San Francisco’s landmark vegetarian restaurant has been showcasing seasonal vegetables grown on nearby farms and dazzling diners with views of the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge since it opened in 1979. Dine indoors or enjoy the newer outdoor pavilion for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.

For a little piece of North Beach, head to Lucca's, the 80-year-old Italian shop where salami hangs from the ceiling and the obvious order is the #1 Italian combo (salame, ham, mortadella, provolone, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, mild Italian pepper). There are a ton of other sandwiches, plus heaping salads, antipasti, meats, and cheeses to satisfy your Italian-American cravings. Plus, it's family owned, which is always feel-good.

For more than 20 years Dragon Well has been serving quality Chinese meals from a variety of regions — the menu boasts jook, Sichuan favorites, and California standards like Chinese chicken salad — making it an affordable neighborhood standby for lunch and dinner.

The Marina is home to the first U.S. outlet of Hinoya Curry, one of Tokyo’s most popular curry chains — and if you didn’t know, curry chains are big business in Japan. Hinoya serves a classic version of the somewhat sweeter, milder Japanese style of curry, made with a beef broth cooked anywhere from 48 to 100 hours, depending on the size of the batch. A succinct menu includes pork katsu curry, chicken katsu curry, crab croquette curry, and vegetable croquette curry to go with a selection of Japanese beer and sake.

Chef Roger Chong and his wife are the force behind this funky sushi spot, which has a devoted following of regulars. Chong procures some more exotic fish offerings that sway farther from the basic yellowtail, salmon and white fish fray, which he's known for arranging in large-scale sashimi platters.

Part taqueria and part rotisserie, Bonita offers a menu of tacos, burritos, bowls, and quesadillas, all of which make for perfect weeknight fare. The Marina location is open for kid-friendly dining, or order online for pickup or delivery.

Causwells is known for its bomb.com burger, but you'd be remiss to overlook the rest of the Southern-leaning seasonal menu of salads, hush puppies, cornbread and more. There's something for everyone, making it a great pick when dining with a disparate group, and the always-changing cocktail menu is worth a look.

San Francisco’s dedicated pinseria expanded with a second location in the Marina and that means you can now make a reservation at the second outpost for brunch, lunch, and dinner six days a week. The move is to order a couple of antipasti (perhaps the roasted cauliflower and grilled octopus) and a couple of pinsa to share. The mushroom-topped Grottaferrata heats up thanks to a touch of Calabrian chile, but you can’t go wrong with the Maranella, covered with layers of mozzarella, broccolini, and spicy pork sausage. 

Find this top-notch neighborhood Korean spot off Lombard, in a warm and casual space that formerly housed Nabe hot pot. Now owners Kummi Kim and Hilwin Wong have flipped the restaurant into a Korean dining and drinking den with a menu that spans both hot dog-filled hot pots and super-crunchy Korean fried chicken and don’t-miss soy-cured shrimp with egg yolk rice. The drink selection runs deep with a list of Korean soju and beers to explore.  

Bobby Hossain opened his food truck in 2010, nothing new as his grandmother owned three restaurants in Thailand and his parents ran San Francisco’s Rama Thai until it closed in the early aughts. He later opened his first permanent location in spring 2023, bringing five-spice chicken and green curry to the former Yukol Palace location.

The south Indian state of Goa, once colonized by the Portuguese, holds onto Portuguese influence in its cuisine with curries like vindaloo — from the Portuguese vinha d’alhos, meaning wine and garlic. Don’t miss the wonderful, nicely spicy version at Viva Goa.