Brunch
| Plow 🥞 | I like to call this classy diner food. The biscuit looks pretty average, but oh man. The insides are soft, fluffy, and buttery, and the crust is surprisingly crispy. It's perfect topped off with the honey butter.The crispy potatoes are also great-- so crunchy on the outside, but still soft inside. Other favorites include the steak and eggs, lemon ricotta pancakes, and the simple condensed milk toast.The wait is pretty long after 10am every day (even weekdays). |
| Nopa 🍞 | The french toast here is in my top 3 list of foods that have changed my life. It looks fairly unassuming, but it is secretly dense and rich. The bread is just a vessel for the custard, and each bite just melts in your mouth. Just get one slice to share, in addition to one entree per person. IMO, the brunch is much better than their dinner. |
Ice Cream
| Mr. & Mrs. 🍨 | This is my favorite ice cream in SF. It's SO creamy. The flavors are creative and subtle in a pleasant way. Unfortunately, they're always closed unpredictably, and they don't answer the phone when you call. Good luck. |
| Garden Creamery | Very very custardy ice cream. It almost stretches when you lift a spoonful of ice cream. They have fun Asian flavors like pandan, ube, and hojicha. |
| Foodhall 🍦 | dope frozen yogurt. They make the yogurt in house and it's lightly sweet, and just barely tart. Don't bother adding any toppings, it's really great on its own. |
| Powder | This is the only decent snow cream place in SF. The cereal milk, Vietnamese coffee, and black sesame are my favorite flavors there. Get it with just condensed milk on top. |
Snacks
| Super Cue | Great tea and boba. They use an espresso machine to brew their tea, so it's always made fresh and the tea flavor is still prominent after adding milk. |
| Neighbor Bakehouse 🥐 | I don't fuck with Tartine anymore. Neighbor's ginger pull apart bread and almond bostock are my go to pastries now. All their laminated dough is so fluffy and soft! The "doughp" bun is also good. |
| Golden Gate Bakery | Softest and custardiest egg tart I've had in the city. The crust is also so flaky! The line is always long though; expect to wait at least 30 minutes. Also, they're frequently closed on normal business days, so call ahead. |
Activities
| Window shopping 🛍️ | Don't bother going to Union Square. There are a ton of local shops in neighborhoods around the city.
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| Exploratorium After Dark | This museum is filled with hands-on exhibits. On Thursday nights, they open late for adults, so you can get drunk and play with science! | ||||||||
| Double Dutch | Did you just drink 2 margaritas at LAC? Go to Double Dutch!! This grody hip hop bar plays great music, and it is popping after 11pm. When you leave, get a bacon wrapped hot dog from the street cart outside. | ||||||||
| Gold Club | $5 all you can eat fried chicken. Do you need another reason? |
Restaurants
| Frances | Becca and I like to call this "elevated homestyle" food. Every dish is simple (bavette steak, califlower, etc), but just executed perfectly. They also offer a delicious "market shot" which is produce of the day, juiced, and spiked with something low ABV. Last but not least, the dessert is incredible. You should try every dessert, but I highly recommend their pavlova. The meringue is so soft and chewy, and the accompanying flavors, bright. Unfortunately, their most popular dessert, lumberjack cake, is boring and boring. |
| Nico | Looking for a creative, reasonably priced prix fixe? Look no further. Nico offers a full-service, 5 course menu (with snacks) for ~$80 per person. The food is creative but not insane, and filling. This is a good place for special occasions. |
| SO 🍗 | By far, the best chicken wings in the city. They're smothered with a sweet and spicy sauce, and each wing has been lightly fried to perfection. The chipotle fried rice is surprisingly good; all my friends love it, even those who complain about Westernized Chinese food. |
| House of Pancakes 🍜 | All-around good Chinese (leaning toward Hong Kong) food. The hand-pulled noodles are so thick and chewy, and the broth is perfectly seasoned. I also love the egg roll pancake, which is a flaky green onion pancake, rolled up with a scrambled egg and hoisin sauce. This low-key restaurant is mine and Arthur's go-to. |
| Foreign Cinema 🐔 | Though bougie and expensive AF, this is my favorite fried chicken. The meat is so juicy, and the coating is usually seasoned in a unique way (sesame seeds, curry powder, etc). The outdoor patio is also beautiful, with twinkly lights draped across. I prefer their dinner over their brunch. |
| Souvla | This is my favorite fast-casual spot for sandwiches. They make Greek-American wraps and smooth and creamy frozen Greek yogurt. I love their pork and lamb, and when I'm not feeling carb-y, I'll get a salad instead. |
Bars
| LAC | This is the place to go if you want to get turnt. Each margarita is 90% alcohol and huge. It only takes 1-2 margaritas before you forget your own name. |
| Li Po 🍹 | Two mai tais is all you need. There's also plenty of barstools and space, and they play early 2000s music. I love this place. |
| Loló | A friend took a sip of a cocktail here and said, "I finally understand cocktails now." I completely agree. They put weird stuff in there, like pepper, but it just works. It's a restaurant too, so it gets crowded around meal time. |
| Bar San Pancho | Do you hate crowds and people? Do you like french fries? Then Bar San Pancho is the place for you! There are always open tables, and the fries are on point. They also have frozen cocktails and I highly recommend the frozen AMF and margarita. |
