One hopes that the real nirvana isn't as loud as this Castro District restaurant, where the predominantly gay clientele flirt to the steady pulse of techno music. Dim lights and walls the color of blood oranges set a seductive scene, but the heated garden patio is the last word in romance. Big bowls of noodles (ramen, soba, or linguine), topped with ingredients such as pan-seared Thai-style chicken ($7.75), salmon chunks ($9.50), or sautéed spinach and tomatoes ($6.75), are a bargain; the same can't be said about the froufrou cocktails ($7-$8.50). Concoctions like Purple Rain--made with vanilla-flavor Stoli, pomegranate juice, and lemon juice--nevertheless disappear lickety-split at the bar, where revelers sometimes stand waiting two deep.

Emmy's Spaghetti Shack 18 Virginia St., at Mission St., 415/206-2086

At the edge of the Mission, this dimly lit room decorated with old-fashioned aprons strung across a clothesline might seem an unlikely setting for San Francisco hipsters to wine and dine their dates. But, somehow, the juxtaposition of the faux corrugated tin roof, colorful artwork by local artists, and a DJ spinning groovy down-tempo music (Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays) works. Maybe the crowd is in a good mood because of the glasses of red wine on almost every table, but the vibe at Emmy's is unfailingly friendly. Enormous plates of spaghetti ($6, with meatballs $8.50) are by far the best deals. Consider sharing one with your honey, along with an appetizer like the winter-greens salad with beets and goat cheese ($8). Desserts, most around $7, are more expensive than you'd expect.

Osha Thai Noodle Café 696 Geary St., at Leavenworth St., 415/673-2368

A young crowd fills this bright Tenderloin restaurant, but the food is much better than you'd expect from a place where you can stumble in until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. House music thrumming in the background sets the manic pace of the waitstaff, who ask for your order every few minutes until you've waded your way through the hundred or so items on the menu. To cut to the chase, order the tart and spicy larb ($6.50), a mix of ground chicken, pork, or beef with red and green onions, or the perfectly crisp yet tender spicy string beans, served with the same choice of meats ($6.95).

Hang Ah Tea Room 1 Pagoda Pl. (a.k.a. 1 Hang Ah St.), off Sacramento St. between Stockton and Grant Sts., 415/982-5686

Although the freakish lime-green and tangerine walls suggest the restaurant was built during the Day-Glo '80s, Hang Ah is actually Chinatown's oldest dim sum parlor. Once you find this basement spot--down an alleyway next to a playground and tennis court--start sampling its wide variety of dim sum, the savory snacks that are popular for brunch in parts of China. Pork buns (softball-size puffs of rice dough surrounding juicy barbecued pork), deep-fried curried-beef rolls, translucent steamed shrimp dumplings, and pot stickers are particularly good choices. At around $2.50 per order, you can try them all.

Dragon Well 2142 Chestnut St., between Steiner and Pierce Sts., 415/474-6888

Smartly dressed and preternaturally fit young locals chat on cell phones between bites of fresh pea shoots at this lovely Chinese restaurant, where paper lamps cast a soft glow that makes everyone look even sexier than they already are. Remarkably, the artfully arranged plates of minced chicken scattered on lettuce leaves ($8.25) and slices of tea-smoked duck ($7.95) are almost no more expensive than the fluorescent-orange glop at your average Chinese joint. And appropriate to Dragon Well's Marina District setting, chefs have a way with seafood--witness the prawns served in a light white sauce and tossed with crunchy candied walnuts ($9.95).

Q 225 Clement St., between 3rd and 4th Aves., 415/752-2298

If someone were to decorate a salvage yard with strings of Christmas lights and alphabet refrigerator magnets, it might end up looking something like the Inner Richmond's Q. That enigmatic name is short for barbecue, a specialty of chef-owner "Smilin' Andy" Gillen, who can often be spotted dishing up pork spare ribs with baked beans and spicy slaw ($10). The menu is a mishmash of Southern standbys and bold California cuisine that's friendlier to vegetarians than the name would (obliquely) suggest. Those suffering from a fit of childhood nostalgia might opt for the rich and starchy macaroni and cheese, counterintuitively paired with Tater Tots ($8).

The hippest haunts of the nouveau poor