recomendations for a solo diner
 

How about some suggestions for a solo diner in San Francisco? Someplace I don't have to get dressed up for after walking around (cargo pants, polo shirt). And preferably not Asian or Mexican. any place I can get to by public transit is in.

Oh, and also I can't do Seafood.

Kind of a goofy suggestion
 

OK, so I know this is totally not what I asked for, but... the House of Prime Rib - OK for a solo diner? And how dressed up do yu need to be to go there?

San Francisco is super casual about dress. You can wear pretty much anything you want anywhere. No one will turn you away. Cargo Pants and a Polo are going to mark you as a tourist, swap to jeans and a hoodie and they will just think you are a local.

Solo dining is not an issue at all. Its easy to get a seat at the counter of the in demand places. House of Prime Rib will have no issues for you. Just make a reservation for 1.

Try 5A5 steakhouse, Commonwealth. Anything that catches your eye on Valencia or Mission st.

I really like Barbacco (Financial District) and fortunately, SF (including this place) has many places with full dining available at the bar. If you are really into wine, you could check out the Barrel Room. Those are just the first two that come to mind.

Down in the Marina, I very much enjoy both Bistro Aix and Isa, both of which have a bar where you can sit solo, along with appropriate tables for solo diners. More centrally, I like Sanraku (not sure if your dislikes extend to Japanese), again with a bar. In the design district, try Skool for excellent fish, also with a bar.

Another vote for Barbacco.
 

If you're up for a 15-20 mins cab or BART ride, i'd recommend Locanda or Beretta in the Mission. Or, as mentioned above, just walk up/down Valencia St until you find something you like.
Nopa in North of Panhandle also has a communal table but a bit harder to get to via public transport

I wouldn't say Nopa is any harder to get to via public transport. You could take the 5 bus (an electric trolleybus) from downtown SF to McAllister & Divisadero Sts., then walk 3 blocks south to the restaurant (on Divisadero near Hayes St.). Or the 21 bus would work well also.

As gaobest points out below, Hayes Valley has plenty of good eats. The 21 will get you there.

Everywhere is fine for a solo diner - sounds like European, meat, chicken, and pork
hayes valley has RT chicken, rich table, suppenkuche, jardiniere, souvla, petit Crenn, absinthe, Dobbs ferry, Hayes St grill, Stacks, Zuni, 20th century, paxtis pizza, and Chez Maman ...
plus it's flat
also salt & straw, la Boulangerie, Johnny doughnuts, Hayes bakeworks, and smitten for dessert
plus Flight001 if you need anything for the airport

This is fine, and the dress is extremely casual. Or, you can try Harris' Steakhouse (block or two away from House of Prime Rib), where you can dine at the tables in the Bar area. And, if you go during certain days, there's live jazz too. Very casual dress, but steak is good for Bay Area standards, however mediocre when compared to the dry aged strips in NY, and especially the Chicago well marbled dry aged ribeyes.

Only downside is that, for some inexplicable reason, they no longer offer a ribeye, but do have prime rib.

PS - Morton's Happy Hour in the financial district is more convenient, if heading to SFO/OAK after dinner. In addition, Ruth's Chris probably has the best ribeye in SF, though it's only wet aged, but at least the chef there understands the nuance or "medium rare," as it pertains to ribeyes. However, I assume you've been to these chains, and wanted something unique to SF, hence Harris'/HOPR.

I totally did not make Dinner the other night. Was busying wandering around, was going to go to this Italian place I heard about but it was closed, then Barbacco had nothing I wanted, and Embarcadero market was closed, so I just snacked around. Next time I need ot plan my time better, I forgot how hard it is getting around San Francisco.

It's not hard getting around San Francisco! ;)

You do need to research opening/closing hours in advance, perhaps even check some menus online in advance to make sure they offer some dishes you like.... This applies to pretty much every place, not just SF. (Only exception might be a tiny village with one street and a mere handful of places to eat.)

Sorry we didn’t know your date was coming up so soon
 

Sorry we didn’t know your date was coming up so soon- we could’ve made some specific suggestions or let you know about places you might need a reservation.

not sure where you were trying to get to, but it’s true that sometimes public transport sucks. Lyft and Uber are very common here and usually when I used to get around if I have limited time.

Or at the bar itself, in restaurants that have bars. In so many high-demand venues -- sports events, shows, restaurants, the best roller coasters at theme parks -- you're at a big advantage if you seek only one seat.