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The most diverse neighborhood in San Francisco not surprisingly also has the most eclectic dining scene. Surrounded by nightlife and bustling activity, Mission dining is both comfortable and hip with ultra-chic (but approachable) restaurants like Foreign Cinema and late-night taquerias filled with the sound of ranchero music. Standouts in the Mission are hard to pare down because of the variety, but for the sake of an overview, Medjool is the spot for Mediterranean tapas and the best roof bar in the area (with views of downtown), Blue Plate, is the place for inventive American cuisine served on a patio dripping with night-blooming jasmine and the sound of fountains. Delfina is the place for a deep wine list and thoughtful Italian fusion cuisine (plus wood-fired pizzas for taking away to snack on in Dolores Park) while Limón is the spot for Peruvian fare.
2832 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110; Tel. 1.866.407.1941
Finest Basque & Spanish Comfort Foods in the City
Step inside the family owned and operated Cafe Arguello in the Mission District for a terrific traditional Basque and Spanish dining experience.
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288 Connecticut Street, San Francisco CA 94107
One of San Francisco's "rising star chefs" (San Francisco Chronicle 2005), David Bazrigan, creates a menu inspired by French Mediterranean and Moroccan fare. Baraka brings energy and flavor to comfy Potrero Hill. The restaurant's menu features small and large plates to share; try the warm pistachio crusted goat cheese with onion jam and honey or the Dungeness crab cake with harissa hollandaise. House specialties include a seafood paella with mussels, clams, prawns, salmon, chorizo and saffron rice and a lamb tagine with prunes, marcona almonds, chick peas, and couscous.
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Chow
215 Church St. San Francisco, CA 94114
Chow restaurant, which now has three locations in the Bay Area, has hit on a winning combination with high-quality comfort food, great prices, and a casual, friendly setting. The original on Church Street offers hard to resist dishes like meat loaf, Thai noodles, pizza, and steamed mussels.
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Delfina
3621 18th St. San Francisco, CA 94110; Tel. 415.552.4055
When it opened in 1988, Delfina was supposed to be a low-key neighborhood restaurant. But the quality of the food and cozy appeal of the dining room has made it one of San Francisco's most celebrated restaurants. The rustic Italian food at this always-crowded restaurant manages to be both simple and extravagantly good at the same time. Now the restaurant runs an equally popular pizzeria next door.
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2534 Mission (at 21st St.), San Francisco CA 94110
Seafood. A spot of artsy urban chic in the Mission District, Foreign Cinema is an industrial space with exposed brick walls and high iron-beam ceilings, perfect for projecting the night's foreign film. With fresh oysters from the Oyster Bar and an international menu of approachable new favorites, Foreign Cinema is one of San Francisco's most beloved restaurants. The adjoining Laszlo Bar is a hip spot for a Brazilian caipirinha.
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1469 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94107
Located at the top of Potrero Hill, this groovy restaurant and lounge feels like a tropical oasis in the city. Executive Chef Ann Thephakay blends the freshest local ingredients with traditional spices to create delicious, contemporary Thai cuisine. Lingba also features unique tropical cocktails and nightly DJs, to a backdrop of palm trees and hanging plants. (Description provided by Opentable.com)
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524 Valencia St. San Francisco, CA
Limon has been wowing diners with its inventive California-inspired Peruvian food since it opened several years ago. Now located in a bigger, more stylish location in Valencia Street, Limon still packs them in with its excellent ceviches, fried chicken, and braised scallops, calamari, shrimp, mussels, clams served with diced potatoes in a Peruvian adresso cream sauce.
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2522 Mission Street, San Francisco CA 94110
You would never guess that this hip and seductive restaurant was once in the no man's land of San Francisco's Mission District. Medjool is just one of the restaurants helping to revitalize the area. A swank and sexy bar gives way to a crowded dining room handing out Italian, French, Spanish, Moroccan, Tunisian and Middle Eastern small plates to share with your companions. Options range from a Middle Eastern mezze plate featuring hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh; to the Tunisian tombo tuna with egg briouats. A separate cafe menu serves food all day long. You can come to the Medjool restaurant for an espresso and an omelette in the morning or a panini at lunch. You can even take a dip in the pool or stay the night if you stay at the hostel upstairs.
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842 Valencia St. San Francisco, CA 94110
Range restaurant seems to have it all—cool, stylish interior, great prices and a superb, ever-changing menu. The menu features seasonal contemporary cuisine with appetizers such as marinated fennel with roasted peaches and chevre and raw albacore, watermelon, avocado and Hawaiian salt. Entrées include halibut with braised artichokes, almonds, and cooked egg tartar sauce. A selection of eclectic wines and specialty cocktails flow from the striking bar.
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More Mission District Restaurants |
Aperto
1434 18th St. on Potrero Hill. Tel. 415.252.1625.
A smart and always crowded neighborhood bistro that showcases voluptuous pastas, slow-cooked seafood creations and rustically Italian-style salads. The food of the season inspires this kitchen , like arugula and asparagus salads, penned with porcini, shiitake and winter wild mushrooms, amazing squash soups, baked polenta slathered with gorgonzola, mascarpone, pecorino and assorted greens. All the food, every bit of it, is loaded with fresh flavor—and so is the eclectic wine list. Stellar service—make reservations. |
Bitterroot
3122 16th St., between Valencia and Guerrero. Tel. 415.626.5523
Down-home American comfort food such as pork sandwiches, big burgers, fried chicken, scones, French toast and, of course, biscuits and gravy. |
Blowfish
2170 Bryant in the Mission. Tel. 415.285.3848
The sushi here is fresh and artful; try the briefly deep-fried Ritsu roll. Other nonsushi dishes are not necessarily of the same quality, but the hip atmosphere is a hit for groups. |
Bombay Ice Creamery
552 Valencia in the Mission. Tel. 415.431.1103
$. The kulfi is a concoction which must be tried, but the made-on-premises ice creams are the delicate backbone of the B., in such flavors as fig and rose. |
Caffe Ponte Vecchio
1136 Valencia. Tel. 415.206.9677
$. The Mission is sprouting little Italian restaurants at an increasing rate. Caffe Ponte Vecchio is the newest and the cheapest, and some dishes here, like the individual casserole-baked lasagna, are splendid. |
Cha Cha Cha
2327 Mission, Tel. 415.648.0504
$$ Bold pan-Latin. The flavors are simple and bright, in interesting combinations. Full service bar at Mission location. |
Elephant Bleu
3232 16th Street. Tel. 415.553.6062
This new place has yet to find a groove, but meanwhile it's serving huge, delicious soups at rock-bottom prices. The space is small yet airy, but the music can be annoying. |
Eliza's
1457 18th St. Tel. 415.648.9999; 2877 California. Tel. 415.621.4819
$$. A California kind of Hunan restaurant, and while the food certainly deserves the imperial designation, the atmosphere doesn't. |
Firecracker
1007 Valencia St. at 21st in the Mission district. Tel. 415.642.3470
$. Contemporary northern Chinese cuisine in a beautiful and intimate setting laced with red-beaded lights and old photos. The menu features many spicy dishes and rarities that show a respect for tradition without following the pack. A neighborhood crowd of regulars keeps Firecracker popping. |
Herbivore
983 Valencia St., between 20th and 21st Sts. Tel. 415.826.5657
Tasty vegan cuisine in a colorful, attractive environment. This Mission District dining room serves California staples like organic produce and fresh juices, along with Middle Eastern and Indian dishes like kebabs, bread with zahatar spice and curried vegetables over brown or white rice. |
Jay's Cheesesteak
Mission, 3285 21st St. Tel. 415.285.5200;
$. As the name implies, Jay's serves cheesesteaks, both traditional and vegetarian (seitan) varieties—lovingly prepared, filling and juicy. Sirron Norris's artwork adds bouyancy and color to an otherwise simple decor. |
La Rondalla
901 Valencia St. Tel. 415.647.7474
A bona fide Mission District classic with live music later in the evening, the bustling La Rondalla serves the first-rate, authentic Mexican fare you'd expect in a neighborhood like this. Recommended dishes include burritos, huevos rancheros, pozole, and beef tongue in tomato sauce. |
La Traviata
2854 Mission St. at 24th St. Tel. 415.282.0500
This ode-to-everything-opera is a small family-owned restaurant where the waiters speak Italian, the bread is baked in the kitchen, the pasta's al dente, and the sauces and entrees are as rich as the opera music playing overhead. |
Slow Club
2501 Mariposa St. San Francisco, CA; Tel. 415.241.9390
The Slow Club has always been something of a local secret. Located in Multimedia Gulch, the Slow Club oozes urban cool. More than a decade after it opened, the place is still hip and sexy. The casual, yet refined décor and moody lighting are the perfect setting for the restaurant's top-notch American and Mediterranean comfort food. The dinner menu easily fits on one page, with eight appetizers and six main courses, including the popular burger. The bar is a scene all its own. |
Sunflower Authentic Vietnamese Restaurant
506 Valencia at 16th St. Tel. 415.626.5022
Sunflower Authentic Vietnamese Restaurant offers a heavier interpretation of Vietnamese cuisine that is rich and grabbing despite its occasionally greasy undertones. The mint and spinach imperial rolls, a staple of Vietnamese cuisine, are light and enjoyable here, with split prawns to provide depth to the cellophane- bound appetizer. Try it before or after a night at the Roxy. |
Thanya & Salee
1469 18th Street. Tel. 415.647.6469
Sunny and airy, decorated with orchids and tropical fish tanks, Thanya & Salee serves well-seasoned, flavorful dishes. The curry queen and Phad Thai dishes are highly recommended. Partners in spice with the next-door Lingba Lounge. |
Universal Café
2814 19th, between Bryant and Harrison. Tel. 415.821.4608
A tiny café amidst the Mission's warehouses serves up some of the city's most memorable food in an eye-catching, stark industrial setting. The menu courts locals with confident Mediterranean flavors like truffles, bold cheeses and robust Spanish riojas. Standouts on our last visit included the beet salad and grilled flat bread covered with assorted toppings. Vegetarian friendly. |
Woodward's Garden
1700 Mission. Tel. 415.621.7122
$$$. Ignore the tiny room's often smothering heat from the oven, and the roar of the freeway just a few paces away, and sink into the Garden's wonderful, creative food. It's worth a little discomfort. |
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