Destination Guide: San Francisco

Nob Hill/Union Square Area

Swan Oyster Depot (1517 Polk St., 415-673-1101)
“If it’s not fresh we don’t serve it.” That’s the unofficial mantra of this 23-seater lunch counter (open from 9a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily), that has served an all-seafood menu since it opened in 1912. Recipes are simple — think steamed, raw, or fried seafood (you know which to choose!) — the house-made cocktail sauce is terrific, the prices are reasonable and the service is gruffly charming. Eating here is a fun, old-timey experience — and needs to be, as there’s usually an hour wait to get in!

Honey Honey
Sure, there are bound to be plenty of unhealthy choices at a place named after a sugar source. But at this quick, reasonable, pleasant café there are also nine different salads, all made with crisp lettuces, fresh veggies and a choice of dressings (they’re good about giving them to you on the side). It’s a smart choice in what can be an expensive neighborhood.

Millennium
Romano beans, rapini, purslane, maitake mushrooms, umeboshi cabbage — a meal at Millennium is a tour of the world of exotic vegetables prepared in even more exotic ways (think tofu cheeses, panisses, panzanella salads and black-bean tortes). It’s all packed with flavor, and the healthiness of the menu goes well beyond the fact that its vegan. “The sous chef is a registered nutritionist,” my server told me, “so she’s very careful in her use of fats and oils.” This is a good place for a romantic meal, even for those who’ve never done all-veggie before.

Financial District/Embarcadero

Mixt Greens
If the meal you concoct at this design-your-own-salad joint is dull, well, that’s your own fault. Mixt Greens offers customers some 44 different options, including five different types of lettuce, sliced green papaya, quinoa, jicama, kalamata olives, mango, even Spanish white anchovies. Salads start at $7.95 for a very generous portion and go up by how much you add. There are four outlets around the city; service is quick and the seating areas quite handsome (indoor and outdoor).

Waterbar
Imagine a restaurant they’d take contestants on The Bachelor to for a first date, and you get a feeling for the sexy ambience here, along with the screen-worthy decor, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows framing amazing views of the Bay Bridge. As you might guess, the cuisine here is seafood, and features an incredibly extensive oyster menu. (Arrive before 7p.m for discounted bivalves!) The fish is delish, and can be made with sauces on the side (just ask).

The Plant Café Organic
San Francisco’s home-grown version of fast food is as health-conscious as the populace here—the café will even orchestrate juice cleanses upon request. All the food is organic, grass-fed and (often) gluten-free. But beyond that, the massive salads, breakfast offerings, curries and more are quite tasty. Expect a long but swiftly-moving line at lunch. There are also cafés on the Embarcadero, in the Marina District, and at San Francisco International Airport, meaning you can have a meal low in PointsPlus values on the fly (forgive the pun!).

SOMA District

The Grove
With celeb chef Jeffrey Saad (of the Cooking Channel) at the helm, The Grove’s menu says the restaurant does “scratch cooking,” which seems to mean simple, affordable dishes crafted with care. The meats in the sandwiches and salads are all roasted on-site and wonderfully moist, the grilled vegetables in the antipasto platter and the Moroccan casserole are bursting with flavor and nothing is too oily or goopy. Though the restaurant requires customers to order at the front before being served their food, the woodsy Americana-filled decor and selection of fine wines make it feel grown-up enough for a date-night. (There are outposts in the Marina and Lower Pacific Heights areas, as well.)

Mission District

Gracias Madre
It’s a travel tragedy to go to San Francisco and not have Mexican food (a specialty, thanks to the city’s thriving Latin population). It’s possible to do so at Gracias Madre without dipping into your weeklies, as all the food here is vegan. Don’t worry: After you’ve tasted soft corn tacos filled with garlicky greens or grilled eggplant you won’t miss pork or beef. The dishes feature veggies grown at the restaurateur’s own farm and dots of creamy nut cheese are subbed in for dollops of fatty sour cream. Get here early; there’s always a line out front.

Foreign Cinema
The plates of food are a riot of color at Foreign Cinema. Alongside much of the fish and meats are complex garnishes and sides of the freshest herbs and veggies, giving the dish more flavor than fats and sauces ever could (though some of the dishes do employ those; choose carefully). A well-curated selection of oysters is also a lure, as is the hip but grown-up vibe here (this is an ideal special occasion restaurant). Hidden perk: If the conversation flags, you can turn your attention to the foreign movie, with subtitles, being screened each evening after dusk (ask for garden seating if you want to watch).

Herbivore
You’ll have to exercise portion control at this vegetarian diner, because the chefs do not! Still, there are more than enough light options on the menu, including a number of nicely spicy Mexican options. Hayes Valley is home to a second Herbivore.

Marina/Cow Hollow

Zushi Puzzle
Book a reservation in advance: San Francisco’s finest sushi restaurant may look like a rundown neighborhood take-out Asian joint, but its chefs are true masters, which means that even on a Tuesday night at 10, all seats will be taken. To try the best of the buttery (but butter-free), unusual fish they source from around the globe, go with nigiri rather than rolls.

Greens
Greens was, arguably, the first restaurant in the United States to take a gourmet approach to vegetarian food, both in its ambitious menu and its serene, all-hand-carved wood decor, its oversize windows offering up one of the best water views in the city (the restaurant is in a former warehouse at Fort Mason). Come here even if you’re a devoted carnivore: The food is revelatory and usually can be done with a minimal outlay from your daily PointsPlus Target.

Japantown

Shabu-Sen (no website; 1726 Buchanan St., 415-440-0466)
Shabu-Sen specializes in shabu-shabu, a hearty but healthy cook-it-yourself Japanese meal that takes its name from the sound diners make as they swish paper-thin slices of beef, noodles and assorted vegetables in a light broth. As the meat cooks, the fat in it melts off, and one person at the table skims it out of the broth with a long-handled sieve. Diners then dip the cooked meats, veggies and noodles in one of two oil-light sauces: a ponzu and a sesame sauce. The delicious simplicity of the food and the fun of cooking it make Shabu-Sen a great choice for those traveling with kids.