outdoor dining

Restaurant Website: http://www.gracias-madre.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=gracias+madre+san+francisco&sll=37.777092,-122.428551&sspn=0.025644,0.051155&gl=us&ie=UTF8&hq=gracias+madre&hnear=San+Francisco,+CA&ll=37.783062,-122.418938&spn=0.051283,0.10231&z=13&iwloc=A

A transformation has taken place at 18th and Mission, so radical that you can hardly remember what occupied the space before Gracias Madre moved in. An outdoor patio, shielded from the street by a fence emblazoned with oversize corn motifs, gives way to a long, skinny room generously outfitted with wood, a long bar and, at the back, an open kitchen.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>With its vegan Mexican menu, Gracias Madre has quickly distinguished itself from the masses of Mission taquerias. There is no carnitas here, no carne asada, no cheese—unless you count the cashew variety. Owned by the team behind feel-good mini chain Café Gratitude, here you’ll find meaty mushrooms filling tacos, tamales stuffed with butternut squash and excellent guacamole, by its very nature vegan. A selection of organic beer and wine round out the offerings.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.saisonsf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2124+folsom+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.778825,-122.394065&sspn=0.006606,0.009484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2124+Folsom+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94110&z=17

Foodies looking for an experience that they'll never forget come here to see what happens when a fine-dining chef takes over an informal kitchen and gallery space in the Mission District (directly behind Stable Cafe) on weekends. Huddling outside the outdoor heat lamps while waiting for your table inside in the compromise you might have to make. On warm nights, take advantage of the garden patio.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The "restaurant" put on by Mina (as in Michael) Group alumnus chef Joshua Skenes and sommelier Mark Bright is casual when it comes to service but the food is star quality, with a new menu each week, with such food as sublime uni soup, beautifully presented liver mousse and honey-roasted squab. If you choose to reserve a seat at the chef's table—an affair that puts you two steps from the stoves as well as the dishwashers—you might even be served by Skenes himself.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.littleskilletsf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=360+ritch+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.790416,-122.396167&sspn=0.052838,0.075874&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=360+Ritch+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94107&z=17

The only scene at this window restaurant—a spin-off of downtown soul-food restaurant Farmer Brown—is the line of people waiting patiently to get their chicken-and-waffles fix. It's a lunch and late-night only affair and there is no seating, but on a sunny day, plenty find seating directly of the sidewalk across the alleyway for a little urban picnic.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The brief menu here includes, yes, excellent fried chicken and Belgian-style waffles. But it goes on to include a pulled pork po'boy (which is really a sloppy joe), Cobb salad, biscuits and sausage gravy, and a slightly dubious over-the-top bacon-wrapped waffledog. Forget calorie counting for the time being because even the mini pecan pies are worth it.</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.thetipsypigsf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2231+Chestnut+St.+San+Francisco&sll=37.764456,-122.475715&sspn=0.009279,0.013304&ie=UTF8&ll=37.801138,-122.440116&spn=0.009274,0.013304&z=16&iwloc=A

Decorated with kitschy eBay finds, from brass pig’s head to wooden ducks to a literal library of vintage volumes, this self-proclaimed gastro-pub from the owners of Mamacita and Umami attempts to capture a bit of London in its Chestnut Street location. The large back deck, however, where drinkers can lounge al fresco, is pure San Francisco. Marina-ites pack the bar, but neighbors and families have made the sit-down area into a casual night out.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Tipsy Pig may be British in spirit, but the menu tends toward American comfort classics. There’s the requisite burger, of course, as well as fried chicken and a brined pork chop, generously rimmed in delicious fat and served with a potato cake (perhaps the most pub-like among the offerings). Though there is a list of creative cocktails and wines by the glass, beer is the beverage of choice here.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.lamarcebicheria.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Pier+1+1%2F2++San+Francisco&sll=37.753955,-122.404196&sspn=0.00928,0.013304&ie=UTF8&z=16&iwloc=A

Superstar Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio’s first stateside restaurant occupies a breezy historic building smack-dab on the Embarcadero that, with its whitewashed beams and neon-blue webbed chairs, hints at country-club chic. Sample a refreshing pisco punch at the bar, grab a casual bite in the ceviche lounge or settle into a full supper in the dining room overlooking the Bay. The large deck provides some of the best waterfront dining in the city.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>A meal at La Mar is like a Peruvian primer—the menu is punctuated with traditional ingredients, from aji amarillo chiles to leche de tigre (a key ingredient in La Mar’s outstanding ceviche). Don’t miss the rice dishes, such as the arroz chaufa, an inspired Peruvian take on fried rice, and the full-flavored soups, among them a robust shrimp soup enriched by the addition of a poached egg.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1199+Valencia+St,+San+Francisco,+cA&sll=37.781536,-122.440845&sspn=0.012007,0.025148&g=1199+Valencia+St,+San+Francisco,+cA&ie=UTF8&z=16&iwloc=addr

2009 EDITOR'S PICK: BEST NEW RESTAURANT

2009 READER'S CHOICE AWARD: Best Cocktails

This quiet corner of Valencia once housed the Last Supper Club, which was given a complete face-lift before reopening in April 2008 as Beretta. A large communal table anchors the upstairs dining room, and the bar is now the focus of much of the action. Tables in the picture windows are great for people-watching.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Chef/owner Ruggero Gadaldi (who also owns Antica Trattoria and Pesce—both on Polk Street) continues to cook according to his Italian roots, but at Beretta he’s turned his focus to pizza and antipasti. Pies are of the thin-crust variety, with blistered edges and restrained toppings—we’re fans of the potato, radicchio and Gorgonzola version. Antipasti change seasonally, but keep your fingers crossed that the eggplant caponatina with burrata cheese is available. The mostly Italian wine list is made for this kind of food, but you’d be remiss if you didn’t begin your meal with a cocktail, prepared from top-quality juices and spirits by some of the best in the business.</p> <p>MUST ORDER: Eggplant Caponatina and a Dolores Park Swizzle</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=3611+18th+St.,+San+Francisco&sll=37.793581,-122.399328&sspn=0.011836,0.019312&g=230+California+St.,+San+Francisco&ie=UTF8&z=16&iwloc=addr

The little sister to the ever-booked Delfina next door, this is where you’ll find some of SF’s top Italian-style pizza. Because it’s tiny and doesn’t take reservations, the best strategy is to go with no more than one friend, put your name on the chalkboard, order a glass of wine from the strictly Italian list and plant yourself under the heat lamp until your name is called. A second location, on California at Fillmore, is just as busy—weekday lunch is one way to beat the crowds.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Yes, there’s a clam pie and a salsiccia (fennel sausage) one, but it goes without saying that a margherita sets the pizza standard, and this one does not fail: The sauce is tangy and topped with creamy, house-pulled mozzarella, and the crust is chewy, crisp and blistered. One could live off of this alone, but the veggie antipasti are also worth trying, particularly the garlicky broccoli di ciccio or the green beans with pickled shallots.</p> <p>MUST ORDER: Arancini (when they have them) and Meatballs</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Chouquet's+++sf&sll=37.74481,-122.484598&sspn=0.006583,0.013261&g=1713+Taraval+St.++sf&ie=UTF8&ll=37.809377,-122.434559&spn=0.052621,0.106087&z=13&iwloc=A

This airy corner bistro features a warm, modern interior of orange and brown and wall-sized windows through which couples and groups of girlfriends watch the passersby on Fillmore. In warm weather, outdoor tables line the sidewalk.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The basic French menu at Chouquet’s highlights bistro classics—at lunch, try a classic croque monsieur or goat-cheese tartlette; at dinner, dig into the seven-hour braised lamb shoulder or the salad of fingerling potatoes, smoked trout and mâche, but save room for the chocolate fondant. The fresh ingredients and simple, elegant presentation complete the impression you’re in a Left Bank café instead of the 94115, and weekend brunch brings delicious omelets and benedicts.</p>