Union Square at 7 p.m. and 1 a.m.: eating before and after a show

Start with the theater address

Four downtown stages list these addresses on their own websites: A.C.T.’s Toni Rembe Theater at 415 Geary Street, the Curran Theatre at 445 Geary Street, the Golden Gate Theatre at 1 Taylor Street and the Orpheum Theatre at 1192 Market Street.

This guide does not assume a curtain time. Check the start time on your ticket, then choose a slot: an early dinner that ends before the show, a tasting menu that is the whole evening, or food after the curtain.

Early evening: ramen or Thai before the show

Mensho is at 672 Geary Street, the same street as the Curran and the Toni Rembe Theater. Its San Francisco location page lists Monday to Thursday 5–10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 4–11 p.m. Sunday hours are not shown there, so check before planning a Sunday.

The menu is built around toripaitan ramen, with vegan ramen and sides such as garlic edamame. The same page notes lines since opening, so arriving early helps when you have a curtain to make.

Kin Khao gives its address as 55 Cyril Magnin Street, “but really the corner of Mason St. & Ellis St.” Its site lists dinner from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 5:30 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Lunch runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day, the earlier option before a matinee.

Mensho’s location page and Kin Khao’s site show current hours and menus.

A reserved table before the show

Mister Jiu’s, at 28 Waverly Place in Chinatown, serves modern Chinese food. It is open Tuesday to Thursday 5–9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 5–9:30 p.m., and closed Sunday and Monday. The restaurant takes reservations only through its reservations page, not by phone or email.

Sorella, at 1760 Polk Street at Washington Street, describes itself as a casual restaurant and bar from the team behind Acquerello. It is open Tuesday to Saturday, 5–9 p.m., which makes it a dinner before the show rather than after it.

Mister Jiu’s and Sorella both link to their reservation pages from their own sites.

When dinner is the evening: two tasting menus

Birdsong, at 1085 Mission Street, offers two tasting menus. The restaurant describes its Discovery menu, served Tuesday through Thursday, as ideal for early weeknight dinners and pre-theatre dining; it typically takes about 2.5 hours. The Journey menu, served Tuesday through Saturday, typically takes about 3.5 hours.

Reservations open on the first of each month for the following month, for parties of one to four. The site does not publish opening times, so choose a seating in its reservation system.

Restaurant Naides, at 708 Bush Street, links to its Tock reservation page from its website. That page describes a Filipino tasting menu of 11 to 13 servings, recommends allowing three hours and sets a strict 15-minute late policy. With a ticket the same night, that is tight, so plan it as the evening itself.

Birdsong’s menu page and Restaurant Naides on Tock show the current menus and open times.

Until 11 p.m.: after an early show

Four Kings, at 710 Commercial Street, describes itself as an intimate bar serving Hong Kong-inspired small bites. It is open Thursday to Sunday, 5:30–11 p.m., and closed Monday to Wednesday. Its site lists planned closures, including November 23–27 for Thanksgiving. Reservations go through OpenTable only, where slots open three weeks ahead at noon Pacific time.

On Friday and Saturday, Mensho’s posted hours run until 11 p.m. and Kin Khao’s dinner until 10 p.m. A closing time is not always the last seating, so ask before arriving late.

After 11 p.m.: a later kitchen on Taylor Street

Of the restaurants above that post their hours, the latest closing is 11 p.m. Cocobang, a Korean restaurant at 550 Taylor Street, lists 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday to Thursday and 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday, with closing times falling the next day. Its menu covers fried chicken, sizzling barbecue and soups. Because it opens at 5 p.m. and keeps going, it continues the evening instead of competing with the early tables.

Put the night together

For an evening show, take an early seat at Mensho or Kin Khao, or reserve Mister Jiu’s or Sorella, and finish dinner before the curtain. Birdsong describes its Discovery menu as suited to pre-theatre dining, while Restaurant Naides asks for three hours. After the show, Four Kings is open until 11 p.m. from Thursday to Sunday, and the Taylor Street kitchen above stays open later.

Hours change, and holidays and private events can close a dining room. Check each restaurant’s site on the day, and confirm the last seating if you are arriving close to closing. This guide is organized by time of day, not ranked by taste.

Elsewhere in the city? Explore SF Bay Area restaurants and open each profile for its address and official links.