gungadin

This October I will be coming to SF to visit relatives. I will be traveling with my autistic nephew and though I would love to eat at some of the city's gourmet restaurants, he is more limited as to food. Generally speaking, he is happy with plain food . I am looking for good restaurants where we can ask for things without sauces etc for him and no one will get all huffy or refuse to change a dish. I would love to accommodate both he and I at a good restaurant. By the way, he is in his early 30 s, a world traveler, and better behaved than many upscale diners I have observed- so that is not an issue.

bo1953

Try here they may be able to guide you as well...

Have a great trip..

squeakr

Are there cuisines you would like to try? Price points? I would say the top, top restaurants may not be the best bets as the chefs there generally take great pride in the ingredient mix of each dish.

Also generally, I'd say Italian or seafood restaurants would be a good bet. Plain pasta, grilled fish etc.
One place we really like is the Alamo Square Seafood Grill. Always a choice of fish , pasta and a vegetarian entree. http://www.alamosquareseafoodgrill.com/

We also like Absinthe which is upscale not fussy. A great burger and grilled fish and meat. http://absinthe.com/

For fish , Park Chalet and Beach CHalet out at the beach on Great Highway have simple fish and chips and plain fish . Park Chalet (they are in the same building) is a bit less touristy.

You also might find brunch more accommodating than dinner at some places.

nnn

Fog City may be a good choice. Good food, nice ambience, in a touristy sort of area. The service is friendly and I would think they'll have no problem accommodating.

We just had a big family dinner there, and everyone was happy.

Visconti

You can try Monsieur Benjamin, a newer restaurant near Absinthe (very good, but make reservations well in advance, especially during Opera season) with gourmet dishes and appear very open to a diner's specific requests. Do try their house special ice cream. Trust me, it'll be the best ice cream dessert you and your nephew will ever have!

Gamine French Bistrot is very good. Service is always excellent, friendly, and cozy enough restaurant where you can easily relay special requests to the chef. Believe it or not, their escargot is the best I've ever had, even better than the ones I've tried in Paris!

For fancy Italian, Acquerello may be a choice for "gourmet." It's along the lines of La Folie/Fleur De Lys, but a bit more open to "menu" alteration, though with limitations. I'm not sure, but I suspect they may be more open to being flexible, where the aforementioned ones surely will not be receptive to any alteration.

Traditional Italian, do try North Beach Restaurant on Columbus. Authentic and better than the fancier ones, in my view.

For Pizza, try Tony's in Northbeach. Long lines and popular on Yelp (one of the few they've gotten right, but avoid House of Nanking at all costs). Try the deep dish Sicillian pizza with their special sauce on the bottom of the plate to soak in the dough.

For Chinese cuisine, try Koi Palace and stay with their seafood dishes. Their other stuff is overpriced and overrated, but their seafood is world class and prepared in the finest Cantonese style. For Yum Cha, try HK Lounge on Geary (avoid Chinatown) and/or Dragon Beaux (further down on Geary - newer, more expensive, but better).

Finally, try Molinari's sandwiches. Many like the Southbeach (fancy sandwich), but I prefer the traditional Northbeach.

Have a great time!

returnoftheyeti

Gary Danko. He can do 7 courses of the cheese cart if he likes. Book 45 days in advance i belive.

MSPeconomist

Fish should work well.....or maybe a traditional steakhouse, but that's not a SF specialty.

If you're staying at a hotel with a good restaurant, they might be more accommodating for a hotel guest.

estnet

I wouldn't rule out some of the "good" restaurants - here's the idea - call ahead and ask if there would be a problem with a special order for one of your party. What's the worst that can happen - they say no and you move on to call the next place

returnoftheyeti

Ooo. steak. Go check out 5A5

Visconti

In my view, SF restaurants are all generally very good. There just isn't one where it's the "best," as you'd find in other "great" cities (people here consider SF one of the world's great cities, rightly or wrongly).

I can't think of any single cuisine/restaurant in SF that is the very best in the world.

estnet

I meant that the OP was ruling out gourmet restaurants b/c the perception that they would not accommodate the special needs and I think that may be a false assumption.

Of course SF is filled with wonderful places, but there are some that are even MORE wonderful