Mid-Range in San Francisco

Sightglass Coffee ★ 4.8

270 7th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

Sightglass Coffee in San Francisco is the Morris brothers' SoMa roastery, running a Probat UG-22 on the rooftop, with a tasting bar and a long single-origin.

Tip: Saturday cuppings at 11:00 are open to the public.

Cellarmaker House of Pizza ★ 4.8

Bernal Heights · 3193 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

Cellarmaker House of Pizza on Mission Street pours the SF craft brewery's tap list alongside Detroit-style pies with caramelized cheese crust.

El Farolito ★ 4.8

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 city eats at 01:00 every weekend.

Tip: The 23:00-01:00 window has the fastest line of the night; arrive at 01:30 and the line stretches outside.

Rintaro ★ 4.8

82 14th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Rintaro in San Francisco is Sylvan Mishima Brackett's Mission izakaya, with handmade soba, a robatayaki grill, and a sake list that pulls from small.

Tip: Walk in for the bar room at 18:00; the kitchen runs the full menu but you do not need a reservation.

Zuni Cafe ★ 4.8

1658 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

Tip: Sit at the oyster bar for the first round; the roast chicken needs to be ordered immediately on arrival.

Marufuku Ramen ★ 4.7

1581 Webster St. Ste 235 San Francisco, CA 94115

Marufuku Ramen in San Francisco is the Japantown Hakata tonkotsu counter, with a 36-hour pork bone broth and a late-night line that turns inside thirty.

Tip: Digital waitlist before you head over; the late seating cuts the wait to twenty minutes.

Molinari Delicatessen ★ 4.7

373 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133

Molinari Delicatessen in San Francisco is the 1896 North Beach Italian counter, with house-cut salumi, focaccia sandwiches and a line every weekday at noon.

Tip: Order the Special: salami, mortadella, provolone, sun-dried tomato on house focaccia. Bring it to Washington Square.

Foreign Cinema ★ 4.7

2534 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

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.

Tip: Book the courtyard, not the indoor room; sunny Saturday at 11:30 is the brunch slot to land.

Tartine Manufactory ★ 4.6

the-mission · 595 Alabama St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Tartine Manufactory in San Francisco is Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt's larger Mission site, with bread, pastry, plates and a wine bar under one roof.

Tip: Skip the queue at the Guerrero Street original; the Manufactory has the same bakes plus a sit-down kitchen.

Saint Frank Coffee ★ 4.6

2340 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA 94109

Saint Frank Coffee in San Francisco is Kevin Bohlin's Russian Hill roaster, known for a direct-trade Central American programme and a precise classical.

Tip: Ask about the producer relationships; the staff travels to farm visits every year and remembers details.

Fort Point Beer Company ★ 4.6

742 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Fort Point Beer Company in San Francisco is the Presidio-born brewery with a Valencia Street beer hall, a strong KSA Kolsch and a sharp west-coast pilsner.

Tip: Order the KSA Kolsch on draught; the wood-fired pizza kitchen runs from 17:00 nightly.

San Tung ★ 4.6

1031 Irving Street, San Francisco, CA 94122

San Tung in San Francisco is the Inner Sunset Northern Chinese room famous for dry-fried chicken wings glazed in a sweet soy and garlic sauce; pure cult.

Tip: Dry-fried chicken wings are the order, hands-down; nothing else on the menu hits as hard.

Brenda's French Soul Food ★ 4.6

652 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

Tip: Arrive at 09:00 sharp or join the digital waitlist that opens at 08:30; lunch service takes the second wave.

Dragon Beaux ★ 4.5

richmond · 5700 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94121

Dragon Beaux in San Francisco is a 2015 Outer Richmond room from the Koi Palace family, with modern dim sum at lunch and Cantonese hot pot at dinner.

Tip: Dim sum is lunch-only; book ahead for weekend brunch or arrive before 11:30 for a walk-in seat.

Cotogna ★ 4.5

embarcadero · 490 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133

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.

Tip: Walk in at 17:30 for the bar seats; the dining room books two weeks ahead.

Outerlands ★ 4.5

outer-sunset · 4001 Judah Street, San Francisco, CA 94122

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.

Tip: Walk-in only for breakfast and lunch; the dinner room takes reservations for parties of 4 or more.

Brenda's French Soul Food ★ 4.5

lower-pac-heights · 652 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

Tip: No reservations; arrive at 09:00 sharp or join the digital waitlist that opens at 08:30.

Andytown Coffee Roasters ★ 4.5

3655 Lawton St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Andytown Coffee Roasters in San Francisco is Lauren Crabbe and Michael McCrory's Outer Sunset roastery, with the cult Snowy Plover drink and a small bakery.

Tip: The 43rd Avenue original is the best pour; the soda water for the Snowy Plover is house-carbonated.

Yuet Lee Seafood ★ 4.5

1300 Stockton Street, San Francisco, CA 94133

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.

Tip: Cash only after midnight; the kitchen window seats fill the fastest at 23:30.

Hang Ah Tea Room ★ 4.5

1 Pagoda Place, San Francisco, CA 94108

Hang Ah Tea Room in San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest dim sum house in the United States, opened 1920 on Pagoda Place, with a small fixed steamer menu.

Tip: No carts; order the fixed steamer menu and ask for the off-menu turnip cake when in season.

Outerlands ★ 4.5

4001 Judah Street, San Francisco, CA 94122

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.

Tip: Bring a beanie; the door queue is exposed to ocean fog and the wait runs 40 minutes on weekends.

Tony's Pizza Napoletana ★ 4.4

north-beach · 1570 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94133

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.

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.

Z & Y Restaurant ★ 4.4

chinatown · 655 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA 94133

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.

Tip: Ask for the dan dan noodles 'house style' to get the version the kitchen makes for itself; off the menu.

Magnolia Brewing ★ 4.4

1398 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117

Magnolia Brewing in San Francisco is the Haight-Ashbury brewpub since 1997, with a British-leaning ale lineup and the city's longest-running cask programme.

Tip: The Smokestack Lightning porter on cask is the order; ask at the bar about real-ale Thursdays.

Delarosa ★ 4.4

2175 Chestnut St, San Francisco, CA 94123

Delarosa in San Francisco is the Marina pizza-and-cocktail counter, open to 01:00 on weekends, with a Brussels sprouts pizza and a tight aperitivo bar list.

Tip: The 22:30 to midnight slot is the easiest walk-in window; the bar runs the full pizza menu after 23:00.

Plow ★ 4.4

1299 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94107

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.

Tip: Join the digital waitlist before you leave the house; the wait runs 60 to 90 minutes on weekends without it.

Burma Superstar ★ 4.3

richmond · 309 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118

Burma Superstar in San Francisco is the Clement Street Burmese room that taught the city to eat lahpet thoke; the tea leaf salad is the order.

Tip: No reservations; put your name in then walk down Clement to B Star for tea while you wait.

Souvla ★ 4.3

hayes-valley · 517 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

Tip: The 12:30 lunch line is faster than 13:00; order ahead via the app to skip it altogether.

Ritual Coffee Roasters ★ 4.3

1026 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

Ritual Coffee Roasters in San Francisco is one of the third-wave originals, with the bright Valencia Street flagship and a tight, recipe-driven single-origin.

Tip: The Ritual cortado is the regular order; the Hayes Valley kiosk has the fastest line on a weekend.

Bob's Donuts ★ 4.3

1720 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA 94109

Bob's Donuts in San Francisco is the 24-hour Polk Street doughnut counter since 1960, with an apple fritter, a monster doughnut challenge and a 04:00 crowd.

Tip: The buttermilk bar is the locals' order over the fritter; the back room takes overflow at 02:00.

Old Skool Cafe ★ 4.3

1429 Mendell Street, San Francisco, CA 94124

Old Skool Cafe in San Francisco is the Bayview supper club run by formerly incarcerated young chefs, with a strong soul-food menu and a music programme.

Tip: Open Thursday to Saturday only; book a week ahead and bring cash for the tip jar.

Tartine Manufactory ★ 4.3

595 Alabama St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Tartine Manufactory in San Francisco runs a Mission brunch from a Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt bakery floor, with hot egg dishes and the morning bun.

Tip: The Manufactory cafe holds tables longer than the Guerrero original; both serve the same bake.

Yuet Lee Seafood ★ 4.2

chinatown · 1300 Stockton Street, San Francisco, CA 94133

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.

Tip: Cash only after midnight; the kitchen window seats fill the fastest at 23:30.

Z & Y Bistro ★ 4.2

chinatown · 606 Jackson Street, San Francisco CA 94133

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.

Tip: Closed Tuesdays; the bistro books up earlier than the main Z & Y on weekends.

Linea Caffe ★ 4.2

3417 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Linea Caffe in San Francisco is Andrew Barnett's Mission and Fillmore espresso bar, with a Probat in Healdsburg, a short pull and a strict 5-second espresso.

Tip: Ask for the macchiato; the texture-and-volume ratio is the kitchen's signature pour.

Barebottle Brewing Company ★ 4.2

1525 Cortland Ave, SF, CA, 94110

Barebottle Brewing in San Francisco is the Bernal Heights craft brewery, with rotating sours, a long IPA list and a back patio for dog-friendly afternoons.

Tip: The Black Currant Sour is the dark-horse summer order; ask if a fresh keg is on draught.

Tommy's Mexican Restaurant ★ 4.2

5929 Geary Boulevard, San Francisco, CA 94121

Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco is the Outer Richmond tequila bar since 1965, with a 400-bottle list and the city's most-cited Margarita spec.

Tip: Order Tommy's Margarita (lime, blanco tequila, agave nectar); the family invented the spec.

Souvla brunch ★ 4.2

517 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Souvla in San Francisco runs a weekend brunch on its spit-roasted lamb and pork, served on house yogurt with pita, and a frozen Greek yogurt to close.

Tip: Order ahead on the app and pick up; sit at Patricia's Green in Hayes Valley for the patio.

Tacolicious ★ 4.1

marina-cow-hollow · 2250 Chestnut St., San Francisco, CA 94123

Tacolicious in San Francisco is the Mexico City-inspired taqueria on Chestnut Street in the Marina, with a Mission-style sister on Valencia.

Tip: The bar pours a sharp tommy's margarita; sit there for walk-in tacos before the dining room fills.

Sam Wo ★ 4.1

713 Clay Street, San Francisco, CA 94108

Sam Wo in San Francisco is the Chinatown late-night Cantonese counter since 1912, with rice jook (congee), roast pork chow mein and three narrow floors.

Tip: The third-floor kitchen seats are the fastest service after midnight; ask for a window stool.