Bistros, trattorias and the everyday rooms where San Francisco actually eats.
Bistros, trattorias, taverns and neighbourhood rooms: the mid-tier places where San Francisco actually eats.
La Taqueria in San Francisco is Miguel Jara's Mission taqueria, James Beard America's Classic, with no-rice burritos and doubled corn tacos since 1973.
Signature: Carnitas burrito (no rice), Carne asada tacos
Order: The dorado-style burrito: rolled, then crisped on the plancha with a sear.
Tip: Cash and card accepted; the line moves fast even at 13:00 because each taquero builds with both hands.
El Farolito in San Francisco is the Mission's all-night taqueria, opened in 1980 on 24th and Mission, with the super burrito that set the modern bar.
Signature: Super burrito, Quesadilla suiza, Al pastor tacos
Order: Super burrito al pastor with everything, plus a horchata.
Tip: Open until 02:30 on Friday and Saturday; the 23:00 to 01:00 window has the fastest line of the night.
La Cumbre in San Francisco is the Valencia Street taqueria credited with the modern Mission burrito format, founded by the Duran family in 1972.
Signature: Carne asada burrito, Pollo tacos, Pinto beans
Order: Carne asada super burrito, the room's invention from 1972.
Tip: Pinto over black beans here; the kitchen renders pork fat into the pintos and they sing.
Cotogna in San Francisco is Michael Tusk's casual Italian next to three-star Quince, with a wood oven turning out pizza and a Piedmontese pasta board.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Tagliatelle bolognese, Roast chicken
Order: The agnolotti dal plin with brown butter and sage, on the daily pasta list.
Tip: Walk in at 17:30 for the bar seats; the dining room books two weeks ahead.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco is Tony Gemignani's North Beach room, with 13 ovens running 7 pizza styles and a long list of World Pizza Cup wins.
Signature: Margherita STG, Cal Italia, Detroit-style
Order: Margherita STG, limited to 73 a day and cooked at 900 degrees.
Tip: The Margherita STG is capped at 73 per day; arrive at 17:00 to lock one in or expect a sell-out by 19:30.
Delfina in San Francisco is Craig and Annie Stoll's Mission trattoria, open since 1998, with a Tuscan-leaning pasta board and a roast chicken benchmark.
Signature: Spaghetti with plum tomatoes, Roast chicken, Tripe alla fiorentina
Order: Spaghetti with plum tomatoes; the Annie Stoll pasta on the menu since 1998.
Tip: Pizzeria Delfina next door takes walk-ins and serves the same pizza dough; faster on a Friday.
Flour + Water in San Francisco is Thomas McNaughton's Mission pasta-and-pizza house, with a daily handmade pasta board and a Neapolitan oven up front.
Signature: Tasting of pasta, Wood-fired pizza, Whole-grain bread
Order: The 5-course pasta tasting, the room's house format since 2009.
Tip: The pasta tasting is the move; ordering pasta a la carte costs the same and gives you less.
Park Tavern in San Francisco is Anna Weinberg's Washington Square sister to Marlowe and the Cavalier, with the same burger and a steady neighbourhood pulse.
Signature: Marlowe burger, Brussels sprout chips, Roast chicken
Order: The Marlowe burger with Cabot cheddar on a pretzel bun.
Tip: Sunday roast lunch sells out by 14:00; book two weeks ahead for a window seat onto the square.
Fog Harbor Fish House in San Francisco is the Pier 39 upstairs room with strong clam chowder among the Wharf options, plus a long crab list in winter.
Signature: Sourdough clam chowder, Crab Louie, Sand dabs
Order: Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl with a view of the sea lions.
Tip: Book the 18:00 window seating for the sunset over Alcatraz; it is the room's whole selling point.
Souvla in San Francisco is a counter-service Greek spit-fired meat sandwich house with four sites citywide, and the Hayes Valley original is the test kitchen.
Signature: Lamb sandwich, Pork salad, Frozen Greek yogurt
Order: Lamb sandwich with horiatiki salad and a frozen yogurt with olive oil for after.
Tip: The 12:30 lunch line is faster than 13:00; order ahead via the app to skip it altogether.
The Progress in San Francisco is State Bird Provisions' upstairs family-style sibling on Fillmore, with a four-course menu chosen by the table at the start.
Signature: Family-style menu, Bread course, Whole grain risotto
Order: Whatever the four set courses are on the night; the format is fixed.
Tip: The State Bird kitchen door opens behind the bar; ask for the State Bird supplement if you missed the downstairs reservation.
Outerlands in San Francisco is the Outer Sunset's surf-side cafe and dinner room, with house bread, a tight California menu and the fog rolling past the door.
Signature: Open-faced sandwich, Eggs in jail, Bowl
Order: Eggs in jail: thick toast with an egg cracked in the centre, griddled.
Tip: Walk-in only for breakfast and lunch; the dinner room takes reservations for parties of 4 or more.
Z & Y in San Francisco is the Chinatown Sichuan room that hosted Obama, with a benchmark dry-fried chicken and a real numbing-spice score on the page.
Signature: Chongqing chicken, Dan dan noodles, Mapo tofu
Order: Chongqing chicken: dry-fried with handfuls of Sichuan peppercorns and chillies.
Tip: Ask for the dan dan noodles 'house style' to get the version the kitchen makes for itself; off the menu.
House of Prime Rib in San Francisco is the Van Ness chophouse since 1949, with one menu (prime rib), four cuts, and a 70-day waitlist by the late 2020s.
Signature: Prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, Spinach salad
Order: The English cut prime rib carved tableside, with horseradish cream.
Tip: Bar seats turn over fastest and serve the full menu; book those rather than the dining room.
Sam's Grill in San Francisco is the Financial District chophouse running since 1867, with sand dabs, mahogany booths and a midday lunch tradition.
Signature: Hangtown Fry, Sand dabs, Crab Louis
Order: Sand dabs with brown butter and lemon, the room's standard since 1867.
Tip: Book one of the private booths upstairs at lunch; the lower-floor dining room turns louder after 12:30.
Brenda's French Soul Food in San Francisco is Brenda Buenviaje's Creole counter on Polk Street, with crawfish beignets and a strong brunch shrimp and grits.
Signature: Crawfish beignets, Shrimp & grits, Hangtown Fry
Order: A flight of beignets: plain, chocolate, granny apple and crawfish.
Tip: No reservations; arrive at 09:00 sharp or join the digital waitlist that opens at 08:30.
Yuet Lee in San Francisco is the Chinatown all-night Cantonese counter at Stockton and Broadway, open to 03:00, with salt-and-pepper squid the late shift orders.
Signature: Salt and pepper squid, Beef chow fun, Steamed live fish
Order: Salt and pepper squid, plus a steamed live fish from the tank.
Tip: Cash only after midnight; the kitchen window seats fill the fastest at 23:30.
Good Mong Kok in San Francisco is the Stockton Street Cantonese takeaway window the city actually eats at on weekends, with hot trays out from 07:00 to 18:00.
Signature: Char siu bao, Shrimp dumplings, Egg tarts
Order: Char siu bao and a tray of har gow; ten items for under fifteen dollars.
Tip: Cash only; bring a clear list of items because the line behind you moves at speed.
Piccino in San Francisco is the Dogpatch Italian on a yellow corner, with wood-oven pizza, a corner cafe and a wisteria-shaded patio that fills in May.
Signature: Wood-oven pizza, Garganelli, Wood-grilled chicken
Order: Wood-oven mushroom and ricotta pizza, plus the seasonal pasta of the night.
Tip: Brunch the patio in spring; the cafe next door pours the same coffee at half the price.
Shalimar in San Francisco is the Tenderloin's cash-and-card Pakistani counter, with a tandoor at the door turning out solid chicken tikka under fifteen dollars.
Signature: Chicken tikka, Lamb karahi, Garlic naan
Order: Chicken tikka from the tandoor, with garlic naan and dal.
Tip: Eat at the back of the room; the front benches give you a view of the tandoor cook at speed.
Saigon Sandwich in San Francisco is the Larkin Street banh mi window: six bucks for a roll, with a fast line out the door by noon every weekday.
Signature: Pork banh mi, Vietnamese iced coffee
Order: Pork banh mi number one with extra pate, and a Vietnamese iced coffee.
Tip: Cash only; order four at once and bring them home; the bread stays good for three hours wrapped.
Taqueria Cancun in San Francisco is the Mission taqueria on 16th and Mission, the baseline burrito mojado the city falls back on, open late every night.
Signature: Burrito mojado, Al pastor super burrito, Carne asada quesadilla
Order: The burrito mojado, smothered in three sauces (guacamole, sour cream, salsa roja) and a side of horchata.
Tip: Mission and 16th is the busiest of the three locations; the 24th Street branch at 3211 Mission has a shorter line at lunch.
Z & Y Bistro in San Francisco is the contemporary sister to Chinatown's Z & Y on the same Jackson Street block, with yakitori, Lanzhou ramen and Sichuan classics.
Signature: Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles, Yakitori skewers, Hot pot
Order: Lanzhou hand-pulled beef noodle soup and a plate of cold sesame noodles.
Tip: Closed Tuesdays; the bistro books up earlier than the main Z & Y on weekends.
Tacolicious in San Francisco is the Mexico City-inspired taqueria on Chestnut Street in the Marina, with a Mission-style sister on Valencia.
Signature: Al pastor-ish chicken tacos, Carnitas tacos, Marina Girl salad
Order: A trio of al pastor-ish chicken, shot-and-a-beer braised brisket, and the guajillo-braised chicken.
Tip: The bar pours a sharp tommy's margarita; sit there for walk-in tacos before the dining room fills.
Taqueria San Jose in San Francisco is a Mission taqueria serving Jalisco-style cabeza, lengua and al pastor on doubled corn tortillas since 1980.
Signature: Cabeza taco, Lengua burrito, Carnitas taco
Order: A trio of cabeza, lengua and al pastor on doubled corn tortillas, with a horchata.
Tip: Half a block from the 24th Street BART; the new 2839 Mission space sits across from the original storefront.
Taqueria El Buen Sabor in San Francisco is a family-run Valencia Street taqueria at Valencia and 18th, serving the Mission since 1995 at sub-twelve-dollar prices.
Signature: Carne asada super burrito, Al pastor tacos, Tortas
Order: The carne asada super burrito with everything and a cold horchata.
Tip: Open 11:00 to 21:30 daily; busiest at 13:00, quieter for an early dinner at 17:00.
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.