Don't buy the soda at Moscone

I work 4 blocks away. The Metreon is taken by assault whenever there is a major conference, but there are plenty of other places nearby.

If I were you, I would just walk two blocks to Market Street, catch the historic F line streetcar towards the Ferry Building, and eat at the food court there. The clam chowder at Ferry Plaza Seafoods is excellent.

Vino e Cucina is a great Italian place on 3rd and Bryant. There are a bunch of decent eateries in South Park, and on 2nd Street and Bryant Nova is a good joint as well.

Mo's Grill in Yerba Buena Gardens has great burgers, including the aptly named Belly Buster. The Bistro Burger chain also has good, cheap burgers made with organic Niman Ranch beef, as well as vegetarian alternatives.

There is a Whole Foods that opened recently at 4th and Harrison.

I guess this is your first time at MacWorld...?

Yea, SF is one of the few convention cities where it's not a 40-mile hike to decent food so bring in a soda and eat outside the hall. even if you don't know your way around the city, there are at least a dozen restaurants within 1-2 blocks. DO NOT EAT IN THE HALL unless you absolutely cannot leave the hall. Eat a hearty breakfast. Walk around. Drink your 3rd party drink. Go outside. The weather is nice, crisp and sunny tomorrow. Eat a leisurely lunch. Go back. Since no one gives away gee gaws anymore (other than Apple posters and they have plenty) - chill - and then go back.

BTW, there's a city lot across from the Metreon - cheap by SF standards - it's also a 3 block walk from either the light rail or BART so see ya there!

Trust me on this one:
Go to the corner of 6th and Market to this Vietnamese dive called Tu Lan. Look it up on Yelp if you'd like. Their #23 (Vietnamese Fried Rice with Shrimp) is to die for, as is their Iced Coffee. Welcome to SF!

i hate you all! i'm actually in san fran but for another conference....and it's not nearly as exciting as macworld. i've been working all day at trying to find someone to sneak me into the keynote tomorrow morning but to no avail. :(

as for food, blondie's is good. there is a noodle place at howard and 4th (across the street from moscone west) that's pretty good and not expensive. if you are in the mood for sushi (and i always am) niko niko across from the hilton on o'farrell is pretty good.

enjoy macworld and i'll be looking for reports tomorrow if i can't find a way in! :)

Also, get out of downtown. Potrero Hill, Noe Valley, the Haight.

Take a bus up to Clement or Geary (20th-ish etc.). Go Ton Kiang for the best damn Chinese food, or Sam Wo's near the Stockton tunnel. The Mission for Mexican, S. American, Caribbean. MMMM!!!


Ah, SF. I miss you!

Check out www.yelp.com for good tips on places to eat (and drink) all over San Francisco. From their home page, click on Maptastic and you'll get a Google mashup. You can find the Moscone center and then click on the restaurants link, and it will show you a good map of nearby places with links to the reviews (all by real people). Near Moscone don't miss Oola (have the ribs), Lulu (rotissiere chickens are fantastic), Thirsty Bear (tapas), Maya (upscale Mexican), and many more. Work your way down Mission toward 1st and 2nd street, and check out the side streets near New Montgomery. If you take a few minutes to register (free, just need an email) and then go to the talk function, put in a request for cheap lunch eats or dinner places, you will be inundated with helpful locals with great suggestions. Enjoy your stay folks! Tell Steve we said howdy.

The best thing to do for lunch while in SF: pick a session before or after lunch to skip and get a few blocks AWAY from Moscone. Go up to Market Street, and if nothing looks good, go another block or two. There's TONS of good food there (you're in/near SF's financial district) and there are a MILLION good places to eat.

One of my favorites: Blondie's Pizza on Powell. Thick crust, get a big slice and a drink for less than $5, IIRC. Start heading up Powell a block or two and it's on the left--a little past Burger King, IIRC. You're also right near the Mission district, home of the (should be) world-famous San Francisco burrito. (I.E., gigantic and cheap.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_burrito

Eating stuff at convention centers have never been a good idea, unless someone else is paying!

Unfortunately I'm also in Norway for the time being, so the lunch wil have to wait until next year or whenever you come to Norway, in which case Karl Otto is so nice to provide food... =)

Spent some time looking for decent food when I was there attending JavaOne '05. I ended up having most of my meals at that Japanese restaurant in Metreon. Not exactly cheap but better food than most. :)

Also I can get my daily dose of java after (Starbucks is beside it).