Where to eat in SF?

Americas - USA West San Francisco Bay Area
149

Does Californios offer pre-dinner cocktails? I have apparently been a fool in not ordering those if so, haha. They usually bring me a cold brewed coffee after my meal, which is usually necessary.

Personally, I enjoy paying my bills at Saison and Californios. I think extreme talent and hard work deserves a reward. I feel more than happy to give them every penny. OTOH, I feel gypped when I eat somewhere that costs merely $100/pp and the food is mediocre. Just personal preference I suppose, but I sort of feel that it’s a bad sign if one feels ill when paying the bill after dinner;.

shrugs

Anything else in SF worth eating at these days that isn’t Japanese?

150

No, there’s nothing worth eating in SF except Michelin tasting-menu places and Japanese restaurants.

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151

Yeah figures

152

Hi All,

Need a suggestion for Sunday dinner. Sadly many of the recommendations everyone’s listed are

Closed on Sundays:

La Ciccia :sob:
Acquerello
Sorrel
Lazy Bear
Cotogna (Sunday Supper - limited menu only)
Cockscomb
Perbacco
Barbacco
Khai
Bellota
Quince
Benu (although we’ve been already.)
Liholiho Yacht Club

I see that…

  • Uma Casa
  • Monsieur Benjamin
  • Avery

Are open Sundays. But I’m not really feeling the French angle on Benjamin, but if it’s great we don’t mind trying it.

Any recommendations from those 3 or others perhaps?

Thanks in advance! (@ipsedixit @robert @BradFord @beefnoguy @PorkyBelly and All)

153

I’ve never heard of this place but the menu sounds good and it’s open on Sunday.

https://www.sevenhillssf.com/

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154

Angler
Zuni
Avery (previously rtb fillmore)

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155

I’ve had solid meals at Seven Hills. It’s a neighborhood place for me so I’m slightly biased by the convenience factor, but friends have liked the pastas there. Incidentally, some acquaintances in London always visit it on travels to SF as well. I’m not a huge ice cream guy but friends like visiting the old school Swensen’s Ice Cream (in walking distance) for dessert.

In Situ is also open Sunday, with good availability and the menu’s changed up a little - my experience depends on the actual rotation of dishes of course, so I can’t opine on the current lineup of dishes but it’s pretty easy to get into.

Nearby In Situ is also Mourad - I’d go only for the Moroccan dinners (instead of the a la carte or tasting) if I had a group of 3+; portions are big.

Avery is solid and friends and dates have always loved it, particularly the supplements of wagyu and caviar but the price gets up there all-in, plus I’m a little bit staying away from fine dining after my Nordic trip but it’s always served me well. I know some have had mixed experiences but mine have always been strong.

Monsieur Benjamin is good if a little sterile - strong execution but in terms of pure deliciousness and that hearty meal I associate with Sunday evenings, it’s not a first choice. Solid brunch on Saturday dates (not the French toast, but rather for frog legs, oysters, and a tartare) before ice cream at Smitten.

Z&Y (Sichuan and Northern Chinese) - long waits but good. Haven’t been in a while because it’s so busy, but friends have liked it recently.

Angler yes if you order right, or else it can get fairly expensive. I wouldn’t think of it as Saison-lite, but rather focus on the raw bar, maybe a bigeye tuna tartare, and I’ve heard good things about the whole fish. I need to revisit to do just that.

Zuni is a solid all-day option; some oysters, a Caesar, and some blanc de blancs to wash that down while you wait for the chicken to split. It’s not a destination but rather a good institution that’s a reliable all-rounder, especially for mid-day hours when not much else is around.

Hope you have a good time in SF!

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156

Thanks @BradFord @PorkyBelly. :slight_smile:

I might give Angler a try (obviously we love Saison, but I was hesitant since if the Raw Bar is one of its strengths and we have great offerings with Michael Cimarusti at Connie & Ted’s in So Cal, then it feels like there’s less reason to try now). But I’ll look back at the visits you both had and see what to get.

In Situ - We were thinking of a lunch perhaps, but maybe I’ll shift some things around and just move to Sunday dinner instead.

Wasn’t sure if Zuni was destination-worthy, but I’ve always heard it’s consistently “good / solid” so maybe we’ll just end up there. Thanks.

For Avery, would you still go if the extended Tasting Menu wasn’t available? Right now it looks like they only have the short / basic Tasting Menu option on the day I was looking at.

157

This Sunday? Prime rib at Cockscomb.

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158

I think this is spot on. Their famous chicken is indeed delicious and moist. Excellent french fries. But not somewhere I’d seek out but would be happy if we ended up eating there.

We really like Delfina. They have a Sunday supper so you cannot get the regular menu. We’ve had only excellent meals at Delfina. Bonus for being on the same block as Tartine and Bi-Rite (I don’t like the texture at Bi-Rite) but an easy way to bang bang.

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159

I like Monsieur Benjamin a lot myself

I went to Seven Hills once and unfortunately it was just ok to me that one dinner visit. Not bad, but not spectacular for me.

The Progress is open on Sunday, as are Mourad as others have already suggested, Sons & Daughters, Campton Place, Keiko a Nob Hill (nice place but my last visit wasn’t as spot on, hopefully it was a one time thing), Spruce, A16 SF (and SPQR), Chapeau to name a few.

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160

Thanks @robert. Unfortunately not this Sunday.

161

How about a relaxed place for Sunday branch in San Francisco or Oakland?

162

Thanks @js76wisco. I’ll keep it in mind. Looking at Delfina, you’re talking about the restaurant right? Not the Pizzeria?

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sushi yoshizumi

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164

What I heard about Angler is that the vegetable dishes are the star. Still haven’t been.

Zuni’s great in the old-school Chez Panisse way, sort of like Osteria Mozza or the late Campanile in LA. It’s one of my favorite places for birthday / anniversary celebrations.

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165

Cockscomb is doing prime rib the last Sunday of every month.

Cotogna also does a special Sunday supper.

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166

Thanks Robert. Yah, if I was going to Cotogna I wouldn’t want to do a limited Sunday supper (rather try their full menu), so maybe we’ll just do a lunch there or alternate day. Cockscomb wouldn’t work as our visit won’t be the last Sunday of the month. Thanks.

167

Thanks @beefnoguy! We’ve been to Progress before, but good to know. Mourad unfortunately we don’t have a large group (been wanting to try that large format dinner one of these days). I’ll look at the menu of those other places. Thanks.

168

Yes the restaurant not the pizzeria. The pizzeria is delicious as well but we have good neopolitan pizza in LA.

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