Whenever a friend asks where they should take visiting family or friends, I invariably suggest Universal Cafe. It's small, industrial, sleek, loud, cozy, with great solid food that highlight the individual ingredients rather than obscuring them by crowding dishes with too many flavors- it is everything one should expect at a San Francisco restaurant. At the price range of $15-$25 for entrees, this place is hard to beat. In fact, this is the best mid-priced restaurant I've found (along with Watergate). For meat lovers, their mainstay Tenderloin with Gorgonzola mashed potatoes is always deliciously reliable. Their chicken livers are outstanding, and their rotating flatbreads are always the perfect appetizer to share. Parking is also great in the Mission/Potrero Corridor.
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