Best Spots for Lunch in San Francisco
San Francisco, a city known for its iconic Golden Gate Bridge, vibrant arts scene, and diverse culture, is also a food lover's paradise. The city's culinary landscape is as eclectic as its inhabitants, offering a wide range of dining options that cater to every palate and preference. Whether you're a local looking for a new place to grab a bite or a tourist wanting to experience the city's gastronomic delights, finding the best spots for lunch in San Francisco can be a delightful adventure. This article will guide you through some of the city's top lunch spots, from hidden gems to popular favorites, each offering a unique dining experience that will make your midday meal truly memorable.
Spruce
4.6
(1464)
Posh locale with rotating art serving seasonal, contemporary American fare & handcrafted cocktails.
Reviews:
Dining at Spruce in San Francisco was a true five-star experience. From the moment we stepped in, the elegant and warm ambiance set the stage for an exceptional evening. The service was impeccable, with a knowledgeable and attentive staff that made us feel like royalty. The Michelin-starred cuisine was nothing short of a masterpiece. Each dish was a burst of flavors and textures, showcasing the chef's creativity and dedication to quality ingredients. The ça jar experience was extensive and expertly curated, enhancing every course. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or seeking a memorable culinary adventure, Spruce is a top-tier choice that never disappoints.
Анжела Четина (Сексолог и психолог)
Beautiful setting for an evening out. Great service and the waitress took her time to give recommendations and describe the dishes. There were a few complimentary bites a long the way that were a pleasant and welcome surprise. Cocktails were balanced nicely and the food cooked to perfection with plenty of sauces!
Rachel Way
The restaurant has a nice mood and good service manner. Food is not unique, but cooking is perfect. Wine is so many but too expensive. Two courses are good for lunch. They celebrated my husband's BD. Thank you so much. I will have lunch soon.
narae kim
Great dining experience!!! Was there for a private event and the food was delicious, very well presented and great service. Perfect place for a special occasion, anniversary or when you feel for a fancy dinner.
Arlene
I chose this establishment for a breakfast birthday celebration, and it surpassed our expectations. The warm welcome, impeccable food quality, and thoughtful cake surprise elevated the experience. This venue excels in both hospitality and culinary artistry.
Ege Sekkin
3640 Sacramento St, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA
Chez maman west
4.5
(1611)
Cozy, informal eatery serving French bistro classics ranging from burgers & crêpes to mussels.
Reviews:
Food was superb. Service was exquisite. Atmosphere quaint and cute without being decadent or cheap. My mussels were outstanding but wife wasn’t too impressed with her duck. The French onion soup was sublime….but it could’ve had something to do with micro-dosing
Gnome Chomsky
Highly recommend organic salad + tuna, the tuna was one of the best I’ve had, fresh and tender. Interesting flavor to have bacon with mussels. The soup is very great for bread. The snails were okay but it might be a personal preference thing - it’s taste gears more towards grass and does not have the normal spice you’d expect for snails. Reasonably priced, in a lovely neighborhood.
Jane zhao
The food was outstanding! I’m a vegetarian and ordered the fettuccine creamy mushroom, veggie panini and 3rd salad on the list. Everything was outstanding - specially the pasta for my cousin and panini and me! Thanks to my cousin, we ordered desert and it was mind blowing. I don’t have a sweet tooth and definitely not a fan of cinnamon but we got something to do with cinnamon (2nd on list). Highly recommend. Our total came up to $80 including tip. Great service!
geetika rajani
I walk frequently by this place and it is always busy, so I had yet to try it. Last Friday around 2pm I was showing the city to my parents and saw that the place had some clients but no waiting line. We took a look at the menu on the door and were quickly welcomed by the servers which invited us to stay. Since we had my dog with us we sat in the terrace over Gough street. The service was the best, prompt, attentive and very amicable. The food was delicious: we had the onion soup, grilled New York steak with fries and roasted chicken. We were happily full and satisfied but couldn’t resist desserts: crème brûlée and a scoop of rum and raisins ice cream. Both were delicious but bonus points to the crème brûlée. I would definitely look into going back, even if there’s a line! Ps.- Willy, our server was super kind. He even brought a bowl of water for my dog and made sure my parents had a very nice experience. Thanks Willy!
Monica Quiroz
Wow the escargots are the biggest ones I had so far. Highly recommend it. Delicious! Grilled salmon is cooked too much even I asked for medium rare. Not sure if it was because the server misunderstood my words or it is always overcooked. Service is super. They have only one restroom so you will have to wait if someone has occupied it.
John Z
401 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
Souvla
4.5
(1961)
Hip haunt featuring roasted meat sandwiches & salads, plus Greek yogurt, beer & wine.
Reviews:
So so Greek food; egg-lemon soup was OK. Spit roasted meats aren't always fresh; the pork & lamb we got tasted fresh off the fridge & thrown on the grill. Chicken is the safe choice, plus the plant based lamb was good the last time we were here.
Jonathon J
laid back Greek place with a neat vibe - that's unique (for sf). food - a little bland but I like it. still pretty authentic without charging you through the nose. the menu is simple, wraps and salads so don't bring your complicated friend here unless you're trying to teach them a lesson. I wouldn't show it off to a Greek friend but I might be back (that's a high bar)
Arthur Book
As a Greek, I don’t approve - orange and boiled chicken in a pita? My mom would sue if she tried this lol Also, $17 for a pita wrap? Are we serious! The fries were good, though!
Naya Tsoroni
Delicious Greek food on Diversadero in San Francisco. They make AMAZING roasted chicken, which you can see them cooking on a rotisserie inside. We had chicken, the juicy (lemon & herb) roasted potatoes, and a salad - it was so good we gobbled it up & forgot to take pictures! 😂 For dessert, we had frozen, soft serve Greek yogurt with baclava and honey… mmmmmmmm. It was so good. The interior seating area isn’t huge but there is additional outside seating in the back patio. You can pick up to-go orders at an outside window, which is handy. We enjoyed eating here & I’d definitely recommend it! 👍👍
C McKenna
My favorite lunch spot for meetings or catching up with friends! I always get the chicken salad with dressings on the side. There’s usually a line but it goes quickly. The olive oil frozen yogurt is really delicious too! Love the slightly savory taste contrasting the sweetness.
Chimi Chew
517 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
Zazie
4.6
(3035)
Petite French bistro & popular brunch spot featuring wine, cocktails & patio seating.
Reviews:
We went to Zazie for weekend brunch and there was a 40-60 min wait time. Service was good just a little slow.French toast was perfect as it was not too sweet. Mushroom eggs Benedict was flavorsome. The Mediterranean veggie platter was decent nothing special about it. Overall food and drinks were pretty good and impeccable service. We had a good time and loved that Zazie pays their employees a living wage, benefits and tips are not accepted.
Sweta Basundhara
Very delicious food. And nice stuff. Only the waiting time is a bit too long. Can take over an hour on a sunny day. But it is worth it. And great that tips are already included in the price. +REP
Liliia Tuttle
Wonderful time visiting Zazie, a French Bistro, amazing food and wine. We had the lamb shank and double pork chop, great portion sizes to fill the belly while we enjoyed excellent wine, followed by fantastic dessert. We had our pup with us, so pet friendly was a must, dined outside with a heater above that made it a cozy dinner on a cool Pacific Coast evening.
Larry Brown
Great place with amazing food! The waiting time was a bit long but it worths waiting. Perfect spot for brunch! I like their no tip service and benefits for employees.
Arina Chistaeva
We got lucky finding this place as there are so many wonderful breakfast spots in San Francisco! We sat in the sweet back patio and had mango mimosas and their crab benedict. Highly recommend!
Angel Fish
941 Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA
Rich table
4.7
(1260)
Californian fare from local ingredients, served in a salvaged-barn-wood space with an open kitchen.
Reviews:
We had a great meal here. We had to make a reservation a few weeks in advance, but it was worth the wait. All the appetizers were top-notch. I also really love the pasta that we got. If I went again, I think I would stay away from the mains and just get every single appetizer on the menu lol. Not that our fish was bad, it just wasn’t as unique as other dishes.
Jamie Li
Everything was delicious!! I’m still thinking about the porcini donuts 🤤 I recommend sharing dishes so you can get a wide variety of dishes to try! The sardine chips were so tasty and the peach pasta was a flavour combo we hadn’t had before, very good! Will definitely be recommending for a fancier night out. Only qualm was our cocktail order took quite a while and didn’t arrive until after our appetizers. Tasted great! just would have been great if the drinks arrived together.
Emilie Sark
Me and my husband had a wonderful dinner at Rich table. The service was very friendly and attentive. We were greeted by the host and he seated us right away on time for our reservation. All of the staff came over multiple times during our dinner to refill our waters or ask if we wanted another cocktail. Our waitress also went over the menu with us in depth and gave us some of her recommendations. I recommend getting a few dishes to share. We started with their porcini donuts, which taste like a savory beignet and we really enjoyed. We also tried the bluefin tuna Toro toast which was delicious, but we don’t think for $20 It was worth the price given they don’t give you a lot of tuna. We also got their take on an eggplant Parm and the aged beef dumplings, which were great. For a pasta dish we tried the lemon ricotta pasta with vodka sauce and thought it was really fresh and the sauce was great. For our main entrée we had the 21 day aged ribeye and their take on a twice baked potato. The steak was cooked perfectly, we would highly recommend trying. Come hungry! We would definitely come back to Rich Table.
Leighann Krasney
Our culinary highlight of San Francisco trip. Great service and food. Eggplant and ribeye were my favorites of the meal. Would go back in a heartbeat👌🏻💯😋
Konstantin de Wit
The fact that we got a reservation for 5 people was incredible for a Saturday night. The food was incredible, prepared to perfection and our server was so nice and attentive, answered our questions and even asked the chef about vegan food options for someone in our party. We mostly ordered a bunch of dishes and ate it cafeteria style. My favorite by far was the aged beef with the enchilada on top. I had no idea it would be as flavorful and delicate as it was. The cod was also a close second favorite. Who would’ve thought that peas would taste so amazing. It didn’t even taste fishy. I loved the experience so much
Kristin Green
199 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
Kantine
4.6
(699)
Breakfast & lunch eats from various Scandinavian countries including baked goods & brunch boards.
Reviews:
Great vibes. Lots of seating indoors and outdoors. I was served food and drinks despite coming in 10 minutes before closing on a Sunday and allowed to stay later to finish my meal peacefully while the staff cleaned up around me. Definitely want to become a regular around here. The pastries are quite unique (not quite as good as Asian pastries tbh but still quite nice). Menu looks really appetizing so I want to check all those out too. Thanks!
Joshua Yuan
I definitely recommend stopping in here for brunch! It's a pretty unique experience since SF has relatively few Scandinavian restaurants relative to other cuisines. I like to get one or two fresh pastries plus the brunch Board and share with one or two other people so we all get to try a lot of things. There's usually quite a line, but most good brunch in San Francisco requires standing in line :) It is a very causal vibe, and open seating, so you might share a communal table in order to be seated more quickly.
Jesenia DeTullio
Got the salad it was delicious, beets, seeds, dressing was all excellent. Egg sandwich with their bread was great. Cardamom roll pastry was ok, too much Cardamom and the pastry was slightly on the soggy side. Atmosphere is a little unkept but not so bad.
Nari Shehata
Quick service and delicious food. I was really pleasantly surprised by my kale and barley salad. The dressing was so good! Some of the sandwiches are kind of small though for the price. You order first and then seat yourself, so it can sometimes take a while on a crowded morning but it’s kind of random, sometimes there’s plenty of seating. Good indoor/outdoor options. They got rid of their boards which is definitely a huge devastation per my sister lol. But still not a deterrent from going there!
Sonia Sarangdhar LeDuc
The trout bowl is so delicious. All ingredients are very fresh and it feels like a unique experience to eat here. It was very full on the weekend, but on the weekdays it’s very quiet.
ari salomon
1906 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
A mano
4.4
(1894)
Buzzy neighborhood spot offering housemade pasta, pizza & Italian wine in spacious environs.
Reviews:
What a surprising place! Delighted that location and the patio and the food impressed ! The perfect blend of flavours in the pizza that were not over powering but also not boring either. The food was very well prepared, served hot and service was exceptional. We over heard one of the guests raving about the heirloom tomatoes in their salad and another table was also very complimentary of their meal. Over all exceptional and pleasant, patio was very nice balance of street activity and privacy.
Tim
OVERALL: 5/5 Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 Perfect late night place after a show at the neighbouring theatres. We found this as it was one on the few places open after we got out of the Opera House. Excellent Pizza and Pasta !!! We have - Mushroom Pizza - excellent flavors with the best crust. It did not get floppy or soggy. - Spaghetti with Early Girl Tomatoes - Simple flavors done well with the freshest produce. 9-29-2023 - Dinner - Table for 2
Amina Ahsan Haque
Absolutely fantastic. Came at a very weird hour between lunch and dinner and the menu is smaller (about three pasta selections), but so much care was devoted to the dish. A lot of parm which I loveeee. Umami with citrus was so innovative and fun. Also perfect temperature - weird to note but you know when you get pasta that’s just toooo hot? No, they’ve mastered it. I just have to keep raving about subtle citrus taste with this braised lamb rigatoni dish and it was so unique and spectacular! Perfect sauce to pasta ratio. Adorable setting and space in SF too, in a really sweet area and the outdoor seating is really fun, one long train station-esque bench with cute yellow mini square tables. There’s paid parking on neighboring streets so it isn’t too hard on that front, which was nice. Such a gem!!
Sophie Rasura
Wow I was so surprised since I thought that this place might have been overhyped but I was wrong! Good: - Awesome focaccia bread, I think it was some of the crispiest focaccia bread I’ve had 5/5 - I loved the bucatini pasta here and the flavor of the sauce 5/5 - The short rib pasta was great too 4/5 - Funghi pizza was 3/5 in my opinion since it wasn’t as flavorful and a bit oily - Nice ambiance - good catch-up vibes Bad: - Wait times were CRAZY long I felt like it was 30 min or 45 min till we got all our food Overall, loved the food and vibe here and would come back.
Jenny Xu
Very good Italian food. Somewhat on the light side which is nice. There are no reservations, so the wait for a table does get bad. They service is friendly but at times, hard to get additional drinks or other items.
Houdini
450 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA