The Top List of Veggie Restaurants - San Francisco, CA
Vegetarians can easily find a great meal from a wide range of cuisines. by Julie Muller Mitchell
Although San Francisco's history paints a picture of Barbary Coast indulgence and greed, today's San Franciscans are a pretty health-conscious lot. And the city is also incredibly ethnically diverse which means that vegetarians can easily find a great meal from a wide range of cuisines from Asian to South African with lots in between.
ANANDA FUARA - Vegetarian & Vegan 1298 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 (415)621-1994 Hours: (Mon-Tue) 8:00 am - 8 pm; (Wed) 8:00 am - 3 pm; (Thu-Sat) 8:00 am - 8pm This cross-cultural gem on San Francisco's busy Market Street features the full spectrum of veggie fare, from multigrain or buttermilk hotcakes and tofu scramble for breakfast to veggie burgers, curries and potato-tofu ravioli for lunch and dinner. Ananda Fuara's signature dish is its "neatloaf," a comforting concoction of brown rice, eggs, tofu, onions and spices, served with mashed potatoes and gravy. Traditional Indian lassi drinks, café lattes and smoothies are available, and the restaurant offers several vegan selections.
Estimated Cost Per Person - $13 - $23
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, New Year's Eve-Open
GANGES INDIAN VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT - Vegetarian & Vegan 775 Frederick Street, San Francisco, CA 94117 (415) 661-7290 Hours: (Tue-Sun) 5:00 pm - 9:30 pm Kick off your shoes and sit cross-legged on cushions at Ganges while Sari-clad waitresses bring you your choice of many Gujarati-style Indian curries. You can start your meal with spicy samosas and finish up with kulfi, an ice cream-like dessert. Vegan entrees are available. If you come for dinner on Friday or Saturday, you'll be treated to live Indian music.
Estimated Cost Per Person: $15 - $23
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, New Year's Eve-Open
GREENS - Vegetarian & Vegan & Organic Fort Mason, Building A, San Francisco, CA 94123 (415) 771-6222 Hours: (Tue-Sat) 11:30 am-2 pm; (Mon-Fri) 5:30 pm-9:30 pm; (Sat) 11:30am-2:30 pm; (Sun) 10:00 am-2 pm; (Sat) 5:30 pm-9 pm; (Mon-Sat) Late Evening. Desserts 9:30 pm - 11:00 pm Greens offers one of San Francisco's most dramatic views of the bay, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands, and is the city's longest running and best-known vegetarian restaurant. Located in a converted warehouse in Fort Mason, Greens opened in 1979 under the auspices of the San Francisco Zen Center, and much of its organic produce comes from the Center's Green Gulch farm in Marin County. The menu changes with the seasons, with specials such as baked goat cheese with grilled Italian bread and garden lettuces, pizza with spinach and braised endive with sun-dried tomatoes, lemon rosemary and cheese, and ricotta and corn griddlecakes. Save room for house-made desserts such as chocolate-hazelnut mousse cake and chocolate mousse with filo crisps with poached cherries, one of several vegan offerings. Soups, salads and baked goods are also available to go.
Estimated Cost Per Person - $35 -$50; $45 fixed-price, three-course menu on Saturday nights
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Lunch Only, Christmas-Closed, New Year's Eve-Open
GOLDEN ERA 572 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 673-3136 Hours: (Wed-Sun) 11: am - 9 pm Although Golden Era is located on the edge of the Tenderloin, a neighborhood that has a reputation for being a bit seedy, the restaurant's interior is pleasant and clean. Chinese and Vietnamese specialties such as imperial rolls, 'pho,' chow mein and Buddha buns stuffed with tofu, bean threads and water chestnuts are all there at bargain prices. Plus, you can get veggie specials such as the 'caramel chicken' a crisp and savory dish with nary a hen or a rooster in sight.
Estimated Cost per Person - $15 - $23
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas-Closed, New Year's Eve-Closed
JOUBERT'S RESTAURANT - Vegetarian 4115 Judah Street San Francisco, CA 94122 (415) 753-5448 Hours: (Wed-Sun) 6:00 pm - 10 pm This bona fide South African vegetarian restaurant in the city's Sunset District doesn't look like much but its charm lies in its eager-to-please wait staff and its delicious food. Entrees are a flavorful mix of African, Malaysian and other South Asian flavors. Menu selections include seasonal beans baked with a mixture of fresh herbs and spices and portabella mushrooms baked with a cremini mushroom and almond stuffing and served with mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy. A selection of chutneys, integral to South African cuisine, rounds out the menu. The chef does marvelous things with bananas, and wine aficionados will appreciate Joubert's list of more than 50 South African wines.
Estimated Cost per Person - $10 - $15
Holiday Schedule: Open on all holidays except those that fall on a Monday or Tuesday.
KOWLOON VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT - Vegetarian 909 Grant Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94108 (415) 362-9888 Hours: (Daily) 10:00 am 9:30 pm While there's nothing fancy about this Chinatown spot, Kowloon features many Chinese favorites such as egg rolls and chow mein, and it features faux chicken and pork dishes that really taste great. Ingredients including mushrooms, tofu and wheat gluten are miraculously transformed into tasty, yet not too salty delights.
Estimated Cost Per Person - $15-$20
Holiday Schedule: Open Every Day
LUCKY CREATION - Vegetarian 854 Washington Street, San Francisco, CA 94108 (415) 989-0818 Hours: (Fri-Tue) 11:00 am-9:30 pm Another Chinatown spot, Lucky Creation turns out meatless specialties including chicken with curry sauce and imitation sweet and sour pork. An excellent selection of clay pot dishes, flavorful Chinese stews will be sure to please as will the eggplant with bean sauce and other vegetable side dishes.
Estimated Cost Per Person - $9 -$12
Holiday Schedule: Open on all holidays except those that fall on Thursdays.
MILLENNIUM - Vegetarian & Vegan 246 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 487-9800 Yerba Buena Gardens, 772 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 957-3779 Hours: (Daily) 5:00 pm-9:30 pm Overseen by chef and cookbook author, Eric Tucker, Millennium offers a vast variety of outstanding vegetarian selections in two pleasant, tastefully decorated dining rooms inside the quaint Abigail Hotel. With an emphasis on fresh vegetables and grains, recent entrees included corn-stuffed phyllo flavored with huitlachoche, a truffle-like Mexican corn fungus, and an heirloom tomato salad with avocado. Vegan menu items are available.
Estimated Cost per Person $254 - $35
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Open, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, New Year's Eve-Open
POMELO - Vegetarian & Vegan 1793 Church Street, San Francisco, CA 94131 (415) 285-2257 Hours: (Wed-Sun) 5:30 pm 10 pm; (Sat-Sun) 9:30 2:30 pm 92 Judah, San Francisco, CA 94122 (415) 731-6175 Hours: (Mon-Fri) 11:30 am -2:30 pm; (Nightly) 5:30 pm-10 pm Although its menu isn't entirely vegetarian, this sparkling new café offers many imaginative and delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes. For dinner, try the cold buckwheat noodle salad with spicy soy, ginger and sesame vinaigrette crowned with fried tofu or the pasta with asparagus, red peppers, cherry tomatoes and fresh lemon-thyme, topped with toasted ricotta salata. And don't miss out on exotic rainforest sorbets and gelatos for dessert. At the Church Street location, there's weekend brunch, featuring unusual entrees such as sweet potato-wild rice hash served with tofu scramble and eggs or tofu Florentine served over polenta.
Estimated Cost Per Person for Dinner - $25-$30
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Closed, Christmas-Closed, New Year's Eve-Closed
WHOLE FOODS MARKET - Vegetarian & Vegan & Organic 1765 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 674-0500 Hours: (Mon-Fri) 9:00 am-10 pm; (Sat-Sun) 8:00 am-10 pm While most people think of Whole Foods as an organic and natural food store, the fact is the market is also home to a bustling café where a full range of hot and cold vegetarian and vegan meals can be had, along with roasted chickens and other meat-eaters' fare. Fresh rolled sushi, spinach lasagne, a Southwestern casserole of corn, black beans and cheese, cheese and mushroom quesadillas, hot soups, burritos and a complete salad bar are just a few of the offerings, not to mention Whole Foods' superb bakery where bread, rolls, cakes, pies and muffins are made fresh each day. Everything is available to eat in the market's small dining area or wrapped up to go. Don't let plastic utensils stop you from enjoying a real veggie treat, and you can stock up on some of the city's freshest organic produce and flowers on your way out.
Estimated Cost Per Person for Dinner $10 -$20
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, New Year's Eve-Open
The Top List of Veggie Restaurants - San Francisco, CA