Restaurants & Bars

Not for you the staid SUV lifestyle, strapping your kid into a carseat every time you leave the house. No, with your trusty baby carrier or stroller, you hit the city streets, enroute to adventures…where? Here’s one possibility: Bugaboo, the maker of fancy strollers, aims to encourage use of its product with its kid-friendly walking maps of cities like Paris, New York, and Chicago. Bugaboo Daytrips‘ fanciful San Francisco map is available in a free PDF file. Download it and print to take a pleasant stroll to a neat toy store, hotspots in Golden Gate Park, and restaurants that welcome children.

Drawn and written by two artists who live in Vancouver and Los Angeles, respectively, the map has some surprisingly accurate local information — rolling down the hills at the Conservatory of Flowers is indeed a blast — as well as a few clinkers — The Canvas Cafe/Gallery Bugaboo recommends is closed (and sorely missed). If you want a bite to eat near the toy store Bugaboo recommends, the worthy Tutti Frutti on Irving Street, head instead to the famed Arizmendi Bakery at 9th and Irving instead and join the queue to get a soft, warm scone or a crisp slice of pizza. If there’s nowhere to sit, hoof it two blocks to the park and sit on the grass; you can continue on the Bugaboo itinerary from there.

Available at bugaboodaytrips.com.

Kids — they’ll drive you to drink! But where? Even a hotel bar will toss you out for bringing in your child. Here’s the local rule of thumb: if the joint serves hot food, they let kids in. Even better, find a bunch of friendly faces at VinoRosso’s Wine and Whiners. Parents and their tots are specially invited to the weekly party, and since Bernal Hill is the Land of the Breeders, it usually fills up with parents drinking much-needed glasses while the kids raise hell on the floor.

And what will you be drinking? Fine, rare Italian wines, served with seasonal salads and antipasti. At Wine and Whiners special treats for the kids are also on the menu. Don’t miss the house-made lasagna or the desserts, made by the owner’s Italian mama. The space is small, intimate, charming, and directly on Bernal Hill’s main drag.

When: Weekly on Wednesdays, 4-7pm; All ages; Free.

Where: VinoRosso, 629 Cortland Ave. (at Anderson St.), San Francisco, 415-647-1268, vinorossosf.com.

Breakfast in bed is nice and all, but who’s going to clean up the kitchen when the DCs have used every bowl and plate in the house to make it? Ask the little rugrats to take you to a teahouse instead, where the cakes are petite, the scones are freshly made, and someone else is in the kitchen washing up cups.

Lovejoy’s Tea Room: Tables at the queen of traditional tea houses are set with a hodge-podge of gorgeous vintage china, making tea here either a pleasure (for older kids or adults) or a nightmare (for younger kids). Squashy tea sandwiches are freshly made; desserts and cakes are perfect bite-size delights. 1341 Church St. (at Clipper St.), San Francisco, 415-648-5895, lovejoystearoom.com.

Secret Garden: Little girls in particular will love this gingerbread-y joint right across the street from Golden Gate Park. Try on one of the teahouse’s hats and order a Princess Tea; the food’s not as pristine as at other tea spots, but you’ll feel a lot more welcome with a smallish kid. 721 Lincoln (between 8th and 9th Aves.), San Francisco, 415-566-8834, secretgardenteahouse.com.

Leland Tee: This modern tea house eschews the fusty Victorian vibe for a sexy French brasserie feel. They take their tea seriously too, leaving scores of samples at the front counter for customers to sniff and examine before they try, and encouraging drinkers to come up with their own blends. Try a fresh scone, and don’t forget to specially request clotted cream, as it isn’t standard. Organic and Fair Trade teas available. 1416 Bush St. (at Polk St.), San Francisco, 415-346-4832, www.lelandtea.com.

Modern Tea: Hands down, the best food at a tea house in San Francisco. Try the moist chicken “meatloaf”, and order a tea flight for tasting; just put yourself in your waiter’s hands and he or she will bring you to brewed ecstasy. The dining room is breezy, the chairs are comfortable, and strolling through Hayes Valley is a lovely way to work off your caffeine buzz. 602 Hayes St. (at Laguna St.), San Francisco, 415-626-4406, moderntea.com.

Samovar Tea Lounge: Like Leland and Modern Tea, Samovar also works that up-to-date, sleek and sexy vibe. Its unusual teas (like the smoky, addictive Monkey Picked Iron Goddess of Mercy) and sensuous, multi-culti food make dining here a sophisticated experience quite unlike a traditional English tea house. Two locations: 498 Sanchez St. (at 18th St.), San Francisco, 415-626-4700; 730 Howard (upper terrace of Yerba Buena Gardens), San Francisco, 415-227-9400, samovartea.com.