live music

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Adjacent to the jazz club of the same name (and, yes, a sibling of the Oakland Yoshi’s), this vast restaurant, seating nearly 400, has soaring ceilings, a second-story lounge and an elegant private dining room, separated from the main room by panels of frosted glass. You can’t miss the open kitchen—take a look in for an impressive behind-the-scenes peek at the mastery behind the meal.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Refined Japanese is the order of the day at Yoshi’s, where chef Shotaro Kamio offers a veritable treasure trove of unusual ingredients, including fish selections flown in daily from the Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji fish market. Spare, elegant presentations and delicate flavors are the defining features of the offerings, which go far beyond the typical sushi rolls. Sparkling-fresh sashimi and meats cooked in the wood-fired oven are particularly special.</p>

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Located on the edge of Golden Gate Park, Park Chalet’s glass-encased dining room and bar, downstairs from sister restaurant the Beach Chalet, have retractable doors offering grassy views (on cold days) and outdoor seating (when it’s warm); there’s ski-lodge-like fireside dining inside during more blustery weather.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The small-plates-focused menu features California-style comfort food, such as truffled chicken and four-cheese macaroni bubbling with blue and sharp cheeses. Skewers of marinated hanger steak with tomato bread salad or a flatbread pizza go well with the house-made microbrews on tap; the Dungeness crab tamale or prosciutto-wrapped scallops over herb orzo are suitable choices, given the restaurant’s coastal locale.</p>

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Though Bossa Nova hides, signless on the dodgy block where Eighth and Minna streets intersect, the samba music emanating from the small Brazilian joint alerts passersby to its whereabouts. Owner Jocelyn Bulow may be best known for his Frenchified projects (Chez Papa and Couleur Cafe among them), but he’s nailed this Rio-inflected resto-bar.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Take a hint from those around you and order the signature cocktail, the caipirinha—a fiery combination of cachaça, agave nectar and lime wedges. With that in hand, you’re ready to peruse the menu: Pay special attention to any of the raw-fish preparations, skewers of lamb or pork sausage accompanied by three sauces, as well as the hearty moqueca, a seafood stew with coconut milk. Skip dessert; instead, have a second drink.</p>

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At the outset, Sudachi looks like legions of other Japanese restaurants, with the requisite bamboo floors and lengths of tea-dyed cloth hanging from the walls. But settle into a low tatami table (shoes optional) at the back of the room, and suddenly the space feels cozier and more charming. The front room is given over to music on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; if you prefer a more subdued experience, ask to be seated in the rear.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Carefully navigated, the menu reveals some gems. Order anything with house-made tofu, from the spiced tofu “fries” to the light Botanical Roll, a vegetarian combination of asparagus, avocado and tofu, topped with eggplant. A section of small plates walks the East–West line, at times skillfully, as in the scallops with gingery carrot purée, shitake mushrooms and bacon. Soju cocktails are on offer here, but don’t miss the Hitachino White Ale, a refreshing Japanese beer that pairs well with everything on the menu.</p>

A MESSAGE FROM THIS BUSINESS:

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This pan-Asian restaurant doesn’t just have boundary issues; it celebrates them—in its food and its dining room. The latter, decorated with Balinese art and artifacts, is split into a bar and, against the opposite wall, a beige banquette lined with two-tops. In between, a few tables serve as an ad-hoc teahouse (well into dinnertime, you’ll see people sitting there, hunched over their MacBooks). At 10 p.m. sharp, the lights dim, a DJ starts spinning and—voilà!—it’s a nightclub.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The menu (all small plates) is sans frontières as well—you’ll see dishes reminiscent of the usual Thai/ Vietnamese/Malaysian/Chinese suspects, but nothing is an exact match. For instance, whole shrimp (rather than the shrimp paste you’d expect in chao tom) are skewered on sugarcane and then served over a green papaya salad mixed with mango and Thai basil. Don’t miss the Poleng coconut curry, two tea-infused variations on a Thai-basil-and-eggplant theme.</p>

Now North Beach bar hoppers can find more than just a humdrum slice of pizza to satisfy their late-night appetites. The festive Mojito, located in the former home of La Bodega, serves Nuevo Latino small plates into the wee hours (until 1:30 a.m., to be exact). Eats:What's on your menu.: The restaurant’s effervescent namesake cocktail is the perfect accompaniment for such dishes as luscious grilled plantains and black beans garnished with a dollop of cilantro cream. At lunchtime, a divine Cubano sandwich is loaded with succulent roasted pork, ham, pickles and cheese. Or, as a smaller meal, opt for a few tacos yucatecos with shredded chicken, avocado, pickled onions and lime.

A circular bar is the focal point of highly social Mecca, where patrons sip honey-lychee daiquiris and orange blossom martinis. The crowd consists of well-dressed Castro couples and groups of revelers celebrating special occasions. Eats:What's on your menu.: The fries and ribs are to die for, and don’t pass up the seared foie gras starter, paired with pomegranate-glazed black Mission figs and crispy polenta. The menu reflects a comfort-food-meets-California sensibility, with entrees such as prosciutto-wrapped halibut with Blue Lake beans and smashed baby carrots and the roasted Fulton Farms chicken with sweet corn and oyster mushrooms.

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Supperclub is a spectacle if there ever was one. In the split-level, whiter-than-white Salle Neige dining room, guests lounge on plush oversize beds while enjoying multicourse meals, electronic music and performance art. In fact, it’s not unusual on some nights to see acrobats in corsets and fishnets walk by on their hands.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Set aside a few hours for the $60-$70 per-person, five-course fusion menu, during which an androgynous waitstaff presents an eclectic assortment of dishes: a chunky salad of lobster, shrimp and crab in a jalapeño-lime vinaigrette is followed by hot-and-sour duck soup served in a tumbler and then flaky halibut over a tomato-basil purée. Drinks will cost you extra, but a few stiff ones may help to relieve any discomfort over being served dinner in bed by a stranger.</p>

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This large restaurant is like a Hollywood-perfect set of 1950s Indochina. Downstairs, diners sit in dark wicker chairs beneath bowed palm fronds and purring ceiling fans. Upstairs in the lounge, downtowners unwind on rattan couches while sipping such signature cocktails as the Emerald Buddha–vodka with mint-and-ginger-infused lemonade.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>To start, nibble on rolls, either spring or summer—like the cha gio vit, blissfully crunchy and filled with shredded duck, glass noodles, carrots and scallions. As for entrées, the aromatic sea bass, steamed in banana leaves with ginger, shiitake mushrooms and tomatoes, will practically melt in your mouth.</p> <p><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">A MESSAGE FROM THIS BUSINESS:</span></strong> Le Colonial evokes the tropical elegance of Vietnam in the 1920s. A great escape with traditional settings, the tranquility of our outdoor patios, upstairs lounge, large dining rooms and four private dining salons will delight your entire party as you savor culinary masterpieces that are contemporary twists on traditional French-Vietnamese cuisine. The upstairs lounge serves an extensive bar menu as well as the full dinner menu. The lounge also features a variety of live music and local DJs Tuesday through Saturday. Le Colonial is located in San Francisco’s Union Square at 20 Cosmo Place off of Taylor between Post and Sutter streets.</p>