Park Chow

(415)665-9912
1240 9th Ave.
(bet. Lincoln & Irving)
San Francisco, CA
(Inner Sunset district)

Price: $-$$
Rating: 8.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 04/02/07

One of those rare restaurants that, the more I visit it, the more I like it! Park Chow is everything a neighborhood comfort food joint should be and more. They have sidewalk seating (with heaters) and semi-indoors patio seating (also with heaters), both good for people watching, and for those with dogs, a spacious split-level first floor, and a semi-outdoors space upstairs.

Although it's a popular place, being seated has never taken more than a few minutes; this might not be the case on Friday or Saturday evenings, however, but we typically avoid dining out then for just that reason. The ambience is casual and comfortable, with local art and lots of wood details.

The menu is fairly standard american comfort food, with a few international twists from time to time. They serve a tasty brunch on the weekends as well (the corned beef hash, $7.95, was excellent on my one brunch visit!).

Although ordering appetizers results in too much food and no room for the yummy desserts when it's just Sarah and I, the ones we've had when with larger groups have been very good. The roasted artichoke is excellent, served simply with lemon and mayo, and the foccacia with cheeses arrived more pizza-like, but delicious nonetheless.

Speaking of pizzas, their wood-fired pizzas are simple, flavorful, and like most everything here, reasonably-priced. Burgers and steaks have always been at least good, and are often great. The Burger Royale with blue cheese, served on a crusty loaf, is meaty-good, and the bread stands up to the burger's juices handsomely. The 5 Happiness Noodles (or some name like that) are brightly flavored and full of hearty vegetables.

Drink-wise, Park Chow has a small but well-chosen list of beers on tap and in the bottle, as well as a handful of wines, available by the glass, a few by the half-bottle, and bottle.

The ginger cake with pumpkin ice cream is a splendid comfort-dessert , and we order it nearly every time we dine here. Service is casual and reasonably attentive. Chow and Park Chow are often found on bay area top 100 restaurant lists, and it's no wonder why - the well-prepared comfort food, low prices, child- and dog-friendliness, and great neighborhood feel make this place a real gem in my book.