This topic arose the other day at the office: Which SF neighborhood has the best restaurants? We never came up with a definitive answer to this question at work, but it’s been on my mind ever since. Last year, I sang the virtues of these twenty restaurants that all happen to be scattered all over the city. It’s hard for me to choose just one neighborhood. Could it be the Richmond district, with its great Korean and Shanghai dumplings, and the other neighborhood cheap eats that anchor it? Or is it the Marina, home to my beloved restaurant A16? As overrun as downtown is with tourists and business travelers, it’s home to some restaurants that are dear to me: Katana-ya, Town Hall, Bong Su, even — dare I say it — the Rotunda at Neiman Marcus.
I’ve thought about this long and hard, and I don’t have an answer that I can stand behind 100 percent. At long last, I am inclined to say the Mission. Despite its shady drug deals, too-cool-for-school hipster reputation, and never-ending shortage of street parking, the neighborhood is filled with a diverse selection of thriving restaurants. I appreciate the never-fail favorites like Delfina, Pizzeria Delfina, Tartine and Foreign Cinema. I also welcome Spork, Dynamo Donuts, Frjtz, and all the other trendsetters that give me a chance to try something different and new.
Do you have any votes for the San Francisco neighborhood with the best restaurants? Please do chime in!
AMUSES BOUCHE 