The Embarcadero has long been San Francisco’s culinary Bermuda Triangle: overpriced-touristy-bad food. So when Plant Organic Cafe (which I keep calling Planet Organic, after the London-based organic grocery, not affiliated with the SF restaurant) opened two weeks ago, I thought it was too good to be true. Plant Organic joins La Mar Cebicheria, Epic Roast House and Waterbar in their crusade to end the Embarcadero’s culinary drought.

I went to Plant Organic (the restaurant part) for lunch to see for myself if, finally, the locals have a lovely place to eat by the water which serves good, healthy food at reasonable prices. I was not disappointed and indeed it’s now one of my favorite places to eat in this part of town.

• Vibe: airy, simple decor, high ceilings, lots of wooden tables; at lunch, so far, mostly locals; there are tables outside by the water but eating inside is okay too because there’s a lot of light.
• Pros: very delicious healthy food – my favorites are the thin-crust pizza (specifically the mushroom-mozzarella-Parmesan pizza which is very light and savoury) and the quinoa with sauteed vegetables in a ginger-miso sauce. The grapefruit-mint juice is superb; it reminds me of limonana, which is a lemonade and mint drink served in Israel. They serve vegan dishes as well.
• Cons: service is a bit confused (but still friendly) because they just opened, so give it some time. Better get there now before it becomes a tourist trap.

Across from the restaurant is the cafe/takeaway where you can get Blue Bottle coffee, salads, sandwiches and small desserts. The restaurant is much less expensive than La Mar, Epic and Waterbar, which makes it more appealing during these tough economic times.

Plant Organic Cafe
Pier 3 The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94111
+1 415 984 1973
www.theplantcafe.com

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