the Tartine Manufactory opened in 2016, bread is available all day. They are also know for their great pastries and sandwiches.

Kin Khao, San Francisco

Posted on February 1, 2016

Why did we dine here? – Excellent, Authentic Thai in San Francisco. Kin Khao means “to eat” or “let’s eat” in Thai. They received one Michelin star in 2016. We have thought about dining here for a while. It is run by the famous food blogger of Chez Pim – Pim Techamuanvivit, girlfriend of Manresa’s chef David Kinch. Kin Khao is located in the first floor of the Parc 55 hotel, so it gets a ton of tourists, lucky them! Be sure to enter on the Mason and Ellis door.

Champa Garden, San Francisco

Posted on January 14, 2016

Why did we dine here? – Champa Garden is a Thai restaurant not far from City College in San Francisco’s Ingleside district. The original location opened in Oakland in 2006 and is well loved. Our friends like this casual restaurant, so it was time to give it a try. Last to go visit was in early 2017.

Lavash, San Francisco

Posted on January 12, 2016

Lavash is a family owned upscale Persian restaurant in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset Irving Street district, that opened in late 2007. Mayor known for their Iranian food including fire grilled kabobs. This restaurant has gotten high reviews on Yelp. They use high quality ingredients including Niman Ranch meats. Our last visit was in September 2017.

Lers Ros Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on January 11, 2016

Why did we dine here? – Lers Ros is a popular Thai restaurant in San Francisco with a newly opened location in Hayes valley. We have never dined here previously, so it was a good excuse to check out the new location. Lers Ros means “excellent taste of the food” in Sanskrit. Tom Silargorn is the owner and chef. Michael Bauer has this restaurant in his top 100 Bay Area restaurants for 2012. This review is the culmination of two visits. The restaurant is extremely noisy during peek times and also cramped. Last visit was in 2017.

An Japanese, San Francisco

Posted on December 21, 2015

Why did we dine here? – An Japanese is a new Japanese Edomae-style Sushi restaurant in San Francisco’s Japantown, taking the place of crusty old Ino Sushi. It is run by the folks behind Koo in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset district. Hayakawa San and his wife run this small restaurant. Definitely and intimate affair here.

Hakka Restaurant, San Francisco

Posted on November 2, 2015

Hakka Restaurant SF is a family run Chinese restaurant in San Francisco’s Outer Richmond District that opened in early 2010. It has garnered some foodie attention on chowhound. While they serve a wide variety of Chinese dishes including Americanized standbys, they are known for their regional Chinese specialties. We returned for to go in late 2015.

Trestle, San Francisco

Posted on September 28, 2015

Why did we dine here? – Trestle is a small restaurant in San Francisco’s Jackson Square district. Their claim to fame
is a three course prix-fixe menu for $35 per person, with an option to add an additional pasta course for $10. $60 for bottles of wine! The team behind this popular restaurant also runs Stones Throw on Russian Hill and Fat Angel.

The Chairman Restaurant and Food Truck, San Francisco

Posted on August 10, 2015

The Chairman (Formerly Chairman Bao) is a San Francisco food truck that serves Chinese steamed and baked buns with a variety of fillings. These are offshots of Taiwanese Gua bao or bun sandwich. When we were in Taiwan, it was difficult to find this old school dish. Our only Gua bao was ironically at the ritz Shin Yeh, Taipei 101.

Kingdom of Dumpling, San Francisco

Posted on July 18, 2015

Why did we dine here? – Kingdom of Dumpling is a small Chinese restaurant specializing in dumplings. Being large dumpling fans, we decided to finally give this place a try. There are few restaurants with this variety of dumplings on the menu. The place has been featured on Check Please, so it has become busier over the years. Lots of to go orders. Our last visit was in July 2016.

Pabu, San Francisco

Posted on June 29, 2015

Why did we dine here? – Pabu is a Japanese Izakaya-style restaurant in San Francisco’s Financial District from Michael Mina in partnership with Chef Ken Tominaga.
The chef’s Hana restaurant in a Rohnert Park had garnered a local following including Mina. This is the first Japanese restaurant for Mina.

Espetus Churrascaria Restaurant Review

Posted on November 24, 2014

Espetus Churrascaria is a Brazilian steakhouse serving Rodizio style food. They focus on meats straight from the fire brought to your table, continuously through the meal! You can stop the meat parade by flipping the table card to red. They have a salad and hot plate bar with lots of different options including asparagus, bean salad, eggplant, rice, beans, cod, and much more. Do not eat too much of this stuff otherwise you wonder have room for all the meat. Vegetarians should stay away.
Espetus Churrascaria has locations in San Francisco and San Mateo. We tried the brand new San Mateo location for dinner. It is all you can eat, with lunch going for $25.95 with 7 meat options, $37.95 on weekends. Dinner is $54.95 with 14 meat options. Kids are 50% off. Our last visit was in the Summer of 2014.

Saison Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on September 1, 2014

Saison (French for “season”) is a Michelin starred restaurant in San Francisco that focuses on a singular 8 course prix fixe meal each evening using local, specifically identified, and sustainable ingredients.
This style considers different elements of the ingredients, incorporating influences from its native environment and leveraging primitive techniques like ember and ash cooking. They have two Michelin stars. Their sister restaurant is the more casual Angler.

Dumpling Kitchen Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on June 24, 2014

Why did we dine here? – Dumpling Kitchen is a Shanghai, Chinese restaurant in the outer Sunset of San Francisco. We are big dumpling fans, and heard that they had some worthy candidates. The person who runs this restaurant is the brother of a former owner of Shanghai Dumpling King. Last visit was in March 2015. This place is busy on the weekends.

Marlowe, San Francisco

Posted on June 17, 2014

Marlowe is a market driven neighborhood bistro near SF’s ATT park, they moved to the old Coco 500 location in 2014. Chef du Cuisine: Jennifer Puccio was formerly of restaurant Cortez. The focus here is on American comfort food. We decided to try this place because Michael Bauer raved about its burger. Our last visit was in February 2015. Marlowe’s sister restaurant is Park Tavern SF.

Roka Akor Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on January 27, 2014

Why did we dine here? – Roka Akor is a modern Japanese restaurant that opened in San Francisco in 2013. They have branches in Scottsdale, Arizona as well as Chicago and Old Orchard. This is an offshoot of the popular Roka in London.

The Cavalier Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on November 25, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Cavalier is a British style restaurant in downtown San Francisco from Anna Weinberg, James Nicholas and Chef Jennifer Puccio, owners of the restaurants Marlowe and Park Tavern. They’ve done a great job in the past, so it was time to give their latest venture a try. This restaurant is next door to the San Francisco Centre Shopping Complex, making it very convenient. Chef Puccio was present when we dined here for lunch. The interiors deep red color scheme with lots of conservative wood, sets the scene.

Turtle Tower Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on August 24, 2013

Turtle Tower moved to a new nicer location on 220 California street.

Why did we dine here? – Turtle Tower is a popular Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco with several locations. Hà Nội Style Vietnamese Cuisine is their focus. We dined at the original, located in the heart of the gritty Tenderloin District of San Francisco. It moved down the block and reopened in June 2013 and added banh mi sandwiches. Our last visit was in February 2014.

Coqueta Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on July 29, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Coqueta (Spanish for flirt or infatuation) is a new restaurant from Michael Chiarello of Bottega, Napastyle fame.
This time he focuses on Spain’s signature ‘small plates’ from Madrid, Catalonia, the Basque Country and beyond. We loved Bottega so giving this
place a try was a no brainer. They are located a couple piers down from the Ferry Building. Take a walk after dinner and burn off the calories.

Yemeni’s Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on July 1, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Yemeni’s Restaurant happened to be located in an area of San Francisco that we were in. A quick Yelp search uncovered this restaurant. There was a TV playing Middle Eastern music videos blaring in the background, along with a mostly Middle Eastern crowd. Being adventurous, we decided to give it a go.

Fifth Floor Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on May 27, 2013

Fifth floor is a restaurant in the SF Downtown Hotel Palomar, and has been around for ages and seen many a top chef come and move on. (George Morrone, Melissa Perrello, etc) We haven’t been back in many years, so it was time to refresh our memory. Our last visit was in April 2013.

Shanghai Dumpling King, San Francisco

Posted on April 17, 2013

Best xiao long bao in San Francisco?

Shanghai Dumpling King is a Shanghainese Chinese restaurant in San Francisco’s outer Richmond district. It was recently featured on Check Please. They have a weekday lunch rice plate special menu. Our latest visit was in 2013, after 4 years. We were in search of the best Shanghai steamed dumplings in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Outerlands Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on April 15, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Outerlands has established the outer sunset into a foodie destination. No reservations, so there is a line out the door before the place opens. Lana Porcello and David Muller have created an oasis in this cold drab, often foggy part of town where the Muni Metro clanks through every couple minutes. We came for lunch and waited 20 minutes. On another occasion we had dinner.

Lolinda Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on April 10, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Lolinda is a new Argentinean steakhouse that combines latin american flavors with Californian sensibilities. This Mission district restaurant is by the Beretta & Starbelly team. They focus on a lots of meat dishes in the small tapas format for sharing.

Capo’s Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on April 8, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Capo’s is owned by Tony of Tony’s Pizza fame. We had to give his new place a try, being big pizza and Italian fans. This place transports you back to the old days with red leather booths, exposed brick, and old school antiques.
Cash Only.

Pizzetta 211 Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on April 5, 2013

Pizzetta 211 is a small but cozy 4 table, 4 seat counter restaurant in San Francisco’s Richmond district. We first dined there in 2008 and finally returned in April 2013.

Osha Thai Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on April 4, 2013

Osha Thai is a popular Thai restaurant in San Francisco that has grown to seven locations and was started in 1996 by sisters Wassana Korkhieola and Lalita Souksamlane. Osha means delicious in Thai. We visited the third Street location near Moscone Center. They focus on fresh, seasonal, local ingredients while serving both traditional Thai cuisine and modern interpretations. Our last visit was in April 2013 where we saw quality had fallen off. Be sure to try Kin Khao.

Memphis Minnie’s Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on January 17, 2013

Memphis Minnie’s is one of the best barbecue places in San Francisco. It is located in the colorful lower Haight district. They specialize in slowly smoking meats from 4 to 18 hours over white oak logs. Memphis Minnie’s prides themselves in cooking items from scratch. They have BBQ plates, sandwiches, burgers, and even catfish. Our last visit was in April 2013.

Alexander’s Steakhouse Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on January 16, 2013

Alexander’s Steakhouse is a modern high end steak restaurant that opened Early September 2010 in the South of market (SOMA) area of San Francisco. Their other location in Cupertino, just off highway 280, has been serving top notch steaks since 2005. On our last visit during the pandemic, we ate outside at the Cupertino location. They feature 28-day aged Certified USDA prime Angus steaks while the Palo Alto location uses USDA Choice Grade meat. (Top 1% of beef)

Cat Heads BBQ Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on November 28, 2012

Why did we dine here? – Cat Heads BBQ was a pop-up that has morphed into a permanent restaurant in the former Big Nate’s BBQ location. We are being BBQ fans, always on the lookout for new openings.

New Michelin Guide San Francisco 2013

Posted on October 24, 2012

New 2013 Foodie bible Michelin San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country Restaurants 2013 was just released. Less than $12 at Amazon.

25 Lusk – Twenty Five Lusk Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on August 22, 2012

Twenty Five Lusk – 25 Lusk is a long-awaited and hot restaurant from an All-Star team that opened in the middle of October, 2010. Tucked away in an alley, this place will draw much walk-in traffic! They serve “sophisticated, contemporary, approachable fine dining specializing in neoclassical-influenced cuisine”, which probably means locally inspired California cuisine. Our last visit was in 2012.

A16 Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on August 21, 2012

Opened in 2004, A16 has since been present on many top Italian restaurant lists. It is a very popular restaurant in the Marina district, with prime time reservations needing to be booked a week or two in advance. This restaurant is serious about wine and pairing. Our last visit was in the summer of 2012.

Amber India Restaurant Review, Mountain View

Posted on August 13, 2012

Mountain View

Bar Tartine Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on April 25, 2012

Why did we dine here? – Bar Tartine has been on our hit list ever since Mr. Bauer extolled the virtues of this restaurant a couple weeks back. We are big fans of the sister location, Tartine Bakery. There haven’t been many new Hungarian, Eastern European restaurants lately, so this was a refreshing change of pace from another California cuisine restaurant. Chef Nicolaus Balla took over in January 2011 and has moved Bar Tartine forward. The restaurant is loud and interior decor rough, but the food is exciting.

Aziza Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on April 4, 2012

Aziza is a former one Michelin star restaurant in San Francisco’s sleepy Richmond district run by executive chef Mourad Lahlou. They focus on organic, local, and sustainable ingredients. His modern reinventions of traditional Moroccan dishes has garnered him much acclaim. We first dined here in 2012 and have been to his now closed restaurant Mourad.

Sons and Daughters Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on March 21, 2012

Sons and Daughters is a One Michelin star restaurant run by young chef/owners Matt McNamara and Teague Moriarty. (Gregoire) They have a 1 acre garden in Los Gatos that yields fresh produce and herbs.

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