Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
116
Food Courts
What could be mor e democratic than a f ood court? Having a wide variet y of
options r educes strif e f or families with diff erent tast es, which is just about
every family I k now. Also, kids have fun waiting in the line of their choic e and
exercising a bit of independenc e. In the Union S quare area, the
Crocker Gal-
leria
at 50 Post St., at Montgomery Street, has a terrific food court on the third
level, open M onday thr ough F riday until 6pm and Satur days until 5pm. I t's
always packed at lunch with offic e workers seeking a quick , inexpensive bite.
At the Fountain Café you'll find breakfast bagels, eggs, and baked goods in the
morning and sandwiches and bur gers at lunch. Get a chili fix at Chili Up; the
different versions come with tortillas or corn bread. You'll also find counters for
Leila Mediterranean Cuisine; 360 Deg ree Gourmet Burrit os; Chaat C afé!, with
great I ndian take -out; New A sia Restaurant; and N iji Japanese Grill , among
other international options. To avoid the rush, arriv e before 11:30am or af ter
1pm and grab a table in the light-filled atrium.
The Cellar
in Macy's on Gear y and Stockton streets, is not t echnically a food
court, but it does ha ve a Jamba Juic e, a Wolfgang Puck Express Café, a Boudin
Bakery, a Ben & Jerr y's, and a cookie counter. If you're in SoMa, the food court in
the new por tion of the
Westfield S an F rancisco C entre
at 5th and M ission
streets offers much bett er eats than y our average mall options . Now you can
choose from Andale M exican cuisine, Askew Grill, Bistro Burger, and, what ma y
become the food court's most coveted destination, Out the Door, part of famed
chef Charles Phan's collection of restaurants (see Slanted Door on p. 122). In addi-
tion t o these and other choic es, a gourmet g rocery opens t o the f ood c ourt,
which has seating for up to 800 customers.
And therein lies the rub. The choices may be enticing, but hanging out with
799 other customers in a basement food court is not my idea of fun (although
my elder daughter thought it seemed like a grand idea; you never know what'll
please the k ids). If your family is set on a f ood court, consider the more man-
ageably sized one at
Metreon
at 4th and M ission streets. There, the Firewood
Cafe provides pizzas and salads , Luna A zul makes gener ously sized burritos,
and Buck horn Grill satisfies hung ry meat- eaters. L ong Lif e Noodle C o. and
Sanraku, described on p. 108, offer tasty Asian options.
The most attractive food court is
Rincon Center,
at 101 Spear St., bet ween
Mission and Ho ward streets. The 1930s M oderne/Art Deco building is on the
National Register of Historic Places and contains an 85-foot waterfall inside the
dramatic atrium and murals in the f ormer post office lobby. For a truly cosmo-
politan experienc e, y ou can send emissaries t o Arabi f or t op-notch M iddle
Eastern salads, to Sorabol for Korean grilled meats and soup, to Thai to Go for
pad Thai, to Wazwan for Indian dishes and naan br ead, and to Taqueria Pepe's
for burritos. Burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, and soups ar e also t o be had . Yank
Sing, the preeminent dim sum restaurant, has a lovely dining room here, which
I highly recommend if you have time for a more leisurely lunch (p. 124). With
the exception of Yank Sing, which is open daily, the restaurants in Rincon Cen-
ter are open weekdays from 11am to 3pm.
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