1st time in SF - cheap local suggestions -

[edpauker]

It's my first time in SF, and I'll be staying near Union Square. I'll be in on the weekend mostly, and will be on a budget. Still, I want to try some SF chow, some things I can't get on the east coast. Please let me know of some places that'll have unforgettable local chow with loads of atmosphere.

[NVNVGirl]

Personally I love North Beach...anywhere....lots of inexpensive places for incredible Italian food. One of my very favorites is Capps Corner...very casual and great food. LOTS of SF atmosphere! Plus everything else is very close. Moose's, Venticello, Little City, and there's always The Stinking Rose which is pretty touristy, but the food is great and fun atmosphere. And check out Rose Pistolas...at least the bar...such a great place; named after such a wonderful woman.

[Gary Soup]

I don't know how tight your budget is, or how much atmosphere you really want, but here are a couple of suggestions for rock-bottom priced good eats along with more atmosphere than you may want.

Not far from Union Square, but in the Tenderloin, is an area that has been dubbed the "Tandoor-loin" by local foodies for its profusion of cheap, tasty Pakistani-South Indian eateries. There's plenty of info in this article:

The Tandoor-loin

A little further west are two Vietnamese Sandwich (Banh Mi) carry-outs that have possibly the finest Banh Mi you'll find in the US, for $2.00-$2.50 per sandwich:

Saigon Sandwich, 650 Larkin Street

Wrap Delight, 426 Larkin Street

Saigon Sandwich has been doing its thing for 15 years; Wrap Delight is a recent startup by a woman who formerly worked at Saigon Sandwich. If anything, WD is even better than than the original joint, but is only open on weekdays. Saigon Sandwich is open 7 days a week.

Not in the Tenderloin, but on an equally seedy block of Market St. (near 6th) is Taqueria Cancun, a hole-in-the wall that produces excellent San Francisco-style burritos.

I'll let others chime in and slide you up the economic scale from these per-diem savers!

BTW, I used to have a buddy named Jimmy Parker whose family name was Pauker. He was related to the famous Anna Pauker (one-time head of the Roumanian Communist Party). Are you from the same clan?

[Stone]

I think one of the best SF eating experiences is Zuni Cafe, on Market St. (near Gough). The oysters are the best in the city and they make an amazing roast chicken over bread salad. Other stuff I've had there can be less than spectacular, but always very good. And I love the atmosphere. It's not cheap, but it's very reasonable.

Funny, I'm trying to think of less-expensive places for "California" cuisine in the city, and I'm drawing a blank.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Without starting Burrito Wars, no trip to SF is complete without at least one burrito. Everyone has his own favorite, but we like the Pancho Villa/El Toro/Zapata group.

I second Stone's rec for Zuni, and mention Lulu, also one of the early Cal/Med kitchens.

[MatthewB]

I'd also recommend Zuni--great food at a very reasonable price point.

How about some of the French bistros? Amanda Hesser's NYT piece from last December.

We had good meals at both Bizou & Chez Papa.

Also there's a little Vietnamese place with excellent pho on a sidestreet in Chinatown. (Can't remember the name though.)

[Stone]

If you want real cheap chow, you can go to Tu Lan for excellent Vietnamese food. 6th & Market. Just remember to stay low and keep moving.

[megc]

Minami at 20th and Clement makes tasty and cheap sushi (like $2.25 a roll sushi). It's a tiny place and they are very nice people there.

Mom is Cooking in the Excelsior is also fun for Mexican food (I think it's on Geneva). Get the boquitos if you go. I like Pancho Villa, too.

Oh and Ti Couz on Valencia at 17th is great! Breton crepes etc.

AND, I think Green's for Sunday Brunch is quite a good deal.

How I miss San Francisco.

[tanabutler]

Ed, if it's not too late, you can get awesome hotel discounts via HotelRes.com. I've been using them for years. They're the best online.

[mixmaster b]

If you want real cheap chow, you can go to Tu Lan for excellent Vietnamese food.  6th & Market.  Just remember to stay low and keep moving.

Good advice on all counts. It is a little scary but worth it if you are brave.

If you go there you have to have the fried noodle dish with veggies on top. Soooo Good.

I have said it a few times before, but Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store Columbus and Union) is yummy, fun and cheap. A real find in North Beach, which can be touristy. (Rose Pistola is great but can be spendy.)

Watch out around Union Square, as that also features many tourist spots. (A decent standby, if it is close to your hotel, is Kuleto's on Powell. Sit at the bar and have some appetizers and drinks.) You can walk to SoMa (South of Market)--go down 4th or 5th, to Folsom/Harrison etc. That is where Lulu's is. I lived down there years ago, and a bunch of wothy places have opened since I left.

In general if you avoid Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, Union Street, and be wary in North Beach, you will do well in SF, as the general level of food is really high. (Lots of places close early, though.) Neighborhoods like the Mission, Potrero Hill, SoMa, and Chinatown have many great options.

This is lifted from another thread, but seems like great advice from Tanabutler:

Another recommendation is to swing by the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market building and go inside. Grab some Red Hawk cheese from Cowgirl Creamery, and a long sourdough bagette at the Acme Bread stall next door. The McEvoy olive oil is fantastic—it's got a hint of wheatgrass flavor in it. Maybe get some of that, too. (You'll take most of it home.) Then get some of the little 5 gram chocolate bars (bittersweet is my favorite, much better than semisweet) from Scharffen Berger. Stop at Peet's and get an iced jasmine tea, and if you got olive oil, ask for an extra paper cup.

Stroll outside, find a bench, and tear off a hunk of bread. Slather it with the soft Red Hawk cheese. Tear the top half of the paper cup off and pour in a little olive oil. Bread/cheese, bread/oil until the bread is gone. Sip tea. Watch boats. Nibble chocolate.

Life is good.

Seriously, go see the building, if nothing else. It's a true foodie's mecca, and is done on an awesome scale. The food-inspired mosaics that adorn each pillar are lovely—olives, grapes, cows, crabs, etc.

[elyse]

I have to give my rec for burritos. La Cumbre all the way. On Valencia, off 16th. Fabulously cooked beef. I didn't muck it up with beans and rice. TOO much filler.

[aprilmei]

Yeah, La Cumbre is good - or was when I lived in SF. Ask for whole beans, not the re-fried beans (it's a little lighter).

Also, (question for San Franciscans) is Taqueria San Jose still there, near the corner of Valencia (I think?) and 24th?? Fabulous tacos. They have lengua (tongue) and cabeza (head) - very yummy. The carne asada and carnitas are also good. Just meat and tortilla, nothing else - you add the salsas at the table.

[Gary Soup]

Also, (question for San Franciscans) is Taqueria San Jose still there, near the corner of Valencia (I think?) and 24th?? Fabulous tacos. They have lengua (tongue) and cabeza (head) - very yummy. The carne asada and carnitas are also good. Just meat and tortilla, nothing else - you add the salsas at the table.

Taqueria San Jose is on Mission, not Valencia, nr. 24th. They also have branches at Mission & 16th or thereabouts, and at Mason and Francisco nr. Fishermans Wharf. I like their al pastor burritos.

[tanabutler]

What a happy coincidence. The cover story in the SF Chronicle's Sunday magazine section today is Bargain Bites: "Where we demonstrate that eating out doesn't have to put you in the poor house."

It's divided into areas, and here is the San Francisco list.

Make sure to check out the photos.

Edited: Ed, there is a map online, too. San Francisco bargain bites

I am happy to note that they included "Tres Amigos" in Half Moon Bay. Their roasted chicken burrito is one of the best I've ever had. Big as a baby's leg, but spicier.

Edited September 29, 2003 by tanabutler (log)

[mixmaster b]

What a happy coincidence. The cover story in the SF Chronicle's Sunday magazine section today is Bargain Bites: "Where we demonstrate that eating out doesn't have to put you in the poor house."

That article is amazing! Makes me want to move back to SF.

Of all the places, I have eaten at only 2: Thep Phenom and Ti Couz. Both are fabulous, and good values.

Thanks for that link, tb!!!

[grayelf]

What a happy coincidence. The cover story in the SF Chronicle's Sunday magazine section today is Bargain Bites: "Where we demonstrate that eating out doesn't have to put you in the poor house."

That article is amazing! Makes me want to move back to SF.

Of all the places, I have eaten at only 2: Thep Phenom and Ti Couz. Both are fabulous, and good values.

Thanks for that link, tb!!!

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Thought I'd bump this thread, as we're heading to SF for our second visit in early November. I've gotten some great feedback elsewhere on higher end "nicer" places to dine but the SF Chronicle article above is also hitting me where I live... cheap and cheerful snacks!

Any updates, closures, new spots or other suggestions? We'll be staying at Bush and Powell but visiting relatives in the Mission and ready to walk/transit/cab around your very fair city.

PS We're especially keen on "real" Mexican which to us means tacos that are just two wee corn tortillas, some pastor preferably freshly sliced off the slowly turning upright spit, cilantro and onions with multiple add-your-own salsas and the like. Vancouver is sadly lacking in such places, and even the best one doesn't hold a candle to my memories of eating same in D.F.

[Special K]

"Stroll outside, find a bench, and tear off a hunk of bread. Slather it with the soft Red Hawk cheese. Tear the top half of the paper cup off and pour in a little olive oil. Bread/cheese, bread/oil until the bread is gone. Sip tea. Watch boats. Nibble chocolate.

Life is good.

Seriously, go see the building, if nothing else. It's a true foodie's mecca, and is done on an awesome scale. The food-inspired mosaics that adorn each pillar are lovely—olives, grapes, cows, crabs, etc."

This is exactly what we did a couple of months ago. It doesn't get any better.

[CaliPoutine]

What a happy coincidence. The cover story in the SF Chronicle's Sunday magazine section today is Bargain Bites: "Where we demonstrate that eating out doesn't have to put you in the poor house."

That article is amazing! Makes me want to move back to SF.

Of all the places, I have eaten at only 2: Thep Phenom and Ti Couz. Both are fabulous, and good values.

Thanks for that link, tb!!!

←

Thought I'd bump this thread, as we're heading to SF for our second visit in early November. I've gotten some great feedback elsewhere on higher end "nicer" places to dine but the SF Chronicle article above is also hitting me where I live... cheap and cheerful snacks!

Any updates, closures, new spots or other suggestions? We'll be staying at Bush and Powell but visiting relatives in the Mission and ready to walk/transit/cab around your very fair city.

PS We're especially keen on "real" Mexican which to us means tacos that are just two wee corn tortillas, some pastor preferably freshly sliced off the slowly turning upright spit, cilantro and onions with multiple add-your-own salsas and the like. Vancouver is sadly lacking in such places, and even the best one doesn't hold a candle to my memories of eating same in D.F.

←

We were in SF a few weeks ago and we stuck to budget friendly places. We had great burritos/taco's at la taquria castro. 18th and Noe. Its pretty close to the mission. I checked burritoeater.com before going to SF to find the highest rated places.

Oh and if you like ice cream, you must hit Bi-Rite creamery. Its in the Mission as well, and it was so fabulous we went back the next day.

[Swicks]

I'll definitely second Saigon Sandwiches.

I like Yuet Lee for greasy late night chineese.

Kuleto's is not bad.

[alanamoana]

delicious al pastor at "el farolito" in the mission on mission @ 24th?! or thereabouts. right by the bart station...hole in the wall. i usually get a burrito al pastor, but i'm sure they do tacos as well.

[grayelf]

Thanks for your replies -- I thought I was tracking this thread but didn't get them till just now. I will save them though as we are hoping to visit SF again in the spring. In the meantime, if you have a few minutes, here's where we ended up going.

Edited November 25, 2007 by grayelf (log)

[daivmon]

Another great little place downtown is Tommy's Joynt located at 1101 Geary Blvd. (at Van Ness Avenue); 415-775-4216. You can get a hand-carved turkey served on a warm sourdough roll, whenever I go I get the Buffalo Stew.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object.cgi?o...09/28&type=food

enjoy

Daiv

[Carolyn Tillie]

Another great little place downtown is Tommy's Joynt located at 1101 Geary Blvd. (at Van Ness Avenue); 415-775-4216.  You can get a hand-carved turkey served on a warm sourdough roll, whenever I go I get the Buffalo Stew. 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object.cgi?o...09/28&type=food

enjoy

Daiv

←

My first visit to Tommy's Joynt was mediocre at best. After that, it went down hill... I have also heard *numerous* reports of cleanliness issues in the back which would keep me from eater there again!

[gfron1]

I'm here right now and looking for anything near Moscone (I know, nothing will be near here, but we don't mind walking or public transporting).

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I'm here right now and looking for anything near Moscone (I know, nothing will be near here, but we don't mind walking or public transporting).

←

I have the feeling that you are looking for something immediate. You could do worse than old tried and usually true Lulu. Open to 11 tonight and weekends.

815 Folsom 415.495.5775

www.restaurantlulu.com