Moya is the latest Ethiopian restaurant to open in San Francisco and one of the best places to get vegetarian food in the city. Located in the south of Market (SOMA) district, Moya’s airy restaurant is a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

We tried the lunch vegetarian special ($15) for two persons which includes kik alitcha (split yellow peas with onions, ginger, garlic, and turmeric); misir wot (split red lentils simmered in a special homemade Berbere sauce (special house blend of red chili peppers and other traditional spices, olive oil, herbs, and special homemade spices); atkilti wot (fresh blend of seasonal veggies cooked slowly in a combination of spices, onions and garlic); and gomen (chopped collard greens sautéed in oil, onions, and a special mixture of herbs and spices). The food is served with injera, a soft Ethiopian flatbread, on a large round platter, and everything is eaten with the hands (like in the Philippines, where we sometimes eat on banana leaves).

Although I am not a vegetarian, I love eating vegetarian dishes that are piquant and spicy, exactly the way Moya prepares them. The menu has beef, chicken and lamb dishes for carnivores, and they priced between $12 to $15. The vegetarian dishes are $10-$12. I was impressed with the quality of the dishes at Moya and the reasonable prices. I will definitely come back.

Moya
1044 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
+1 415 431 5544

Bai Thong (“banana leaf”) is a new Thai restaurant on Gough St. (at Fell) in Hayes Valley. It specializes in northeastern Thai dishes (which tend to include lime juice), although they also serve southern Thai dishes such as red and green curries, and a few Northern Thai noodle soups. We tried the following dishes (and told the kitchen to make it very spicy) and we were impressed:

• Larb salad with ground beef ($8): extremely delicious salad of ground beef with red and green onions, mint leaves, kaffir lime leaves, lime dressing, chilis, tomatoes and lettuce sprinkled with ground roasted rice. You can get larb with ground chicken or ground pork if you don’t like beef.
• Lime Tilapia ($15): a big plate of steamed tilapia fillet with lemongrass, lots of chopped garlic, mushroom and sliced cabbage in a spicy lime dressing — absolutely divine!
• Spicy basil pork ($10): made with Thai basil, chilis, red bell peppers in a delicate but tangy sauce.
• Sticky rice with mango ($7): just like they make it in Thailand, the sticky rice (very densely packed) is topped with a rich savoury coconut milk sauce.

The Thai food at Bai Thong is much more delicate and remarkable than the dishes I have eaten in other Thai restaurants in the city. Bai Thong is an excellent place to have dinner if you are going to the San Francisco Opera which is only a few blocks away.

OPENING SPECIAL: This Friday (27 August 2010) and Saturday (28 August 2010), Bai Thong has a grand opening special for people who dine after 5:00 pm: 50% off.

Bai Thong
298 Gough St. (at Fell)
San Francisco, CA 94102
+1 415 863 9335

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I just finished posting the Eat Pray Love guide to the best pizza in Naples. But Naples is more than just pizza so here is a list of excellent restaurants in the city. One of the joys of eating in Naples is that the seafood is very fresh and deliciously prepared. Among my favorite seafood dishes are spaghetti alle vongole (clams), rice with octopus, and tagliatelle with squid ink. Other local (non-seafood) favorites are involtini di melanzane (thinly sliced eggplant rolled up with filling) and pasta puttanesca (tomato sauce with garlic, olives, capers and anchovies).

Cibi Cotti: tiny restaurant hidden away in the Torreta market , good inexpensive food, not yet discovered by tourists (open only for lunch); via F. Galliani 29, Mergellina.

Antica Osteria da Tonino: traditional Neapolitan dishes in the Chiaia district; via Santa Teresa a Chiaia, 47.

La Locanda del Grifo: pizza, pasta, risotto, gnocchi served outdoors on a lively terrace; via F. del Giudice, 14.

La Vela: small, simple restaurant serving amazing seafood right on the water in Posillipo, great views of the sea; Calata Ponticello a Marechiaro, 37.

La Stanza  del Gusto: specializes in wine and cheese, this funky restaurant also serves wonderful small plates (prix fixe or a la carte) and vegetarian dishes; prix fixe menus between 35 EUR and 65 EUR; reservations recommended; Via Costantinopoli 100, + 39 081 401578.

Osteria da Dora: one of the very best seafood restaurants in Naples; 30 Via Ferdinando Palasciano, + 39 081 680519.

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This is part of a series on hotels and restaurants in and around Naples, where scenes from “Eat Pray Love” were filmed. Read our Eat Pray Love Bali Travel Guide and Eat Pray Love Rome Travel Guide.

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About the author

Esme Vos is the founder and editor-in-chief of Mapplr.com. Since 2007, Mapplr has been providing discerning travelers with advice on where to stay (hotels with character), good restaurants and cafes around the world. Mapplr’s sister site, Shopplr, publishes shopping recommendations around the world

Here’s a list of Mapplr’s favorite pizzerias in Naples, Italy. There’s a reason why Elizabeth Gilbert went to Naples to eat pizza in her novel, “Eat Pray Love”: Naples is where pizza was invented and perfected. In the film, Julia Roberts (who plays Gilbert) devours an entire pizza napoletana, in defiance of her expanding waistline. If you have additions to this list, let us know.

Trianon: an institution in Naples since the 1930s, and possibly the most crowded pizzeria in town, check out the oven with mosaic tiles (photo below); via P. Colletta 42-44.

Making pizza at Trianon in Naples, Italy

Pizzeria Brandi: where pizza margherita was first made in 1889 in honor of Queen Margherita; on a small street called Salita S. Anna di Palazzo, very close to via Chiaia.

Pizzeria La Notizia: famous for the pizza bianca (white pizza) with basil, pecorino and lard, located on via Caravaggio 53 in the Posillipo neighborhood.

Da Michele: they’ve been making pizza here since 1870 and five generations later, they’ve stuck to the tradition of Neapolitan pizza, making only pizza margherita and pizza marinara; via Cesare Sersale, 1-3.

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This is part of a series on hotels and restaurants in and around Naples, where scenes from “Eat Pray Love” were filmed. Read our Eat Pray Love Bali Travel Guide and Eat Pray Love Rome Travel Guide.

* * * * * * *

Get the Mapplr newsletter

Sign up now for the Mapplr newsletter featuring the best travel news and hotel deals around the world.

* * * * * * *

About the author

Esme Vos is the founder and editor-in-chief of Mapplr.com. Since 2007, Mapplr has been providing discerning travelers with advice on where to stay (hotels with character), good restaurants and cafes around the world. Mapplr’s sister site, Shopplr, publishes shopping recommendations around the world.

Bar Agricole opened this evening (officially, that is) to a rather fashionable crowd intent on sampling as many of their cocktails ($8) and small plates. We started with a glass of cava and a dolcetto then ordered a few small plates, all of which were very delicious and fresh:

• courgette fritters ($6)
• grilled sardines with avocado ($14), fat delicious savoury things
• bigoli with pesto ($14), hand-made tube pasta in a delicate butter sauce
• fish soup with clams and fennel and aïoli ($16)

Other items on the menu include stuffed quail, roast leg of lamb, tomatoes with bottarga, corn pudding with ham, etc. Cocktails include dry Pisco Punch with pineapple gum and hibiscus bitters, Presidente: California agricole, farmhouse curaçao, grenadine, orange bitters, Petit Zinc: farmhouse vodka, orange juice, red vermouth, farmhouse curaçao and many others.

The restaurant was crowded, but the staff seemed to have  handle on things. The food came at reasonable intervals and the dolcetto (red wine) was served at the proper temperature (i.e. not California room temperature). The restaurant is located in a converted warehouse with concrete walls, high ceilings, and beautiful wood furniture. I was in this building (Matarozzi/Pelsinger Builders) two years ago for a 2008 AIASF Architecture and the City party. The restaurant has done a tremendous job with the interiors, making the space warmer and more inviting. The surrounding area is lively at night because of a number of clubs such as DNA Lounge and Slim’s.

Bar Agricole
355 11th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

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See Mapplr’s favorite restaurants in San Francisco.