dine at the bar

Restaurant Website: http://www.myizakaya.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&q=nombe+san+francisco&fb=1&gl=us&hq=nombe&hnear=san+francisco&cid=0,0,991014118131577965&ei=VeVYS6OEE8ejlAftuoHzAw&ved=0CBAQnwIwAw&ll=37.759791,-122.418594&spn=0.006412,0.012789&z=16&iwloc=A

Japanophiles and savvy Missionites fill the two-part dining room of this unlikely izakaya restaurant that has the remnants of its former trappings: The space used to be a café, complete with a black-and-white checkered tiled floor, that then became a taqueria. Sidle up to the bar, revel in the funky space and focus on the great food.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p><span style="font-size: small;">Nicolaus Balla, the former chef of O Izakaya Lounge, has spent time cooking in Japan and it shows. Roasted beets are tossed with nothing more than a tingle of freshly grated wasabi and a salad of fried calamari is mixed with fresh mizuna. Balla is also doing traditional yakimono, grilled skewers of everything from chicken skin to chicken thigh with ume and shiso. Don’t forget to look to the specials, which might include a perfectly balanced dish local halibut sashimi on thinly sliced fennel, with hijiki seaweed, grapefruit and sesame seeds. The restaurant is open until 2 am on weekends, serving ramen, which paired with a beer, makes the ideal midnight snack.</span></p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.michaelmina.net/rn74Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=301+mission+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.782595,-122.407715&sspn=0.006605,0.009484&g=16+mint+plaza.,+san+francisco&ie=UTF8&hq=Millennium+Tower&hnear=Millennium+Tower,+San+Francisco,+CA+94105&z=14

The Mina Group's "casual concept" restaurant—led in large part by wine guru Rajat Parr—is named after the highway the runs through Burgundy. Oenophiles convene is the red-leather horseshoe booths here, swirling glasses of Pinot. A haute train-station theme runs through the handsome but whimsical room, including an old-school flip board that announces wines that are on special. Power lunching takes place here, but at night you'll see couples out for special occasions.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Despite the servers in jeans, the refined food here is clearly in the hands of a fine dining chef—Jason Berthold, formerly of the French Laundry. Should you be intimidated by the wine list, fear not. The sommeliers on staff are all at the top of their game. Let them make the pairing suggestions for the eclectic menu items such as the hamachi sashimi with hearts of palm, Asian pear and pine nuts; sautéed pork belly with clams; and a much healthier take on cassoulet made with duck, barley, and shiitake mushrooms.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.heavensdog.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1148+mission+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.787176,-122.407398&sspn=0.006605,0.009484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1148+Mission+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94103&z=17

Located at the base of the SoMa Grand building, Heaven’s Dog offers two visions of the celestial. A dark side, where dangerously good cocktails are served on a beautiful blond-wood bar cut from one 28-foot-long trunk of cypress and diners lounge on midcentury-inspired orange-vinyl couches while supping on dan dan mein.And, directly next door, an illuminated side called the noodle bar—stark white with counter-only seating and a long open kitchen where cooks roll out dumpling dough and flame-licked woks jump with green beans tossed with salty Szechuan pickles.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Charles Phan’s first venture, cuisine-wise, out of Vietnam and into China is being manned by chef Andy Wai, whose simple, small-plates menu includes a gorgeous braised pork belly sandwiched within a soft and sweet clamshell bun (undoubtedly a nod to Momofuku’s version in NYC), handmade little shrimp-and-chive dumplings and an egg omelet with pork. The menu is no-frills, but it’s also stamped with Phan’s fresh touch.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.burgerbarlv.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=251+geary+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.788139,-122.399056&sspn=0.02642,0.037937&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=251+Geary+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94102&z=17

The interior of Hubert Keller’s burger emporium (his second—the first is at the Mandalay Place in Vegas) is nothing much to look at, but thankfully the restaurant—which is located in Macy’s, one floor beneath the Cheesecake Factory—has an amazing view of Union Square. Ask for a table near the window, and try to ignore the techno music and the rhinestone and logo adorned underwear for sale behind the bar.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Every permutation of the burger is represented here, from classic (American cheese, bacon) to luxe (foie gras, truffles). It’s not just beef, either—you can choose from bison, salmon, chicken or vegetarian. The toppings are limitless, but beware the sin of overindulgence: too much of a good thing sometimes is too much. Naturally, you can also choose your fries—skinny or fat, sweet potato or regular, even zucchini. This warning about overdoing  it extends to the milkshakes—the best among them are the simplest.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.pibarsf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1432+Valencia+St.,+san+francisco&sll=37.793753,-122.40249&sspn=0.006604,0.009484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1432+Valencia+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94110&z=17

The Pi Bar space bears none of the hallmarks of its former occupant, Suriya Thai. Gone is the pink paint and the elephant mural, replaced by a vaguely sports-bar esque interior, the centerpieces of which are the long bar and the communal table set in the window up front. A chalkboard advertises the nightly draught beer options.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The pizzas here—and pizza is the centerpiece of the menu—are New York style, the large one (21 inches) the size of a manhole cover. Topping options are limited to more classic choices, such as anchovy, housemade Italian sausage and portabella mushrooms, the sauce is appropriately tangy and the cheese is laid on with a heavy hand.  A slice (which sells for $3.14—that is pi) and a beer at the bar isn’t the heights of culinary creativity, but on nights when that’s what you’re after, Pi hits the spot.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.wexlerssf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=568+Sacramento+St.,+san+francisco&sll=37.784825,-122.400055&sspn=0.204586,0.303497&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=568+Sacramento+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94111&z=17

The undulating sculpture that hangs from the ceiling at Wexler’s resembles a dinosaur skeleton a la New York’s American Museum of Natural History, but the rest of the room is pure modern—a back-lit bar, low lighting and a crowd that tends toward downtown post-work (not surprising, given its location in the heart of the Financial District.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>To call this Southern food wouldn’t be right, and this certainly isn’t a barbecue joint. Rather, it’s a hybrid of fine dining technique (which chef Charlie Kleinman honed during his days at Fifth Floor) and local ingredients, with elements of regional barbecue tossed in the mix. So you’ll see hush puppies and green tomatoes on the menu (the latter as a chutney for chicken live pâté), skate wing with a pulled pork filling and coleslaw and black-eyed peas as side dishes, but don’t go expecting racks of ribs or giant piles of brisket—it’s not that kind of place.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.starbellysf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=3583+16+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.759792,-122.387518&sspn=0.006608,0.009484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=3583+16th+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94114&z=17

Opened by two of the principals behind Beretta, this Castro neighborhood restaurant is packed nightly with locals, who withstand long waits for a table in the narrow, tightly packed space. With its rustic wood lathe, long bar and glimmering glass globe lights, Starbelly looks, aesthetically speaking, like a Beretta-Bar Bambino love child.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Starbelly is dialed in to what the majority of SF diners love. Consider the snacks, which include plates of roasted padron peppers, bowls of Rancho Gordo bean puree and miniature corn dogs, or the salads, farmers-market creations that involve Little Gems, avocado and goat cheese. Naturally, there are also crispy-crust pizzas and larger plates, including a burger and an excellent porchetta, ringed with flavorful fat and topped with a spoonful of salsa verde.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.thetipsypigsf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2231+chestnut+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.750902,-122.434327&sspn=0.006608,0.009484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2231+Chestnut+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94123&z=17

At peak times (Friday and Saturday nights, for example) the crowd and accompanying din here can be overwhelming—even during quieter times, the live room can make easy conversation a challenge. Opt for a table in the quieter “library” in back or, if weather permits, carve out some space for you and your friends on the large back patio.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Tipsy Pig serves grown-up pub fare with a few standouts. The pulled pork sliders— sweet, shredded meat piled high on plush buns—are terrific, and the maple-brined pork chop is so good you’ll want to gnaw at the bone (and happily, this is a place where no eyebrows would be raised if you went for it). While some of the other options—burgers, macaroni and cheese, Caesar salads—are somewhat pedestrian, the 50 or so artisan beers help patrons happy.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1320+castro+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.758879,-122.414718&sspn=0.006608,0.009484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1320+Castro+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94114&z=17

From the get-go Contigo seemed pre-ordained for success, if only because the neighborhood was so desperate for an interesting, casual restaurant. Chef-owner Brett Emerson to the rescue with his Spanish-style spot, housed in a narrow slip of a space with an open kitchen. For the most authentic tapas bar experience, snag one of the stools and watch the cooks at work. On warm evenings the coveted seats are on the snug back patio, where you dine amongst raised beds planted with herbs and lettuces.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The best dishes here are the ones that seem most authentically Spanish—a plate of perfect jamon Serrano, perhaps, or a bowl of fried patatas bravas, the paprika-dusted potatoes served with alliolli and a tomato-based salsa brava. Oxtail-stuffed piquillo peppers, unapologetically fishy sardine toasts—these are things we could eat again and again, complimented by a funky bottle of Spanish red or a glass of sherry.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.showdogssf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1020+market+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.758923,-122.412185&sspn=0.006608,0.009484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1020+Market+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94102&z=17

The owners of Foreign Cinema have established this temple of the dogs—hot dogs, that is, along with sausages, French fries and onion rings. The triangular space, with its oversized glass windows, is a prime spot for witnessing some of the “local color” on that stretch of Market Street. It’s convenient location near the Warfield makes  it a good spot for a quick pre-show bite.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>With a menu of sausages and hot dogs sourced from some of the area’s best purveyors—4505 Meats, Fatted Calf and more—this is no pedestrian hot dog stand. Though selections change frequently, look for a lamb merguez topped with fig chutney, corn dogs and fiery Louisiana hot links. The fries (regular and barbecue) and lacy onion rings are well-above average, and a good selection of draft beers, all available in eight-ounce pours perfect for midday tippling, rounds out the experience.</p>