My mission to try the best food in San Francisco is an ongoing endeavor that I’m very passionate about! That’s why I’m here to share everything delicious I ate in SF thanks to my friend’s proven SF foodie recommendations.
I’ve been to San Francisco three times now, and my love for the city has grown more and more with each visit. Especially when it comes to all of the delicious eat SF has to offer. I recently spent a week wandering the streets of this hilly wonderland and eating my way through the city. Now, I’m ready to get into the best time of my foodie life trying the best food in San Francisco!
MAMA’S LUNCHEONETTE
Mama’s Luncheonette was by far my favorite place that we ate at on my latest trip to San Francisco! I loved it so much, I went back a second time to try more items on the menu. This small luncheonette in the Pacific Heights neighborhood serves halal breakfast burritos, sandwiches and more! Their two breakfast burrito options — the Mama’s burrito with smashed tater tots, scrambled egg, smoked salsa, sharp cheddar cheese and avocado, and the Union Street burrito with braised kale, Green Goddess dressing, smashed tater tots, scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese — are incredible. And I simply cannot say enough about the absolutely finger-licking delicious za’atar fries and matcha lemonade!
And I finally ate a Caesar salad wrap (their current special) for the first time ever! I definitely get the hype because, holy smokes, it was sooooo yummy! The crunchy croutons with delicious Caesar dressing and the chicken all wrapped into a flour tortilla are a perfect combination. I’m obsessed with this spot from now until the end of time! Mama’s Luncheonette has some of the best food in San Francisco — hands down!
TARTINE
Tartine Bakery is a San Francisco bakery that opened back in 2002 and has since become one of the U.S.’s most influential bakeries. Fresh bread and pastries are baked in-house every morning with standouts like their country loaf, morning bun and breakfast sandwich. People line up every day just to get a taste and honestly, I can taste exactly why. We tried a delicious lemon cream tart, banana walnut muffin and their egg sandwich. The egg sandwich comes with gently steamed eggs, sharp cheddar, spinach, basil, scallion, ají verde sauce on a buttermilk loaf — it was sooooo delicious. Their matcha oat latte also slapped! I want to go back so badly!
PINSA ROSSA
Pinsa Rossa is a new “pinseria” in Pacific Heights that serves Roman-style “pinsas,” a style of pizza made with dough that’s mixture of soy, rice and white flour, which yields a supposedly healthier pizza. They have a great happy hour with personal pinsas for only $9. We tried the pepperoni pinsa and the spicy Calabrian pinsa. Both were super yummy! The spicy Calarian pinsa brought the right amount of heat with an airy and tasty crust that paired perfectly well with the fresh buffalo mozzarella. Pair the indulgent pinsas with a glass of cold Prosecco, and it’s truly all you need in life!
STONEMILL MATCHA
Stonemill Matcha is another standout from my latest trip to San Francisco! This matcha-heavy cafe recently reopened under new ownership in the Mission District. They serve high-quality matcha drinks and pastries, including a famous strawberry matcha latte, matcha cookies and sparkling matcha. They also offer Japanese dishes like a pork Katsu sandwich and chicken katsu curry. The absolute star, however, was their matcha cream pie. It was the most heavenly tasting and lightest but somehow super creamy pie I’ve ever had in my life. I’ll be dreaming of this pie for quite a while!
ARSICAULT BAKERY
Everyone and their mothers RAVES about Arsicault Bakery‘s croissants being the best croissants in San Francisco! On the first day of my solo adventure in SF, I waited in line for 45 minutes to get a croissant. I’m not proud of admitting this! I was staaaarving and almost gave up a couple of times. But the almond croissant was so worth the wait. It was soft, flaky and the perfect amount of moist filled with a delicious almond cream. I also tried the plain croissant and thought it was perfectly flaky and buttery and soft inside. I recommend visiting one of their two locations as early as possible and probably not on a Saturday so the line isn’t as long!
SCHLOK’S
Oh, how do I begin to describe the absolute deliciousness that Schlok‘s is?! Another personal SF obsession and some of the best food in San Francisco — I literally had it three times in a week. I’m not usually into bagels, but there’s something about these breakfast bagel sandwiches that just makes me lose my mind! Schlok’s bakes their bagels in-house every morning using an old-school technique inspired by the classic East Coast bagel. This slightly pricey takeaway window is a staple in the Haight neighborhood. And if I lived there, I’d go broke buying the egg, cheddar, sweet pepper butter and ham on an everything bagel sandwich every day.
HORSEFEATHER
Horsefeather is a lovely little New American spot also in the Haight neighborhood. We tried a few of their dishes and really loved how everything tasted. It also felt like really good portions of food for the money. They have a great happy hour too! We tried the duck fat fries, the plant-based tuna “ceviche,” and the goat-cheese artichoke dip. They were all very, very delicious! Lastly, we tried the fried chicken with elote and mac and cheese, and loved it too! I’d love to go back and try their gochujang wings … SOON.
daeho kalbijjim
Daeho Kalbijim & Beef Soup is a very successful Korean BBQ restaurant in the heart of Japantown in San Francisco. Their specialty is Kalbijimm — a Korean braised short-rib beef stew. The ribs come in a stone pot, and they’re juicy, tender and can be topped with cheese, glass noodles, rice cakes or vegetables. Eating at Daeho was such an experience, and it’s honestly one of the best things I’ve ever eaten! We chose purple rice and topped our Kalbijimm with cheese, squid and rice cakes. It was A LOT of food for two people, but it was so worth the money. They don’t take reservations but you can join their Yelp daily waitlist at 5 p.m. We went for lunch at around 11:30 a.m., and there was no wait.
EL POPOLO
I liiiive for wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pizza, babyyy! Del Popolo is a pizzeria at the edge of the Union Square area in San Francisco that serves Neapolitan-inspired pizza since 2012. Their perfectly blistered thin crust was definitely something to write home about. I tried their salami piccante pizza and it had just the right amount of heat. I also tried their Little Gem Caesar Salad (y’all should know I LOOOVE a Caesar salad) and, of course, loved it. Reservations are not required but they’re definitely encouraged.
FARMHOUSE THAI
Farmhouse Thai is a new-generation restaurant that serves traditional and non-traditional Thai dishes. They focus on serving dishes with bold flavors and fresh ingredients that’ll enchant your tongue and transport you to the night markets of Thailand. The atmosphere is intensely fun at Farmhouse Thai — expect loud music and parades of sparklers carrying your eccentric drink to your table! Their fried calamari and pad Thai were very delicious! They have a whole-lobster pad Thai I want to try next time.
HOG ISLAND
Listen, San Francisco food prices are not for the faint of heart and definitely not for people on El Paso, Texas, salaries. However, you only live once and I’m not one to give up the opportunity to try a new restaurant, food or cuisine. Hog Island Oyster Co. is inside San Francisco’s famous Ferry Building along the Embarcadero and they focus on serving the freshest, right-of-the-boat seafood. This is the place to get authentic clam chowder with waterfront views and the yummiest handcrafted cocktails. The clam chowder was warm, flavorful and hearty. I also had $30 fish and chips that were out-of-this-world yummy delicious (beer-battered ling cod slaw, tartar sauce and Old Bay fries). You can definitely find some of the best food in San Francisco at Hog Island!
THE SPICY SHRIMP
The Spicy Shrimp is a San Francisco Chinatown staple where you’ll be able to taste authentic Chinese dishes. We were very hungry and walking around Chinatown so we stopped by to pick up a quick snack. We got the shrimp flat rice noodles with scallions. The rice noodles are very soft and chewy. Personally, I didn’t mind the texture. But if textures are a thing for you, it might put you off a little. We added some soy sauce and devoured the whole thing!
I can’t wait until I get to visit once more and try more of the best food in San Francisco! From my first trip to San Francisco to now, I feel so much familiar with the city and have fallen in love with its vibe. I’m always excited to learn about new places to try. So send me all your San Francisco foodie recommendations in the comments! 🙂 For now, that is all!
-Valeria
