Where to eat AND park in SF
December 10, 2021 2:06 PM Subscribe
San Francisco restaurant recommendations for a walk-in party of 4 at peak dinner hours on Saturday night -- in a neighborhood with easy parking?
We are driving up from the Peninsula to meet two SF city friends at Union Square on Saturday afternoon, and not sure when we'll wrap up so I don't want to commit to a reservation time for dinner.
We'll already be paying out the nose for parking at Fifth and Mission, so it would be nice to either keep the car there or drive somewhere with doable street parking. Last time we did Mama Ji's in the Castro, which worked well on both criteria, but we want to try something different this time, maybe not Asian food. Going as far south as Daly City or SSF would be OK.
Any ideas, Mefites?
We are driving up from the Peninsula to meet two SF city friends at Union Square on Saturday afternoon, and not sure when we'll wrap up so I don't want to commit to a reservation time for dinner.
We'll already be paying out the nose for parking at Fifth and Mission, so it would be nice to either keep the car there or drive somewhere with doable street parking. Last time we did Mama Ji's in the Castro, which worked well on both criteria, but we want to try something different this time, maybe not Asian food. Going as far south as Daly City or SSF would be OK.
Any ideas, Mefites?
As I understand it the Financial District and downtown are basically dead with so many people working from home. I don't have a current rec for a place that always has tables.
posted by wnissen at 3:57 PM on December 10, 2021
posted by wnissen at 3:57 PM on December 10, 2021
You'll be right by the bart, so you could go to 16th or 22nd and Mission and stroll down Valencia until you find a restaurant that suits your taste and has a table. I have not had trouble with walk-ins usually, but there are so many options I'm sure you'll be able to find a table somewhere good.
My favs there are Beretta (pizza & tapas), Burma Love, Tacolicious, Limón (Peruvian, the chicken is great), Updupi Palace (southern Indian), and Mau (Vietnamese).
Near 5th and Mission there's Tú Lan (hole in the wall Vietnamese, good and cheap), and another Burma Love. If you dont mind walking up Nob Hill a bit, there's Ryoko's Sushi and 707 Sutter (Korean, possibly my favorite restaurant in the neighborhood), and Matador (Mexican, great margs)
posted by ananci at 4:21 PM on December 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
My favs there are Beretta (pizza & tapas), Burma Love, Tacolicious, Limón (Peruvian, the chicken is great), Updupi Palace (southern Indian), and Mau (Vietnamese).
Near 5th and Mission there's Tú Lan (hole in the wall Vietnamese, good and cheap), and another Burma Love. If you dont mind walking up Nob Hill a bit, there's Ryoko's Sushi and 707 Sutter (Korean, possibly my favorite restaurant in the neighborhood), and Matador (Mexican, great margs)
posted by ananci at 4:21 PM on December 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
Your friends currently near Union Square in San Francisco are going to take BART down to visit you. Driving up to meet them at Union Square is ridiculous. Where are these people even from? Nobody in their right San Francisco mind would ask friends to drive up into San Francisco to meet them at Union Square and drive them down the peninsula. Are they playing a trick on you? Are you being totally pranked?
posted by Scarf Joint at 6:30 PM on December 10, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Scarf Joint at 6:30 PM on December 10, 2021 [3 favorites]
That said, ananci has excellent restaurant suggestions, so take BART up to where your helpless guests are and guide them around. They will be beyond gratitude.
posted by Scarf Joint at 6:38 PM on December 10, 2021
posted by Scarf Joint at 6:38 PM on December 10, 2021
R&G Lounge on Kearny, some of the better Chinese food in Chinatown. It's also next to multiple parking garages, both the one under the Hilton and Portsmouth, as well as St. Mary's. AND it's walkable from Union Square.
There are a couple other good choices in Chinatown, but no idea how busy they may be during those times, or if they take reservations.
posted by kschang at 1:12 AM on December 11, 2021
There are a couple other good choices in Chinatown, but no idea how busy they may be during those times, or if they take reservations.
posted by kschang at 1:12 AM on December 11, 2021
One Market at the beginning of Market Street. The Financial District is pretty dead because of all the remote workers and parking should be fairly easy. The food is great.
posted by shoesietart at 3:08 AM on December 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by shoesietart at 3:08 AM on December 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
Best answer: So, four different garages IN Union Square (including the one at 333 Post, directly under the square itself) are actually offering free parking for the first 2 hours this holiday season. I’d skip the 5th and Mission garage and park at one of these instead, and then try to keep the Union Square portion of things under 2 hours.
Then you can drive up to North Beach and park in a garage there, and go around on foot for a place that can accommodate your group. For diversity of options packed into a small, walkable neighborhood, no place in the city beats North Beach, imho. Of course there’s plenty of old school red sauce Italian, but there are a wealth of other cuisines represented too. Yarsa on Grant has great Nepalese food. Red Window at Columbus and Stockton has delicious Spanish food and wines. Osmanthus Dim Sum lounge on Broadway is very good, and surprisingly able to accommodate large walk-in parties. Have fun!!!
posted by la glaneuse at 5:48 AM on December 11, 2021
Then you can drive up to North Beach and park in a garage there, and go around on foot for a place that can accommodate your group. For diversity of options packed into a small, walkable neighborhood, no place in the city beats North Beach, imho. Of course there’s plenty of old school red sauce Italian, but there are a wealth of other cuisines represented too. Yarsa on Grant has great Nepalese food. Red Window at Columbus and Stockton has delicious Spanish food and wines. Osmanthus Dim Sum lounge on Broadway is very good, and surprisingly able to accommodate large walk-in parties. Have fun!!!
posted by la glaneuse at 5:48 AM on December 11, 2021
Best answer: After many years as a resident there, I just moved out of San Francisco to leave the country. I miss so much about it, especially to food culture (so thank you for aasking this question!). You might want to try my old neighborhood, the south side of Bernal Heights along Cortland Ave. Parking in the neighborhood will be no problem (you may have to park on a side street, but you'll find something in easy walking distance). There are a few excellent restaurants on the eight blocks between Bocana St. and Folsom St. I highly recommend Nute's Noodle Night (they make my favorite ramen in the city, a spicy-creamy sesame broth that I try and try and try to make myself), Vega (classic Italian, great social scene, super friendly staff and owners, Giuseppe and Vega, are always there and chatting and topping up your wine). Piqueo's (Peruvian) and Bernal Star (bistro food, everyone loves their pot pies) are institutions. After dinner, it's a nice, easy strolling street.
Note you'll probably wait at all of these places, but not for long. I would show up at Vega all the time and have a glass of wine on the sidewalk benches while waiting for a table to open.
The suggestion to wander Valencia is a good one--oh my *god* I miss Udupi Palace--but note that Saturday on Valencia, everywhere will be quite busy (the line at Tacolicious can be crazy without a reservation). I still don't think it's unusual to show up without a reservation and just wait for 15-20 minutes for something, so take my advice with a grain of salt.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 3:09 AM on December 13, 2021
Note you'll probably wait at all of these places, but not for long. I would show up at Vega all the time and have a glass of wine on the sidewalk benches while waiting for a table to open.
The suggestion to wander Valencia is a good one--oh my *god* I miss Udupi Palace--but note that Saturday on Valencia, everywhere will be quite busy (the line at Tacolicious can be crazy without a reservation). I still don't think it's unusual to show up without a reservation and just wait for 15-20 minutes for something, so take my advice with a grain of salt.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 3:09 AM on December 13, 2021
Response by poster: Thank you everyone for the great info! We didn't end up using any of it on this trip, but it'll be a useful reference in the future.
For the people wondering who would be insane enough to drive to Union Square voluntarily, haha: we live far enough south that taking BART to get there would be a 1.5-2 hour commute since it involves a BART/Caltrain transfer and Caltrain's post-pandemic schedule is even worse than the old schedule. Our plan was to do a big shopping trip AT Union Square so meeting somewhere else would defeat the point. Once we're there with a car, well, we can pretty much go anywhere (that has parking, which I know is a HUGE constraint).
posted by serelliya at 10:16 AM on December 13, 2021
For the people wondering who would be insane enough to drive to Union Square voluntarily, haha: we live far enough south that taking BART to get there would be a 1.5-2 hour commute since it involves a BART/Caltrain transfer and Caltrain's post-pandemic schedule is even worse than the old schedule. Our plan was to do a big shopping trip AT Union Square so meeting somewhere else would defeat the point. Once we're there with a car, well, we can pretty much go anywhere (that has parking, which I know is a HUGE constraint).
posted by serelliya at 10:16 AM on December 13, 2021
When I go to Union Square I always part at Sutter Stockton, it's much easier to get in/out of because you don't have to drive through the masses of people on the Square, and it is a public garage so the prices are affordable.
I always use the SpotHero app when looking for parking in the City, you reserve and pay for parking ahead of time, and often get great rates. (I use it any time I have to drive to the office, where parking in my building is $30 but nearby garages are usually around $15.)
posted by radioamy at 5:03 PM on December 13, 2021
I always use the SpotHero app when looking for parking in the City, you reserve and pay for parking ahead of time, and often get great rates. (I use it any time I have to drive to the office, where parking in my building is $30 but nearby garages are usually around $15.)
posted by radioamy at 5:03 PM on December 13, 2021
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posted by Maecenas at 3:52 PM on December 10, 2021