Take a look at Family Travel Forum's picks for the best, well-priced family restaurants in San Francisco, California.

San Francisco, California is a diner's town where the locals go at it with the same gusto as visitors.  All restaurants will call you a taxi at the end of a meal, so don't hesitate to go off the beaten tourist path for a great meal.  (Prices, reasonable by any standard, become even cheaper the farther you get from Fisherman's Wharf.) Note: Always call ahead to secure a reservation.

Top choices near Fisherman's Wharf

Fog City Diner
1300 Battery Street at the Embarcadero 94111
415/982-2000
A local favorite for all ages, with a huge menu, nice wine list and contemporary adult lighting and decor.  Besides great California and pan-Asian cuisine, there's lots of hustle, bustle, a lively bar scene, comfy leather banquettes, and big picture windows overlooking the street. It's an "in" spot and priced higher than its "diner" monicker would leave to believe, but it's a great night out.

Chinatown Chinese
Once you've entered through the colorful, peak roof Chinatown gates at Grant and Bush Streets, most families start to dream of a Chinese meal. Alas, we couldn't find any locals who would recommend a Chinatown restaurant for its food, but these two names came up for a better than average quality with the ambiance you'd expect: 
 Far East Café 415/982-3245 at 631 Grant 94108
 Hunan Home 415/982-2844 at 622 Jackson between Grant and Kearney 9418
Let us know if you find something better!

Hard Rock Café
Pier 39 - Beach and the Embarcadero  94133
415/956-2013
This is a fun, tried n' true Mecca of pop culture for all ages and if you've never been to one, it might as well be here. Offering cute kids' menus of expensive American food and burgers, burgers, burgers, this high- energy restaurant is crammed with rock memorabilia and plays familiar tunes. Next door, the Hard Rock Cafe Souvenir shop sells t-shirts and classic rock relics, of course.

McCormick and Kuleto
900 N. Point St. at Ghiradelli Square  94109
415/929-1730
This is the Wharf area restaurant where locals take out-of-town friends and visiting relatives. Many claim that the food's almost on a par with the view, with fresh seafood the main offering. Prices to match the high rent tourist location.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
Pier 39 94133
415/781-4867
This Forrest Gump-themed chain restaurant may not be unique to San Francisco, but it fits right in on the waterfront.  Movie memorabilia and great views accompany Southern-style food, a cute kids' menu and yummy smoothies.

Family favorites around San Francisco, where food rules and kids are welcome

E & O Trading Company
314 Sutter Street off Union Square 94108
415/693-0303
This contemporary microbrewery serves a variety of tasty Asian dishes to accompany sample trays of tropical sodas or new beers. Kids can toast with a wooden pallette supporting six shot glasses of ginger, papaya, mango and other sodas, while parents try the new Pilseners, pale ales, dark ales and light beers. Spicy beef in lettuce leaves, calamari in a tamari sauce and various dumplings are best enjoyed family style. Reservations recommended as the lively atmosphere and active bar scene are popular with local families

Kokkari's
200 Jackson Street at Front  94111
415/981-0983
Another of the terrific new eateries in the SoMa area, this warm and friendly upscale Greek taverna is distinguished by its French chef, who handles moussaka and other Mediterranean specialties with a light touch. Kokkari's cozy booths and fireplace make it especially inviting in the cooler weather; open for dinner nightly.

Yank Sing
49 Stevenson Place 94105, 415/541-4949
101 Spear Street 94105; 415/957-9300 
For a new spin on dim sum in a contemporary etched glass and cool marble setting, reserve a table at this favorite downtown dim sum parlor. The suit n'tie or black-clad multimedia crowd just sits back with a Chardonnay while skillful, bilingual waitresses wheel past carts with single-portion Peking Duck, minced squab in lettuce leaves, delicate shrimp and bamboo dumplings, delicious tofu or rice noodle rolls, and assorted other recognizable or delightfully imaginative three or four-piece portions of Chinese snacks. It's pricey; count on upwards of $20 p.p. if you're hungry. The first location is a bit smaller, and located a few minutes' walk from the SF MOMA museum.

Home Plate
2274 Lombard Street at Pierce 94123
415/922-HOME 
A home-style coffee shop in a real neighborhood that evokes the "Grease" era, but may still exist in your hometown.  Great prices and great food, perfect for kids but busy at weekend brunch.  Of course, in a town where Asians rule the kitchens, we shouldn't have been surprised to have huge portions of eggs and biscuits, pancakes, towering waffles, fresh-squeezed juices and gourmet coffee served by a friendly Chinese staff.  Thoroughly enjoyable. 

Sear's Fine Foods
439 Powell Street 94102
415/986-0700
The line out the door moves surprisingly fast at this popular, landmark restaurant.  Specialities include Swedish pancakes and sourdough French toast.  Soups and sandwiches are served for lunch; fancier meat dishes appear for dinner. 

Ton Kiang
5821 Geary Blvd. between 22nd and 23rd Avenues 94121
415/387-8273 
This hot spot in the Richmond district sports the muted tones, tinted mirrors and sophisticated lighting that's overcome most of the better new Asian restaurants in town.  Certainly, few still exist in the classic Chinatown that tourists expect when they arrive.  Come at lunch for the great dim sum (small wrapped dumplings of seafood, meat, vegetables, or poultry) and other Chinese treats that kids love choosing.  In the evening it's hopping with families who like the distinct Hakka cuisine, a bit of a spin (with many casseroles and well-spiced seafood dishes) on your traditional Cantonese.  Nice service and casual but sophisticated ambiance. 

Khan Toke
5937 Geary Blvd. between 23rd and 24th Avenues  94121
 415/668-6654 
Thai food is one of our family's favorites and any restaurant with a dignified ambiance and decor from "The King and I" has a lot to offer children.  Request a private alcove, partitioned from the main room by carved teak screens with shelves holding Thai dolls, tiny elephants, and wall hangings.  Their low tables with silk cushions on the floor are perfect for toddlers and infants, and exotic enough to intrigue even teens.  A varied menu of classic Thai specialties includes kid-pleasing, non-fiery Pad Thai noodles, spring rolls, barbecued chicken and pork satay on skewers, light-as-air dumplings and many rice dishes.  Adventurous palates will enjoy the red (chili), green (coriander) and yellow (coconut) curries. Open evenings only. 

Polk Street Station
1356 Polk Street at Pine  94109
415/776-8899 
This is an older coffeeshop in a busy, downtown location whose unusual theme elevates it above the usual lunch-to-go places.  Model trains line all the shelves, toy cable cars sit here and there, and an impressive mural of passengers waiting at the Polk Street station adorns one wall.  True, its flourescent lighting and formica tables are a bit drab, but you'll get great tuna, grilled cheese sandwiches, and fries. 

Mel's Drive-In
2165 Lombard Street (check website for more locations around the city) 94109
 415/921-2867
Part of the second generation of a drive-in chain made famous by the movie American Graffiti, Mel's has great breakfast, burgers, and milkshakes in 1950s style.  Kids will like the car-shaped boxes for their meals.

Tartine Bakery
600 Guerrero Street 94110
415/487-2600
Opened in 2002, the Tartine Bakery may be a newer addition to the Bay Area, but it still serves up food the old fashioned way: simple and delicious.  Locals calls it the best bakery in the city providing a breakfast of pastry, cakes or tarts to patrons daily.  Also offered after noon are pressed lunch sandwiches that range from $8-$9 each.  The most famous is the the Croque Monsieur, a cheesy creation served open-faced on crunchy home-made country bread.