Eating Out in San Francisco

Restaurant dining is an essential element of any city vacation. As well as providing time for rest and relaxation after a busy day of sightseeing or shopping, eating out offers a unique insight into some aspects of a city's culture. San Francisco is renowned as being one of the best restaurant cities in America, rivaling New York and New Orleans, so no vacation to San Francisco should be without some exploration of the city's diverse restaurants on offer.

The first point of call for anyone seeking stylish dining should be The French Laundry on Creek Street, a three Michelin Star restaurant serving contemporary American-French cuisine. The French Laundry offers a choice of two nine course menus and promises never to use the same ingredient twice throughout the entire meal, meaning every dish will be totally distinct from the others. Given the restaurant's fame and its humble dining room of only 15 tables, reservations need to be made up to two months in advance!

Chez Panisse is a French restaurant and café located on Shattuck Avenue which offers two distinct services. The café upstairs serves traditional French cuisine from an a la carte menu. The restaurant downstairs attempts to emulate the feel of a dinner party with great attention to detail. The restaurant menu attempts to emulate the feel of a dinner party with great attention to detail. The restaurant menu changes every night, meaning your visit will be a genuinely unique experience.

San Francisco is also famous for its Mexican cuisine and offers a range of Mexican restaurants to cater to any budget. Mexico DF on Steuart Street provides a contemporary take on conventional Mexican cooking, offering inventive dishes such as shrimp and bacon guacamole. Tighter finances need not be a problem as San Francisco is host to many small and affordable Mexican restaurants providing traditional meals, such as Los Hermanos on Chestnut Street.

Vegetarians need not worry as San Francisco offers a wide range of vegetarian and vegan restaurants. The Millennium Restaurant in the Savoy Hotel in Geary Street delivers a constantly evolving menu of gourmet vegetarian food. Greens on Fort Mason has a slightly more traditional approach, with staples including pasta and curry on their menu. However, Greens focuses on sourcing organic produce from local farms, meaning it may well be one of the best chances to get an authentic taste of vegetarian California. The Herbivore restaurants located on Valencia and Divisadero have a wide selection of international vegan dishes at affordable prices, so those on a budget need not feel left out.

San Francisco's Chinatown is the largest of its type in America and as you would imagine it contains a multitude of Chinese restaurants and eateries. Of These, the House of Nanking on Kearny Street is often praised for its skillfully prepared Chinese food. The Empress of China on Grant Avenue has an extravagant interior and impressive views which will no doubt add color to your dining experience. Hing Lung on Broadway or Green Garden should be definitive choices for anyone with a tight budget. Lucky Creation on Nob Hill is a vegetarian Chinese restaurant which serves a selection of Chinese dishes with high quality meat substitutes. You may also wish to visit a Chinese tea house during your stay. If so, the Imperial Tea Court on Powell Street claims to be the first traditional Chinese tea house in the country and is a must for anyone looking for an authentic tea drinking experience.

Those looking for something slightly more conventional should consider Gary Danko on Hyde Street. Diners are treated to classic dishes such as lobster or lamb loin in stylish and elegant surroundings. Gary Danko meals are accompanied by both a tea service and a selection of high quality cheeses. As with The French Laundry, reservations need to be made two months in advance.

So, with an incredibly diverse range of options available offering everything from a traditional American meal to a gastronomic experience, no trip to San Francisco should be without its share of restaurant dining. With so much to choose from, planning meals out could provide to be as significant an element of vacation preparation as booking flights to San Francisco or organizing hotels.

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