Article : San Francisco's vegetarian restaurants

Comments : Here's another reason why I would like to live in San Francisco, their huge vegetarian restaurant scene.


Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

While San Francisco may not have as many exclusively vegetarian restaurants as New York or Los Angeles, many newer restaurants feature extensive vegetarian offerings from chefs who respect the concept, rather than treating it as an irksome neurosis. Millennium, a giant on the city's vegetarian restaurant scene, has become the gold standard of American vegan cuisine. Shown here, its roasted pepper and broccoli.
Photo: Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

nytimesPeter DaSilva for The New York Times

Eric Tucker, the chef at Millennium, is known for a polyglot style that marries ingredients and techniques from diverse cuisines with a sense of how best to celebrate Northern California’s vegetable bounty.
Photo: Peter DaSilva for The New York Times


Peter DaSilva for The New York Times


The food at Millennium attains a gustatory cohesion not suggested by the eclectic ingredients. From left, the masa pibes with huitlacoche, cornmeal crusted oyster mushrooms and a mocha chocolate cream tort.
Photo: Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

Nearly all the food at Café Gratitude is raw, like this flatbread with raw cashew mozzarella, which means the kitchen knows secrets about fruits and vegetables hidden to most of us.
Photo: Peter DaSilva for The New York Times


Café Gratitude has an intimate space, with big tables that encourage sharing among a crowd of Burning Man enthusiasts, New Agers and earnest world changers — in other words, a friendly and lively scene. Photo: Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

Gratitude’s dishes are named for uplifting adjectives, rewarding self-affirmation with sustenance. From left, the "I Am Splendid" mojito, the "I Am devoted" coconut cream pie, and the "I Am rich" orange, carrot, beet and lemon "sunrise" on ice.
Photo: Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

Herbivore’s menu is broad, but loses its way outside comfort food standbys. Try their pancakes topped with fried bananas.
Photo: Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

Peter DaSilva for The New York Times
Spring rolls with tofu and peanut sauce at Golden Era, one of the better-known restaurants representing the vegetarian tradition of the Far East.
Photo: Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

Greens, run by the San Francisco Zen Center, has become an institution since opening in 1979. It is in an airy space at Fort Mason Center, on San Francisco Bay; hold out for a seat by the windows to watch the sun set through the Golden Gate.
Photo: Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

Peter DaSilva for The New York Times
Potato-leek griddle cakes with manchego and chives at Greens.
Photo: Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

Peter DaSilva for The New York Times
The wilted savoy spinach salad at Greens. The restaurant brought vegetarian food beyond sprout-infested health food stores and established it as a cuisine in America.
Photo: Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

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