A little bit of Europe, in a little alley way of San Francisco. Belden Place may not seem remarkable upon first glance, but come night fall there is a certain energy that exists here unlike anywhere else in the city. A world away from SOMA, the quiet yet infectious ambiance of several restaurants being clustered into a small area makes this a fun destination that is literally just off the beaten path. At one point in time, Belden was more of a mini French quarter serving as a hub to the then French immigrants just making their way out west. As time went on, the one block stretch has became the home of several Catalan and Italian establishments; making this not only a noteworthy date spot, but an area to take aim at solid Euro fare. Currently the restaurants serving Belden are: B44: http://www.yelp.com/biz/b44-san-francisco Belden Taverna: http://www.yelp.com/biz/belden-taverna-san-francisco Brindisi Cucina di Mare: http://www.yelp.com/biz/brindisi-cucina-di-mare-san-francisco Cafe Bastille: http://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-bastille-san-francisco-2 Cafe Tiramisu: http://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-tiramisu-san-francisco Plouf: http://www.yelp.com/biz/plouf-san-francisco Sauce: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sauce-san-francisco-3 Be a tourist or be a diner or be both. Intimate company a bonus. read more

San Francisco alfresco dining at its best, even in the Arctic summer fog. Belden Place is a cool brick alley in the heart of the Financial District very nconventinoal. Only foot traffic, it's a little bit of Little Italy/Paris just off Pine Street. Restaurants on the alley have outdoor tables, big umbrellas, great Happy and lunch hour specials and great family meals. A handful of cafes line Belden Place and offer a variety of cuisines at moderate prices. Cafe Tiramisu, 28 Belden Place (tel. 415/421-7044), is a stylish Italian hot spot serving addictive risottos and gnocchi. Plouf, 40 Belden Place (tel. 415/986-6491), specializes in big bowls of mussels slathered in your choice of seven sauces, as well as fresh seafood. B44, 44 Belden Place (tel. 415/986-6287), serves up a side order of Spain alongside its revered paella and other seriously zesty Spanish dishes.There's Cafe Bastille, 22 Belden Place (tel. 415/986-5673), a classic French bistro with a boho basement that serves excellent crepes, mussels, and French onion soup; it offers live jazz on Fridays. Nghttime Euro-speakeasy vibe -- Cigars drinks aperitifs and nibbling on frites. read more

Belden Place isn't just one place, it's a collection of many places. It's a neat hidden gem that you have to know what you're looking for, or it's easy to miss. Since many of the places are competing for your hard earned money, the prices are reasonable, and happy hour turns this place into a good bang for your buck experience. It's close enough to the office for a quick lunch, but I prefer to come in the late afternoon when it's not as crowded and you can get a jump on the happy hour specials. read more

I was apprehensive about hitting up Belden Place for our Saturday night dinner. I had heard it's an alley reminiscent of Europe but had also read on yelp that the hostesses can be aggressive and annoying. Since we didn't have a reservation and we were a party of 6 I was expecting to encounter a long wait. We found parking immediately a block away so things were looking up. We entered the alley right near Cafe Bastille and asked the hostess if we could check out the menu... (looked good) However since we were the last of our party to arrive the others had gone into the Taverna towards the other end for drinks. In our attempt to make our way down towards our friends we came across 3 hostesses that must have trained with NFL blockers. These vulturesque hostesses stepped right in front of us flashed open their shields (menus) and tried to block us from passing their restaurants. What is up with that shit?? Does this demeanor attract customers? I found it a TURN OFF, personally I don't wish to be accosted by a hostess. The best was the Taverna hostess, after being attacked by 2 hostesses we learned our lesson and managed to dodge her, but she hauled ass and physically blocked us by jumping in front of us so we explained to her that our friends were inside having a drink and we were simply going to talk to them. HOMEGIRL FOLLOWED US IN AND STOOD THERE! She was listening in our converstaion and interjecting in an attempt to offer us seating or menus. I had to contain myself and keep from turning around and yelling BITCH BACK OFF!!!! ( I didn't, but we didn't stay there either we went back to Cafe Bastille) read more

A little bit of everything. All my favourite types of cuisines in a small alley European style type of thing. Italian Spanish French Recommend it here just the price is way off. Also that good thing is that it's far from tourist areas. read more

Probably one of my top 5 favorite places in the city. I used to work on Belden Lane... I would hit Voda Lounge up at 5pm for 5 Lemon Drops which I would down in 35 minutes and then crawl home up Pine to Mason. Unreal. I can't believe I lived that kind of lifestyle... and I would do it again in a second. See, I used to drink for a living. Personal wine broker, no joke. But really Belden Lane is home to Brindisi (Italian bistro with semi-hot hosts and ok food), B44 and Plouf (my fave lunchtime French restaurant - I wanted to screw this one waiter so bad!), Sam's and old school American joint serving up the classics and then the Vodka Bar aka Voda Lounge. Yes please! Best place to hit up for lunch on a sunny day. The Euro-fell outside patio is perfect for lunch or a beverage or 3. Relax in the sun and enjoy yourself! read more

Super cute little alley that will make you feel like you've been transported away from the business like nature of the FiDi. Great place for lunch or for drinking your afternoon away. The Maitre d's of the various restaurants can get bit agressive, just stand your ground and they won't bug you. If only I could find a place in this alley where I can get a bloody mary and a hot dog, I'd bump it up to five stars. read more

Did you even know there was a French Quarter in San Francisco? I didn't, but I did happen to find it, it's known as Belden Place or Belden Alley , it is an alley way that is cut off from traffic, you can only access it on foot, It's a little alley way lined with restaurants and it truly makes you feel as if you stepped out of the city for a minute. You can find French restaurants, Italian restaurants and much more, and all do make you feel as if you are dining in a European café. If you are looking for something different in the city, go check out Belden Place. read more

Did I fall asleep? Maybe I had a few too many pre-dinner beverages or I fell down the rabbit hole. Either way, the meandering walk from Powell (guided by geologists who don't need directions) to Belden Alley was worth it. I'm afraid that when I try, I won't be able to find this hidden alley again. I've convinced myself its like the Room or Requirements and may only appear when I am in the right frame of mind, which would be supper in an enchanting European alley. I remember not knowing what to expect, but was told to be patient, keep up, and be ready for something awesome! We walked down quiet and deserted streets, until reaching a little gate. That little gate separated me from Europe, literally the aromas, covered patio seating, twinkly lights, narrow alley, hum of chatter, a cobble stone street, and hosts pushing their menus and fighting over potential patrons accurately embodied evenings in Europe. My friends enjoyed the attention and I dreamily followed them into an Italian themed restaurant and patio, where we dined on fine wine and pasta. read more

An unassuming street of San Francisco which can be easily overlooked by pedestrians. Belden Place is one of these streets where once you discover, you will want to come back for more! At first, it may look a bit sketchy, but once we turned the corner to the actual alley way, we were blown out of our mind! The alley is colorful and bursting with various eateries and all of them have outdoor seating. It's one of our favorite streets to visit and here is a list of the restaurants: * Sauce- Candied bacon Brussel sprouts...super!! * Brindisi- Best ravioli ever!! * Taverna- Juicy and tender Kurobota pork chop!! * B44- mouth watering Paella!! * Café Tiramisu-Tiramisu, of course, nice and moist!! * Plouf- oyster and mussels heaven!! * Sam's Grill-old school with a flare! * Café Bastille- Blue cheese burger...oh man!! read more

Hidden in a narrow alleyway in the Financial District lies a handful of euro-styled bistros, each fully equipped with a team of hosts who stand ready to pitch their daily catch. Delicious menus. All of them. Great atmosphere and excellent service. It truly reminds me of Barcelona. Brindisi: www.brindisicucina.com b44: www.b44sf.com Plouf: www.ploufsf.com Cafe Tiramisu: www.cafetiramisu.com Cafe Bastille: www.cafebastille.com read more

It's like being in Europe... Well, I wouldn't know because I've never been - but it looks a like like it from the pictures I've seen!! Anyhooooo....I love Belden Place. I'm usually there visiting my favorite little lounge, Voda. I love this place on Bastille Day, they really know how to celebrate. Tucked away in the alley, you feel like your transported away and on a European vacation. Have a wonderful meal at Plouf outside under the awnings - they have really yummy mussels! read more

Eh, nothing special. Then again we were here only for happy hour. This was my first time visiting Belden Place & I think I expected more charm. I kept reading review about how this area is so quaint, will remind you of Europe, etc. What I found was a bunch of restaurants crammed in a back alley & all the outdoor tables were covered with low awnings. Maybe once the sun sets the ambiance changes but at the time we went, it just felt dark. I didn't like that the hostesses try to get you to eat at their restaurant. It seemed a bit desperate. If someone is begging me to check out their menu, the food must not be that great. We decided on Plouf since their HH went until 7. They had a HH oyster special...6 oysters, 3 different varieties for $8. I also had a very yummy cucumber mojito. I'm into cucumber drinks lately. Plouf offered a great prix fixe menu & everyone around us seemed to be ordering off that menu. We might have stayed but we weren't feeling the ambiance. read more

Seriously a hidden gem in the city. I guess I shouldn't say hidden since everytime I go here, it's packed. But it's still an awesome great time every time no matter where you end up, Taverna, Plouf, Cafe Tiramisu, Voda, whatever. It's an alley full of European bars and restaurants with seating in the street, similar to how I would imagine you would see in Europe. Big awnings give you shade while you enjoy the sunny downtown weather, with your meal or drinks. The servers all come with authentic accents, and when you walk by the restaurants, the hostesses fight for your business. It's nice to feel wanted. During the week, it's filled with tourists and business people in the area alike, and on weekends it's mostly locals and tourists. Either way, why would you want to go somewhere with no business? At least this alley has business? Doesn't that usually imply that the places in here are good? read more

Sorry folks, I'm gonna have to go against the grain on this one... In theory, Belden Place is cute. It tries hard to re-create a quaint Euro feel. Sadly, it fails. While the look of it is actually cute (if not cramped and chaotic) the rest of it just feels like it's trying too hard. The "hostesses" implore you to eat at their restaurant as you pass by (I like to imagine that they have fake accents :-P and I'm sure it's true for some of them). If a restaurant needs to be pimped like that, maybe you should think twice about going in. The food here is OK but overpriced and ultimately nothing special. In San Francisco there is no dearth of restaurants and you can definitely get more authentic than this. Sure it's cute and romantic to every once in a while come out and sit beneath the twinkling lights but if you do it more frequently than that... well... I'm not sure what that says... but it ain't a good thing. read more

Not as good as I remembered. My second time here and the service, food quality and overall experience was just meh. Nice place if you don't mind being crowded, have to wait to be acknowledged by your waiter and have mediocre food. If you want a look at me tourist place, this is a good choice. Oh, I almost forgot. For some reason, people from out of town come here with their children. My wife and I voted not again for us. read more

Oh Belden Place - home of executive power lunches, $14 martinis, and any-weather al fresco dining. You are not likely to have a bad meal here, nor bad service. You are likely to spend a minimum of $50/person --even for modest fare. You also aren't likely to get anything particularly innovative. If you want a solid, upscale European lunch or dinner, and you want to impress a baby boomer, I highly recommend anything on Belden Place. It's like a chichi food court. You can have Steak, French, Spanish or one of several variants of Italian. In most cases, if I'm going to shell out three figures for dinner, I'll pick something much more creative; more San Francisco. But I've gotta say, the atmosphere is nice and the wine flows freely. read more

This is a special, adorable little corner of San Francisco, and a special treat on a warm summer night. Sitting in that little alley, lights overhead, surrounded by lively people in all directions. This city could use more places like this. But let's face it. The food at every restaurant on this alley is mediocre. Plouf is by far your best bet - but you come to Belden for the ambiance, sadly not the food as well. read more

First of all it's Belden Alley not Belden Place, because it's an Alley... a dirty little alley. If you walked through the Alley in the morning you would never eat here at night, it smells like pee. I don't need a menu, I'm just on my way to the bus.. or the bar... probably the bar. read more

Super busy little alley-way. A collection of cool little restaurants. Jammed-pack during lunch time. Whenever I'm around the area, I make a point to "squish" my way around. Kinda noisy, but in a good way. read more

Looooove this alley way of a variety of restaurants to please your palette (so far B44, Spanish, is my fave). It's so quaint and charming, very European-like and festive. Love it and I can't wait to go back to either B44 or to try something new! Street parking seems to be a-ok from friends' feedback in the evenings (or maybe they were just plain lucky!). read more

Many many times during the day I forget that I am an adult, but places like Belden Lane remind me that I am. I come here for happy hour drinks at Voda, for business lunches at Bistro 44, and an occasional romantic dinner at Plouf. The attraction is the outdoor seating in the heart of the Financial District and the food which is always good. By the way I have no idea if it actually is authentically European, but frankly every place in SF is a "fusion" of some sort.....so I think of this alley as Euro-Fusion. Very satisfying in so long as you don't actually try to compare it to the real thing. Oh and hopefully you won't mind sharing your lunch with the pigeons underfoot. It's my perfect spot for spending a long ass lunch skipping work on a balmy day. read more

You'll forget you are in SF. The private and quiet street reminds me of NY mixed with the cafes outside of Paris. I love the area. Definitely brownie points if you take a date there...if you want to be romantic and what not. Belden Place AKA cupcakers street. As far as the restaurants there, so expensive! That's why I only come here when I go on dates because, shiet...I aint paying :) Or...during dine about town week. That's when you'll see me there. A full meal for $35! Other than that, I'll stick to a cheaper area. read more

Love coming out here for French food. All of these places are pretty good. Some of the hostesses are pushy as you walk by on the patios, but don't let their customer hungry attitudes turn you off. Just go for the food. The patios are nice to sit outside, but the tables are very small and it's crowded. Sometimes it's almost better (for me) to sit inside since it's less crowded and you can hear yourself talking. It just depends on what you need and how you're feeling that day. Of all the times I've eaten at each of the different restaurants in Belden Place, I probably got great waiter service 3 times out of 20. I just go for the food really. My favorite of this alley is Cafe Bastille. read more

Belden Place is a breath of fresh alternative air to the touristy crowd of downtown San Francisco. It's situated between Pine and Bush Street, but kind of hard to find. Make sure you arm yourself with a yelp app so you can google map the place. The alley has a row of European style restaurants and cafes and it's totally well worth investigating. read more

Whenever I walk this alleyway, I walk towards a close getaway. Take yourself away from the Financial District, and step into a side neighborhood of San Francisco. Walk five steps before getting a cheery greeting by a host saying "hello, would you like to come eat at this restaurant. Take a look at this menu..." Beautiful European restaurants fancy up this secret alley. An alley, we as locals, cherish much. Tea lights, broths of mussels, tourists in the know, outside seating, beautiful inside decor, friendly staff, lush wines.... and be reminded why you fell in love with San Francisco read more

While I thoroughly enjoyed this small gem (easy to miss), I found not much French about it. Our waitress was definitely eastern European (charming, but not french). Lunch time reservations equated to my party showing up, the host looking around and pointing to the only open table saying "um, how bout that one?". Meaning, reservations are sort of like turn signals; completely optional. While I could have ordered something a bit more authentic, my grilled tiger prawns with sauteed garlic potatoes, asparagus and mushroom tarragon sauce was pretty excellent. My luncheon companions enjoyed the steamed mussels marinieres and the hachis parmentier. Only complaint is the tight quarters (I actually had to stand up next to my chair every time someone wanted to get to the tables behind me). read more

I went to Brindisi for lunch today, and as usual, ended up ordering the most expensive thing on the menu PURELY BY COINCIDENCE. I swear, sometimes I think the prices change just so whatever I'm in the mood for is the highest-priced item. It's a blatant conspiracy. But that didn't change the fact that while signing my soul away on the dotted line, my tears were ones of joy instead of sorrow. Worth every dirty little penny under the couch cushions! And for those of you less inclined to scrounge in the nooks and crannies of your furniture to come up with the necessary tip money, the gourmet pizzas are only $12 and will easily feed two. read more

Who knew an alley would offer so much. A great find in an unexpected area of town. After hours, few think to come to the financial district of San Francisco, but Belden alley is a quaint and cool place to grab a drink and a bite to eat. It's got a very European feel with a variety of restaurants offering anything from tapas to seafood. Competing restaurants all grab for your attention, but don't feel pressured; check out all the different menus and then just sit and enjoy the night. You have the option of seating inside or outside of all the restaurants (very cool). Personally, I like Plouf and B44. read more

I've only been to a couple of the restaurants here, but every time I walk through I don't know why I'm not here more often. I love the European feel of this outdoor refuge in the middle of the financial district. My one complaint: I felt like I was walking through Tijuana passing strip joint after strip joint with the way I was accosted by the hostesses in front of their respective restaurants trying to lure me into their establishment. read more

I love Belden Lane, it's a little slice of Europe in downtown San Francisco. I've been to several of the restaurants with great success and one of my favorite "street" parties in SF is Bastille Day on Belden Lane. Skip Brindisi and Voda. read more

What can be better, on a nice warm day in San Francisco than sitting outside, having a glass of wine and nice meal on Belden Place? Especially good to remember Belden when the streets of the Financial District are all dried up at the end of the day and there is no place to find food when you wander out of the office late (or your family returns from their exile to Fisherman's Wharf to meet you on Union Square... and you really don't feel like mixing with the denizens of society... ). read more

You know those rare balmy nights we had just lately? God those are my favorite. They are the reason for outside seating. So when especially balmy night came, no matter how much I didn't have my phone, didn't have money and already had plans to go to another bar, I needed to spend some time outside. I needed to chill out and bask in the fortune of good weather and pretend it is like this every night. I needed Belden Place. It is said that this alley reminds people of some Mediterranean town with all the little outside tables squished together and different southern European cuisines. I can see that. That's the main reason I love it. But it is not quite European enough to deserve five stars. I can't remember anytime I was walking through downtown Nice or Aix and was accosted by maitre d's to come eat at their establishment. And when the waiters came by, they also had an air of "make yourself at home, I'll be your server. That means I bring take your order and bring your food. You will not see me unless I choose to be seen. You will get a business smile, not a friendly smile because I'm not your friend. If you whip out a book I won't bother you until you call me. I might come by every once in a while to see if you are alright, but that is very 'once in a while' because truly I could give a flying fuck about your American ass. You will conform to how I choose to serve you and you will like it. And you will tip me because you don't know that it is included in the price." They have mastered the art of being a server AND being French But sadly this is America and we have no idea how to be French. We totally know how to be American though in all our fake kindness and concern and desire to sell and make a large tip and flip the tables. That aloofness that I am so fond of in French waiters and the French in general just comes off as lack of concern here. I'd like to see what they would do if I come back on some random warm Saturday and bust out a book and sit there for 3 hours. If it were really like a European through-way, I wouldn't have to wonder. read more