Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
location. Richmond: 3355 Geary Blvd. (btw. Parker Ave. and Stanyan St.).
&
415/387-2255.
Sun-Thurs
6am-1am; Fri-Sat 6am-3am. www.melsdrive-in.com. Highchairs, boosters. Main courses $5-$15. MC, V.
Muni: No. 30-Stockton bus to Steiner St., and then walk 1 block south on St einer St.
137
Osha Thai Restaurant
Finds
THAI Serving the best Thai in S an Francisco,
Osha's first location was a funky , loud-music joint in the Tenderloin, with waitresses in
pigtails and hip T-shirts serving up the best Thai food in to wn to post-partying crowds
of 20-somethings. That meant we generally had to resort to getting takeout so we could
order some great
pad see ew
for the kids (a tasty, wide-noodle version of
pad Thai
—with
no peanuts, a plus for some kids) and luscious curries for us. While the original Tender-
loin location is still ar ound, and still open until 3am on w eekends, O sha's tasty Thai
cuisine was too good to be r elegated to post-party munchers. Today there are five Osha
locations around town, and the quality remains top-notch.
Our favorite is the Union Street location, which has an unused garden out back. That
means our daughters can chase after their y oung brother once he 's had his fill of fried
tofu, noodles, and red rice—without fear of disturbing other diners. M y husband and I
can watch them thr ough the window as we linger over dishes like spicy catfish or gr een
peppercorn pork. In keeping with O sha's roots as a par tier's destination, the sleek black
and white decor is somewhat night-clubby—but we've always felt welcome and have seen
other families ther e as w ell. Just arrive at an early-ish hour and ask for a table near the
back window. (
Note:
I've listed Osha as inexpensive, since two kids can shar e a pad see
ew. But if you add in the crispy spring rolls, rice, and more interesting menu options for
the adults, it can tip into moderate categor y—though it's worth it.)
2033 Union St. (at Buchanan St.).
&
415/567-6742.
www.oshathai.com. Highchairs, boosters. Reserva-
tions accepted. Main courses $8-$18. AE, DISC, MC, V. Daily 11am
-
midnight.
Muni: No. 41-Union or no.
45-Union-Stockton. Embarcadero: Embarcadero Center (at Clay and
Drumm sts.).
&
415/788-6742. Daily
11am-11pm. Muni: Str eetcars to Embarcadero Station. S oMa: 149 2nd
St. (btw. Mission & Ho ward sts.)
&
415/278-9991. M on-Sat 11am-11pm; Sun 4pm-11pm. Muni: 10- Townsend or 14-M ission bus. Mis-
sion: 819 Valencia St. (btw. 19th and 20th sts.)
&
415/826-7738. Daily 11am-midnight. Muni: 14-Mission
or 49-Van Ness/Mission bus; BART to 24th St. Tenderloin: 696 Geary St. (at Leavenworth St.)
&
415/673-
2368. Sun-Thurs 11am-1am; Fri-Sat 11am-3am. Muni: 2, 3, 4, 27, 38 buses .
Pasta Pomodoro
ITALIAN Families, and the good fr esh food, ar e responsible for
making this locally owned chain so successful. The fare isn't going to have you phoning
home in a raptur e, but it's cheap, healthy, and you can make ev eryone happy here with
a plate of lasagna for meat-eaters, a nice linguine primav era for the v egetarian, plain
capellini for the refusnik, and some sautéed broccoli because you need your veggies. The
best news is that P asta Pomodoro also delivers. Should you be in a hotel without r oom
service, don't stress about taking exhausted kids out once again: Those buttered noodles
are just a phone call away . You can find other locations in the N orth Beach, Presidio
Heights, Castro, and Sunset neighborhoods.
1875 Union St. (btw. Hyde and Larkin sts.).
&
415/771-7900.
North Beach: 655 Union St. (at C olumbus
Ave.).
&
415/399-0300.
Presidio Heights: 3611 California St. (at Spruce St.).
&
415/831-0900.
Castro:
2304 Market St. (at 16th St.).
&
415/558-8123.
Sunset: 816 I rving St. (at 9th A ve.).
&
415/566-0900.
www.pastapomodoro.com. H ighchairs, boost ers. M ain c ourses $7.50-$15.25. AE, MC, V. M on-Thurs
11am-10:30pm; Fri 11am-11:30pm; Sat noon-11:30pm; Sun noon-10:30pm. Muni: No . 41-Union or no.
45-Union-Stockton bus to Laguna St.
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