Home of the Summer of Love, freak folk, Rice-A-Roni, and rising bands like Two Gallants and Birdmonster, San Francisco breeds originality like Fox creates reality TV shows. The bad news: You can't hop a cable car at every corner. The good news: You'll never go thirsty for soy milk. MELISSA GOLDSTEIN
COMMENT
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
a:link{color:#096296;} a:visited{color:#e11b22;} a:active{color:#FFFFFF;} a:hover{color:#660000;}
.clsPlainText { font-size: 11px; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, san-serif; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; }
Dinner
LITTLE STAR PIZZA
846 Divisadero St., San Francisco
This cozy, low-lit, deep-dish pizza institution is pretty much always packed. No matter. Chill at the bar with a glass of the reasonably priced Cotes du Rhone, and when you finally get a table, order the Little Star -- a spinach, tomato, ricotta, and mushroom slice of heaven, if heaven had an awesome cornmeal crust.
415-441-1118
Evening
FILLMORE
1805 Geary Blvd., San Francisco
SLIM'S
333 11th St., San Francisco
INDEPENDENT
628 Divisadero St., San Francisco
Midsize clubs Slim's 415-255-0333 and the Independent 415-771-1421 offer a variety of indie rock, punk, hip-hop, and reggae.
CAFE DU NORD
2170 Market St., San Francisco
The subterranean Cafe du Nord serves up a "saw them play a speakeasy before they were huge" experience.
415-861-5016
BIMBO'S 365 CLUB
1025 Columbus Ave., San Francisco
Bimbo's 365 Club, which opened in 1931, is a stylish setting for midlevel rock and pop acts (like Scissor Sisters and Stephen Malkmus).
415-474-0365
RICKSHAW STOP
155 Fell St., San Francisco
On Friday nights hit the Rickshaw Stop for the weekly electro hip-hop dance party Club Loaded.
415-861-2011
Nightcap
SPARKY'S 24 HOUR DINER
242 Church St., San Francisco
This late-night greasy spoon -- located in wonder-of-the-gay-world the Castro -- features burgers (with obligatory veggie options) and all the fixings, but you're really there for the jukebox and 3 a.m. people-watching.
415-626-8666
Dinner
CITIZEN THAI AND THE MONKEY
1268 Grant Ave., San Francisco
One part Bangkok noodle bar, one part upscale Thai restaurant, this bilevel corner eatery offers pad thai standards and standouts like pumpkin curry. Sit upstairs for a view of North Beach, and dine under hanging lanterns in a room divided by a fishpond that makes ou feel a bit like you're starring in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.
415-364-0008
Evening
MEZZANINE
444 Jessie St., San Francisco
Mezzanine boasts a lineup ranging from Diplo-caliber DJs to Blonde Redhead to punk vets the Buzzcocks.
415-625-8880
POPSCENE
330 Ritch St., San Francisco
Popscene is famous for its Thursday night residency at 330 Ritch, but the traveling indie-rock nightclub also sponsors the monthly Britpop Saturday night special Leisure at Annie's Social Club.
415-541-9574
ANNIE'S SOCIAL CLUB
917 Folsom St., San Francisco
415-974-1585
BEAUTY BAR
2299 Mission St., San Francisco
For cover-free dancing, try the kitschy Beauty Bar and if you're wary of weekend warriors the Hemlock Tavern has pool tables and a smoking lounge up front.
415-285-0323
HEMLOCK TAVERN
1131 Polk St., San Francisco
415-923-0925
Lunch
LA TAQUERIA
2889 Mission St., San Francisco
La Taqueria lives by the rule of divine portions, with generous dollops of guac.
415-285-7117
PANCHO VILLA
3071 16th St., San Francisco
Beck has given impromptu performances at Pancho Villa.
415-864-8840
PUERTO ALEGRE
546 Valencia St., San Francisco
But if table margaritas and mariachi bands are in order, it's Puerto Alegre.
415-255-8201
Afternoon
ZEITGEIST
199 Valencia St., San Francisco
This biker-bar-cum-alterna-dive is the perfect afternoon pit stop. The house specialty is a Bloody Mary served strong and spicy with pickled veggies in a pint glass.
415-255-7505
Dinner
WALZWERK
381 South Van Ness, San Francisco
East German meets East Village. The visages of Marx, Lenin, and Engels keep an eye on things from one wall, while hipsters sip beer with their schnitzel.
415-551-7181
Evening
BOTTOM OF THE HILL
1233 17th St., San Francisco
Intimate rock venue Bottom of the Hill inspires a cultlike loyalty thanks to its unpretentious vibe, usually including sawdust on the floor.
415-621-4455
THEE PARKSIDE
1600 17th St., San Francisco
Nearby, Thee Parkside goes country for its Twang Sundays and is de facto headquarters for Noise Pop when the indie festival revs up in late February.
415-503-0393
