Places and Things I Love in San Francisco
Restaurants
Brunch
Brenda’s French Soul Food – Best brunch in San Francisco. Best brunch ANYWHERE, for that matter. My favorite restaurant in all of SF.
Zazie – Brenda’s is #1 for brunch; this is #2.
Mama’s – You’ll wait in line for a loooong time, but this place has the best eggs benedict I’ve ever had.
French
Chou Chou – A French bistro near my ‘hood. Excellent food at a fair price. Plus, the owner is the nicest Frenchman you’ll ever meet.
Cafe Claude – Another French bistro, but this one is downtown and has live jazz to boot.
Gamine – Tasty and affordable French cuisine.
Mexican/South American
La Taqueria – Incomparable. Please order a carnitas burrito or taco.
Little Chihuahua – Delicious burritos and salsas. A little pricey, but the quality is evident.
Green Chile Kitchen – New Mexican food. They use rotisserie chicken…MMM.
El Porteno Empanadas – Authentic Argentine empanadas.
Asian/Indian
Shanghai Dumpling King – Xiao Long Bao (brothy pork dumplings). Mmm hmmm.
Slanted Door – Fancy Vietnamese cuisine with a beautiful view of the bay. Delicious cocktails, too.
Kasa – Quick and interesting Indian options.
Roti Indian Bistro – Indian? Bistro? Oh, YES. This isn’t cheap Indian food, but it’s delicious. Get anything with korma sauce and you will die happy.
Regent Thai – Off the beaten path, but delicious and cheap.
Playground – Korean food with the option of your own private karaoke room. Food is ok, but the karaoke is killer.
Italian/Pizza
Tommaso’s – My favorite North Beach Italian joint.
Little Star Pizza – The antithesis of NY style. Go for a deep dish with cornmeal crust.
Pizzeria Delfina – My new favorite for woodfired thin crust pizza.
flour+water – Housemade pastas and woodfired pizzas. Delicious.
General/American
Firefly – A new favorite. Delicious food, and affordable prix fixe menu Sun – Thurs.
Wayfare Tavern – Delicious fried chicken and other comfort foods. Bonus: potential Tyler Florence sightings.
Front Porch – Another great spot for southern soul/comfort food. Fried chicken, fried okra and other delicious things.
Zuni Cafe – Their roast chicken and bread salad is the stuff of dreams.
Sandwiches, Burgers, Etc.
Arguello Market – You know those sandwiches you make after Thanksgiving with leftover turkey? Here, they make them year round with WARM rotisserie turkey. Best. Idea. Ever.
Bull’s Head – Best burger in SF. Get it to go, though; the dining room is straight outta 1962.
Submarine Center – Super delicious sub sandwiches.
Sunrise Deli – My go-to place for falafel.
Barney’s – Decent hamburgers, but the fried zucchini and mushrooms are the real stars.
Vegetarian
Ananda Fuara – Delicious vegetarian food, albeit in a cultish environment. Try the Neatloaf and your world will change forever.
Millenium – Fancy vegetarian food.
Gracias Madre – Organic, vegan Mexican food. Surprisingly delicious.
Sweets & Drinks
Tartine Bakery – Heavenly pastries and bread.
Arizmendi Bakery – Their scones are to die for.
Mitchell’s Ice Cream – Ice cream that’s 16% butterfat. Is that a lot? Oh, and ICE CREAM CAKES!
Kara’s Cupcakes - Every flavor they have is delicious.
Bi-Rite Creamery – Designer ice cream. Think Salted Caramel and Honey Lavender.
Humphrey Slocombe – Funky ice cream. Think bourbon & cornflake.
Christopher Elbow – The most beautiful candy you will ever eat.
Mission Pie – All pie, all the time.
Beard Papa – All cream puffs, all the time.
Bourbon & Branch – Specialty cocktails in an environment so hip, you need a password just to get in. Worth it.
Anthony’s Cookies – DELICIOUS homemade cookies, and Anthony himself is SO NICE. Take that, Mrs. Fields.
La Trappe - The food is a bit lackluster, but they have a huge selection of Belgian beers.
The Mint – No better place for karaoke and drinks in SF. Endlessly entertaining.
Caffe Trieste – Corey’s favorite spot for a latte.
Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates – These taste as good as they look (and they’re freaking gorgeous!).
Specialty Food Shops and Farmer’s Markets
Guerra’s – My local butcher shop.
Rainbow Grocery – A cool co-op with just about any vegetarian product you’d ever want or need.
Avedano’s – Another excellent butcher.
Prather Ranch – Sustainable, humanely raised meats. Pricey, but worth it.
Ferry Building – Swoon. Go here for the Saturday farmer’s market, but also go to…
Alemany Farmer’s Market – No tourists here. This is where the rest of us get our produce.
Stay tuned for more, or visit my Yelp page for reviews on all things SF – food and beyond.
I have only been to SFO once but can’t wait to come back for the Foodbuzz Festival. Ahhhhh I love it so much. If it wasn’t for the job in Boston. . .
Have you been to Luella’s (Russian Hill), Pomelo (two locations), or Olea (Nob Hill)? These are three of my favs in the City, when I visit, and I HIGHLY recommend them if you have not yet been.
i love so many of these places too, we’re so lucky to have amazing food everywhere you look in sf!
Yay, another Bay Area foodie! You seem a lot more adventurous than me, though. Being Chinese, I was surprised/sad to see that “San Tung” was not on your Asian list! They have great dumplings (not XLB, though), noodles, and fried chicken.
Not sure if you like Japanese food either…but in case you do, I highly recommend Sushi Bistro on Balboa!
I’m always looking to add to the list! I’ve not been to the places you mentioned but I’ll definitely check them out.
You know the godfather of my baby is a butcher at Guerra’s. look for the bald headed tall white guy.
should you add Zuni to this list too?
I love your list. There are a lot of places I haven’t tried. Isn’t great having soo many delicious options?! I highly recommend Chutney’s in the Tenderloin for Indian. It’s delicious and affordable. I also recommend parking in the safe parking lot right next door.