San Fransisco

[brianthomasallen]

Will be sailing on Princess in Oct., on Pacific coast cruise. Will be in San Fransisco overnight, looking for a good restaurant within walking or short taxi ride from cruise terminal. Any suggestions? Have never been to San Fran.

[Philob]

Will be sailing on Princess in Oct., on Pacific coast cruise. Will be in San Fransisco overnight, looking for a good restaurant within walking or short taxi ride from cruise terminal. Any suggestions? Have never been to San Fran.

 

Try the West Coast Departures forum, there's a current thread going on about eats:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2207595

[spookwife]

anything on Fisherman's Wharf.

 

chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. can't go wrong with that.

[bethco]

There are bunches of great restaurants at the wharf with a lot of great seafood, lots of restaurants at Pier 39 though they are not my favorites (places like Bubba Gump). Fog City Diner is walking distance to where Princess docks and was wonderful the last time I ate there (many years ago). Also there are some excellent restaurants in the Ferry Building.

 

North Beach will have some great Italian and isn't long cab ride. Chinatown isn't a long way either.

[slidergirl]

There are always the tourist traps on Fisherman's Wharf, where you can always get gummy clam chowder in the bread bowl, or struggle with a cracked Dungeness crab ;)

 

Or, try some places up in the Ferry Building. The Slanted Door has a great reputation for their Vietnamese cuisine. My favorite is Hog Island Oyster Company - I can sit there all day and eat their oysters that come from their oyster beds up in Tomales Bay…

[pris993]

Will be sailing on Princess in Oct., on Pacific coast cruise. Will be in San Fransisco overnight, looking for a good restaurant within walking or short taxi ride from cruise terminal. Any suggestions? Have never been to San Fran.

 

I am a San Francisco native, worked their for 30+ years near the TransAmerica building, very near the port/pier.

 

If you like fish/seafood, I highly recommend the Tadish Grill on California Street, just up from the Hyatt Regency Hotel, the Nob Hill cable car runs right past the place and stops at the Hyatt hotel. You can google the Tadish Grill and get more information.

 

The Tadish Grill has been in operation for 160 years, has a historic old California/San Franicsco atmosphere. Great place for lunch, no reservations, first come first serve, locals actually stand in line waiting for the place open at lunch time because it is in the heart of the financial district. If you go a bit later 1:00 pm, less of a line. No credit cards only cash accepted.

 

Not far from the port, an easy taxi ride as well, assume you are staying in the area.

 

I would not recommend any place out at Fisherman's Wharf or Pier 39... simply tourist places there. There are a number of places at the foot of Market Street at the Ferry Building... again I don't recommend... even though highly acclaimed has showcasing the best in the bay area. I am nearly 70 years old and remember when the city had better offerings.

 

If you don't like fish.. you can check the menu at Tadish on line am sure they have other options too.

 

Another thing if you have time, you can ride the cable car to the top of California Street to the Mark Hopkins hotel, great views of the city, from the bar area. Another option is the Hyatt Regency hotel has a revolving 360* bar, with wonderful views of the whole area.

 

Hope you enjoy your stay in San Francisco. I have left from the city on a few cruises to Alaska and Mexico... if you have bright sunny day, it is beautiful cruise leaving the bay, also returning to the city by ship early in the morning. Being a native, I love the fog in the city in the early mornings.. You need to have warm clothes for a coast cruise by the way... generally around 50- 60 degress on the ocean.

[slidergirl]

Forgot about Tadish Grill; indeed an institution. I keep thinking that cruisers rarely want to venture too far from the ship so they don't get lost ( ;) ), so the Ferry Building is a decent alternative.

When you mentioned the Mark Hopkins, I remember seeing recently that, across the street at the Fairmont, the Tonga Room is back!!! I loved that place - all kitchy Polynesian, the band on the barge in the "lagoon", the Mai Tais….

[Flatbush Flyer]

anything on Fisherman's Wharf.

 

chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. can't go wrong with that.

 

 

Chowder in a bread bowl? C'mon, this is SF. At best, that's airport food.

 

With the exception of Scoma's, the best of the few old standards left on the Wharf, skip Fisherman's Wharf for food (yes, even Alioto's).

Perhaps the best meal in the area will be at The Slanted Door in the Ferry Building (make your reservations far in advance and don't let the Vietnamese moniker scare you away). Even the cocktails will blow you away (homemade orgeat in your mai tai anyone?) In that same area at the piers, you'll find Butterfly's (Asian Fusion)- wonderfully inventive food.

 

For excellent, somewhat more traditional American food (though still with some unusually interesting entrees), try Bradley Ogden's Number 1 Market across from the Ferry Building or the Fog City Diner, which is closer to the cruise pier.

 

A bit further away but still downtown, some other posters have mentioned (and misspelled) The Tadich Grill, another old timer. If I was on that block, I'd go next door instead to Perbacco for Italian.

 

One warning: if you are an easterner and come to SF during crab season, one Dungeness crab will convince you to move west.

 

OP: when it comes to food, this is a town not unlike NOLA or Charleston- "food centric" with few disappointments if you do just a bit of research.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Flatbush Flyer

[paluni]

I thought it had very good food. It was expensive, but very nice. And right on the water so beautiful views if it is still light out.

[Philob]

To the OP: All good suggestions above. Confused, Overwhelmed, here's the Top 100 Restaurants of 2014 from our local news rag's food critic for you to go over: http://www.sfgate.com/food/top100/2014/

[Flatbush Flyer]

To the OP: All good suggestions above. Confused, Overwhelmed, here's the Top 100 Restaurants of 2014 from our local news rag's food critic for you to go over: http://www.sfgate.com/food/top100/2014/

 

 

The 2015 version will be published next week.

[John Bull]

We did a coast-to-coast road trip from SF to Boston via Canada, with the sole purpose of comparing clam chowders*

 

In SF, chowder in a bread bowl is very touristy - but we were tourists. It's good value, tasty & filling - great for a lunchtime snack.

 

Canadians are heathens. ;)

For pity's sake - tomato in clam chowder ???

 

Sorry, New Englanders, but we preferred SF clam chowder. :p

 

JB :)

* OK, that's not entirely true.

[brianthomasallen]

Wow, Thank you all for the many excellent suggestions!

[SadieN]

We did a coast-to-coast road trip from SF to Boston via Canada, with the sole purpose of comparing clam chowders*

 

 

 

In SF, chowder in a bread bowl is very touristy - but we were tourists. It's good value, tasty & filling - great for a lunchtime snack.

 

 

 

Canadians are heathens. ;)

 

For pity's sake - tomato in clam chowder ???

 

 

 

Sorry, New Englanders, but we preferred SF clam chowder. :p

 

 

 

JB :)

 

* OK, that's not entirely true.

 

 

There's two basic versions of clam chowder, both authentic. White is New England style and Red is Manhattan style.

[Sandy Sails]

Yeah. New England clam chowder is the bomb. And Seattle has the best in the world, just FYI.

[chipmaster]

I love good value food as much as anyone else. I spent 10+ years living in east bay and south bay.

 

I have to admit when I go to the the "city by the bay" I always stop and eat at those sorry a$$ overpriced places; clamchowder in bread bowl, overpriced dungeness crabs... do the whole tourist thing :D If i want good food, really good food, I can get that in my local town. Pss, I always stop for ice cream at ghirardelli square, never have I come back feeling like I wasted money. I have eaten at bubbas, but have to admit that was a terrible experience :o The suggestion for North Beach and China Town is good, but again DO YOUR RESEARCH or just go for the Tourist experience ;)

 

It is something neat to eat at the Pier 39, or along the strip between their and ghirardelli square. There are some better places and with research one can find better value.. but ...

[TucsonRick]

Boulevard Restaurant at the corner of Mission and The Embarcadero is one of the best in the city. It is expensive and requires a reservation but you will not regret it. Do not eat at Pier 39 or the Wharf.

 

Rick

Edited May 13, 2015 by TucsonRick

[slidergirl]

Re: Bubba Gumps: why in the world would anyone go to a bland CHAIN restaurant when they are in a city with great local choices??? I'm not just talking San Francisco or Los Angeles or Seattle…. It pained me so much in Honolulu to be walking on Kalakauna Blvd and see people lined up for hour + waits at Cheesecake Factory, Jimmy Buffett, etc., when where was marvelous local restaurants in the same neighborhood… Maybe some just don't like to research and will just take the first thing that has a name they recognize. Or, maybe I just place good eating experiences (does not mean expensive dining experiences) near the top of my travel plans...