What is the average price for eating in San Fransisco?

Question

I'm going to be traveling to San Fransisco for five days and I am trying to get an idea of how much food will cost and how much money I should bring. I do not want to eat fast food so what Are the chances of avoiding that if I don't wish to spend allot of money?

Answer 1

You can eat for about $15 per person per meal without too much problem. When I travel I tend to buy things like bagels and fruit and nuts in my room for breakfast. A lot of the smaller hotels in SF actually include continental breakfast in the room rate.

Sandwich type meals can be found for under $10 total [with salad, or chips and a drink] with very little problem.
My favortite sandwich places are Lee's Delis and Specialties Sandwiches which have several locations downtown.

Hoffbraus are an inexpensive option as well:
Tommy's Joint on Van Ness at Geary an old style SF houfbrau, they serve such unique dishes as buffalo chili over rice and the meatball sandwich is the bomb. The pictures of San Francisco all over the walls are a history lesson. Nothing fancy but filling and welcoming.
Lefty O'Douls on Geary at Powell. This is the strangest combo of hoffbrau, sports bar, and piano bar known to man. The food while not exotic is substantial and flavorful. A favorite of locals and tourists.

Your best bet for inexpensive food that isn't fast food is to experience as much ethnic food as you can. San Francisco has a wealth of foods from all over the world.
The Latin heart of the city is in the mission. Taquarias are a great bet for a cheap and very filling lunch. My personal favorites are El Toro on Valencia at 17th or their sister restaurant Pancho Villa on 16th between Valencia and Mission. Split a burrito if you don’t want food coma and enjoy the house made aqua frescas!
La Mexicalli 900 Block of Sutter – good Mexican food.
Zapita on 18th & Collingwood in the Castro is also very good

Other Ethnic
Axum on Haight at Pierce - Ethiopian food. The best in the city in my book. If you’ve never tried Ethiopian food do so, spicy, hot, and the bread you eat with is unlike anything you’ve ever tried.
La Mediterranee on Noe at Castro has great Middle Eastern food, friendly and filling. They also have a restaurant on Fillmore at Pine.

Italian
Original Joe’s 140 Taylor – Old fashioned stick to your ribs Italian food. Huge portions! Are good before or after theatre experience. Watch out, the garlic bread is radioactive. Yummy, but you’ll exude garlic for a half life. This is the restaurant that originated the open kitchen concept. The room is very retro and the neighborhood ensures an eclectic clientele.
Gaspare’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant 5546 Geary @ 20th Avenue. This is the kind of place that reminds east coast folks of their pizza places, plastic grapes hang from the ceiling, That’s Amore on the juke box, excellent calzone and pizza, great pasta with your choice of traditional sauces. A neighborhood favorite with families and couples alike.
Café Macaroni – Columbus at Jackson – Wonderful Italian food, opt for smaller space on east side of Columbus

Chinese
Henry’s Hunan at 674 Sacramento, on Battery at Broadway or between 2nd and New Montgomery and Harrison and Folsom south of Market near the MOMA. - Great Chinese don’t miss Diana’s Meat Pie
Tai Chi on Polk at Broadway has the best General's Tso's Chicken just the right combo of sweet, hot and garlic. They also do really good shrimp won ton soup and sizzling beef and scallops.

Moderate restaurants $15-25 per person:
Basic American and California Restaurants I recommend:
Judy’s on Chestnut at Scott- My favorite brunch place in the city. Huge omelets served with your choice of English muffin, home made blueberry muffin or pumpkin loaf [my favorite]. Order a side of potatoes to share, these are, bar none, the best home fried potatoes in the world.
Pluto’s on Scott between Lombard and Chestnut-Fast food that is fresh, and eclectic. No fancy waiters just good basic food, unusual sandwiches, custom salads, and great side dishes.
Balboa Café 3199 Fillmore – Good burgers and salads, not bad crab cakes and other California Style cuisine at this old boy feel restaurant. Started by our current mayor some 20 years ago, a favorite with the 30 something crowd.
Home on Market at Church good comfort food [mac and cheese!] near the Castro.
Chow on Church at Market – California Favorites – stop in to the Pilsner and have a drink on the patio while you wait for your table, the Chow host will find you.
La Mediterranee on Noe at Castro great Middle Eastern food, friendly and filling.
Diner Food – Best is Mel’s on Van Ness at Geary. Lori’s is ok, [various Union Square locations] cheap but filling, and Max’s [Geary at Mason] is great but the portions are way too large. Two people can eat off one meal here!

Slightly more expensive but worth it
Tadich Grill 240 California-The Original Cold Day Restaurant: An old boy’s kind of place that has been around since 1849. Great seafood, chops and sourdough. Stiff drinks, no reservations, but counter seats are first come first served.
Izzys on Steiner at Lombard: - This SF institution is known for steaks, seafood and stiff drinks. Eclectic historical pics decorate this dark wood paneled favorite. Don’t miss the creamed spinach, Popeye would give up the canned stuff in a minute for theirs.
Hays Street Grill 320 Hayes at Gough. Fresh fish shines at this neighborhood favorite. They specialize in grilling fish and then serving it with your choice of sauces that only enhance the taste of the fish and shellfish.
Clement Street Bar & Grill -Clement at 8th Ave. A neighborhood favorite with something for everyone, pasta, burgers, seafood. Baseball Mary and Paula the bartender make everybody feel welcome.

Enjoy!

Answer 2

it really depends on where you eat as well as where you will go. I would suggest staying away from touristy areas and also not eating dinner as the big meal, but rather lunch, since it is cheaper. Also, go to the supermarkets and buy food there, you will save money. If you do decide to eat out, it can cost any where from 8 dollars a meal and up, all depending the location and time. Whenever I go into the city, we eat at a little Italian restaurant in North Beach called Pasta Pomodoro. It is good, and for one person, relatively reasonable.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

depends on if you are staying in tourist areas. Like fisherman's wharf. Kind of cheap there, but you have to deal with a whole lot of people and even more seagull poop. But it's not cheap in San Fran. I would say on food alone for five days, no fast food, three meals a day...you will spend about 250.
Ok nevermind what i said...listen to the lady above me...she lives there. I was on vacation

Answer 4

The big resturants and Pier 39 are killers. Make a late lunch your main meal and take home the leftovers. I always like Benihana in Japantown for about $9 a person, or any of the Sushi places on Geary Blvd. Geary or Clement St. are full or reasonable places of every ethnicity.

Answer 5

i live in sf. i agree that it totally depends on the place. there are lots of little ethnic eateries that you can spend $8-10 and get a great meal. one person mentioned pasta pompodoro--which is very yum, but it is a chain you will find all over the city. in northbeach there are many other authentic italian eateries where you can eat for fairly cheap. bocce cafe on green street is my favorite. any neighborhood in the city will have tons of options for you to choose from.

Answer 6

MISSION BURRITOS AND CHINATOWN FOOD ARE CHEAP AND GOOD. (4-6 DOLLARS)