1. Brown Sugar With Ginger Caramel Swirl Ice Cream Brings You Closer To God
Bi Rite Creamery3692 18th Street(415) 626-5600
Yelp: 4.5 stars - 6,955 reviews
I don’t care if you’re Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, atheist, or a complete nihilist. One bite of Bi Rite’s brown sugar ice cream with ginger caramel swirl will bring you closer to God, the Universe, your Higher Power, or whatever it is that you consider holy. And if you don’t consider anything holy, well, you haven’t tried this ice cream yet.
2. Salsiccia: Italian For Mind-Blowing, Mouth-Watering, Magic Time In Your Mouth
Pizzeria Delfina3611 18th Street(415) 437-6800
Yelp: 4 stars – 1790 reviews
The Salsiccia Pizza from Delfina Pizzeria is simple enough—homemade fennel sausage, tomato, bell peppers, onions, and mozzarella. Put one slice and your mouth and it will know it has tasted something truly magical.
3. Dinner So Good, We Named A Neighborhood After It
NOPA560 Divisadero St.(415) 864-8643
Yelp: 4 stars – 3,520 reviews
When I first moved to the city, I was living in the Nopa area and everyone insisted that the neighborhood was named after the restaurant, and not the other way around. I, of course, insisted that this was ridiculous—but then I went there for dinner and had the roasted brussel sprouts and Little Fish. I’m pretty sure I’m going to name my firstborn child Nopa.
4. The True Superstar Of The Bay Comes in a Bowl
Burma Superstar309 Clement St.Phone number(415) 387-2147
Yelp: 4 stars – 4,565 reviews
Forget about Tony Bennett, Jerry Garcia, or even Danny Tanner—the real superstar of the Bay is the Samusa soup (and tea leaf salad ain’t no slouch either) at Burma Superstar.
5. Beignets Better Than New Orleans
Frances3870 17th St.(415) 621-3870
Yelp: 4.5 stars – 965 reviews
I do realize that this is setting the bar pretty high. I mean, I’ve been to Café Du Monde in New Orleans. But really, those beignets are just fluffy balls of dough compared to the Applewood Smoked Beignets at Frances. OK, sure, they’re both just fluffy balls of dough—but the ones at Frances come with maple chive crème fraiche.
6. Chinese Food For The Hipster Soul
Mission Chinese Food2234 Mission St.(415) 863-2800Yelp: 3.5 stars – 1453 reviews
Mission Chinese (a.k.a. Lung Shan Restaurant) is about as hipster as you can get. It’s fine food, in a divey setting. it’s Asian meets Italian meets American. oh, and the servers all look like they just left a shoot for American Apparel, or something. But the oh-so-cool attitude is definitely worth braving for one bite of Grandma’s Dumplings or the Thrice Fried Bacon. (What’d I tell you... hipsters.)
7. Speaking Of Hipsters…
Four Barrel Coffee375 Valencia St.(415) 252-0800
Yelp: 4 stars – 1301 reviews
San Francisco does coffee
right—there’s Ritual, Blue Bottle, and of course, the king of java himself, Four Barrel. Of course you are free to have your own opinion about which one is the best—I mean, you’re free to be wrong. If you want a good cup of joe, and maybe an orange-chocolate kouign-amann that will forever make your life better, Four Barrel is the one you want.
8. Lers Ros Thai Is So Hot Right Now
Lers Ros Thai730 Larkin St.(415) 931-6917
Yelp: 4 stars – 1160 reviews
Seriously, this place can be a tad on the spicy side, so keep this in mind when ordering. Also, get here early on weekends as there can be a long wait. Which is something to keep in mind since it’s in the Tenderloin, so if you do end up needing to wait outside for a while, bring something to do. Or some pepper spray.
9. Our Chocolate Factories Are Better Than Your Chocolate Factories
Dandelion Chocolate640 Valencia St.(415) 349-0942
Yelp: 4.5 stars – 209 reviews
SF is well known as the home of Ghirardelli Chocolate and TCHO Chocolate, where many visitors and locals alike have spent countless hours touring and tasting inside the gigantic factories and shops near Fisherman’s Wharf. For something a bit more personal (and in my opinion, tasty), head to Dandelion Chocolate in the Mission. The hot chocolate here is the best I’ve ever had.
Ever.
10. Dannnngggg, Those are Some Sexy French Fries
Curry Up Now(415) 735-3667225 Bush St.
Yelp: 4 stars – 728 reviews
OK, the Sexy Fries at Curry Up Now aren’t exactly the sexiest thing to eat—they’re greasy, you’ll need at least five napkins throughout the course of your meal, and their spice may even make you break a sweat. But since when is eating about being sexy? Its about flavor explosions in your mouth travelling to the happy parts of your brain. And Curry Up Now has that on lock.
I say, bring a bib, maybe some extra napkins, and dig in. Anyone who judges the oil stains on your shirt later is just jealous they didn’t have Curry Up Now for lunch.
11. Pancakes That Make Your Grandma’s Look Like Play Dough Food
Dottie’s True Blue Café28 6th St.(415) 885-2767
Yelp: 4 stars – 2335 reviews
The blueberry cornmeal pancakes at Dottie’s are light, rich, and fluffy. They’re lathered in thick, real maple syrup and they’re just so, so…well… there aren’t really adequate words to describe the deliciousness that is these pancakes, but I think one Yelp user summed it up quite nicely: “Sweet baby Jesus, those were good.”
12. Carnitas Tacos So Good Your Abuela Would Approve
La Taqueria2889 Mission St.(415) 285-7117
Yelp: 4 stars - 1685 reviews
My friends from Texas may just vote me off the peninsula for this one, but San Francisco does Mexican food right. Well, at least in the Mission. If you’re hankering for some authentic tacos, head to La Taqueria in the Mission, order the carnitas tacos dorado style, a strawberry fresca, sit down, and enjoy. Repeat until desired satisfaction is achieved.
13. A Burger So Good A Cow Would Eat It—And Order Seconds
Super Duper Burgers2304 Market St.(415) 558-8123
Yelp: 4 stars – 751 reviews
The Super Burger with bacon, avocado, and egg is so delicious, I think the cow might even be willing to take one for the team. And speaking of cows, at Super Duper Burgers, all of the beef is 100 percent Niman Ranch all-natural and ground fresh daily; their shakes are made from organic Straus cream from Petaluma; and their pies and cookies are all baked in-house.
14. Crispy Zucchini Cakes Dipped In Thick Yogurt Dressing = Mouthgasm
Kokkari Estiatorio200 Jackson St.(415) 981-0983
Yelp: 4.5 stars – 2811 reviews
If you have read anything about Kokkari Estiatorio, you have undoubtedly read about the zucchini cakes already; so I won’t say more. Just look at the picture.
15. Iranian Food So Good It Makes Your City’s Look Non-Existent. Which It Probably Is
Lavash511 Irving St.(415) 664-5555
Yelp: 4 stars – 845 reviews
The beautiful thing about living in San Francisco—aside from the weather, the culture, some of the most friendly people in the world, and the surrounding ocean, forests, wine country, and hills, that is—is the sheer variety of food. We are lucky enough to have some of the best Chinese, authentic Mexican, good old fashioned Amurrican, and even some of the best, if not some of the only, Iranian food in the area. Next time you’re in the Inner Sunset, head to Lavash. Meat lovers, be sure to order the Koobideh beef; and vegetarians, go for the eggplant bademjan khoresh.
Feature Image Source: Alexa Andrzejewski
