Where to eat on a Saturday Night for 20 somethings?

[clayfu]

Hi guys!
my friends and i are visiting San Francisco and are completely overwhelmed by all the restaurants!

Where would one suggest a group of 23-25 year olds go eat dinner? Price isn't too big of a concern, as long as its under 30$ a dish it'd be fine.

Somewhere cool and exciting would be great =) Or somewhere that serves soem nice alcoholic libations =P

[whiner]

A16, nopa, Range, Slanted Door, terzo would all fit the bill.

Not quite as "young" but Aziza, Delfina would be good ideas

High in your price range (some main courses are like $32) xyz is young and hip and running half-price wine through Sept,. 15

[KathyM]

I don't know anything about its food, but definitely go to the Supper Club for cocktails.

http://www.supperclub.com/

[Robert Lauriston]

Some reports:

http://www.chow.com/search?search%5Bq...

[kinipela]

i think the everyoen gave great recs =)

the mission is great.. i love the different tapas style restaurants that are there.. very lively... don't worry if the streets itself seem a bit deserted... once u go inside the restaurants, they are usually pretty lively and popping....

the marina has great places too... great bars too.. my only thing is that parking here SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS... so while i like it out there, i tend not to go because of the lack of parking.. and well.. i'm not from city, so the idea of making a whole bunch of connections is a bit.. well.. blah for me...

north beach has really good food. i really like cafe jacqueline for souffles.. the parking here isn't as bad... but ur lucky to find street parking....

i tend to like to do progressive-type dinners and go somewhere in the city for the meal, then dessert, then drinks... it's fun...

i would be wary abotu the walking.. only 'cause if the girls in ur group will be wearing cute heels, their feet will HURT from some of the hills...

i do like aziza like someone mentioned... and i know i will get cursed, but i also like first crush... in the union square area... some folks think it's mediocre and over priced.. but i had a great time when i was there with friends...

there's also that one bar zebulon and osha thai (i do like this place)... and for chinese, nothing quite beats SGV, but in sf, i enjoy rg lounge....

[clayfu]

So there are three distinct areas (i was getting confused)
The mission
The Marina
North Beach?

Just trying to make it clear for myself.

[adrienne156]

No, the entire city is separated into different districts, the ones mentioned so far tend to be the most frequented for bars or restaurants... They're more scene if that makes sense...

[kinipela]

yup... adrienne is right =)... if you think ny with all their buroughs, you are on the right track... city is divided up into their different neighborhoods... and the beauty of it is that each neighborhood has it food gems =)

i enjoy SoMA- south of market for food/clubs... i like fringale, which is a great french restaurant... then also in SoMA is zebulon, thirsty bear, etc...

the mission has medjool--> i've always wanted to try this out... and GREAT tapas-style restaurants and yummy sangria. it's know for it's latin cuisine...

the marina- i fin it to be a "i'm too sexy for my shirt" kinda crowd, but they have a decent peruvian restaurant, the bars have good drinks, BAD parking.. i don't even know where the lots are. there's an inside joke re the marina safeway.. anyway i digress...

north beach is known for it's italian cuisine.. and has good bars... i enjoy the drinks at dragon bar...

the filmore: known for it's jazz has places like rassela's which serves ethopian and also has lots of live music venues....

there's also the haight, where there is a neighborhood noodle place which is always packed... it's across from that one bead store, but i forgot the name. but the noodle place that i'm talking about is always so very crowded and it's really nice.. but it's so loud you can't hear your dinner companions...

union square is a nice area too.. but i find it to be catered more towards tourists, although they have great places there to eat too =) the old emporium capwell's mall has a whole new slew of restaurants... i haven't gotten anything from there though except for gelato and tea.. which btw was very delicious...

and there's always fisherman's wharf/pier 39... i personally don't like to eat there, but it's fun to walk around. and if you have never had clam chower in a sourdough bowl or shrimp cocktail on the wharf, it's ok to do once in your life... it's not amazing... BUT the experience can be fun with the right people.. besides, there's a little penny arcade nearby that is always very very fun =)

i hope i dind't confuse you further!!! =) and BRING A SWEATER!!!! the bay has so many micro climates... it'll be like 20 degrees COLDER in the city than other places in the bay... =/

[Fussy Foodie]

Another fun area with lots of fun bars and some good restaurants is North Beach. You can find good Italian food at Panta Rei, Trattoria Contadina and Caffe Macaroni, some other hounds can list their favs. Fun bars are grant and green, savoy tivoli, Northstar Bar and O'rileys. I used to like the chill and relaxed bar scene in N. Beach, it's not at all as trendy/hip as the Marina. Pretty safe area, loaded with people Thurs-Sat. And if you need a post bar snack hit up Golden Boy pizza for a slice.

-----
O'Reilly's Irish Bar & Restaurant
622 Green St, San Francisco, CA 94133

Savoy-Tivoli
1434 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Grant & Green Saloon
1371 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Golden Boy Pizza
542 Green St, San Francisco, CA 94133

Panta Rei Cafe
431 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133

Trattoria Contadina
1800 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94133

Caffe Macaroni Sciue Sciue
124 Columbus Ave., San Francisco, CA 94111

North Star Cafe
1560 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94133

[clayfu]

Ohhh interesting. Thanks for all the varying opinions so far guys very very helpful!

[dinnerout]

I'd suggest Nopa - good food, great cocktails! There isn't too much else around it so it kind of depends on whether or not you are looking for a neighborhood where you can wander a bit and find some bars and that kind of thing. Someone else suggested Betelnut, which is on Union Street - technically Cow Hollow. There are a number of places you can wander through there. Same for Chestnut St. - you can try to get into A16 for Italian. Polk St. also has a bunch of bars and restaurants - though I don't know if they are quite the style of folks in their early 20s.

[adrienne156]

Nopa is an awesome suggestion.

[Fussy Foodie]

Even though the food has gone slightly downhill, I'd say betelnut has the atmosphere you're looking for. Great drinks, full of twenty somethings and close to lots of popular bars. This is in the part of SF known as the Marina.

www.betelnutrestaurant.com

Luna Park and Slow Club both have good food and a great atmosphere with full bar. They are in the Mission, well Slow Club I guess is in Potrero Hills which is near the mission.

www.lunaparksf.com
www.slowclub.com

Aziza serves great food and is a fun place, but in the richmond district which is kind of far from downtown.

www.Aziza-sf.com

Foreign Cinema and Limon are great options as well, two of my favorites in SF.

Have Fun!!!

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Betelnut
2030 Union Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

Luna Park
694 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110

[clayfu]

So the Mission is an "area" of restaurants and activities?
Any particular restaurants ya'll like? (i'll do some research on the noted suggestions =) )

[adrienne156]

The Mission is a district within San Francisco like the Castro, North Beach, the Sunset, etc. My friends (also 20-somethings) go there fairly often to go bar hopping.

[adrienne156]

Oh, and Fussy's recommendation for the Marina is also a great one. I've never been to Betelnut, but the bars out there are fun.

[clayfu]

how far is Mission from the financial district? (clay/kearney)

[adrienne156]

A short (10-15 min on a weekend night?) cab ride. I'm not totally sure as I tend to drive in from the east bay... But, definitely NOT walking distance.

[Frosty Melon]

Are you ok with public transportation? It's an easy, quick ride on BART to 16th/Mission. Walk straight up to Valencia and everything's on your left.

[clayfu]

yeah i dont mind taking public trans, something i am wholely unfamiliar with in San Diego/LA but i have survived NYC on many the occasion =P.

Thanks for the Transportation advice, my gf has this insane idea that SF is only 7 miles SQ so she thinks everything is close and in walking distance ><

[mrsricho]

It is 7 SQ by 7 SQ, so 49 SQ. You can actual walk quite a bit of the city during the daytime but there are areas you want to be careful in at night - just aware is all. Definitely recommend Nopa - good call dinnerout! Mamacita would also be a fun spot, it's in the Marina and as others have recommended there are a lot of young fun bars in that area that you could walk to, and it's a very safe neighborhood. Another recommendation - Salt House has a really fun scene and is next door to a club. Osha Thai on Union also has a great scene. Have a great trip!

[Lori SF]

Other fun places in the Mission for a group-
Limon
Last Supper Club
Foreign Cinema- agreed
Bar Bambino- new, nice patio in back
http://www.barbambino.com/

Just up the street from Bar Bambino- very hidden is Pinks, fun for dancing.

[5 and Dime Eater]

Clayfu-
I'd give a vote to the Mission as well simply for the transportation options (BART (www.bart.gov) or bus lines so you don't have to drive. There are so many food options that if one is too busy you can find another one a block away. Plus, it's wildly popular with folks your age.

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Ti Couz Creperie
3108 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Last Supper Club (CLOSED
)1199 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Velvet Cantina
3349 23rd St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Charanga
2351 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

Cha Cha Cha
2327 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Medjool
2522 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

Bissap Baobab
2323 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

[kinipela]

cha cha cha has a parking lot right next to it =)

how's the crowd at medjool???

[Fussy Foodie]

The crowd is what you would expect at a trendy hot-spot, it's the food that sucks.

[adrienne156]

Cha Cha Cha's food is pretty bad, too...

[Lori SF]

5 and dime Eater that is a perfect list for the 20 something.... any one of those places they should have lots of fun.

cha cha cha is better on Haight food wise.

[5 and Dime Eater]

Thanks Lori. Just to be clear for clayfu - many of those places don't have great or 'houndy food but do have good 'scenes' and are otherwise near (other) bars. Ti Couz might be my favorite of the batch.

My experience - that I can remember - is that it's mostly about the company and the quality of the cocktails. Good food is important but when you're with a group of friends it may be secondary.

Here's one more:

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Luna Park
694 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110

[Paigethesnacker]

I concur--the mission is a great place to visit for 20 somethings. I'm thinking Little Star pizza or Range. You should get a reservation at Range if you want to go there, though.

[chuckl]

Hi, Clayfu,
I would definitely head for the Mission. I particularly like Foreign Cinema, but there are lots of good options in the area.