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.
Tip: Cash only; order four at once and bring them home; the bread stays good for three hours wrapped.
Address: 560 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102
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.
