Adventures in group dining - San Francisco restaurants that serve tapas

Sunset, July, 1995 by Kendall Allen

San Francisco's tapas restaurants offer innovative food, music, and atmosphere

By tradition, a tapa (the Spanish word for lid) is a single complimentary morsel served with an aperitif on a paper coaster atop the glass. In Spain this tidbit originally was a piece of bread used to keep flies out of the glass. But increasingly, natives of Latin countries are gathering to graze through the new tapas, small plates of food in appetizer-size portions that typically include barnacles, Manchego cheese, cubes of beef heart on sticks, and anchovy-stuffed olives.

In San Francisco, the evolution has come further. Rosemary potatoes with garlic aioli, crab cakes, chorizo sausage, calamari, blood sausage, and polenta appear in new forms across the city, mixing Latin and California traditions. Pitchers of sangria often stand in for sherry as a modern tapas standard.

Great variety is possible in entertainment, atmosphere, and food. You must decide what kind of music you want and whether wild colors or white tablecloths, purple-haired or red-waistcoated waiters will set the evening's tone. Then vegetarians, meat aficionados, fried-food lovers, and picky eaters can all sit down together, passing along what they don't like.

So, assemble a group of 4 to 10 people, and head for the Mission, the Haight, the Richmond, South of Market, or the Financial District. Build a Peruvian, Spanish, Mexican, or purely California feast - and then split the bill. (The area code is 415.)

Alejandro's, 1840 Clement St., the Richmond, 668-1184. Expected to reopen in June after a remodel. Extensive menu of Mexican, Spanish, and Peruvian tapas and an old-world atmosphere. Staff is knowledgeable about origins of selections. Choices tend to be milder in flavor and more conservative in presentation than most contemporary interpretations. Dinner 5 to 10 Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, 5 to 11 Fridays and Saturdays, 4 to 10 Sundays. Prices $10 to $16. Spanish folk guitar week-nights, flamenco weekends.

Cats Grill and Alley Club, 1190 Folsom St., South of Market, 431-3332. A good selection of Caribbean and Cajun tapas. Try the sweet-potato hush puppies. Dinner 6 to 11 Tuesdays through Saturdays. Prices $3 to $8. Nightly entertainment.

Cha Cha Cha, 1801 Haight St., the Haight, 3865758. Go for its tongue-tingling sangria, and the potatoes and pasilla aioli will bring you back. The walls are wild and the employees boisterous. Dinner 5 to 11 Sundays through Thursdays, 5 to 11:30 Fridays and Saturdays. Prices $4.75 to $7.75. Cash only.

Esperpento, 3295 22nd St., the Mission, 282-8867. Loved for its paella and hand-painted tables. Dinner 5 to 10 Sundays through Thursdays, till 10:30 Fridays and Saturdays. Prices $3 to $6.50 for tapas. Cash only. Northern Mexican musicians perform most nights.

Picaro, 3120 16th St., upper Mission, 431-4089. Tapas bar and lots of seafood. Dinner 5 to 10 Sundays through Thursdays, till 11 Fridays and Saturdays. Prices $3 to $6.50 for tapas. Cash only. Flamenco jazz on Fridays and Sundays.

Sol y Luna, 475 Sacramento St., the Financial District, 296-8696. Setting of steel and concrete lends industrial, ultramodern feel. The food is simple and elegant. Excellent wines. Dinner 5 to 10 daily except Sundays. Prices $4.75 to $8 for tapas. Flamenco jazz, salsa orchestra, or rumba.

Timo's, 842 Valencia St., the Mission, 647-0558. The walls are lime green. Have some soup or try the grilled marinated mushrooms. Cigars offered from a humidor. Dinner 5 to 10:30 Sundays through Wednesdays, 5 to 11:30 Thursdays through Saturdays. Prices $2.50 to $10. Flamenco guitar on Thursday nights.