Restaurants

Contigo San Francisco Jamon Serrano

The Noe Valley neighborhood in San Francisco has another new restaurant that is so good, when you add in the recently opened Whole Foods Market; the area seems to be turning into a destination for foodies. The area can definitely support more good restaurants, and when the menu is created with local and organic products and sourced from humane farmers, ranchers, fishermen and artisans; locals applaud and line up at the front door.

Contigo Kitchen + Cava is a fabulous restaurant that serves only dinner and they do not take reservations. It is worth arriving early but if have to wait, they have a counter you can stand at sipping wine while you watch their kitchen cook everything from scratch.

Contigo is the only restaurant in San Francisco where you can sample the fabled jamón iberico de bellota — and an assortment of Catalan coques (flatbreads) from the wood-burning oven. Having had this ham in Barcelona, what we tasted at dinner was a flashback to our amazing trip years earlier. Read More »

Whole Foods Market - Tapas To Go in Noe Valley

The neighborhood of Noe Valley in San Francisco has been missing a grocery store, focused on organic foods for six years now. When the Saturday farmer’s market began in the Noe Valley Ministry parking lot, across from Martha’s Brothers Coffee, a few years ago, residents and visitors alike were over the moon! Now Whole Foods Grocery, the famous Austin, Texas grocery store chain, has come to the neighborhood and they are out to make a big impression.

One of the first attempts at winning over the locals is their Tapas To Go truck, set up in the Whole Foods Market parking lot.  We stopped by one afternoon before our brunch at Savor, and tried their four item menu. Read More »

Sweet Crepes @ Savor San Francisco

One of the most consistent restaurants in my ‘hood is Savor, on 24th Street in the Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco.  Savor is also an apt description of our recent dining experience. We savored every bite!  We stopped in for brunch recently and were cheered to see that the food and service is still outstanding.

As I mentioned before, Chloe’s Cafe around the block on Church Street is a very popular brunch spot, with a line present most weekends. However popular it might be, one of my favorite lunch or brunch destinations is Savor. They offer homemade corn beef hash to start with. Real homemade. Not many places do that anymore and the difference in flavor is immediately noticeable. Read More »

Chloe's Cafe - a Noe Valley Destination

There are lots of places to have weekend brunches in San Francisco. You can choose a posh brunch at the luxurious Campton Place Restaurant at Union Square, or instead try a neighborhood hot spot like Chloe’s Cafe in Noe Valley.

Recently I tried Chloe’s Cafe for the first time, to see what all the fuss was about.  I met a friend there mid-week because there always seemed to be lines for their weekend brunches.  Given the persistence of the lines every time I drove by, it was my mistake to think that the food was going to be that great. Everyone I spoke to in the neighborhood, shoot even the lady waiting in line when I arrived raved about the menu and how the wait was worth it!

Maybe it was an off day, or maybe I should have ordered the breakfast items rather than the sandwich – but both my friend and I had a so-so experience. Read More »

Ceviche Mixto @ Fresca

Fresca serves up some of the tastiest Latin American food I have eaten.  The owners brought the flavors of Peru to San Francisco many years ago with the opening of their Fillmore Street location, followed by restaurants in both West Portal and the Sunset neighborhoods.  A few years ago they finally arrived in Noe Valley, one of my favorite areas of San Francisco and opened on 24th Street across from the new Whole Foods Market.

This particular location of Fresca showcases beautiful blue mosaic tiles and deep rich wood details.  They created a cozy layout for the tables so that you walk in and realize that the room stretches from the vibrant street, all the way back into intimate seating areas.  The window seats in the front are great for lunch, and for lots of people watching along 24th Street.

We stopped in on a sunny afternoon to check out their well known ceviche, and wow!  We had the Ceviche Mixto for $13 and had our socks knocked off by the incredible flavors and pile of fresh fish! The citrus flavor, the fish with the crunchy corn kernels along with the red onion shavings were amazing. Yum! Read More »

Bistro 24 Kitchen is Open Late

Living in San Francisco many years now means that I have seen my share of restaurants open, do a bang up business, and then close. When this happens in my neighborhood I get upset for a while. Usually. This time I was happy to see a restaurant close, because its replacement has only been open two weeks and rocks! I’m speaking about Bistro 24, a new restaurant in the old Miss Millie’s location for you Noe Valley weekend brunch regulars.

Chef Pierre Mange and Stefano Coppola formerly of Lupa’s, have partnered to launch Bistro 24. They are serving up American comfort food, using local and organic ingredients, and making it available until midnight Tuesday thought Saturday!

Read More »

Barneys Gourmet Hamburgers Marina Location in SF

We’ve been going to Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers in Noe Valley, in San Francisco for years.  It is the only hamburger joint within walking distance for us, which is important because we I always over eat there, forcing me to roll slowly home as I digest.  Well good news for me, and my arteries, I just discovered that Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers has another location in the Marina neighborhood.

Read More »

Cherry Banana Chocolate Peasant Pie

Living in a big urban environment, sometimes we need to have that special place that we go to any time we need a dose of happiness.  Peasant Pies is that place for me.  Let’s start with the location. They are perfectly situated on 24th Street near Castro Street in the Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco.  This is easy to reach by every form of transportation from foot to car. For many city visitors or residents, location plays a big part in the happiness quotient. Next we have the price. Read More »

Cheerful Welcome

I grew up with Saturday night as “bath night”, to get scrubbed before Sunday church. In college we had movies around town offering “dollar night” every Tuesday. Today my neighborhood with its many kids and parents has introduced me to a new one called “Burrito Monday”, which happens at my local Mexican grill.

I’ve written about Mexican food places in the past, like La Corneta in the Mission District of San Francisco and Lisa’s Mexican Restaurant in Daly City – because I love Mexican food and eat it every week. And actually I may also write about my favorite taco trucks around the city very soon – another great San Francisco secret.

Casa Mexicana is a wonderful Mexican grill in the middle of Noe Valley on 24th Street. It has all the classic menu items such as soft tacos, quesadilla, enchilada, chili relleno and burritos, all made to order with eight different kinds of meat, three kinds of beans, two kinds of rice and three kinds of salsa. They are clean and fast with lots of tables to choose from, including booster seats and high chairs.

Clean and ready for the crowds

However maybe because they understand their young customers better than others they also offer green and red tortillas – yes, I am speaking of the kids.  In my neighborhood, kids rule the sidewalks, the parks and the menus and Casa Mexicana is no exception. I’ve gone and stood in line where a seven year old ahead of me, turned their head and gave a shout out to a dozen other kids that they knew (okay it seemed like that many but probably it was closer to five kids in line and coming in the door).

If you want to be the best aunt/uncle or babysitter in Noe Valley come to Casa Mexicana for Burrito Mondays and watch the magic happen. You’ll be rewarded with a happy child and a stomach full of delicious food prepared just the way you like it.

3917 24th St
(between Noe St & Sanchez St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 648-0477

Alice's in Noe Valley

One of my favorite things is finding good San Francisco restaurants, cafes and other spots in my neighborhood and around town, then returning to them. Again and again. Going as far as referring others to them and taking visitors to experience them as well. Good local businesses deserve repeat customers, don’t you think?

Alice’s in the Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco has its own loyal customers that have been eating there for years now. Named after the owner Sharon’s niece Alice, this restaurant is a favorite destination for families and neighbood residents. Since I have been going, I noticed that the volume of take out business often has cars double parked out front, which is always a good sign.

I like going for the lunch plates and some of the best pot stickers I’ve ever had. Their American-Chinese dishes range from the spicy to the savory. With the sun that seems to always shine in this neighborhood during the day, eating lunch at one of their window tables is a treat.

Free Soup!

Depending on when you go, you will find a nice mix of solo diners with their laptops, couples and families. My favorite dishes, especially when I go for lunch are the Orange Beef, Salmon with Garlic Sauce and the Hunan Fish over rice. And at lunch they include a yummy soup. Lots of lunch plates for $6.00!

Hunan Fish Rice Plate

When I moved to the neighborhood I learned quickly that lines were drawn between two Chinese restaurants, Alice’s and “another” Chinese restaurant about a block away. I’ve been to both places but the cool Venetian glass decorations that sparkle, the warm service, consistently delicious and inexpensive dishes at Alice’s keeps me coming back.

1599 Sanchez Street
(between 29th St & Valley St)
San Francisco, CA 94131
(415) 282-8999

Photo credits to my iPhone!