Best places to get good food
San Francisco is definitely a food town. Hard to get a really bad meal but let me help you to get to the best, juiciest, tastieist food in town (and stay away from bad food traps!) I have spent the last 30 years of my life dining out in San Francisco. i stand by of thestaurants I have listed here and have personally tried all of them more than once.
Breakfast (and coffee)
When I say breakfast, I mean big, hearty, buttery, calorie laden start to the day. There can often be a wait even at bad breakfast places - here is all the info you need for a delicious start to a busy San Francisco day. Some of them close early so - get up! Everything is moderately priced. $7-15 for a meal.
- Cafe International
508 Haight St
San Francisco, CA
(415) 552-7390
open early - close late
Locally owned. Great coffee, good pastries, etc. and LOVE! If you are a traveler or moving here make it a regular stop and you will feel like a homie. Sometimes live jazz. - Tartine Bakery (not to be confused with the cafe - EVER!)
600 Guerrero
415-487-2600
Mon - 8am-7pm; Tu-Wed 7:30-7pm; Th-Fr 7:30-8pm
Sat 8-8pm; Sun 9-8pm
The absolute BEST BAKERY in the entire Bay Area if not the USA! I LOVE this place!!!!
Buttery, flaky croissants and pastries - try the morning bun; cakes, cookies, tarts, sandwiches, etc. Excellent coffee. Always a line! Corner of Guerrero and 18th in the Mission. Guerrero is between Mission St. and Dolores. - Kate's Kitchen
471 Haight Street
415-626-3984
M-F 9-2:45; Tu 8-2:45; Sat-Sun 8:30-3:45
cash only
Small restaurant. Good hearty breakfast, good french toast, cornmeal pancakes. Often a wait, worse on weekends. In the Lower Haight area near Fillmore. Accessible by the 6 or 7 Haight Street buses and the 22 Fillmore. - Pork Store Cafe (2 locations)
1451 Haight (original)
M-F 7-3:30; Sat-Sun 8-4
3122-16th (at Valencia in Mission Dist.)
Sun-Tues 8-4; Wed-Sat 8-10
Great Breakfast!!! The original is nice but there is less of a wait at the one on 16th and the food is just as good. Great walking around area. Serves cocktails. - Sears
439 Powell
415-986-1160
6:30-10pm Daily
Union Square
If you are downtown this is the place to have breakfast. Delicious pancakes. Homemade cereals. Lively dining room filled with tourists and locals. Sometimes a wait but they have a large dining room. Been around for ever and always good. - Roxanne's Cafe
560 Powell
415-989-5555
The only other place, besides Sears, in the downtown to get a good inexpensive breakfast in my opinion.
At the top of the hill. Interesting omelettes, decent coffee, friendly waitstaff - Dottie's True Blue Cafe
522 Jones
M, Thur-Sun 7:30-3pm
415-885-2767
Located in the Tenderloin, Dottie's has good breakfast and delicious pastries. There is always a wait, however. - It's Tops
Good pancakes, cocktails, good breakfast stop and without all the hubub of some of the others. You'll have to find it cause I don't want to get it hyped. (hint: it's on market street)
Lunch, Lite Supper, Brunch and more!!!
Just good restaurants - Of which there are many in San Francisco. You know about Bouleveard, Slanted Door and all of that (don't you?). Here are a few moderately priced good eats for the budget traveler.
- ALERT! FRITZ HAS MOVED TO VALENCIA SOMEWHERE AROUND 17TH & VALENCIA!!!!! Still good food.
Frjtz
579 Hayes St.
415-864-7654
M-Thurs 9-10; Fri 9-midnite
Sat 10-midnite; Sun 10-9
Hayes Valley, Civic Center
Great Belgium fries with great sauces. Delicious sandwiches, crepes - cool atmosphere.
Good coffee, what more could you want. Lots of cool boutiques on the block
Hayes Valley, Civic Center - Savor
3913-24th St.
415-282-0344
415-282-3881
Sun-Thurs 8-10pm; Fri, Sat 8-11pm
Great breakfast, lunch, sandwiches, dinner. Wonderful patio. (If you want breakfast on the weekend get there early). In the heart of Noe Valley with great shops - shoes, music, clothes, books, crafts, flowers, etc. - just a stroll away. - Chow (2 locations)
215 Church St
552-2469
Church & Market
Park Chow
1238-9th Ave
(on the N Judah line)
Good ole comfort food, prepared fresh. Daily sandwich specials (I like the Friday fish sandwich specials). Fresh juice and lemonade - delicious! Yummy desserts. The braised beef ribs with mashed potatoes is always good. - Acoustic Cafe
201 Octavia
It used to be the coolest artist loft/gallery in the city, Ehtnic Trip Art Gallery, occupied by Toni Lane, renown painter, photographer and guru to the neighborhood children in the Lower Haight. Now it is cafe with great sandwiches, salads and beer. And wireless is free with lunch. A nice place to work or lolligag.
Burritos and other Dirt Cheap Eats
Burritos always offer a cheap eat in San Francisco. Here is a list of my favorites and other cheap eats.
- La Corneta (2locations):
2831 Diamond Street in Glen Park (1 block from Glen Park BART station)415-469-8757
2731 Mission (between 23rd & 24th) (1 block from 24th St. BART station) 415-643-7001
Great burritos and tacos - beef, chicken, fish, shrimp even salmon. Great agua frescas (a fruit juice) and cheap prices. #1 recommendation - Pancho Villa
2071-16th Street 415-864-8840
(1 block from the 15th St. BART station) - open until at least midnight - giant and delicious burritos, tacos and good dinner plates - very cheap, a fav among the locals - Tu-Lan
8-6th St. (just off Market)
M-Sa 11-9:30pm
Admittedly for the brave of heart, this Vietnamese resaturant, touted by no-less than Julia Child, is a treat for those with the cajones to brave the crack-infested street just outside. A favorite of many, many locals. Once inside, you will be treated to fresh and tasty Vietnamese food at dirt cheap prices. I have taken friends, parents and friends' parents and they have all LOVED it.
Great rolls and crispy noodles!
Late Night Eats
Here is what is open past midnight - beyond Denny's which is in Japantown on Post if you must go there.
- It's Tops Coffee Shop
1801 Market
Mon, Wed-Fri 8-3 and 8pm-3am
Tu 8-3pm
Open late nights (except Tuesdays)
Great pancakes, pretty good all around diner food. Across from the LGBT Cultural Center on Market & Octavia. - Grubstake
1525 Pine St. (off Polk)
M-f 5pm-4am; Sat-Sun 10-4am
cash only
www.sfgrubstake.com
Located in a old train car, in between Polk and Van Ness this is one of the better places to eat in the wee hours of the morning in San Francisco. Hamburger, hot dogs, breakfast, milkshakes, malts and the added bonus of a Portugese menu (recommended!). - Bagdad Cafe
2295 Market
415-621-4434
Dog friendly patio seating and open all night are the real reasons to go to this spot on Market near Castro. Hamburgers are passable, breakfast - nothing spectacular. - Sparky's Diner
242 Church Street
415-626-8666
24 hours; delivery until 4am
Sparky's has milkshakes. Beyond that, the service is slow and often with attitude - the food hit or miss and overpriced. But hey, they deliver until 4am!
Splurge!
Upscale and delicious dining experiences in San Francisco
- Crustacean
1475 Polk Street, Suite 6
Mon-Thur, Sun 5-9:30
Fri-Sat 5-10:30
415-776-2722
Roast Crab and Garlic Noodles!!!! There are other good things on the menu as well but that is why you come. That or the Roast Garlic Crab.
You may even spot a celebrity or two. I heard Dion Sanders was in there dressed from head to toe in PINK!!!! Expect to pay about $50 per person for the meal. - Belgano Chocolatier Gelateria
3901 24th St
(J Church)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 647-4266
open til about 8pm
Chocolates and the BEST cupcakes!!!!!! Yummmmmm!
San Francisco Food
Gifts, books, etc. on the San Francisco food scene.
2006 San Francisco/Bay Area Restaurants (Zagatsurvey)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/27/2008)
The Slow Food Guide to San Francisco And The Bay Area: Restaurants, Markets, Bars (Slow Food Guides)
Amazon Price: $15.00 (as of 07/27/2008)
Firehouse Food: Cooking with San Francisco's Firefighters
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 07/27/2008)
The Flavors of Home: A Guide to Wild Edible Plants of the San Francisco Bay Area
Amazon Price: (as of 07/27/2008)
BlackBook List San Francisco: 2006 (BlackBook List series)
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 07/27/2008)
Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook
Amazon Price: $14.93 (as of 07/27/2008)
Cool Beans San Francisco Blend Pod Coffee
Amazon Price: (as of 07/27/2008)
New Make A List
New Make A List
Grocers
San Francisco has great grocery stores - from discount gourmet to health food coops.
- K & L Wine Merchants
- 638-4th Street
415-896-1734
South of Market
Wine experts - go home with a bottle of the best
