Great mood lighting, good music, exotic cocktails and good food make this one of our favorite places.

Cuisine: Creole/African/Caribbean
Price: $$
Favoriteness: *****
Neighborhood: Mission
Phone Number: (415) 643-3558
Location: 3388 19th St. (at Mission)

Mom cooks and daughter Judy serves (and serves as DJ). This Japanese place is slow, but really really good for non-sushi country Japanese. This is a really really good place to eat. Small, so be prepared to wait for a table.

Cuisine: Japanese
Price: $$$
Favoriteness: *****
Neighborhood: Mission
Phone Number: (415) 864-1888
Location: 2154 Mission St.

The place we go for anniversaries. Fancy, expensive, candle-lit, intimate and great food.

Cuisine: French
Price: $$$$$
Favoriteness: *****
Neighborhood: Mission
Phone Number: (415) 621-7122
Location: 1700 Mission St. (at Duboce)

Yummy, well lit, fancy pants place not too far from Dolores Park. Seafood is the stuff to get here. And things with Tuscan white beans. Good date place.

Cuisine: Italian-Mediterranean
Price: $$$$
Favoriteness: ****
Neighborhood: Mission
Phone Number: (415) 552-4055
Location: 3621 18th St. (between Guerrero and Dolores)

Okay we haven't been here (it can be hard to get a reservation), but Peruvian food is good and by all accounts this is a great place to dine.

Cuisine: Peruvian
Price: $$$
Favoriteness: ****
Neighborhood: Mission
Phone Number: (415) 252-0918
Location: 3316 17th St. (between Valencia and Mission)

A breakfast here will ensconce you in sinful pastry richness that you may not recover from. Therefore most logical on the wekeends, except that's when the lines are longest.

Cuisine: French
Price: $
Favoriteness: ****
Neighborhood: Mission
Phone Number: (415) 487-2600
Location: 600 Guerrero St.

I think this is the best Pakistani (Northern Indian, same diff) place in the city. The town isn't really full of passable options. These are cheap and good. The place has a cafeteria feel, so either bring company or order take-out. It's a little uneven in it's quality, but kuch kuch hota hai.

Cuisine: Pakistani/Indian
Price: $$
Favoriteness: ***
Neighborhood: Mission
Phone Number: (415) 255-2440
Location: 3180-82 16th St. (near Guerrero)

Good bet for fast Mexican in the Mission when you're around 16th and Valencia/Mission.

Cuisine: Mexican
Price: $
Favoriteness: ***
Neighborhood: Mission
Phone Number: (415) 864-8840
Location: 3071 16th Street

Comforty food (with smores dessert option). A little boisterous for a date place, but good for small groups of friends. You'll probably need reservations.

Cuisine: Comfort
Price: $$$
Favoriteness: ***
Neighborhood: Mission
Phone Number: (415) 553-8584
Location: 694 Valencia St. (between 17th and 18th)

Matt will sometime take us here and we'll write a real review, but right now I just hear it's excellent.

Cuisine: Dessert
Price: $
Favoriteness: ***
Neighborhood: Mission
Phone Number: (415) 648-2300
Location: 688 San Jose Ave. (at 29th St.)

Great tamales, plus sometimes you see people that look like they walked out of a museum about the 30s, except that they were living in the museum since then and weren't wax dummies, so their hats and dresses are ragged and they have dazed looks on their eyes. The mens' beards are unkempt. The jewelry is costume.

Cuisine: Mexican
Price: $
Favoriteness: ***
Neighborhood: Mission
Phone Number: (415) 550-9213
Location: 2817 24th St. (between Bryant and York)

Greasy Mexican plus roving mariachi bands. Fun night with goofy year-round Christmas lights.

Cuisine: Mexican
Price: $$
Favoriteness: ***
Neighborhood: Mission
Phone Number: (415) 647-7474
Location: 901 Valencia St. (at 20th)

Okay, not French, "Breton". Place of fancy crepes and chantilly lace. You'll find both here.

Cuisine: French
Price: $$
Favoriteness: ***
Neighborhood: Mission
Phone Number: (415) 252-7373
Location: 3108 16th St. (near Valencia)

Good place for sit-down pizza. Think "femme pizza parlor".

Cuisine: Pizza
Price: $
Favoriteness: ***
Neighborhood: Mission
Phone Number: (415) 552-2050
Location: 260 Valencia St. (at 14th)