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Now I can't claim to be the expert on eating out in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Obviously I've done it a lot - well you've got to eat haven't you - but there are just so many places to eat - covering every cuisine on the planet - that there's no way that one person could keep up. Besides, there are many, many websites out there that specialise in this sort of thing (see the Vital Statistics section at the bottom of the page for links) that it makes sense to leave the individual recommendations to the experts while we do a more general 'eating in the Bay Area' type thing.
The sheer size of Chinatown means that the Chinese food is second to none - although inevitably there are some establishments that are capitalising on tourists rather than offering great food. Try the SF Chinatown Restaurant Guide for more details.
Obviously seafood is very important - as you would expect considering the amount of water around - and the areas around Fisherman's wharf are full of what the local guides would probably classify as 'un-inspiring tourist venues'. That may be partly true but you can of course get too critical when it comes to restaurant reviews. Certainly many of these restaurants wouldn't be at the top of the critic's lists, but in general the seafood is good, tasty, and it beats fast food! Now the critics will probably have me for dinner on this one, but there's nothing I like more when I'm at the wharf than a sour-dough bread bowl filled with clam chowder - just play the tourist and get some! And if you really like it you can get Boudin's to deliver some of their famous sour dough bread direct to you home!!<
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Also down in the Fishermans Wharf area - in the Cannery, Ghirardelli Square and to a lesser extent on Pier 39 are a whole variety of pretty good places to eat. There's a whole bunch of restaurants (many of which have been around for many years - like Tarantino's and Alioto's - see pictures below) down here - mainly specialising in seafood, but you'd have to be really really picky to not find something to your tastes!
Some of the best food I've had in the Bay Area actually came from across the bay in Oakland - at Jack London Square - a lively shopping / eating area at the foot of Broadway. There's a whole host of restaurants down there including Everett and Jones - a great Ribs & BBQ place, Kincaids a slightly too classy for it's own good Seafood & Steak place (it used to be called a 'Bayhouse' but they're now calling it a 'Fish, Chop and Steakhouse' which just doesn't sound right) and Soizic a kind of modern Californian bistro type place (great food though!)
Other than that, just wander - San Francisco was made for walking around soaking up the atmosphere and eventually you're bound to find some great unknown restaurant, whether it's a family run Pizza place, a cosy bistro or an upmarket gourmet room, there's definitely something for everyone!
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