Ethnic and Regional Cuisines

Eiji: Finding New Year's Solace in Homey Japanese Cooking

YakiniQ BBQ: Seoul Food for San Francisco

Food Truck Bite of the Week: Tandoori Wrapper's Delight

Our weekly bite explores the city's food trucks, one at a time, highlighting our favorite mobile dishes and snacks. The Truck: Tandoori Chicken USA The Cuisine: Indian-style tandoori sandwiches Specialty Items: Paneer or tandoori chicken sandwich Worth the Wait in Line? At peak lunchtime, it was a ... More >>

Food Truck Bite of the Week: Liba Feels Like the Salad Days

Our weekly bite explores the city's food trucks, one at a time, highlighting our favorite mobile dishes and snacks. The Truck: Liba Falafel The Cuisine: Cal-Mediterranean Specialty Items: Falafel sandwiches and salads; the condiment bar Worth the Wait in Line? At peak lunchtime, it was a total 12 m ... More >>

Braving Brunch: Refreshing Japanese Breakfast at Cassava Bakery Cafe

Notorious for long lines, brunching in the city can easily turn into a whole-day affair. From wait times and signature dishes to ambiance and drink selections, Braving Brunch is your go-to resource for navigating mid-morning meals. The Spot: Cassava Bakery Cafe The Neighborhood: Outer Richmond Th ... More >>

Food Truck Bite of the Week: Building a Meal with the Deconstructed Samosa

Our weekly bite explores the city's food trucks, one at a time, highlighting our favorite mobile dishes and snacks. The Truck: Curry Up Now The Cuisine: Indian chaat meets American street food Specialty Items: Tiki masla burritos and samosas Worth the Wait in Line? At peak lunchtime, it was a total ... More >>

Out the Door: Admire the Cookbook, Eat at the Restaurant

Our weekly bite explores the city's food trucks, one at a time, highlighting our favorite mobile dishes and snacks. The Truck: Curry Up Now The Cuisine: Indian chaat meets American street food Specialty Items: Tiki masla burritos and samosas Worth the Wait in Line? At peak lunchtime, it was a total ... More >>

First Bite at Mau: Two Inventive Takes on the Bahn Mi

We stopped in Mau last week to snag our first bite from the new joint by former Slow Club chef, Sante Salvoni. Salvoni gave us a full rundown of what's in store for the restaurant, fresh off of its soft opening last week, while we stuffed our cheeks with a few of his playful takes on banh mi. The fi ... More >>

Where to Celebrate Oktoberfest in S.F.

It's the most magical time of the year, at least for those of us who love liters of German beer flowing like water: Oktoberfest! Like the good festival city it is, San Francisco has plenty of options for celebrating the traditional German party, from the official Oktoberfest by the Bay to more sedat ... More >>

In Praise of Sushi Zone's Baked Sea Bass

Sushi Zone is one of San Francisco's hidden gems. Located on an alley off Market Street on the edge of Hayes Valley, the tiny restaurant holds only two booths and eight bar stools. The owner, who goes by "Ao," mans the raw sushi bar six nights a week, rolling up some of the freshest sushi and maki r ... More >>

Food Truck Bite of the Week: Pad Thai at Phat Thai

Our weekly bite explores the city's food trucks, one at a time, highlighting our favorite mobile dishes and snacks. The Truck: Phat Thai The Cuisine: Thai Cuisine Specialty Items: Pad Thai Worth the Wait in Line? Definitely A big serving of stir-fried noodles is classic street fare, but it's somet ... More >>

Food Truck Bite of the Week: From The Sunset Comes Sunrise Deli

Our weekly bite explores the city's food trucks, one at a time, highlighting our favorite mobile dishes and snacks. The Truck: Sunrise Deli The Cuisine: Middle Eastern Specialty Items: Falafel and shawarma Worth the Wait in Line? Yes In the crowds of reinvented comfort foods with a twist are a few ... More >>

Class Alert! Master Mexican Food With Cindy Pawlcyn and More

Dieciseis: Mole & Chile En Nogada Where: La Cocina, 2948 Folsom (at 25th), 824-2729 When: Wed., Sept. 12, 6:30-9 p.m. Cost: $65 (purchase in advance via Eventbrite) The rundown: Chef Isabel Caudillo (El Buen Comer) and salt specialist Adriana Lahl (Sal De Vida) lead a hands-on class designed to he ... More >>

Where to Celebrate Julia Child's 100th Birthday in the Bay Area

We have a birthday to celebrate this week! And not just any birthday -- the centennial anniversary of one of the most influential American chefs and authors ever to have graced us with her six-foot, two-inch frame. We are referring, of course, to the one and only Julia Child. Tomorrow (Aug. 15) mar ... More >>

Japanese Import Men Oh Opens Second U.S. Location in San Francisco

Men Oh Tokushima Ramen has been softly open since July 20 and had an official grand opening the weekend before last. It's the second American location of a Japanese-based ramen restaurant; the first thrives in Union City in the East Bay. The current menu is focused around two styles of ramen ($7.95 ... More >>

Love & Hummus: The Dip That Keeps On Giving

Whenever someone calls love an ingredient, we usually make a valiant effort not to roll our eyes. When Donna Sky says that the love in each jar of her hummus is an ingredient, just like the California organic chickpeas or fresh tahini, we're easily convinced she is genuine. Sky has a rare air of s ... More >>

Gajalee: Indian Cuisine from a Different Coast

Whenever someone calls love an ingredient, we usually make a valiant effort not to roll our eyes. When Donna Sky says that the love in each jar of her hummus is an ingredient, just like the California organic chickpeas or fresh tahini, we're easily convinced she is genuine. Sky has a rare air of s ... More >>

Rice Paper Scissors Throws Dim Sum Warehouse Party

Rice Paper Scissors Dim Sum Brunch Where: Mission location revealed to ticket buyers on the day of event When: Sunday, June 24, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. seatings Cost: $10 reservation ticket; menu items $5-8 Rundown: Katie Kwan and Valerie Luu typically focus on Vietnamese fare but thi ... More >>

Boat Noodles and the Secret Menu at Zen Yai

The menu at Zen Yai Thai Restaurant has a long menu of noodles and curries with careful English translations, but no one is ordering off it. Recently, we walked in for a late lunch, leaving the streets of Little Saigon and entering a room filled with Thai chatter and people slurping from l ... More >>

Namu Gaji: Reincarnation Fits Nicely into New Mission Home

The menu at Zen Yai Thai Restaurant has a long menu of noodles and curries with careful English translations, but no one is ordering off it. Recently, we walked in for a late lunch, leaving the streets of Little Saigon and entering a room filled with Thai chatter and people slurping from l ... More >>

SFoodie's 50 Favorites: Liguria Bakery's Pizza Focaccia

The menu at Zen Yai Thai Restaurant has a long menu of noodles and curries with careful English translations, but no one is ordering off it. Recently, we walked in for a late lunch, leaving the streets of Little Saigon and entering a room filled with Thai chatter and people slurping from l ... More >>

Gustavo Arellano on San Francisco Tamales, Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs, Taco Bell, Part 2

According to this week's cover story, written by Gustavo Arellano, San Francisco played a surprising and key role in the spread of Mexican food across America. The story is an excerpt from Arellano's new book, Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America, which comes out this week. Arellano's book c ... More >>

When We Were Red Hot: S.F.'s Tamale Industry Once Ruled America

According to this week's cover story, written by Gustavo Arellano, San Francisco played a surprising and key role in the spread of Mexican food across America. The story is an excerpt from Arellano's new book, Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America, which comes out this week. Arellano's book c ... More >>

Gustavo Arellano Talks San Francisco Tamales and Burritos, Part 1

San Francisco has gotten used to thinking of itself as a remote outpost in the Mexican diaspora, since our lively but embattled Mexican American community is dwarfed by much larger ones in Los Angeles and the Southwest. But according to this week's cover story, written by Gustavo Arellano, San Franc ... More >>

Hecho: Sushi and Tequila Make Strange Bedfellows

San Francisco has gotten used to thinking of itself as a remote outpost in the Mexican diaspora, since our lively but embattled Mexican American community is dwarfed by much larger ones in Los Angeles and the Southwest. But according to this week's cover story, written by Gustavo Arellano, San Franc ... More >>

Sachio Kojima: Pretty Much the Best Thing About Hecho

​You know how you can be beset with a feverish curiosity about a place and still can't bring yourself to go there? Exhibit one: the Audium. Exhibit two: Hecho, Joseph Manzare's year-old sushi and tequila restaurant. I'd been trying to piece together in my head how sushi and tequila would pair ... More >>

Papito's Pollo Empanizado Quesadilla Brings New Promise To A College Staple

​The quesadilla has become a staple of late night drunken consumption. Frat boys the nation over have staved off the gnarliest of hangovers with hunks of cheese, possibly smothered in Sirracha, sandwiched between two crisply grilled circles of tortilla. It's a simple, filling staple of Tex-Mex c ... More >>

Sushi Confidential

​The quesadilla has become a staple of late night drunken consumption. Frat boys the nation over have staved off the gnarliest of hangovers with hunks of cheese, possibly smothered in Sirracha, sandwiched between two crisply grilled circles of tortilla. It's a simple, filling staple of Tex-Mex c ... More >>

Number 47: ICHI Sushi's Tai Nigiri

​SFoodie's countdown of our favorite 50 things to eat and drink, 2012 edition ​No one -- certainly not in San Francisco, possibly in the country -- is making sushi quite like Tim Archuleta at ICHI Sushi. For the past two decades, the American approach to sushi has been moreish -- rolls with mo ... More >>

The Richest Spots for Fat Tuesday, No Mask Required

Planning ahead for Valentine's Day often means people forget to prep for Mardi Gras. Your pocket may be exhausted from the small-plate, three-course, $125 prix fixe Valentine's meal, but luckily the Southern tradition promises a full plate of food on Fat Tuesday (Feb. 21) for a quick buck.Boxing Roo ... More >>

Is American Sushi on the Decline? Some Say Yes.

​It's no surprise that when the Washington Post brings a storied, Japan-trained sushi chef to a neighborhood, fusion-happy sushi restaurant, he doesn't like what he's eating. What is interesting, though, are the reasons why. It's not necessarily the fact that most of the sushi rolls are covered in ... More >>

Nopalito Brunch Recycles Dinner Favorites

​Nopalito's famous Carnitas -- pork braised in milk and beer with cinnamon -- put them on the SF dining map, and those pleasantly tart, bright margaritas keep us coming back. On that note, there's good news and bad news for brunch-goers at the sustainable Mexican kitchen. The good: You can still e ... More >>

Nombe's New Lunch Special: Beef Ramen

Luis ChongBeef Ramen lunch special at Nombe on Mission Street.​ Last week, Nombe Restaurant added lunch service, featuring a unique beef ramen from their new chef Noriyuki Sugie. This ramen is also the star of Nombe's Dine About Town lunch offer -- beef ramen, mini donburi and choice of drink: J ... More >>

The New Lers Ros: Twice as Stylish, Just as Spicy

Kimberly SandieLers Ros's quail with fried garlic and black pepper: Goes with ganache.​ Despite our proximity to Los Angeles, whose Thai restaurants are the best in the Americas, San Francisco's history with Thai restaurants is a spotty one. Little restaurants spring up, impress the locals, then g ... More >>

Fresh Eats: New Indian: Preeti Mistry Relaunches Juhu Beach Club as Popup

Kimberly SandieLers Ros's quail with fried garlic and black pepper: Goes with ganache.​ Despite our proximity to Los Angeles, whose Thai restaurants are the best in the Americas, San Francisco's history with Thai restaurants is a spotty one. Little restaurants spring up, impress the locals, then g ... More >>

Good Luck is Hard Work

Kimberly SandieLers Ros's quail with fried garlic and black pepper: Goes with ganache.​ Despite our proximity to Los Angeles, whose Thai restaurants are the best in the Americas, San Francisco's history with Thai restaurants is a spotty one. Little restaurants spring up, impress the locals, then g ... More >>

San Francisco's Top 10 Burritos

Within five minutes of arguing with any San Franciscan about the best burrito in town, it becomes clear that what makes a great burrito is different for all of us. For some people, greatness is impossible without girth. For others, the quality and quantity of the meat is most important, and a few st ... More >>

Nick Balla's 2011 Find: Great Skewers and a New (Old) Herb

Chad RobertsonNick Balla of Bar Tartine.​SFoodie is calling up food types around the city to ask them about their favorite discovery of the past year, whether it's new or ancient, an ingredient or a person. We'll be running their responses over the course of the next 10 days. This year, Nick Ball ... More >>

Golden Flower's Southern-Style Pho Is as Good as We Get in San Francisco

Jonathan KauffmanGolden Flower's house special pho.Rice Plate Journal is a yearlong project to canvas Chinatown, block by block, discovering the good, the bad, and the hopelessly mediocre. Maximum entrée price: $10. It is impossible to feel isolated, or adrift, at Golden Flower, Chinatown's best V ... More >>

Jang Soo BBQ: Rethinking Korean Barbecue in Style and Substance

Jonathan KauffmanGolden Flower's house special pho.Rice Plate Journal is a yearlong project to canvas Chinatown, block by block, discovering the good, the bad, and the hopelessly mediocre. Maximum entrée price: $10. It is impossible to feel isolated, or adrift, at Golden Flower, Chinatown's best V ... More >>

Jang Soo BBQ's New Owners Are Swankifying Up Korean

Lara HataBarbecuing kalbi at Jang Soo.​A couple of months ago, Jang Soo BBQ -- the subject of this week's full-length restaurant review in the paper -- closed for a short spell to change owners and make a few radical changes, which are only visible to those who pass through the front door. Now it' ... More >>

Q&A With Nopalito's Gonzalo Guzman and Jose Ramos, Part 2: 'We're Not Trying to Change the Authenticity of a Dish'

Alanna HaleNopalito's co-chefs, Jose Ramos (left) and Gonzalo Guzman.​Nopalito's co-chefs, Gonzalo Guzman and Jose Ramos, famously started off as cooks at Nopa whose food was so good owner Laurence Jossel built a restaurant around them. In part one of SFoodie's Q&A with the two chefs, Guzman a ... More >>

Q&A With Nopalito's Gonzalo Guzman and Jose Ramos, Part 1: Everything From Scratch

Alanna HaleNopalito's co-chefs, Jose Ramos (left) and Gonzalo Guzman​Gonzalo Guzman and Jose Ramos, co-chefs of Nopalito, both grew up in Mexico -- in Veracruz and Guanajuato, respectively -- but ended up as cooks in San Francisco through very different paths. Before working together at Nopa, ... More >>

Il Cane Rosso's Rich, Surprising Pancetta

Alan Scherstuhl​ The current iteration of San Francisco-style pancetta seems at times a cheap ploy by the fancier restaurants in town at making good old American bacon an elegant side dish for the peaking trend of dignified brunches. It's too often straight slabs of seasoned pork that bear a s ... More >>

Ramen Parlor Adds to San Mateo's Ramen Empire

Luis ChongPork broth ramen with lobster oil.​While the city's ramen culture is just beginning to flourish, San Mateo's ramen scene is leaping ahead with a modern variant of ramen. One-month old Ramen Parlor is the latest ramen venture from chef-owner Kazunori Kobayashi, whose San Mateo ramen ... More >>

Grill House Mediterranean: New Shawarma-and-Pie Shop Sometimes Worth a Visit

Luis ChongPork broth ramen with lobster oil.​While the city's ramen culture is just beginning to flourish, San Mateo's ramen scene is leaping ahead with a modern variant of ramen. One-month old Ramen Parlor is the latest ramen venture from chef-owner Kazunori Kobayashi, whose San Mateo ramen ... More >>

Grill House Mediterranean: Turkish Chef, Halal Meat

Lara HataSavory pies, adana kebabs, and semolina cake from Grill House Mediterranean. ​For a shawarma place, Grill House Mediterranean has garnered a fair amount of foodista gossip. The Tenderloin restaurant, recently opened by Salama Halal Meat (around the corner), brought on board the well-loved ... More >>

Five Best Thai Restaurants in San Francisco

Kimberly SandieChabaa's gaeng som, or sour orange curry. ​Thai restaurants began popping up all over San Francisco in the 1980s, and within a decade, Thai food had become a staple for first dates and Thursday-night takeouts. San Franciscan children eat almost as much pad Thai as they do organic ba ... More >>

Fresh Eats: Lers Ros: Tom Silargorn Talks on Authentic Thai

Kimberly SandieChabaa's gaeng som, or sour orange curry. ​Thai restaurants began popping up all over San Francisco in the 1980s, and within a decade, Thai food had become a staple for first dates and Thursday-night takeouts. San Franciscan children eat almost as much pad Thai as they do organic ba ... More >>

Q&A With Tom Silargorn, Part 3: Recipe for Lers Ros's Tom Yum Koong

As part of SFoodie's interview with Tom Silargorn, chef-owner of Lers Ros -- part 1 and part 2 were published earlier this week -- we asked Silargorn for his recipe for tom yum koong. The soup gets ordered daily at Lers Ros, no matter what the weather or the time of day, he says. It's worth tackling ... More >>