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residents and visitors as well as Art Institute students: a wide array of hearty breakfast dishes, fresh salads, sandwiches on homemade bread, daily ethnically inspired specials, and anything with caffeine in it—all priced at or under $7. The best reason to come here though is for the view, which extends from Alcatraz Island to Coit Tower and beyond—it’s so phenomenal that the exterior served as the outside of Sigourney Weaver’s chic apartment in the movie Copycat. To get to the upstairs cafe, walk through the contemplative courtyard, and pass by the art gallery housing The Making of a Fresco mural painted in 1931 by Diego Rivera, one of only four in the Bay Area.

800 Chestnut St. (btw. Jones and Leavenworth sts.). 415/749-4567. Main courses $4–$6. No credit cards. Fall–spring Mon–Thurs 8am–5pm, Fri 8am–4pm; summer Mon–Fri 9am–2pm. Closed Sat–Sun. Hours dependent on school schedule; please call to confirm. Bus: 30 or 49. Cable car: Powell–Hyde or Powell–Mason line.

Sodini’s Green Valley Restaurant ★ ITALIAN Sodini’s is everything you would expect from a classic Italian restaurant in North Beach—a family-owned-and-operated business run by a friendly, vivacious staff that serves hearty Italian classics on tables topped with wax-encrusted chianti bottle candles while the Chairman of the Board croons love songs in the background. There’s usually a wait for a table; fortunately, the bar is a great place to hang out, shoot the breeze with the friendly bartender (most likely one of the owners), and get a little North Beach history lesson. The clientele is a mix of locals and tourists, all getting hungrier by the minute as the aroma of garlic and fresh basil wafts from the kitchen. The large wood-fired pizzas are very good and worth moving that belt one more notch, but their best dish is the light and tender gnocchi. Regardless of what you order, you won’t leave hungry or unhappy.

510 Green St. (at Grant St.). 415/291-0499. Reservations not accepted. Main courses $10–$23. MC, V. Daily 5–10pm. Cable car: Powell–Mason line. Bus: 15, 30, 41, or 45.

Tommaso’s ★ ITALIAN From the street, Tommaso’s looks wholly unappealing—a drab, windowless brown facade sandwiched between sex shops. Then why are people always waiting in line to get in? Because everyone knows that Tommaso’s, which opened in 1935, bakes one of San Francisco’s best traditional-style pizzas. The center of attention in the downstairs dining room is the chef, who continuously tosses huge hunks of garlic and mozzarella onto pizzas before sliding them into the oak-burning brick oven. Nineteen different toppings make pizza the dish of choice, even though Italian classics such as veal Marsala, chicken cacciatore, superb lasagna, and wonderful calzones are also available. Tommaso’s also offers half-bottles of house wines, homemade manicotti, and good Italian coffee. If you can overlook the seedy surroundings, this fun, boisterous restaurant is a great place to take the family.

1042 Kearny St. (at Broadway). 415/398-9696. www.tommasosnorthbeach.com. Reservations not accepted. Pasta and pizza $14–$26; main courses $16–$22. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Tues–Sat 5–10:30pm; Sun 4–9:30pm. Closed Dec 15–Jan 15. Bus: 15 or 41.

FISHERMAN’S WHARF

For a map of restaurants in this section, see the “San Francisco Restaurants” map.

Very Expensive

Forbes Island ★ FRENCH Been there and done that in every San Francisco dining room? Then it’s time for Forbes Island, a wonderfully ridiculous floating restaurant disguised as an island (complete with lighthouse and real 40-ft. palm trees) and unknown to even most locals. The idea’s kitschy, but the execution’s actually quite wonderful. Here’s how it works: Arrive at the dock next to Pier 39, call the restaurant via the courtesy phone, climb aboard its pontoon boat that takes you on a 4-minute journey to the “island” located 75 feet from the city’s famed sea lions, and descend into the island’s bowels to find a surprisingly classy, Tudor-like wood-paneled dining room. Warmed by a fireplace and amused by fish swimming past the portholes (yes, the