Restaurant near Union Sq. SF?

I've promised to find a suitable restaurant for a group of c. 8 philosophers (including me) attending a conference at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco in a couple of weeks. Since I am so totally out of touch with my old hometown, I've come to LTH (but of course!) for recommendations. We'll need it to be within walking distance, priced for an academic pocketbook, first-rate food, surroundings decent but certainly not fancy (philosophers TALK during these sorts of affairs and don't really notice their surroundings very much), and pretty much any food ethnicity would be just fine. And I bet there'll be a vegetarian or two amongst us as well. Any ideas? Something interestingly Asian would be quite welcomed, for sure.

TIA, LTHers!

Geo

Restaurant B44 is a popular tapas place with reasonable prices and vegetarian options in Union Square.

http://www.b44sf.com/

Not sure if it really is what you're looking for, but I have had several above-average meals at Scala's Bistro, which is right by Union Square. It is nice but not too fancy, trendy or expensive. As I'm sure you know, if you want Asian you are not too far from Chinatown.

http://www.scalasbistro.com/

Geo,

I found myself at those very coordinates earlier this year. Unfortunately, I arrived too late to miss my reservation at Jai Yun, but not sure a fixed price/menu Shanghainese banquet would be the right thing to do with a couple of vegetarians anyways (though it's worth a call to see what they can come up with). I did end up at Sakana, a few blocks away from the Westin and, much to my surprise, a very nice Japanese restaurant with a particularly nice eye for seasonal fish and seafood, as well as traditional Japanese pubfare. Not much of an atmosphere necessarily, but seems to me a great place for 8 philosophers to have good sake-fueled conversation. Also a couple of blocks from there is speak-easy style Bourbon and Branch for good craft cocktails, albeit with a fairly strict set of rules.

Jai Yun
680 Clay Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 981-7438
http://menuscan.com/jaiyun/

Sakana
605 Post St
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 775-7644
http://www.sfsakana.com/main.php

Bourbon & Branch
501 Jones Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 931-7292
http://www.bourbonandbranch.com

Sai Jai Thai serves really wonderful street style Thai Food in the Tenderloin just a short walk from Union Square. I'm a big fan of their Meng Come (or one bit salad as it is known by many.



They also do a wonderfully moist and tasty grilled pork shoulder over fried rice.



I'm a big fan of angel wings (deboned wings stuffed , then deep fried. Sai Jai Thai does a really great version of this dish.



Sai Jai is on my "must eat at" list when I am in San Francisco. All dishes are reasonably priced and the food quality has never let me down.



Sai Jai Thai
771 O'Farrell St
(between Hyde St & Larkin St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 673-5774

Wow, tnx y'awl! An excellent range of choices. I shall put Sai Jai, Sakena, Scala's Bistro and B44 before my group and see what they think. I also noticed in another thread the general acclaim for Capp's Corner, which sounds like SF Italian from my days in The City—and it's just a cable car ride up Powell St., if memory serves.

Ah, nice to be in such a compact place as SF, eh? Where there's lots good, and it's all close...

Tnx again LTHers!

Geo

You can barely throw a stone in that part of San Francisco without hitting an Indian restaurant, which is probably the lowest difficulty cuisine to eat vegetarian. If you want to stuff yourself for essentially nothing, I recommend the local chain Naan and Curry which is a passable Indian buffet with great desserts. But for an unforgettable experience, walk the extra bit to Shalimar. The entire restaurant is essentially a giant tandoor, so if you don't mind coming home smelling like Indian seasonings and smoke, you can enjoy mouthwatering delights.

There's also a Taqueria Cancun not far from the St. Francis on Market. Every year since the category was started in a local paper, they've been voted the best vegetarian burrito in SF, but beyond that, it's a great example of the Mission style of burritos. It's also $6 for about 2 pounds worth of burrito. You won't be going home hungry or break the bank.