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Instant SF Local Part Two: Good Eats

Part two was going to be about lifestyle, dining and coffee, but dining kinda took the cake.  So part two is all about dining, and lifestyle and coffee are just going to have to wait.

As you probably have noticed though past Weotta blog posts, like Food Glorious Food, SF is foodie haven. So if you are going to be a local you are going to have to release your inner foodie!

Here are some of our favorite local eateries to get you started…

Pizzeria Delfina is a great place for a quick date or casual dinner with a few friends. They have two small locations, always fresh unique pizza’s, lots of quality ingredients, and great seasonal specials. They are pretty much packed every night of the week with a line out the door on the weekends, but the line moves fast and the service is usually pretty snappy. If they are featuring any pizza with a lightly cooked egg on top, like the one in this photo to the right, you must get it. Read more about their pizzas at Eating-sf.com.

Universal Café is quintessential local San Franciscan dining.  It can be

Eggs can look this good

summed up as great value, super flavors, friendly service, oh so fresh, and as local as can be. They have an ever changing menu, great portions, and fantastic fries.  It is the perfect setting for a casual time with friends, a leisurely business lunch, or a relaxing relatively inexpensive date. But where many folks will say they shine is Brunch. Their brunch is one of the best in SF and deserves a post to its self, so checkout nosaladasameal.com to read all about it.

Nopa has to be one of the most packed and lively restaurants in SF. It is a big, open concrete space that just feels social. It is usually quite noisy and rarely do people mingle, but the people watching is always fun. They have a fantastic long bar that draws the room together. Yes it is hard to get a seat at the bar. This is probably because, as we have said before, they have some of the best bartenders in the city, making some of the best drinks in the city…  try their pisco sour with a raw egg in it.
Oh ya, Nopa has good food too and they serve until midnight most nights.  The best way to describe their food is rustic SF style dining.  It is similar to Universal Cafe, just a little more expensive and perhaps a little more produced.  Their menu changes from time-to-time and their starters are always interesting, making it a fun place to order a few dishes with a good friend and taste, taste, taste.

Okoze Sushi is hands down one of the best Japanese restaurants in SF… just ask my buddy Disco who thinks it is the best restaurant in the city period.  They have some of the freshest fish around, greatest sushi chefs in the city, and friendly service to boot. They are consistently a good dining experience any night of the week, even Sundays. Okoze is a great place to take a group of up to 6 people and share lots of rolls and small plates. Better yet, go to Okoze on a date or with one friend, sit at the sushi bar, and focus on their fresh fish… if you want to have a unique sushi dining experience ask for DJ and tell him, “Grant sent me I am in your hands.”

Yes we have many more favorites to share with you, but these four are a good start to get you dining like a local. We will cover many more in posts to come, and if you need some more suggestions right now check out curious Eater SF. And if you want some great places for a quick nosh checkout  City Mama.

Oh ya, one more dining tip for ya. These days some of our top chefs have been taking their food to the streets through gourmet food carts… checkout Edopeno’s great list of many of the best.

Got any favorites of your own to add?