Sacred Rose Tattoo

1728 University Ave
Berkeley, CA 94703

celia m. writes: Who would have thought at my age I would be getting my second tattoo. Well I did and found Grace Tattoos to be the place to do it. My daughter and her friend were going to get "memorial" tatoos, my daughter and I for a dear friend who was taken from…

Sheila Kelley's S Factor
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow

2159 Filbert St
San Francisco, CA 94123

Vanessa G. writes: This place highly, highly exceeded my expectations.  I honestly thought I was going to learn how to be a stripper and pole dancer.  I thought I'd be cheesy and awkward and silly and ranchy and corny, but it was like a playground for grown-up women.…

My House

San Francisco, CA 94118

Joan S. writes: Downside:  no food in the fridge ever, noisy neighbors, too many stairs, termites, dry rot, wrinkled curtains, no A/C, too expensive.

Upside:  two blocks from the beach.

Mickey's Monkey
Neighborhood: Lower Haight

214 Pierce Street
San Francisco, CA 94117

maria d. writes: A vintage store for nerds & weirdos who like old, odd stuff (like owl statues, glasses with pink elephants and jewelry boxes with creepy  pictures on them). Unlike some other, this place is not stuck in eternal, ugly mid-century hell (although they…

Other Change of Hobbit
Neighborhood: Downtown, UC Campus Area

2020 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704

Eric G. writes: The place is loaded with great stuff waiting to be discovered. Every book I get from there leads to another great book. Nothing on Amazon's lists can get you tapped into new sources of books.

One of the guys that works there has an encyclopedic memory…

Minami Restaurant
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond

1900 Clement St
San Francisco, CA 94121

joe f. writes: i'm convinced that the chef at this place is a real-life hattori hanzo.

"This is my finest sword. If in your journey you should encounter God, God will be cut."

it's one of the few sushi places in the city that reminds me how excellent knifemanship…

Pizzeria Delfina
Neighborhood: Mission

3611 18th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

Autumn K. writes: Boys suck sometimes. This is a fact I learned a long time ago and which was reinforced once upon an awkward date at Pizzeria Delfina. Despite the side of head games and extra helping of passive-aggression that accompanied our meal, I thoroughly…

Sam Truong's 76
Neighborhood: Parkside

1855 Taraval Street
San Francisco, CA 94116

Joy A. writes: I was in the area and I needed gas. As I turned to get a fill up, a CHP pulled me over. DAMNIT! I already had a speeding ticket from a few days ago.

I asked the officer, "Sir? What did I do wrong? I wasn't speeding. I used my signal. I stopped. What…

Avatar's Punjabi Burritos

15 Madrona St
Mill Valley, CA 94941

Nish N. writes: Avatar's is as close to culinary nirvana as you might get. I recently had the pleasure of devouring a spicy lamb "burrito" from here. They use chapati for the bread, as opposed to a tortilla, and it holds the flavorful mix of succulent meat, rice and…

Costco

451 S Airport Blvd
South San Francisco, CA 94080

Ken K. writes: If you ask 9 out of 10 Hong Kongers (ie  Hong Kong expatriates) what kind of common snack non dessert food they miss most (homesick food fever if you will), it's almost a guarantee that won ton noodles ranks very high on the list.

As great as a few…

Mr. Pinkwhistle
Neighborhood: Union Square, Nob Hill

580 Bush Street
San Francisco, CA 94108

Ashleigh K. writes: Lots of marvelous things describe Mr. Pinkwhistle.  I like telling people the name of the salon and then telling them what street it's on.  Always comic relief.

I went there about two months ago to have some color correction done to my hair.  As I…

Kuya's Asian Cuisine

460 San Mateo Avenue
San Bruno, CA 94066

euge l. writes: dude, whole fried pigs leg.

no no no, not a severing. A WHOLE LEG!!!!! thats was just too fucking awesome.  loved that soy/vinegar accompanyment. yum.

edit : to clear up some confusion as usual, its a whole leg, cut into pieces, deep fried.

Visual Media Solutions

4239A 21st Street
San Francisco, CA 94114

Valarie A. writes: I had an idea to have a postcard made up of the holidays I've taken over the past year.  I called a couple of other printers and they would only make a quantity of 500 or more...then I finally called John and he was more than happy to help make my…

Christie's

245 California Dr
Burlingame, CA 94010

Keiko S. writes: A cute, intimate place like Christie's makes us appreciate breakfast all over again. Sometimes like on a Sunday morning, there's nothing better than a standard, solid American fare...full of carbs, grease and deliciousness!

FOOD: I had the chicken…

Pet Food Express

6925 Mission St
Daly City, CA 94014

anna c. writes: Things I like about this place:

Really great staff - friendly and knowledgeable! Everyone who we've encountered there are true animal lovers.
20% discount - given when you adopt a pet. Just bring the adoption paperwork in and you will get 20% off…

Pho Ao Sen
Neighborhood: East Oakland

200 International Blvd
Oakland, CA 94606

Joshua L. writes: You know my personal adage of how the dirtier a Pho restaurant is, the better the food?

It totally applies to Pho Ao Sen.

Words can't fully express the dirtiness of Ao Sen.

Diagrams, to make this review USEFUL:

                                       …

B & W Brake & Wheel Service Center
Neighborhood: Mission

3260 26th St
San Francisco, CA 94110

Hannala T. writes: You know who drives the crap out of their vehicles?  Who goes up and down SF hills, stopping and starting and starting and stopping, all day long?  

Nooooooooooo, not cab drivers! They drive someone else's car so they could care less about the car…

Gene's Liquor
Neighborhood: Parkside

2201 Taraval Street
San Francisco, CA 94116

euge l. writes: ok the word is getting out now. yelpies like subcenter. i love subcenter. only problems is exactly that, too many mofos are eating subcenter. today, i stopped by to pick up lunch. its not that i dont like kids, but this kid in front of me was driving…

Dr. Yunus Kurtbay
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset

750 Irving Street
San Francisco, CA 94122

Chris B. writes: Kurtbay hooks a brotha from another motha up. Although I'm not related to him, and although I'm not a "brotha", he still did indeed bring out the bad ass skills(as if optomitrists have "mad" skillzz) in order to help me out.

I walked in, 1 week till…

The Ribbonerie
Neighborhood: Laurel Heights

3695 Sacramento St
San Francisco, CA 94118

Liz S. writes: I used to love vising the Ribbonerie in its former location on Protrero - a mere skip down the street from that wonderful emporium Dandelion.  However, seeing them in their new location on Sacramento, I think that they have found an even more perfect…

Nature At Play

1375 Burlingame Ave
Burlingame, CA 94010

Jennifer B. writes: Love, love, love it!  Nature at Play is a sure bet for baby gifts, birthday goodies or any time you want to spoil your little rascal.  They have an amazing selection of baby blankets, wooden toys, puzzles, accessories, plus other unique "must haves".…

Jake's Steaks
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow

3301 Buchanan St
San Francisco, CA 94123

kevo m. writes: I've never been to City of Brotherly Love but here's what I know about it.

- Will Smith The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
- Rocky
- Cream Cheese
- The Liberty Bell
- The Eagles! (Randall Cunningham, Reggie White)
- The Phillies (Mike Schmidt, Lenny Dykstra, and…

The Southern Cafe
Neighborhood: Dimond District, Lower Hills

2000 MacArthur Blvd
Oakland, CA 94602

Ed U. writes: Good Will Hunting no mo'....

Good Will and goodwill, both kinds, can be found in this mmm-mmm-good restaurant over in Oakland's Fruitvale area. Will is the name of the friendly server who waited on me during what turned out to be one of the best…

Ensemble - Personal Image Consulting

San Francisco, CA 94101

Bob G. writes: Ever wanted a personal shopper? You don't have to be a celebrity to indulge yourself in the services of Jennifer Naylor and Rachel Fauman. They're friends of mine starting a San Francisco business as personal shoppers. If their own taste is anything…

The Bread Basket Bakery

7099 Mission St
Daly City, CA 94014

Mel P. writes: Whether you go in or not, just passing by you can smell that incredible smell that makes you think of home. Bread coming out of the oven, bread being made, bread to be eaten. They do have really good pan de sal bread! When I was young, my mom would…

Regis Salon

Stonestown Galleria
San Francisco, CA 94116

Candy H. writes: When my daughter had her foot surgery i wanted to take her here to get her hair done (because i could only do so much with the kitchen sink LOL) I made sure she had photo's and a clear idea of how she wanted her hair done. The staff was so friendly…

Thinkers Cafe
Neighborhood: Potrero Hill

1631 20th St
San Francisco, CA 94107

Karen K. writes: this is my new cafe since its near my new job. its nice and friendly.  i see the same people in the morning and i'm getting to know all the names of the puppies and babies that roll thru.  they make a decent iced americano which is what i drink when…

Dol Ho
Neighborhood: Nob Hill

808 Pacific Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133

Jen X. writes: If you don't like massive-scale dim sum places like Koi Palace, and just want the basics, this is the place.  It's delicious!  And tastes just like my grandmother's cooking.  Interestingly, I found it in "The Slow Food Guide to San Francisco" ...…

Real Food Company
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow

3060 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94123

Kristina R. writes: The Real Food Company in my neighborhood closed down (insert sad face here.)

So on occasion, I stop by this Real Foods after doing a little window shopping on Union Street.  I usually pick up produce, and mostly fruit for the ankle-biters in my class.…

City of Hayward

Hayward, CA 94541

Lilly O. writes: 3.5 stars but I'm feeling generous.

We moved to Hayward because we could afford a home here and that was about it.
I have learned to love many things about it:
--It is great to be in a diverse community
--Val's Burgers
--They're sprucing up the downtown…

San Francisco International Airport BART Station

SFO
San Francisco, CA 94128

Autumn K. writes: I don't like to drive, but I'm more than happy to hop BART to the airport to meet incoming travelers. Especially if that traveler is named Boyfriend and we haven't seen each other for more than a few days over the past month because of conflicting…

Fruition Day Spa
Neighborhood: West Portal

339A W Portal Ave
San Francisco, CA 94127

Dorothy S. writes: The minute I walked in, sat down, looked to my right and saw fruit floating in a cold pitcher of water, warm tea, and heaping bowl of Hershey's kisses, I was content waiting and taking in the various aromas of soy candles and body lotion.  The staff…

Jin Healing For Women
Neighborhood: Nob Hill

999 Powell Street
San Francisco, CA 94108

mia s. writes: This place does not smell anything like lavender or eucalyptus and they don't serve you cucumber water.  In fact, during my last massage there I heard the ding of a microwave and then smelled a very pungent seafood soup.  This was followed by a din…

Acme Surplus Store

5159 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94112

gwynnie p. writes: I came, I found the Carhartts, the staff was helpful and welcoming, I didn't have to go to the Lower Haight or the MIssion, or some downtown type neighborhood, there was ample street parking, I was happy.

Not a place for a lady to shop for herself but…

Medium Rare Records
Neighborhood: Castro

2310 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94114

andy r. writes: I'm not so much for show tunes, but I am one to welcome the shattering of misconceptions-especially my own. Working in the music industry for the first half of the 90s has me somewhat jaded. And highly eclectic.

Walking down Market, I glanced into…

Great Wall Chinese Restaurant
Neighborhood: North Oakland, Rockridge

6247 College Avenue
Oakland, CA 94618

Bryan M. writes: i saw "no egg" on the menu and somehow missed the "ask for" before it. so when my hot and sour soup came with stringy would be baby birds swimming in it, i barely made a face (not a mean one) and the kind waitress brought me out an eggless soup in…

Breakfast At Tiffany's
Neighborhood: Portola

2499 San Bruno Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94134

Drue C. writes: So, I walked in expecting to see a socialite or two sporting some bling bling from my favorite jewelry store, or a mob boss who was getting some grub after a hand off downtown or at the very least a decorator who wanted to get into someones pants.…

CineArts @ Sequoia

25 Throckmorton Avenue
Mill Valley, CA 94942

mary r. writes: This is one of the only theaters in Marin where you can find a good indie flick.  Just recently I saw "Science of Sleep" here, but I've also seen "The Proposition" and "Wordplay" here in the last 6 months...just to give a general idea of what kind of…