Eat and Drink Awards 2008

BEST NEWCOMER
Spruce
3640 Sacramento St., 415-931-5100

Surely, Spruce’s delayed debut (nearly two years later than initially hoped) wasn’t merely a game of playing hard-to-get. Regardless, it worked—from the day the restaurant opened its doors, the buzz hasn’t stopped. The gorgeous space, the massive wine list and chef Mark Sullivan (pictured) and his American-by-way-of-France food has made this restaurant, located in Presidio Heights on a quiet stretch of Sacramento Street, the place for a big night out.

BEST OVERALL/BEST SERVICE
Gary Danko
800 North Point St., 415-749-2060

BEST CLASSIC
Boulevard
1 Mission St., 415-543-6084

BEST WINE LIST
Bacar
448 Brannan St., 415-904-4100

BEST MEAL UNDER $15
Nick's Crispy Tacos
1500 Broadway, 415-409-8226

BEST DESSERTS
Citizen Cake
399 Grove St., 415-861-2228

BEST FIRST DATE
A16
2355 Chestnut St. 415-771-2216

BEST DESSERTS : “Citizen Cake—this one is a no-brainer. Innovative desserts that practically beg you to skip the main course.” —Connie Hwong, 28, Hayes Valley

BEST COCKTAILS
The Alembic
1725 Haight St., 415-666-0822

We know why you love the Alembic—for all the reasons we do: the vintage appeal of the bar, made from repurposed Kezar Stadium bleachers, and its coziness, especially on the foggiest day. But the place wouldn’t be much of anything without the excellent and creative cocktails (pictured)—made with top-shelf spirits and sodas, and herbs from the garden out back—paired with the way-better-than-bar-food, like deviled duck’s eggs, Moroccan spiced lamb burgers with harissa aïoli and olives with pickled vegetables.

BEST OUTDOOR DINING
Foreign Cinema
2534 Mission St., 415-648-7600

BEST LATE NIGHT
Nopa
560 Divisadero St., 415-864-8643

BEST BRUNCH
Maverick
3316 17th St., 415-863-3061

BEST CELEBRATION SPOT
Medjool
2522 Mission St., 415-550-9055

BEST FRENCH (tie)
Fleur de Lys
777 Sutter St., 415-673-7779
La Folie
2316 Polk St., 415-776-5577

BEST ITALIAN
Delfina
3621 18th St., 415-552-4055

BEST THAI : “Osha Thai. The old-school one on Geary. Cheap, open late, tasty. I like the location, on the outskirts of the Tenderloin—great people-watching out the windows while your mouth catches afire on a spicy pepper.” —Heather Williams, 28, Mission District

BEST MEDITERRANEAN
Kokkari Estiatorio
200 Jackson St., 415-981-0983

Greek food is not easy to come by in this town, but at this sweeping, comfortable restaurant, complete with a roaring fireplace where everything from lamb to suckling pig is spit-roasted, you can feast like Zeus. Chef Erik Cosselmon does the expected Greek classics beautifully, but the more adventurous diner can enjoy the likes of goat stew, grilled octopus, whole fish (pictured) and house-made headcheese.

BEST BURGER
Burger Meister
759 Columbus Ave., 415-296-9907
86 Carl St., 415-566-1274
138 Church St., 415-437-2874

BEST THAI
Osha Thai
819 Valencia St., 415-826-7738
696 Geary Blvd., 415-673-2368
149 Second St., 415-278-9991
4 Embarcadero Center, 415-788-6742
2033 Union St., 415-567-6742

BEST KOREAN
Brothers
4128 Geary Blvd., 415-387-7991

BEST INDIAN
Dosa
995 Valencia St., 415-642-3672

BEST DIM SUM
Yank Sing
101 Spear St., 415-781-1111
49 Stevenson St., 415-541-4949

BEST JAPANESE
Sebo
517 Hayes St., 415-864-2122

BEST VIETNAMESE
Slanted Door
Ferry Building Marketplace, 415-861-8032

BEST PIZZA
Little Star Pizza
846 Divisadero St., 415-441-1118
400 Valencia St., 415-551-7827

BEST MEXICAN
La Taqueria
2889 Mission St., 415-285-7117

BEST BUSINESS LUNCH
Aqua
252 California St., 415-956-9662

E+D AWARDS BONUS CATEGORIES
By popular demand, we added five online bonus questions to our Reader's Choice poll and included a submit-your-own category for you extra-creative thinkers. The following places got the most nods while the polls were open in December.

BEST BATHROOM
Umami
(They teach you Japanese)
Farina
Redwood Room

BEST CLASSIC RESTAURANT
Izzy's

BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
Range
(Submit Your Own Category)