------------------- SAN FRANCISCO / SILICON VALLEY --------------------- (As of 1/11/94) I've been putting together a list of good restaurants for selected areas of the country (those that I visit regularly) with an emphasis on flavor, quality & value, rather than ambience & service. Either I've had a very good meal there, or more likely, someone else has recommended it highly. Note that most of the comments in the list are not mine, but are from other people who've taken the time to write up something about their dining experience. If you have additions, corrections, comments, or suggestions for removal, let me know at [email removed] or, even better, post them to the rec.food.restaurants Usenet newsgroup. I'm especially interested in hearing about particular dishes to get or avoid at specific restaurants, so I can include that information in this list, which I will post every few months to rec.food.restaurants San Francisco ============= Afghani ------- Helmand -- Afghani on Broadway (Afghani food in elegant surroundings at reasonable prices) American -------- Max's Diner -- American Diner 311 3rd (nr Moscone Center), 546-0168 (Very good diner food & lots of it. Spectacular desserts. Breakfast all day. Great deli. Beer. Leisurely service. Accepts reservations) Asian Eclectic -------------- Ginger Island -- Eclectic Asian (Hip Pacific Rim) nr Opera House (new place, said to have good food; service need to improve) Barbeque -------- Brazillian ---------- Caribbean / Cajun / Creole / Southern / Soul -------------------------------------------- Miss Pearl's Jam House -- Cajun / Jamaican in the Tenderloin (also reggae music on wkends; jazz, new age some other nights. Good jerk beef & chicken. Where Madonna hangs out.) Chinese ------- Brandy Ho's -- Chinese (Hunan) 450 Broadway (at Kearney) (Very good spicy Hunan food in Chinatown. There were a lot of spicy main dishes, all good) Celadon -- Chinese (very elegant Chinese) Chef Jia's -- Huan/Szechuan Chinese 925 Kearney St, nr House of Nanking (Fantastic hot & spicy food, never crowded, low prices, small family owned place. Try the Hunan Hot Noodles, egg noodles with spicy peanut sauce (served cold); hot and sour soup with shrimp, chicken, lots of mushrooms; honey chili chicken; rolling lettuce chicken with pine nuts (rolled up in lettuce like a cigar - delicious!); and the excellent sizzling tofu dish. Other good vegetarian dishes include chef's eggplant (rich garlic sauce, VERY spicy) and Szechuan white mushrooms.) China Moon Cafe -- California-French/Chinese nr Union Square Hong Kong Flower Lounge -- Chinese Seafood on Geary House of Dim Sum -- Chinese House of Nanking -- Chinese on Kearny nr Columbus & Broadway (Highly rated by Zagat. Looks like a dump, but great flavors and cost; good veggie dumplings. On the other hand, the lines are terrible and the kitchen is filthy.) Hunan -- Chinese Sansome & Battery Lotus Garden -- Vegetarian Chinese (primo vegetarian restaurant in Chinatown. They use glutens and tofu to make some of the most wonderful food under the heavens) New Asia -- Chinese (great place for Dim Sum) Ten Thousand Buddhas Chun Kang Veg. Restaurant -- Vegetarian Chinese 608 Geary (at Jones), 673-9221 Open 7:30am-9:00pm daily, except Tuesday. Tom Kiang -- Chinese (serves Hakka cuisine, try the Lo Han Style Clay pot) VegiFood -- Chinese Vegetarian Clement nr 22nd (excellent sweet & sour fried walnuts) Yuet Lee -- Chinese Seafood Broadway & Stockton (best Chinese Seafood) Continental / Traditional / French ----------------------------------- Brasserie Savoy -- French Bistro Geary St, 1 block from Mason (Very good French Bistro cuisine. The garlic mashed potatoes were very good. Excellent Creme Brulee.) Cafe Bastille -- French Cafe Belden Alley, between Pine & Bush (live jazz, outdoor seating, good food) Ernie's -- French ($$$$) (very elegant and classy, with excellent food, especially the grilled salmon, and superb desserts. very expensive) Fleur-de-Lys -- French ($$$$) (the perfect place for a memorable french meal if you don't mind some major damage on your credit card) La Folie -- French Polk nr Broadway (one of the best) Le Castel -- French (Alsatian) Sacramento nr Presidio Le Piano Zinc -- French nr Market & Church (excellent elegant French food, $25 prix-fixe dinner) Eclectic / California --------------------- 2030 (Redwood City) -- Eclectic 2030 Broadway Acorn Tea & Griddle -- California 1256 Folsom (betw 8th & 9th) Bix -- Eclectic (jazzy place) Fly Trap -- Eclectic South of Market Fog City -- Eclectic (a unique bizarre experience -- strange menu, but likable food) Fringale -- Eclectic nr Moscone Center (nice little bistro, great food & excellent prices for lunch) LuLu -- Eclectic 4th & Folsom (Interesting menu, but mixed reviews) Square One -- California/Meditteranean (excellent Cal/Med cuisine Stars Cafe (a tad expensive, but excellent food and service) Stinking Rose -- Garlic off Lombard Vince -- Eclectic (definitely qualifies as different) Zuni Cafe -- Eclectic (funky eclectic food similar to Cambridge Blue Room) Ethiopian --------- Massawa -- Ethiopian Haight St New Eritrea -- Ethiopian Irving St nr 9th (recent newspaper review was very favorable) Nyala -- Ethiopian 39 Grove St, Civic Plaza, nr Market, 861-0788 (great inexpensive veggie buffet w about 12 items) Indian ------ Ganges -- Indian Vegetarian nr the park (Excellent Indian Vegetarian fare) Indian Ovens -- Indian (Excellent if you can stand the heat. UNless you're a big eater, the ala carte versions are adequate) Indonesian ---------- Bakmi Indonesian Raya -- Indonesian Judah nr 48th (storefront specializing in Indonesian Noodle dishes) Borubudar -- Indonesian on Geary Djakarta -- Indonesian Balboa nr 7th Ave (possibly the best Indonesian in SF) Indonesia Restaurant -- Indonesian Post St nr Jones (authentic cafe w nice small meals) Singapore-Malaysian Restaurant -- Indonesian Clement nr 12th Ave (very good w a wide range of specialties) Strait Cafe -- Malaysian 15th & Geary Straights Cafe Singapore Restaurant -- Singapore 3300 Geary nr Stanyan Italian ------- Acquerello -- Italian 1722 Sacramento (slightly dressy, but cozy) Bocce Cafe -- Italian 478 Green St, near Columbus. (The cafe operation is through an alley behind a fancier restaurant. Its a large, high-ceilinged, pastel and low-light cafe with a short but exquisite variety of pasta dishes and Italian standards, beautifully prepared, provided with tasty fresh breads, and at bargain prices, too. Often full) Bucca Giovanni -- Italian North Beach Caffe Sport -- Italian (Sicilian) North Beach, Green nr Columbus (seatings 6:30, 8:30, 10:30) (some love it, some hate it -- rude waiters, badly cleaned squid) I Fratelli -- Italian Hyde & Vallejo or Green (inexpensive but good) Il Fornaio -- Italian Levi Plaza (moderately expensive and good) Il Pollo -- Chicken on Columbus (Great place for a cheap grilled chicken w salad) Kuleto's -- Italian/California Powell between Geary & O'Farrell (Union Square) La Pergola -- Italian 2060 Chestnut (slightly dressy) La Traviata -- Italian Mission St between 24th & 25th Little City Antipasto Bar -- Italian/California Powell & Union/Stockton (overlooks Washington Sq Park) (Great tapas menu, as well as good pasta & entrees. Delicious polenta dishes, nice olives & baked garlic. Excellent tuna steak in grape leaves w tomato pesto) Little Joe's -- Italian on Broadway nr Grant, North Beach (great Italian food, big portions, wonderful atmosphere. Try the pasta al pesto as an appetizer) Pane e Vino -- Italian 3011 Steiner (at Union St) (Excellent, though pricy. Reservations a must) Palo d'Asti Financial District Pauline's Pizzeria -- Pizza Valencia nr 14th Pazzia -- Italian (Roman-style pizzeria-rosticceria) Postrio -- California Italian Union Square area (Wolfgang Puck, good food, esp duck, expensive to moderate) Ristorante Milano -- Italian (Bolonese-style) Vinoteca -- Italian 586 Bush St (informal trattoria, good zabaglione) Japanese -------- Godzilla Sushi -- Japanese on Fillmore Kabuto -- Japanese Sushi on Geary (best sushi) Sanraku -- Japanese 704 Sutter Sushi Man -- Japanese Bush St (Maybe best sushi in town. Excellent Uni, Unagi, Spicy Tuna & Green Tea Ice Cream w Aduki Beans) We Be Sushi -- Japanese Sunset District Valencia nr 23rd, Mission District (possibly cheapest sushi in the city, but no sacrifice in quality. Valencia location is small, cozy, informal. Lots of California and Veggie sushi variations on the menu -- e.g. asparagus & fruit) Korean ------ Kosher ------ Latin American -------------- El Zocalo -- Salvadoran Mission nr 29th & Valencia Mom's Kitchen -- Mexican & Central American Geneva Ave, east of Mission (Many Guatemalan and Salvadoran items that nobody has ever heard of outside of San Salvador or Antiguas, and I don't mean just chalupas or nopales, either. An informal, inexpensive neighborhood place that is partially resisting discovery because of its remote location; however, it nearly always is full, and has a guaranteed line on weekend eves. Worth the trip.) Mexican, Tex/Mex, Southwestern ------------------------------ Cadillac Bar and Grill -- Mexican 325 Minna (nr Moscone Center) (Excellent food & a lively spot. Very good meat special w spicy marinade) Corona's Bar & Grill -- Southwesterm 88 Cyril Magnin (downtown nr Hilton) (good food, lively, moderate prices) La Cumbre -- Mexican Valencia w of 16th (one of the best places for a big, cheap, hot Carne Asada burrito) Leticia's -- Mexcian Market St, E of Noe (good food, interesting clientele) Pozole -- Mexican Market St, E of Noe (really interesting Mexican food) Middle Eastern / Greek / Turkish / Israeli / Persian ---------------------------------------------------- North African ------------- Russian ------- Seafood ------- Elka -- Seafood (Japanese) Hayes St Grill -- Seafood Hayes St nr Opera House (best seafood in the city) McCormick and Kuletto's -- Seafood Ghiardelli Sq Sam's -- Seafood Scoma's -- Seafood (pretty good seafood nr Fisherman's wharf) Tadich Grill -- Seafood Financial district (old-fashioned, not trendy, excellent seafood) Waterfront Restaurant Pier 7 Spanish / Portuguese -------------------- Cha Cha Cha -- Spanish (Tapas) Haight, 1 block east of Golden Gate Park (warm spinach salad, fried plantains w black beans) Esperpento -- Spanish 23rd and Valencia. (Tapas, tapas, tapas, and paella. And very nice sangria. Not cheap. But, this is a place that serves tapas that may serve as entrees. Perhaps the best paella of Barcelona. Can be made with seafood only, or with meat. Go with the seafood.) Steaks ------ Alfred's -- Steaks above Broadway Tunnel (greta but very expensive) Izzy's -- Steaks in the Marina (for side dishes, stick to potatos & creamed spinach) Thai ---- Bangkok 16 -- Thai 16th & Guerrero (excellent Thai food) Khan Toke -- Thai (excellent Thai, but noisy and rushed) Manora -- Thai 12th & Folsom Thai Taste -- Thai Columbus SE of Broadway (try the Mussaman Curry) Vegetarian / Macrobiotic ------------------------ Greens -- Vegetarian Fort Mason, 771-6222 (One of the best veggie places around, expensive, reserve at least a week in advance. Their pastas, curries, stews & salads are great; tofu dishes are less good. $36 Prix Fixe dinners Fri & Sat, less expensive during the week) Ten Thousand Buddhas Chun Kang Vegetarian Restaurant [see under Chinese] 608 Geary (xJones), S.F. (415)673-9221 It opens 7:30am-9:00pm daily, except Tuesday. Vietnamese / Cambodian ---------------------- Tu Lanes -- Vietnamese 6th just S of Market (A divey joint that is supposedly the most authentic & also Julia Child's favorite Vietnamese pick in SF) Silicon Valley ============== 4-5-6 (San Jose) -- Chinese (ok, but not to die for) Anh Dao (San Jose) -- Vietnamese (Pho) Bella Mia (Saratoga) -- Italian Big Basin Way Bellino's (San Jose) -- Italian Market & San Fernando (said to be as good as Il Fornaio) Bo Town (San Jose) -- Chinese Vietnamese Seafood 2nd & San Salvador (exceptional inexpensive food; great potstickers, Scallops w Broccoli, Salt & Pepper Prawns, Goat Fire Pot, Catfish Clay Pots) Carribean Cafe (Saratoga) -- Carribean Big Basin Way (try seafood with pasta in saffron cream sauce) Chattanoga (Santa Clara) -- Persian 2725 El Camino, nr San Tomas (great chicken kabobs) Chef Chu's (Los Altos) -- Chinese El Camino, Los Altos (still one of the best, tad more expensive) Chez Sovan (San Jose) -- Cambodian 13th & Taylor, East San Jose (family-run hole-in-the-wall, really good food, dicey neighborhood) Chef Wang's (Mountain View) -- Chinese 212 Castro St (try Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup & steamed dumplings) Chez T.J. (Mountain View) -- Eclectic French (exceptional & romantic, fixed price $54/$48/$40) China Wok (San Jose) -- Chinese 9 S Market, 280-6688 Country Gourmet (Mountain View & Sunnyvale) -- Eclectic Natural Foods (fresh tasty good-size portions of wholistically-oriented foods) Dalak (Sunnyvale) -- Ethiopian (Eritrean) (good dinners, also nice lunch buffet) El Faro (Sunnyvale) -- Mexican downtown Empress of India (Sunnyvale) -- Indian El Camino between Flora Vista & Pomeroy (in small strip shopping center) Frankie, Johnny & Luigi Too! (Mountain View) -- Eclectic Italian El Camino nr Castro (very good pasta, carmelized onions, and spinach salad) Fresco (Palo Alto) -- Eclectic nr Creekside Inn on El Camino (creative & delicious, open late; yummy red pepper soup, pasta & salads) Gaylord (Palo Alto) -- Indian In the Stanford Shopping Center (pricey, elegant, but very good) Gerard's (San Jose) -- French w Chinese influence Market nr San Fernando Golden Chopsticks (Campbell) -- Vietnamese from San Jose: 280 N -> 17 S -> exit Hamilton St going right -> left on Winchester (first big intersection) -> strip shopping center (superior food, get the Vietnamese Potstickers) Gordon Biersch (San Jose & Palo Alto) -- Eclectic 33 E San Fernando nr Market (San Jose) (good food and excellent beer) Horn of Africa (San Jose) -- Ethiopian 17 E Santa Clara Il Fornaio (Palo Alto & San Jose) -- Italian Market & San Carlos (San Jose) 520 Cowper St (Palo Alto) 853-3888 (a wonderful restaurant, with nice food, esp the Carpaccio, risotto specials, and grilled vegetables with Polenta) India Cookhouse (Mountain View) -- Indian (good thali's) India Joze (Santa Cruz) -- Eclectic Jing Jing (Palo Alto) -- Chinese (perhaps best in bay area) Jose's Caribbean Supper Club (Palo Alto) -- Cuban 2275 El Camino (1 block N or California Ave), (415) 326-6522 (good Cuban food, esp. bbq, plus food from the Caribbean & elsewhere in Latin America. Often entertainment, sometimes w cover) Kamatsu (Cupertino) -- Japanese Karoun (San Jose) -- Persian nr Bascom & san Carlos, (408) 947-1520 (incredibly good Persian food, good kebabs, friendly owner, cheap) Kathmandu West (Cupertino) -- Nepalese 20916 Homestead Road, (408)-996-0940/1191 (Similar to Northern Indian food, but with a lighter touch on the spices, and some unique dishes. Try the Chara Ko Ledo Sekuwa) Khanh's Garden (San Jose) - Vietnamese 618 Town & Country Village (good fish, fire pots) Kiku (Cupertino) -- Japanese On De Anza south of Bollinger Korea House (Santa Clara) -- Korean El Camino nr Scott (great Korean place) La Milpa (Milpitas) -- Mexican Milpitas Blvd (try the sopapillas) La Pastaia (Palo Alto) -- Italian (terrific pasta, esp ravioli in herb/cream sauce; mediocre veal) La Seine (San Jose) -- Vietnamese / French 520 E Santa Clara (at 12th St), (408) 292-3798 Le Moutin Noir (Saratoga) -- French 14560 Big Basin Way, (408) 867-7017 (very homey, very very good, expensive) Le Tandoor (Los Altos) -- Indian San Antonio & El Camino (possibly best Indian food in the valley, good service too) Little Tung's (San Jose) -- Chinese Capitol & Berryessa (in school bldg in front of cinemas) (good food, try shrimp fresh from tank; very good service) Loon Wah (Cupertino) -- Chinese on De Anza Miyako (Cupertino) -- Japanese on De Anza nr Bollinger Niccolino's Garden Cafe (Sunnyvale) -- Italian (excellent traditional Italian food, a fancy place, need reservations) Nouveau Trattoria (Palo Alto) -- Italian / French 541 Bryant St, (415) 327-0132 Okayamas (San Jose) -- Japanese 6th nr Jackson or Taylor Ori-Deli (San Jose) -- Indonesian Snell Ave, a block north of Blossom Hill Rd, in La Mission Plaza (not fancy, but good inexpensive food, and friendly) Original Joe's (San Jose) -- American-Italian 1st and San Carlos Osteria (Palo Alto) -- Italian (good italian food) Palermo (San Jose) -- Italian (Northern) S 2nd St betw San Carlos & San Antonio Pasand (Sunnyvale) -- Indian (excellent food, large portions, good service, reasonable prices, live sitar music sometimes) Passage to India (Mountain View) -- Indian 1100 W El Camino (betw Shoreline & Castro) (very good N Indian Food -- esp Chicken Tikkas & Karahi Chicken) Pho 54 (San Jose) -- Vietnamese (Pho) Pho 99 (Milpitas) -- Vietnamese (Pho) Pho Hoa (San Jose) -- Vietnamese (Pho) Pho Xe Lua (Santa Clara) -- Vietnamese (Pho) Piccolo Mondo (Menlo Park) -- Italian El Camino Quoc Te (San Jose) -- Vietnamese 4th St & San Fernando (very good!) Red Sea (San Jose) -- Ethiopian 684 N 1st St (mixed reviews) Sarovar (Sunnyvale) -- Indian 544 Lawrence Express Way (great lunch buffet but can be crowded) Scotts (San Jose) -- Seafood Park Ave nr Market (very good fish, nice wine list) Shilpa (Sunnyvale) -- Indian El Camino & Flora Vista (nr Lawrence) Siam Restaurant (Santa Clara) -- Thai Stevens Creek Blvd (the newspapers say its the best thai food in area) Squizzi's (Boulder Creek) -- Italian Rt 9, south of Boulder Creek (a tad pricey, but awesome -- need reservations) Sue's Kitchen (Mountain View) -- Indian Sushi Depot (Cupertino) -- Japanese 855 E Homestead (at Wolfe), (408) 737-7793 (Japanese seafood buffet -- including lobsters & crabs; reasonably priced, especially so for lunch) Tai San SeaFood Restaurant (San Jose) -- Chinese 375 Saratoga Ave, (408) 243-3222 Teske's Germania (San Jose) -- German 255 N First, (408) 292-0291 Thai Garden (Los Altos) -- Thai on El Camino, north of San Antonio (pretty good Thai food) Vung Tau (San Jose) -- Vietnamese Santa Clara St, betw 11th & 13th (said to be the best Vietnamese restaurant in town) White Lotus (San Jose) -- Chinese Vegetarian 80 N Market Willow Street Woodfired Pizza (San Jose) -- Pizza 1072 Willow St (at Lincoln), (408) 971-7080 (very good yuppy woodfired pizza) Yee Lim (Santa Clara) -- Chinese 3160 The Alameda, Santa Clara By City ------- Squizzi's (Boulder Creek) -- Italian Golden Chopsticks (Campbell) -- Vietnamese Kamatsu (Cupertino) -- Japanese Kathmandu West (Cupertino) -- Nepalese Kiku (Cupertino) -- Japanese Loon Wah (Cupertino) -- Chinese Miyako (Cupertino) -- Japanese Sushi Depot (Cupertino) -- Japanese Chef Chu's (Los Altos) -- Chinese Le Tandoor (Los Altos) -- Indian Thai Garden (Los Altos) -- Thai Piccolo Mondo (Menlo Park) -- Italian La Milpa (Milpitas) -- Mexican Pho 99 (Milpitas) -- Vietnamese Chef Wang's (Mountain View) -- Chinese Chez T.J. (Mountain View) -- Eclectic French Country Gourmet (Mountain View) -- Eclectic Natural Foods Frankie, Johnny & Luigi Too! (Mountain View) -- Eclectic Italian India Cookhouse (Mountain View) -- Indian Passage to India (Mountain View) -- Indian Sue's Kitchen (Mountain View) -- Indian Fresco (Palo Alto) -- Eclectic Gaylord (Palo Alto) -- Indian Gordon Biersch (Palo Alto) -- Eclectic Il Fornaio (Palo Alto) -- Italian Jing Jing (Palo Alto) -- Chinese Jose's Caribbean Supper Club (Palo Alto) -- Cuban La Pastaia (Palo Alto) -- Italian Nouveau Trattoria (Palo Alto) -- Italian / French Osteria (Palo Alto) -- Italian 4-5-6 (San Jose) -- Chinese Anh Dao (San Jose) -- Vietnamese Bellino's (San Jose) -- Italian Bo Town (San Jose) -- Chinese Vietnamese Seafood Chez Sovan (San Jose) -- Cambodian China Wok (San Jose) -- Chinese Gerard's (San Jose) -- French w Chinese influence Gordon Biersch (San Jose) -- Eclectic Horn of Africa (San Jose) -- Ethiopian Il Fornaio (San Jose) -- Italian Karoun (San Jose) -- Persian Khanh's Garden (San Jose) - Vietnamese La Seine (San Jose) -- Vietnamese / French Little Tung's (San Jose) -- Chinese Okayamas (San Jose) -- Japanese Ori-Deli (San Jose) -- Indonesian Original Joe's (San Jose) -- American-Italian Palermo (San Jose) -- Italian (Northern) Pho 54 (San Jose) -- Vietnamese Pho Hoa (San Jose) -- Vietnamese Quoc Te (San Jose) -- Vietnamese Red Sea (San Jose) -- Ethiopian Scotts (San Jose) -- Seafood Tai San SeaFood Restaurant (San Jose) -- Chinese Teske's Germania (San Jose) -- German Vung Tau (San Jose) -- Vietnamese White Lotus (San Jose) -- Chinese Vegeterian Willow Street Woodfired Pizza (San Jose) -- Pizza Chattanoga (Santa Clara) -- Persian Korea House (Santa Clara) -- Korean Pho Xe Lua (Santa Clara) -- Vietnamese Siam Restaurant (Santa Clara) -- Thai Yee Lim (Santa Clara) -- Chinese India Joze (Santa Cruz) -- Eclectic Bella Mia (Saratoga) -- Italian Carribean Cafe (Saratoga) -- Carribean Le Moutin Noir (Saratoga) -- French Country Gourmet (Sunnyvale) -- Eclectic Natural Foods Dalak (Sunnyvale) -- Ethiopian (Eritrean) El Faro (Sunnyvale) -- Mexican Empress of India (Sunnyvale) -- Indian Niccolino's Garden Cafe (Sunnyvale) -- Italian Pasand (Sunnyvale) -- Indian Sarovar (Sunnyvale) -- Indian Shilpa (Sunnyvale) -- Indian By Cuisine ---------- Chez Sovan (San Jose) -- Cambodian Carribean Cafe (Saratoga) -- Carribean 4-5-6 (San Jose) -- Chinese Bo Town (San Jose) -- Chinese Vietnamese Seafood Chef Chu's (Los Altos) -- Chinese Chef Wang's (Mountain View) -- Chinese China Wok (San Jose) -- Chinese Jing Jing (Palo Alto) -- Chinese Little Tung's (San Jose) -- Chinese Loon Wah (Cupertino) -- Chinese Tai San SeaFood Restaurant (San Jose) -- Chinese White Lotus (San Jose) -- Chinese Vegetarian Yee Lim (Santa Clara) -- Chinese Jose's Caribbean Supper Club (Palo Alto) -- Cuban Chez T.J. (Mountain View) -- Eclectic French Frankie, Johnny & Luigi Too! (Mountain View) -- Eclectic Italian Fresco (Palo Alto) -- Eclectic Gordon Biersch (San Jose & Palo Alto) -- Eclectic India Joze (Santa Cruz) -- Eclectic Dalak (Sunnyvale) -- Ethiopian (Eritrean) Horn of Africa (San Jose) -- Ethiopian Red Sea (San Jose) -- Ethiopian Gerard's (San Jose) -- French w Chinese influence Le Moutin Noir (Saratoga) -- French Teske's Germania (San Jose) -- German Empress of India (Sunnyvale) -- Indian Gaylord (Palo Alto) -- Indian India Cookhouse (Mountain View) -- Indian Le Tandoor (Los Altos) -- Indian Passage to India (Mountain View) -- Indian Pasand (Sunnyvale) -- Indian Sarovar (Sunnyvale) -- Indian Shilpa (Sunnyvale) -- Indian Sue's Kitchen (Mountain View) -- Indian Ori-Deli (San Jose) -- Indonesian Original Joe's (San Jose) -- Italian-American Bella Mia (Saratoga) -- Italian Bellino's (San Jose) -- Italian Il Fornaio (Palo Alto & San Jose) -- Italian La Pastaia (Palo Alto) -- Italian Osteria (Palo Alto) -- Italian Niccolino's Garden Cafe (Sunnyvale) -- Italian Palermo (San Jose) -- Italian (Northern) Piccolo Mondo (Menlo Park) -- Italian Squizzi's (Boulder Creek) -- Italian Nouveau Trattoria (Palo Alto) -- Italian / French Kamatsu (Cupertino) -- Japanese Kiku (Cupertino) -- Japanese Miyako (Cupertino) -- Japanese Okayamas (San Jose) -- Japanese Sushi Depot (Cupertino) -- Japanese Korea House (Santa Clara) -- Korean El Faro (Sunnyvale) -- Mexican La Milpa (Milpitas) -- Mexican Country Gourmet (Mountain View & Sunnyvale) -- Natural Foods Kathmandu West (Cupertino) -- Nepalese Chattanoga (Santa Clara) -- Persian Karoun (San Jose) -- Persian Willow Street Woodfired Pizza (San Jose) -- Pizza Scotts (San Jose) -- Seafood Siam Restaurant (Santa Clara) -- Thai Thai Garden (Los Altos) -- Thai Anh Dao (San Jose) -- Vietnamese Golden Chopsticks (Campbell) -- Vietnamese Khanh's Garden (San Jose) - Vietnamese Pho 54 (San Jose) -- Vietnamese Pho 99 (Milpitas) -- Vietnamese Pho Hoa (San Jose) -- Vietnamese Pho Xe Lua (Santa Clara) -- Vietnamese Quoc Te (San Jose) -- Vietnamese Vung Tau (San Jose) -- Vietnamese La Seine (San Jose) -- Vietnamese / French The Coast ========= Bach, Rocks, and Dynamite Dancing Society (Miramar Beach) -- Music Central 159 (Pacific Grove) -- California 159 Central, 372-2235 Chart House (Montara) -- American El Cocodrillo (Pacific Grove) -- California 701 Lighthouse, 655-3311 Fandango (Monterey) -- Mediterranean 223 17th St, 373-0588 (with an open mesquite grill, try grilled seafood, rack of lamb) Monterey Joe's (Monterey) -- Italian 2149 Fremont, 655-3355 (try the calamari, abolone style) Moss Beach Disitillery (Moss Beach) -- Seafood Rio Grill (Carmel) -- California Hwy 1 & Rio Rd, 625-5436 San Benito House (Half Moon Bay) -- Continental Shorebird Restaurant (Princeton-by-the-Sea) -- American (good weekday specials, especially Cioppino on Wednesday)
Lists, guides and FAQs
Bay Area Restaurants
O wow. Great list! However, you've missed some favorites of mine, so I thought I'd add my two bits. (I have to say, I was a bit startled to see only one restaurant in Menlo Park on your list... :) Menlo Park Gombei Restaurant 1438 El Camino Real Good, inexpensive Japanese food. Open-kitchen design means it's somewhat noisy and always busy. Be prepared for longish lines at peak hours -- but the service is always _fast_. The Acorn 1906 El Camino Real *Really* good Mediterranean food. The avgolemono (Greek egg- lemon soup) is to die for. Not inexpensive. Dal Baffo 878 Santa Cruz Ave. Excellent European and Italian food. Be prepared for *major* damgage to your credit card -- but boy is it good! Yuen Yung 639 Santa Cruz Ave. My favorite Chinese restaurant in Menlo Park. Lovely dim sum at lunchtimes -- best selection on weekends, though. Reasonably priced. Try the hot and sour soup (I personally compare other places' to YY's to decide how I like it) and the garlic clay pot chicken. Siam Garden 1143D Crane St. Good Thai food -- though watch out, it's also _hot_. Garden Grill Restaurant 1026 Alma Puts the lie to the idea that British food has to be less than tasty. Wonderful assortment of dishes, including game. Palo Alto Sushi-Ya 380 University Ave. Wonderful sushi, prepared as you eat it (piece by piece) by the sushi chef, whose face is featured on a framed Time magazine cover on the wall. A good place to go for a leisurely dinner. Somewhat pricey. Ramona's Pizza 541 Ramona Handa-spun dough. _Good_ stuff, Meynard. Pearl's Oyster Bar 535 Ramona Huge assortment of beers for someplace that isn't a brewery. Nice assortment of seafood dishes. Seems to be popular with the college crowd. Mountain View Sono Sushi 357-3A Castro St. Inexpensive sushi that's quite good for the price. They do also serve entrees. Tied House Brewery 954 Villa St. It would be easier to say something about the place if I actually liked beer, but most of my beer-drinking friends say the beer is great. I know the food is good, though the noise level doesn't permit for much quiet conversation. Chapala 570 N. Shoreline Blvd. Really good Mexican food, for very reasonable prices. Jew and the Gentile Deli 570 N. Shoreline Blvd. (No, that's not a typo... it's next door to Chapala, in a small shopping center.) Good deli food. Be sure to try their fresh lemonade. Sausalito Sushi Ran On Caledonia St. (I don't have the exact address.) A very wide selection of really excellent sushi. Pricey. Samurai On Bridgeway at Coloma Good Japanese food. I recommend their nabe. North Sea Village On Bridgeway (I don't have the exact address) Wide selection of dim sum daily. This is my favorite restaurant in Sausalito. _Very_ reasonably priced -- two hungry people can eat for under $20. I've never tried any dim sum item I haven't liked there. San Rafael Bamyan In the Montecito Center (I don't have the exact address.) Wonderful Afghani food. Attractive decor, good service. I've never seen it crowded, which is beyond me as I _love_ the food and have never had a bad experience there. Kamikaze In the Montecito Center (right next door in Bamyan) Good Japanese food, large selection of sushi. Try their clear seafood soup -- it's called dobin mushi and it's quite tasty. Larkspur Sushi-Ko In the Larkspur Landing Center, off 101 One my my favorite sushi restaurants of all time. Wonderful sushi, fairly good prices, excellent service. They will make a hand roll out of just about anything on their menu.