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If you MUST eat at the Wharf, Ana Mandara, hands down. Otherwise, run.
Any food, any budget covers a lot of ground, here is where I eat within about 2 miles from the Wharf:
*The Good*
Delarossa (Inexpensive, loud, young, Italian)
A16 (Moderately priced, loud, young, Southern Italian)
Blue Barn Gourmet (Take out salads and sandwiches for lunch)
Helmand Palace (Moderately inexpensive Afghani)
Piperade (Moderately expensive Basque)*The Great*
La Folie (Very Expensive, Provencal French in an unusually relaxed atmosphere for the type of restaurant it is)
Perbacco (Moderately priced, my favorite Italian in town, inventive Piedmontese cooking)
Barbacco (Moderately inexpensive little sister to Perbacco)
Ame (Expensive, Japanese/Italian fusion with some French accents)
L'Osteria del Forno (Inexpensive, no reservations, cash only, pizza and roasts -- for what it is, imo, it falls under "great")
Boulevard (Expensive, Cal/French)Coi isn't far by but very very expensive and more of an intellectual experience.
Slanted Door you mentioned. Excellent, imo, but the prices have gotten disproportionate to the restaurant. So, on a pure value basis I cannot recommend it, except to say it is excellent and a real SF experience... just overpriced for me right now. The same could be said of Gary Danko, right near the Wharf. Awesome restaurant, just not as good as the asking price.
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Slanted Door
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111Perbacco
230 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111A16
2355 Chestnut St., San Francisco, CA 94123L'Osteria del Forno
519 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133La Folie
2316 Polk St., San Francisco, CA 94109Piperade
1015 Battery St., San Francisco, CA 94111Gary Danko
800 N Point St, San Francisco, CA 94109Helmand Palace
2424 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94109Blue Barn Gourmet
2105 Chestnut St, San Francisco, CA 94123Barbacco
230 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111›10 Replies-
re: whiner
rworange
Oct 28, 2011 07:37 PM
Many good restaurants ... most not near the Wharf. Of them, Slanted Door, Piperade, Boulevard are closest.
Seems like you are either LA or NY based from your profile.
Gary Danko is the only upscale restaurant in the immediate wharf area.
Of the fish restaurants, I like Scoma's the best. It is the only place I've dined repeatedly ... but only the 3 course lunch special because the price and portion is reasonable. Scoma's has its own fishing fleet so the locally caught fish is stellar if cooked simply. Ask what is local. The sides are mediocre ... but I like the fish. If you go for dinner, you might consider sharing an entree as the portions are just too large and expensive.
Also, the Saturday morning Ferry Plaza farmers market is a must stop if here on that day.
As to any price, any budge ... have chowhounds tried any of these
- the Codfather fish and chips
- Salty's Famous Fishwich
Both on the low end of the dining scene. Salty's (Sally?) caught MY eye during an Eye on the Bay segment. It is a fish sandwich with a whole fish.
One yelper sort of sait it is to the fish sandwich as Bakesale Betty is to the fried chicken sandwich. It is topped with olive oil coleslaw with lemon and cilantro. A whole fishwich is $8. Half ... recommended if not sharing ... is $5.
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re: rworange
Though I haven't eaten there in several years, Pompei's Grotto had decent food at decent prices (past Castagnola (sp?) on the water side.
This past summer, I ate at the bar at the Franciscan several times. Ordered the Salumi and Burrata combo ($30) which was served on a tri-level tray: cheese, salumi and pickled vegetable/smoked salmon with lots of bread. This served 3 not very hungry guests, or would easily feed 2 hungry ones. The ladies enjoyed the cucumber martinis too. And the view is why you are there!
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Pompei's Grotto
340 Jefferson St, San Francisco, CA 94133Castagnola's Restaurant
286 Jefferson St, San Francisco, CA 94133-
re: maxmanx
rworange
Oct 30, 2011 10:26 AM
The Franciscan is part of a local chain, and for a chain has its good points. They use Acme Bread. They do have decent cocktails. However, for the same food and a view, I'd probably recommend Crab House on Pier 39 which has gotten some positive posts on this board. The menus at all restaurants are almost identical. Still, this chain, which includes The Stinking Rose, isn't too bad, just not a high recommendation for someone from out of town.
The problem with them is they jump on every food trend and don't quite get it right. Your tri-level tray is an example ... though I can't imagine them screwing it up since it is just slicing cheese and cold cuts.
However, they may use ... say baby veggies if that is the trend ... but they won't be cooked right ... under or over. They have a restaurant called The Dead Fish and seriously the last thing you want to eat there is the dead fish ... decent prime rib though.
Have to give them points for trying if not quite doing it correctly.
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Franciscan Restaurant
Pier 43 1/2, San Francisco, CA 94133-
re: rworange
Thank you Chowhounds, you never disappoint!! Completely loved Ana Mandara and being so close to Ghirardelli was a bonus for our daughter. Also, after exhausting college tour,s Cafe Pescatore was a welcome cozy delicious find. And you could certainly read us well, we are from Malibu CA. If our daughter decides to do college there we may be asking for more recommendations. Thanks again!!!
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Ana Mandara Restaurant
891 Beach St., San Francisco, CA 94109Cafe Pescatore
2455 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94133-
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re: rworange
My husband had the merluzzo arrosto cod (Pan roasted cod with yukon potatoes, rapini, pinenuts and lemon caper sauce) licked the plate. My daughter had ravioli con granchio (Dungeness crab ravioli with a herb butter broth with parmesan, loved it. And I had tonno alla toscana (Seared tuna with tuscan white beans, escarole, pancetta with a whole grain mustard sauce. Delish. Also happy with the choice of Italian red we asked them to order. Marlowe our waiter was alot of fun and offered if we came back tomorrow another red wine that they only had one bottle left at a greatly reduced rate.
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re: rworange
omoshiroi
Oct 31, 2011 03:49 PM
I ate at Sotto Mare last week and found it to be excellent -- Italian seafood and not all that far from the Wharf. It was just reviewed in the Chronicle so it might be extra-crowded. I've had the seafood risotto and the Cioppino there and found both excellent. To the Slanted Door discussion I have looked at the menu about a dozen times, and always decide to eat somewhere else, mostly due to the cost to value ratio.
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Slanted Door
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111Sotto Mare
552 Green St, San Francisco, CA 94133 -
re: rworange
wolfe
Oct 31, 2011 03:58 PM
You really do have to try it, it's been on your list for so long. ;-)
"Also as far as Cafe Pescatore is concerned there was one good report and one eh, report ... I have it on my to-try list but haven't got there. My guess is that it is one of the best of an ... at best ... mediocre group"
rworange on Mar 28, 2007 12:33 PM
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bbulkow
Oct 27, 2011 09:24 PM
If you are in "any food, any budget" you should include a 10 minute cab ride ($10), which will get you 80% of the restaurants in San Francisco. Assume you are 3 people, you can drop $200/pp // $600 for the meal, and an extra $10 shouldn't matter.
What about Benu?
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Benu
22 Hawthorne St, San Francisco, CA 94103 -
Any food, any budget?? Certainly Gary Danko should be under consideration - it's not cheap, and it may not be the best food in SF, but it is an incredibly fun, celebratory, and memorable experience if you can get a reservation.
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Gary Danko
800 N Point St, San Francisco, CA 94109 -
Civil Bear
Oct 27, 2011 01:18 PM
Caught a glimpse of place on (local restaurant show) "Check Please" called Tanguito and have been dying to try it for days now. It is a small Argentinean hole in the wall working out of a stationary food truck. The service is reportedly slow, but the food looked great and the prices were cheap. All three visitors raved about the place, particularly the empanadas and the chimichuri.
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Tanguito
2850 Jones St, San Francisco, CA 94133›4 Replies-
re: Civil Bear
Melanie Wong
Oct 27, 2011 11:33 PM
What's taken you so long? :-)
August 27, 2009
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/647963-
re: Melanie Wong
Civil Bear
Oct 28, 2011 01:04 PM
LOL, for getting such good reports it sure doesn't get much hype! I'm still waiting to go, btw....
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re: Melanie Wong
Civil Bear
Oct 28, 2011 11:35 PM
Okay, made it to Tanguito on the way home tonight.
Highs:
Fluffy and flavorful empanadas
Moist and tender chicken thighs with saffron rice
The friendly owner willing to work with you.Lows:
Tough, overdone steak
skuzzy plastic dispenser bottles on the patio.
crepe was too sweet, though others may appreciate it.The Odd:
-The apparent tight reigns on the chimichuri sauce.
-My order of ribs and fries. I asked what kind of ribs and got a shoulder shrug in return.
"Are they pork?"
"Oh yes, pork for sure."
"Spares or babybacks?"
"Huh, oh yeah, kind of like babybacks"
me: "okay, give me an order."
What I got was a long strip of meat kind of like the rib tips trimmed from a St. Lois cut sparerib...except there was no cartilage or tips! The strip of pork was tender and well marinated, but probably could have use a sauce. Pretty tasty though.The prices were pretty fair, and the service wasn't bad unless there was someone in front of you. It’s almost like they wait until they finish preparing an order before they take the next one. Odd place, but I will likey be back when I find myself in the area.
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I'd second Ana Mandara. Try the fish with snow peas.
Gary Danko is close and wonderful, but you have to be in the mood to shell out $100 pp. Getting a reservation less than 60 days away is difficult. If you go very early to the bar (say 5:30), you might get lucky and eat there, which is fun.
Your next best bet is to walk up Columbus: Rose Pistola is good food and attractive. More moderate with OK food and a good "feel" is DeLucchi. Both are on Columbus. Then there are countless others which are good close by.
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Gary Danko
800 N Point St, San Francisco, CA 94109Ana Mandara Restaurant
891 Beach St., San Francisco, CA 94109Rose Pistola
532 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133-2802›1 Reply-
re: tersf
steve h.
Oct 27, 2011 12:37 PM
Respectfully disagree on Rose Pistola. We ate there Monday night. The grilled octopus app was good, the house-made pappardelle not so good and the crab cake entree left uneaten (frozen crabmeat). It was a disappointing meal. Our server was polite and attentive but not very knowledgable about the food. I'd skip Rose Pistola, there are better restaurants at the same price point nearby (Cotogna near Jackson Square and Ideale in North Beach come to mind).
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If you truly want to eat at the Wharf, Scoma's may be a good bet. The fish is fresh and simply prepared, although not cheap. Ana Mandara in Ghirardelli Square is also good Vietnamese food. Cafe Pescatore at the Tuscan Inn isn't bad Italian, either.
Otherwise, walk up Columbus Ave. to North Beach. Ideale on Grant is good Roman-style Italian, Tony's has good pizzas of almost any variety.
You could also take the Hyde Street cable car up to Russian Hill with a lot of good restaurants - Seven Hills, Leopold's, Frascati, Amarena, Venticello, and more.
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Ideale
1315 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133Frascati Restaurant
1901 Hyde Street, San Francisco, CA 94109Ana Mandara Restaurant
891 Beach St., San Francisco, CA 94109Cafe Pescatore
2455 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94133Amarena Restaurant
2162 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94109Venticello
1257 Taylor Street, San Francisco, CA 94108›14 Replies-
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re: Windy
rworange
Oct 29, 2011 08:41 AM
Seriously that is overstated.
It is Cal-Vietnamese.
I don't get why the people who drool over the Cal-Moroccan food at Azizza or the Cal-Basque food at Piperade get so pissed at Slanted Door which is doing the same thing only for Vietnamese food. No it is NOT just Vietnamese food for people who won't go to a Vietnamese restaurant
It uses organic produce from the top-quality vendors at Ferry Plaza. While it isn't a wild departure from classic Vietnamese, it is a departure. That is of course, if you consider these standard dishes at your corner Vietnamese restaurant ... a few dishes from the current dinner menu
- wild california uni with black tobiko, avocado, cucumber
- california sable fish roll with sawtooth herb, turmeric and gingered fish sauce
- mesquite grilled lamb sausage and beausoleil oysters with chinese black olive and preserved lemon relish
-grilled grass-fed anderson ranch lamb rack with crispy sunchokes and tamarind sauce
- hodo soy beanery yuba with glass noodles, parsnips and pioppini mushrooms
- allstar organic's shishito peppers with king trumpet mushrooms
- spiced sugar beignets
- sour worm cotton candy (must be a Halloween thing)Also they have creative cocktails and top-notch Chinese tea
http://slanteddoor.com/menus.html
I likd Slanded Door. When they were at the previous location about a block from the Ferry Building, I lived next door and went thru their entire menu. They had a shaky start handling the bigger restaurant at the Ferry Building, but last time I was there they had settled in.
I recommend it, but I'd go more for the Cal dishes mainly because they are something different and to not do the "I can get shaking beef for 1/3 the price at the Vietnames hole-in-the-wall" game.
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re: rworange
Windy
Oct 29, 2011 10:25 AM
No, my point is about the prices and who eats there.
The food is fine--but costs two to three times what it should. I'm not comparing it to Tu Lan, but to the best Vietnamese food in the city that's not in the Ferry Building. You're paying for the view and to be surrounded by business account lunches and tourists. I cook with Mariquita and Far West vegetables. Shishito peppers and king trumpet mushrooms aren't that expensive.(Didn't it pass Tavern on the Green as the profitable restaurant in America, during a recession?)
When they opened on Valencia 15 years ago, it was great. The cost was also reasonable, and service much better than it is today.
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Tu Lan
8 6th St, San Francisco, CA 94103-
re: Windy
rworange
Oct 29, 2011 06:19 PM
Well, we just disagree. I think the comparison to the touristy Tavern on the Green which didn't care much about anything toward the end is not valid. As for price, I don't think they are any more expensive than any other upscale restaurant of that category in the Bay Area. I'll give you that service could be better.
I didn't look at the prices for the dishes I listed, but I was in some butcher shop today where they will be charging $8 - $12 lb for turkey for Thanksgiving. That's $120 for a small 10 lb turkey. So any restaurant using those boutique vendors is going to have prices that reflect the source.
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re: rworange
FWIW: I have no problem recommending Slanted Door to a tourist. It is excellent, interesting, and has become an SF institution. Plus the wine list is very well thought out. My only problem with it is (if you are ordering the red meat main courses) that it is getting dangerously close in price to restaurants like Boulevard and Ame -- both in walking distance. And it is certainly more expensive than several restaurants in SF that I think are a bit better, as well.
So... (a) I think it is a great restaurant and worthy of a strong recommendation depending on a tourist's parameters.
(b) I don't eat there too often because I feel I can find equal or slightly better food and service for the same price or lower elsewhere.-----
Slanted Door
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111
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re: Windy
...tm...
Oct 30, 2011 02:09 AM
Well, count me in as a true hater of The Slanted Door. My problem is that I can't see what they're going for, besides profitable. I was open to going with a friend who was excited about it (and apparently found reservations difficult to get) after being disappointed by both the ferry building and the Westfield locations of Out the Door, which, I believe, is open to, and a legitimate victim of the claim that they are making Vietnamese food for the mass audience, and it is more expensive and less tasty than it should be. If it were just more expensive and used carefully sourced meats, as I'd hoped, I'd be excited about going back, but it just wasn't delicious--they're using the wrong cuts of meat (too lean) and underseasoning to my tastes.
But that isn't the question. The Slanted Door is obviously doing something more upscale, and allegedly ingredients-based and interesting. While all the food I ate there was at least good, the overall experience wasn't pleasant for me. First of all, we chose to eat outside, where the tables and chairs are less comfortable, but it was nice, and I don't really understand why people always refer to the views there, as even outside, by the fence to the bay it isn't an unobstructed view, and in looking at the indoor seating, the view is generally blocked by us outside diners.
I also don't know if we had a lesser tier of service by dining outdoors, but I suspect not, as it seemed to be an institutional policy. We had a waiter who took our orders, and tried to suggest more drinks and dishes than we needed, and everything else was delivered by bussers,who seemed to be in a huge rush. And looking around the dining room, it seemed to be because there were about 2 bussers delivering everyone's dishes. This lead to things like one of the tastiest dishes we ordered, the clams with pork belly, having one clam that was entirely full of sand that went unnoticed by the kitchen or busser, and by the time I noticed it, plates were whisked away without a chance for me to say anything. The one conversation we were able to have with staff was about how they don't offer bread, though everyone who has ordered the clams dish has requested and realizes it would be perfect with it. It is as though their corporate policy wants to seem "Asian" in some way that refuses bread, though it has quite a tradition in Vietnamese cuisine. Or they're cheap. It is just that all signs pointed to their confusion as to what they are: Vietnamese with a twist, upscale, or seasonal/local. Their manner of compromise leads to be none of these things, rather than a great combination of such.-----
Slanted Door
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111Out the Door
1 Ferry Bldg Plaza, San Francisco, CA 94111-
re: ...tm...
rworange
Oct 30, 2011 10:30 AM
Asians are a tough crowd.
Slanted Door gets slammed for the same reasons as Yank Sing ... which, BTW to the OP, IMO, is a great dim sum place not far from Slanted Door ... let the hate begin on Yank Sing now.
I still don't get why SD gets slammed while places like Piperade and Aziza get almost universal thumbs up. It is the same approach ... not authentic, and with a California spin.
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re: rworange
rworange, I completely agree with you that there seems to be a double standard re: authenticity on these boards when it comes to European and Mediterranean food v. "Asian" food. (Chinese, Vietnamese, etc.) And I agree with Robert below that it has an outstanding wine list, location, and for many seats, view. My only complaint is that in the past 2-3 years prices have gone up 15-20%, and, as a local, that means it is not, for me, the value it used to be.
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re: ...tm...
Ruth Lafler
Oct 31, 2011 04:24 PM
"It is just that all signs pointed to their confusion as to what they are: Vietnamese with a twist, upscale, or seasonal/local. Their manner of compromise leads to be none of these things, rather than a great combination of such." -- I agree. It's not that it's not authentic, or that it's fusion (if you want to classify Aziza and Piperade that way), it's that it's a muddle. My impression (having only eaten there once) is that they are stronger on their fusion dishes and they should stop touting themselves as Vietnamese.
In other words, if you want Vietnamese food, don't go to Slanted Door. If you want Vietnamese-inspired Cal-fusion food, in a Western style restaurant (with pedigreed ingredients, cocktails and wine) then by all means go there, but order accordingly.
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Slanted Door
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111
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re: Windy
Robert Lauriston
Oct 30, 2011 10:43 AM
Saying that Slanted Door is overpriced and "costs two to three times what it should" is tantamount to saying that they should not have a world-class wine list or cocktail program or use first-rate ingredients and that the location and view are worth nothing.
That said, I think it should be better, and was better on Valencia, but since it's the highest-grossing restaurant in San Francisco and gets high marks from restaurant and travel guides, they're not under much pressure to change anything.
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Slanted Door
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111-
re: Robert Lauriston
bbulkow
Oct 30, 2011 05:23 PM
I agree, and one more point: with all of the borderline awful "view restaurant" food served at similar prices, SD is the place I go when I want a view and food that's quite good. Don't compare it to Tu Lan, compare it to Waterbar, Alioto's, and Cafe Pescatore.
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Tu Lan
8 6th St, San Francisco, CA 94103Alioto's Restaurant
8 Fishermans Wharf, San Francisco, CA 94133Cafe Pescatore
2455 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
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The wharf, by and large, is a tourist trap with expensive, mediocre to terrible food. Expand your search to outside that area and your options improve exponentially.
Best rec is always the Ferry building on Saturday mornings.
›5 Replies-
re: artemis
Windy
Oct 29, 2011 01:16 AM
Yes, absolutely go beyond the wharf.
One gem is Delise Dessert Cafe, which has superb ice creams and sorbets, along with cookies, coffee, and light sandwiches. Don't miss their ice cream. Closes early and not open Mondays.
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DeLise dessert cafe
327 Bay St, San Francisco, CA 94133 -
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re: mginsd
Ruth Lafler
Jun 18, 2012 10:02 AM
No. There's a difference between a tourist attraction and a tourist trap. Lots of locals go to the Ferry Building. Most of them seem to think the food is pretty good. It's different from the neighborhoods you mentioned, but it's not only for tourists (if it were, the farmers would go out of business, since most tourists don't buy produce!).
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re: mginsd
Robert Lauriston
Jun 18, 2012 12:18 PM
There's great food at Ferry Plaza. Anthony Bourdain went there planning to make fun of it but had to admit that Primavera's pork tamales were delicious and a good value. So far as I know, you can't get those anywhere else.
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