Mama's on Washington Square in San Francisco is the North Beach corner diner since 1965, with French toast on house brioche and the eggs Florentine the locals order.
Must order: French toast with brioche from the in-house bakery, plus the eggs Florentine.
Tip: Line forms at 08:30 on weekends; arrive at 08:00 sharp or after 13:30 to avoid an hour wait.
Address: 1701 Stockton Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
Marlowe in San Francisco runs a SoMa brunch with the Marlowe burger, a strong chilaquiles plate and a Bloody Mary that has been on the menu since 2010.
Order: The Marlowe burger or the chilaquiles, plus a Bloody Mary.
Tip: Bar seats are first-come; ask for the burger off the dinner menu, it is available at brunch.
Zuni Cafe in San Francisco does the city's most enduring brunch: oysters at the marble counter, then the Judy Rodgers roast chicken from the wood oven.
Order: The roast chicken with bread salad: order it the moment you sit, it takes an hour from order.
Tip: Sit at the oyster bar for the first round; the roast chicken needs to be ordered immediately on arrival.
Foreign Cinema in San Francisco is the Mission's open-air courtyard brunch room from Gayle Pirie and John Clark, with oysters, brunch fried chicken and a film projected.
Order: Brunch fried chicken on a cornmeal waffle, after a half-dozen oysters.
Tip: Book the courtyard, not the indoor room; sunny Saturday at 11:30 is the brunch slot to land.
Plow in San Francisco is the Potrero Hill brunch room with house lemon ricotta pancakes, a benedict programme, and the city's most lined-up Saturday breakfast.
Order: The Plow plate: two eggs, lemon ricotta pancakes, potatoes and bacon.
Tip: Join the digital waitlist before you leave the house; the wait runs 60 to 90 minutes on weekends without it.
Brenda's French Soul Food in San Francisco runs a Polk Street Creole brunch counter, with crawfish beignets, shrimp and grits and a 60-minute weekend wait.
Order: A flight of beignets (plain, chocolate, granny apple, crawfish), plus shrimp and grits.
Tip: Arrive at 09:00 sharp or join the digital waitlist that opens at 08:30; lunch service takes the second wave.
Outerlands in San Francisco is the Outer Sunset cafe two blocks from the ocean, with house bread, eggs in jail and a steady fog-lifted brunch line at 11:00.
Order: Eggs in jail: thick toast with an egg cracked in the centre, griddled.
Tip: Bring a beanie; the door queue is exposed to ocean fog and the wait runs 40 minutes on weekends.
