Eat well in San Francisco for under €15 a plate: the locals'-budget edition.
Eat well in San Francisco for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
La Taqueria in San Francisco is the Mission burrito and taco counter where a twelve-dollar lunch is the city's most-cited cheap eat, since 1973 with no concessions.
Try: Carne asada burrito or doubled-corn tacos
Tip: Get the dorado-style burrito; the kitchen sears it on the plancha for a crisp edge that costs nothing extra.
Good Mong Kok in San Francisco is the Stockton Street Cantonese takeaway window with a ten-item haul for under fifteen dollars on a Saturday morning queue.
Try: Char siu bao and shrimp dumplings
Tip: Cash only; bring a clear list of items because the line behind you moves at speed.
Saigon Sandwich in San Francisco is the Larkin Street banh mi window: six bucks for a hot baguette and a long lunch line that turns over fast every weekday.
Try: Pork banh mi
Tip: Cash only; order four at once and bring them home; the bread stays good for three hours wrapped.
Shalimar in San Francisco is the Tenderloin Pakistani counter where a tandoor-fired chicken tikka, naan and dal lands under thirteen dollars at lunch service.
Try: Chicken tikka with naan and dal
Tip: Eat at the back tables; the front counter has the tandoor view but no chairs.
Yuet Lee in San Francisco is the Chinatown late-night Cantonese counter, where a plate of salt-and-pepper squid plus rice and beer runs twenty dollars to 03:00.
Try: Salt and pepper squid
Tip: Cash only after midnight; the kitchen window seats fill the fastest at 23:30.
Rooster & Rice in San Francisco is the Thai khao man gai counter, with poached chicken on rice cooked in chicken fat, for thirteen dollars across four sites.
Try: Khao man gai (Thai poached chicken on rice)
Tip: Order the steamed and fried combo; you get both proteins for a couple of dollars more.
Souvla in San Francisco is the Hayes Valley Greek spit-roast sandwich counter, with a lamb sandwich, a frozen Greek yogurt and a take-away built for a fast lunch.
Try: Lamb sandwich
Tip: Order ahead via the app and skip the 12:30 line; the frozen yogurt is the closer.
The Sentinel in San Francisco is Dennis Leary's South of Market lunch window, serving a corned beef and Russian dressing sandwich to a long FiDi office line.
Try: Corned beef sandwich
Tip: Order ahead via the website by 11:00; the window is a six-deep line from 12:15 to 13:30.
Bob's Donuts in San Francisco is the 24-hour Polk Street doughnut counter since 1960, with an apple fritter and a five-pound monster doughnut challenge.
Try: Apple fritter or buttermilk bar
Tip: Cash and card after 02:00; the buttermilk bar is the locals' order over the fritter.
Marufuku Ramen in San Francisco is the Japantown Hakata-style tonkotsu counter, with a 36-hour pork bone broth and a long queue that turns over fast.
Try: Hakata tonkotsu ramen
Tip: Get the digital waitlist before you head over; it cuts forty minutes off the wait.
El Toro Taqueria in San Francisco is the Mission Valencia and 17th corner counter, with a four-dollar al pastor taco and a quick burrito line at lunch.
Try: Al pastor taco
Tip: Taco al pastor with onion and coriander is the simplest, fastest order under five dollars.
Peak food season in San Francisco is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. San Francisco rewards trust.