Hayes Valley lunch ideas, please

[scurvy]

I'll be on the hunt for the perfect shoes tomorrow and will undoubtedly need lunch. Anything delicious and somewhat informal that you can recommend in Hayes Valley?

Many thanks!

[david kaplan]

I have liked everything I've tasted at Modern Tea, including the seaweed-and-other-stuff salad, a grilled fish, and the lemon pudding cake thing. Very relaxed and sunny. Octavia and Laguna, NW corner.

[anna]

Cafe Corbas has good sandwiches and the best latte. Flipper's is great for casual, diner flair.

[lamoufette]

Isn't Absinthe in the Hayes valley? Affordable French, try the onion soup! Comfy banquette seats in a red velour wonderland.

[sugarbuzz]

Arlequin is next door to Absinthe & run by then as well. They have a nice patio in the back. The pastry chef at Absinthe also makes all the sweets for Arlequin.

[Gary Soup]

Hayes Street Grill is open for lunch, and definitely "somewhat informal" (but not hippie-esque). Speaking of frites, HSG's fries might be the best in town with or without the peanuty dipping sauce they serve with them.

[Robert Lauriston]

I've had the fries at HSG many times but never a peanutty dipping sauce, what's it like?

[Gary Soup]

It was slightly spicy, a bit like a satay sauce, as I recall. I haven't been there in a long time, but I asked one of the HSG guys at the Farmers Market recently, and he said they were still making it.

[Meredith]

They have never automatically served it with the fries when I was there, but is one of the choices for sauce with the fish. So I am sure you could request it with the fries, but that is why you haven't been served it in the past.

[Gary Soup]

Now that you mention it, it may have actually come with the fish, but the fish certainly didn't need anything so assertive, but it went great with the fries.

[Euonymous]

If it's a nice day try Arlequin. They have a lovely back patio and a delicious bacon, cheese, and apple or pear panini, as well as homemade potato chips and delicious pastries. Their soups, stews, and salads are also good, as is their selection of wines by the glass (just in case you found the right pair of shoes and want to celebrate, or didn't and want to console yourself.)

The service is cafeteria-style, so it's quite casual.

Arlequin
384B Hayes St
San Francisco, CA 94102
[phone]

Hours
Mon-Fri 8am-8pm;Sat 9am-7pm;Sun 9am-6pm

[kewlio]

I second frjtz, they also got decent salads

Ive heard paxties for pizza is ok, as is the kebob place on gough

[ML8000]

Frjtz for the frites or fries. Spooky in a hippie-esque sort of funky way...but good fries.