Frommer's San Francisco 2012 - Matthew Poole [109]
Tip: Look online before you go—the wall menu doesn’t have room for nearly all the options. Or, better yet, call your order in to get a pickup time so you don’t have to wait in that line (ideally call at 10am, when they open, for a noon pickup). Insiders go for secret unlisted sandwiches; try www.hiddenmenu.com for a few.
2247 Market St. (at Sanchez St.). 415/553-6888. www.ilikeikesplace.com. Sandwiches $7–$10. MC, V. Daily 10am–7pm. Metro: F to Sanchez and Market.
HAIGHT-ASHBURY
For a map of restaurants in this section, see the “San Francisco Restaurants” map. Note: The Upper Haight and Lower Haight are two distinct neighborhoods separated by a giant hill 10 blocks apart from one another, so plan accordingly.
Upper Haight
INEXPENSIVE
Cha Cha Cha ★★ CARIBBEAN This is one of my all-time favorite places to get festive, but it’s not for everybody. Dining at Cha Cha Cha is not about a meal; it’s about an experience. Put your name on the waiting list, crowd into the minuscule bar, and sip sangria while you wait. When you do get seated (it can take up to two pitchers of sangria, but by then you really don’t care), you’ll dine in a loud—and I mean loud—dining room with Santería altars, banana trees, and plastic tropical-themed tablecloths. The best thing to do is order from the tapas menu and share the dishes family style. Fried calamari, fried new potatoes, Cajun shrimp, and mussels in saffron broth are all bursting with flavor and accompanied by luscious sauces—whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong. This is the kind of place where you take friends in a partying mood and make an evening of it. If you want the flavor without the festivities, come during lunch. Their second, larger location, in the Mission District, at 2327 Mission St., between 19th and 20th streets ( 415/824-1502), is open for dinner only and has a full bar specializing in mojitos.
1801 Haight St. (at Shrader St.). 415/386-7670. www.cha3.com. Reservations not accepted. Tapas $4–$9; main courses $12–$15. MC, V. Daily 11:30am–4pm; Sun–Thurs 5–11pm; Fri–Sat 5–11:30pm. Bus: 6, 7, or 71. Streetcar: N.
Citrus Club ★ NOODLES When you’re a starving writer you quickly discover that the cheapest, healthiest, and most satisfying things to eat in San Francisco are burritos and noodles. Citrus Club does noodles. Large, heaping bowls of thick Asian noodles, served hot in bone-warming broth or cool, minty, and refreshing. In typical Upper Haight fashion, the Club has sort of a cheap-Polynesian-chic feel—love those Vietnamese straw hat lamps—a young, hip staff and clientele, and the omnipresent world-beat rhythms. Most items on the menu are unlike anything you’ve seen before, so take my advice and walk around the two dining rooms to see what looks good before ordering. A refreshing starter is the citrus salad made with mixed greens, mint, fried noodles, and a tangy citrus vinaigrette. Popular cold noodle selections are the spicy lime and coconut, and the orange-mint. For hot noodles, try the marmalade shrimp or sweet chili-glazed tofu and greens. If you’re in a party mood, order a sake margarita; otherwise, a big pot of ginger tea goes well with any of the noodle dishes.
1790 Haight St. (at Shrader St.). 415/387-6366. www.citrusclubsf.com. Main courses $6–$10. MC, V. Sun–Thurs 11:30am–10pm; Fri–Sat 11:30am–11pm. Bus: 6, 7, 66, 71, or 73. Muni Metro: N.
Kan Zaman ★ MIDDLE EASTERN An evening dining at Kan Zaman is one of those quintessential Haight-Ashbury experiences that you can’t wait to tell your friends about back in Ohio. As you pass through glass-beaded curtains, you’re led by the hostess to knee-high tables under a billowed canopy tent. Shoes removed, you sit cross-legged with your friends in cushioned comfort. The most adventurous of your group requests an argeeleh, a large hookah pipe filled with fruity honey or apricot tobacco. Reluctantly at first, everyone simultaneously sips the sweet smoke from the cobralike tendrils emanating from the hookah; then dinner arrives—inexpensive platters offering