San Francisco - Eating - Dining Overview

With well over three thousand restaurants crammed onto the small peninsula, and scores of bars and cafs open all day, eating in San Francisco is never difficult. Eating is the culture in this town, with excellent food often at modest prices. Be warned, though San Francisco closes early, and you'll be struggling to get served much after 10pm. Mexican food is big in the Mission, Italian places abound in North Beach, and, of course, Chinatown naturally has plenty of Chinese , while Japan Center the heart of Japantown, located at Post between Geary, Laguna and Fillmore, a mile west of Union Square boasts a few fine Japanese places. In health-conscious San Francisco you'll find vegetarian entrees on every menu and quite a few entirely vegetarian restaurants. With the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma Valley on the city's doorstep, quality wines have a high profile in most San Francisco restaurants. State law prohibits smoking in all restaurants, cafs and bars, as evidenced by crowds of people puffing illicitly on the pavements.