Vietnam Restaurant
620 Broadway (at Columbus), 788-7034
Located a few doors up from the neon-lit heart of North Beach, this Formica-edged hole in the wall serves simple, satisfying Saigon-style specialties until 3 a.m. The several varieties of pho are a popular and rejuvenating late-night snack, but the barbecue sandwiches with carrots, cucumber, cilantro, and chili peppers are mighty delicious as well. Preserved-lemon lemonade and grass-jelly dessert drinks make for stimulating nightcaps. All this and pork chops, too!
Great Eastern
649 Jackson (at Kearny), 986-2500
When you're hankering for really fresh frog meat in the middle of the night, head on over to this huge, ornate Hong Kong-style seafood joint. Along one wall there are several aquaria where you can see for yourself that the catch of the day is nothing if not fresh. Flounder, rock cod, scallops, lobsters, crab, steelhead, abalone, and shrimp are among the species prepared to order -- steamed, fried, made into soup, you name it -- but first the waiter scoops out the fish and brings it around for your approval, like a sort of aquatic sommelier. Open until 1 a.m.
La Rondalla
901 Valencia (at 20th Street), 647-7474
By the time you've had your second pitcher of margaritas and you've tipped the mariachis to play "Guantanamera" for the third time and the ever-present Christmas lights have taken their toll on your equilibrium, it's time to tuck into a nice big platter of hangover-squelching enchiladas. Luckily it's only 2 in the morning and you've still got an hour till closing time. The food's cheap and filling, and the atmo is rambunctious; what more could a night owl desire? Cash only.
Brother's Korean Restaurant
4128 Geary (at Fifth Avenue), 387-7991
Eating Korean barbecue is as fun as it's delicious, because you get to cook the marinated meats over your table's personal charcoal grill, a tricky business after a night of carousing but pleasantly aromatic nonetheless. A dozen pickled, grated, garlicky condiments are provided to jazz up the already tasty fillets, and if you're still hungry post-BBQ, the menu offers whole grilled fish, rice bowls, and hearty soups to tide you over until the 2 o'clock closing time.
