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One of the most popular destinations in San Francisco, Golden Gate Park is filled with activities to enjoy on a weekend outing, from the California Academy of Science to the Shakespeare Garden. After wandering through the park’s winding pathways and the shaded lawns, restore your energy by grabbing a bite at one of our favorite restaurants in the neighborhoods surrounding the park.

The Taco Shop At Underdog’s

Bar, Restaurant, Mexican

Underdog’s fish taco
© djjewelz/Flickr
The Taco Shop At Underdog’s is a fusion between a modern taqueria and a neighborhood sports bar. Visit the restaurant to watch your favorite team play on one of ten flat screens mounted around the walls while enjoying a variety of tacos and other Mexican food. The food is made of high-quality ingredients like slow-cooked meats and fresh produce, ingredients that are locally-sourced and organic whenever possible. The margaritas are popular, too, made individually with agave nectar. Visit on Taco Tuesdays to enjoy $2 street tacos, or try the Poco Queso Quesadilla and the Baja Style Burrito.

Outerlands

Restaurant, Cafe, American

Outerlands
© SF Planning Dept/Flickr
Outerlands is a restaurant that proudly proclaims its commitment to ‘an exploration of small business as a powerful means to connect personally and creatively with our larger community.’ The restaurant is environmentally conscious, too, using sustainable local resources and maintaining relationships with local organic farms, ranches and specialty foods purveyors. Try the almond butter toast with strawberry and sunflower sprouts for breakfast, the potato dumpling with black and green garlic, maitake, and peas for lunch, or the hanger steak with sugar snap pea pesto, peaches, turnip and savory for dinner.

Pizzetta 211

Pizzeria, Restaurant, Dessert, BBQ

Pizzetta 211
© kennejima/Flickr
Pizzetta 211 is a tiny, but very popular pizza parlor with indoor and outdoor seating. The pizzas are large but made with thin crust. Visit the restaurant and try a specialty pizza with BBQ beef brisket, caramelized onions, crescenza and pickled goathorn peppers, or one with farm eggs, early girls, bacon, garlic confit, frisee and basil aioli. Some of the menu items are only available bi-weekly. The restaurants also has a variety of salads, cheeses, and desserts available, like the house-made flourless chocolate cake.

Burma Superstar

Restaurant, Asian, Vegetarian

Burma Superstar
© kennejima/Flickr
Burma Superstar prides itself on bringing the taste and cooking of Burma to San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area. The San Francisco location is the original and has been around since 1992, but there are also locations in Oakland and Alameda. The restaurants pride themselves on providing strong customer satisfaction with warmth and great service. The value and quality of the food is renowned. Visit the San Francisco location and try the fried yellow bean tofu, the bun tay kauswer, the pumpkin pork stew or the Burmese chicken and shrimp casserole.

Marnee Thai

Restaurant, Thai

Marnee Thai
© Christina Xu/Flickr
Marnee Thai was opened in 1986 as one of the first Thai restaurants in San Francisco. Chef Chai Siriyarm opened the restaurant with the goal to ‘give his patrons a taste of Thai cuisine and culture so transporting that they could enjoy the country’s wonders without ever having to leave the neighborhood.’ He has since become a world-famous chef, winning Superchef contests both in Los Angeles and in Thailand, and he was also named International Chef of the Year at the Awards of the Americas. Try Marnee Thai’s roasted duck noodles, spicy angel wings, green papaya salad or mussamun chicken curry.

Kitchen Kura

Restaurant, Japanese

Kitchen Kura
© kennejima/Flickr
Kitchen Kura is a restaurant serving homemade-style Japanese food. The space is small, but popular, so it gets crowded frequently. Customers rave about the delicious, authentic Japanese comfort food, served in generous portions. The food is a great value, with high quality dishes at affordable prices. Run by a Japanese family, the service as Kitchen Kura is great, giving the restaurant a homey vibe. Try the Okonomiyaki (the chef’s famous Japanese pancake with flour, cabbage, egg, and toppings). People also love the Nanban chicken, fried garlic chicken served with homemade tartar sauce and the fried eggplant in Dashi Bouillon soy sauce.

About the author

Editor of The Culture Trip's San Francisco section, Courtney is a writer, manager, yoga instructor, feminist, and arts enthusiast. Attempting to fill her days with as much creativity and humanity as possible, she loves to explore the unique spaces and cultural happenings taking place around her, taking inspiration from them to fill these pages with topics like travel, art, literature, music, wellness, and nature along the way.

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