40 cheap eats rooms in San Francisco, editor-picked. the best low-budget rooms in San Francisco: the places editors actually return to. All San Francisco food.
La Taqueria ★ 4.7
the-mission · 2889 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
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.
Tip: Cash and card accepted; the line moves fast even at 13:00 because each taquero builds with both hands.
Tartine Bakery ★ 4.7
600 Guerrero Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Tartine Bakery in San Francisco is Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt's Guerrero Street original, redrawing what a country loaf and a morning bun.
Tip: Country loaves come out at 16:30; queue from 16:00 to be sure of one.
b. Patisserie ★ 4.7
2821 California St. @ Divisadero St. San Francisco, CA 94115
b. Patisserie in San Francisco is Belinda Leong and Michel Suas's Pacific Heights cafe with the city's best kouign-amann and a Paris-trained pastry programme.
Tip: The kouign-amann is best within 90 minutes of the bake; ask the counter for the timing on the next tray.
Arsicault Bakery ★ 4.7
397 Arguello Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118
Arsicault Bakery in San Francisco is Armando Lacayo's Inner Richmond counter, named America's best croissant by Bon Appetit and still drawing a 09:30 queue.
Tip: Plain butter croissant, not the almond; the lamination tells the whole story.
Neighbor Bakehouse ★ 4.7
2343 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94107
Neighbor Bakehouse in San Francisco is Greg Mindel's Dogpatch counter, with the everything croissant and chocolate babka that started a small national.
Tip: Everything croissant sells out by 11:30 on weekends.
Tartine Bakery ★ 4.7
600 Guerrero Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Tartine Bakery in San Francisco is Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt's Guerrero Street original, with a queue that has not let up since 2002 and a morning.
Tip: Morning bun and croissant come out at different times; ask the counter when the next bake is due.
La Taqueria ★ 4.7
2889 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
La Taqueria in San Francisco is Miguel Jara's Mission counter and a James Beard America's Classic, with the modern Mission burrito and a doubled-corn taco.
Tip: Ask for the dorado-style burrito; the kitchen sears it on the plancha for a crisp edge.
La Taqueria ★ 4.7
2889 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
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.
Tip: Get the dorado-style burrito; the kitchen sears it on the plancha for a crisp edge that costs nothing extra.
Acme Bread Company ★ 4.6
1 Ferry Building, Suite 15, San Francisco, CA 94111
Acme Bread Company in San Francisco runs a Ferry Building counter for Steve Sullivan's 1983 Berkeley bakery, with a pain au levain that defined Bay Area.
Tip: Get there before noon on Saturday; the levain sells out by 13:00 when the market is in full swing.
El Farolito ★ 4.5
the-mission · 2779 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
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.
Tip: Open until 02:30 on Friday and Saturday; the 23:00-01:00 window has the fastest line of the night.
Jane the Bakery ★ 4.5
1881 Geary Boulevard, San Francisco, CA 94115
Jane the Bakery in San Francisco is Amanda Michael's Lower Pac Heights flagship, with a stone-mill grain programme and the city's best whole-grain country.
Tip: The cardamom morning bun is the dark-horse order; ask if they have any left after 11:00.
Devil's Teeth Baking Company ★ 4.5
3876 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122
Devil's Teeth Baking Company in San Francisco is the Outer Sunset bakery and breakfast counter, with a buttermilk biscuit egg sandwich and the city's best.
Tip: Beignets are fried to order on weekends; ask for them with the powdered sugar on the side.
Josey Baker Bread ★ 4.5
736 Divisadero, SF CA 94117
Josey Baker Bread in San Francisco is the back-of-house bakery at The Mill on Divisadero, with stone-milled whole-grain loaves and the seedy Adventure Bread.
Tip: The toast counter at The Mill uses these loaves; eat in once before you take a loaf home.
Sightglass Coffee ★ 4.5
270 7th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Sightglass Coffee in San Francisco is the Morris brothers' SoMa roastery cafe, with a mezzanine over the rooftop roaster and the Owl's Howl espresso on tap.
Tip: The 7th Street flagship is the best room; the Mission and Ferry Building outposts are quicker but smaller.
Saint Frank Coffee ★ 4.5
2340 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
Saint Frank in San Francisco is the Russian Hill cafe and roastery known for direct-trade Latin American lots and a quietly precise cortado.
Tip: The pour-over flight rotates weekly; ask for the lightest lot if you want to taste origin clearly.
Andytown Coffee Roasters ★ 4.5
3655 Lawton St, San Francisco, CA 94122
Andytown in San Francisco is the Outer Sunset roastery cafe known for the Snowy Plover, a fizzy espresso-over-soda drink that became a city signature.
Tip: The original 43rd Avenue location is the best pour; weekends are quieter at the 18th Avenue outpost.
Linea Caffe ★ 4.5
3417 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Linea Caffe in San Francisco is Andrew Barnett's two-counter Mission espresso bar, with a 5-second pull style that won out before the third wave settled.
Tip: Stand-up service only at the 18th Street counter; ask for the macchiato instead of a cortado.
El Farolito ★ 4.5
2779 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
El Farolito in San Francisco is the Mission's all-night taqueria on 24th and Mission, with the super burrito al pastor the late shift orders and a horchata.
Tip: Open to 02:30 on weekends; the 23:00-01:00 window is the city's best post-bar order.
The Sentinel ★ 4.5
37 New Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
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.
Tip: Order ahead via the website by 11:00; the window is a six-deep line from 12:15-13:30.
The Sentinel ★ 4.5
37 New Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
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.
Tip: Order ahead via the website by 11:00; the window is a six-deep line from 12:15-13:30.
La Cumbre Taqueria ★ 4.4
the-mission · 515 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
La Cumbre in San Francisco is the Valencia Street taqueria credited with the modern Mission burrito format, founded by the Duran family in 1972.
Tip: Pinto over black beans here; the kitchen renders pork fat into the pintos and they sing.
Good Mong Kok Bakery ★ 4.4
chinatown · 1039 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94108
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 07:00-18:00.
Tip: Cash only; bring a clear list of items because the line behind you moves at speed.
Saigon Sandwich ★ 4.4
lower-pac-heights · 560 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102
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.
Tip: Cash only; order four at once and bring them home; the bread stays good for three hours wrapped.
Ritual Coffee Roasters ★ 4.4
1026 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Ritual Coffee Roasters in San Francisco is one of the city's third-wave originals, with the Valencia Street flagship and a sharp single-origin filter.
Tip: The cortado is the regular order; the Hayes Valley kiosk has the fastest line on a weekend.
The Mill ★ 4.4
736 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA 94117
The Mill in San Francisco is the Josey Baker Bread and Four Barrel Coffee partnership on Divisadero, with $4 thick-slice toast and an open bread bakery.
Tip: Toast is the order regardless of what else is on the board; the rye-buckwheat is the move.
The Buena Vista Cafe ★ 4.4
2765 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA 94109
The Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco is the Hyde Street corner where Jack Koeppler perfected the American Irish coffee in 1952, pouring 2,000 of them a day.
Tip: Sit at the long bar to watch the line of pre-warmed glasses come down; the back tables miss the show.
Good Mong Kok Bakery ★ 4.4
1039 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94108
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.
Tip: Cash only; bring a clear list of items because the line behind you moves at speed.
Saigon Sandwich ★ 4.4
560 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102
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.
Marufuku Ramen ★ 4.4
1581 Webster St. Ste 235 San Francisco, CA 94115
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.
Tip: Get the digital waitlist before you head over; it cuts forty minutes off the wait.
Shalimar ★ 4.3
lower-pac-heights · 532 Jones Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
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.
Tip: Eat at the back of the room; the front benches give you a view of the tandoor cook at speed.
Taqueria Cancun ★ 4.3
the-mission · 2288 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
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.
Tip: Mission and 16th is the busiest of the three locations; the 24th Street branch at 3211 Mission has a shorter line at lunch.
Caffe Trieste ★ 4.3
601 Vallejo Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
Caffe Trieste in San Francisco is the North Beach Italian cafe that has poured cappuccino at Vallejo and Grant since 1956, with Saturday opera on the back.
Tip: Saturday at 13:00 for the opera and accordion set; arrive at 12:30 for a seat in the back room.
Off the Grid, Fort Mason ★ 4.3
Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Boulevard, San Francisco, CA 94123
Off the Grid Friday Night at Fort Mason in San Francisco is the city's largest food-truck gathering, with 30-plus operators and a bay-view picnic lawn.
Tip: Arrive at 17:00 sharp for the shortest lines; bring cash for the trucks that still take cards slowly.
El Toro Taqueria ★ 4.3
598 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
El Toro Taqueria in San Francisco is the Valencia and 17th corner counter, a 1995-opened Mission taqueria with a strong al pastor and a quick burrito line.
Tip: The taco al pastor with onion and coriander is the simplest, fastest order under five dollars.
Shalimar ★ 4.3
532 Jones Street, 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.
Tip: Eat at the back tables; the front counter has the tandoor view but no chairs.
Souvla ★ 4.3
517 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
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.
Tip: Order ahead via the app and skip the 12:30 line; the frozen yogurt is the closer.
El Toro Taqueria ★ 4.3
598 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
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.
Tip: Taco al pastor with onion and coriander is the simplest, fastest order under five dollars.
Taqueria San Jose ★ 4.2
the-mission · 2839 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Taqueria San Jose in San Francisco is a Mission taqueria serving Jalisco-style cabeza, lengua and al pastor on doubled corn tortillas since 1980.
Tip: Half a block from the 24th Street BART; the new 2839 Mission space sits across from the original storefront.
Boudin Bakery ★ 4.2
160 Jefferson Street, Lower Level, San Francisco, CA 94133
Boudin Bakery in San Francisco is Isidore Boudin's 1849 Gold Rush bakery at Fisherman's Wharf, still running a starter through six generations of bakers.
Tip: The bakery's behind-glass museum at the Wharf is free; the clam chowder bowl is the canonical order.
Cafe Zoetrope ★ 4.2
916 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA 94133
Cafe Zoetrope in San Francisco is Francis Ford Coppola's flatiron corner cafe in the Sentinel Building, with a small Italian kitchen and house wine on tap.
Tip: The sidewalk tables on Kearny are the seat to want; the cappuccino is the right midday order.