The Best Lunch Spots in San Francisco

The Greatest Raw Bar on EarthYes, you have to wait in line. Everyone waits in line at Swan Oyster. It is family run and they serve some of the best oysters, crab, scallops and raw fish you will ever have. Make sure to order a plate of Sicilian sashimi. Note: they have strange opening hours.

One of the best meals I had in San Francisco. Baked oysters​ and delicious fried chicken!Possibly one of the best meals I had in San Francisco. I’m still dreaming about those baked oysters​ and their delicious fried chicken! And don’t forget the sides: Mac & Cheese, grits and cream biscuits!

Seafood heavenAngler is run by Joshua Skeenes and the team behind Saison. A seafood-centric restaurant focused on live-fire cooking with a great wine list.I love to start with a bottle of Pliny, some local oysters while I'm checking in the menu.Do not miss the grilled Radicchio with Radicchio X.O sauce, wonderfully smokey flavour and super tasty. Prawns or tuna from the grill and to finish the meal a Soft Serve Sundae. That's a great way to start the CA-trip.

Focaccia di recco at Cotogna — bite for bite one of my favorite things to eat in San Francisco. It’s cmc™—crispy melty cheesy—all the hallmarks for a trend dish if you think about it (detroit style pizza? cmc. patty melts a couple years ago? cmc. quesabirria and smashburgs? cmcaf)It’s less what you’d think of as fluffy focaccia and more like a thin flatbread stuffed with salty stracchino cheese—kinda reminds me of a melty stretchy halloumi. You might recognize this dish if you’re from Liguria where it originated or more likely from chi spacca if you’re an angeleno. Fun fact: Nancy Silverton actually brought this dish to a popup at Cotogna a few years ago, and Michael Tusk kept it on the menu since (he tells me Nancy borrowed his ravioli du uovo so it was a fair trade).I love this dish so much — ate this outside their beautiful heated outdoor parklet underneath the olive trees a couple weeks ago. hadn’t been in years but was reminded why I need to get there sooner—pfg all around.

Simplicity, flavor and local produce focused. A San Francisco long time establishment that always deliveres. A place that works as a learning place for alot of chefs that’s new in the city. Don’t miss the Caesar salad - it’s to die for. A menu that is very produce and season focused. I’m not a sweet tooth at all, but this is a paradise even for me!

A San Francisco institution and beloved dim sum house.My absolute favorite for a truly San Francisco dim sum experience. Yank Sing is a family-owned business that has been around since 1958. Everything is made fresh, and they taste all their dumplings daily to make sure it's all up to their high standards. They make some of the best Kurobuta pork xiao long bao (soup dumplings). It’s the perfect place to go for lunch, ideally with at least four people so you can taste more dishes. Enjoy their turnip cake, seafood-basil dumplings, har gow, pan-fried chicken buns, and best-in-class dan tat (egg custard tart) over a bottle of bubs. Their tea selection is also excellent, so you can enjoy some quality tea with your dim sum. Yank Sing has two locations, but the one on Stevenson Street has an outdoor patio.

Deli board in SoMa is truly one of my favorite places in San Francisco. I always tell myself I’m only gonna eat half a sando — never happens.

Say hello to my new favorite soup dumpling in San Francisco at this two week old spot in Hayes Valley on Gough Street in the old Bai thong thai restaurant. Super silky thin skins, soupy and so droopy. Dumpling master mrs. Wong and her husband make all the dumpling and noodle dough by hand. She spent over 5 years learning the craft in Shanghai, and she’s doing interesting, unusual centers like numb and spicy pork, chicken(!), beef(?!), and shrimp with loofah. She does 18-22 pleats per xlb (dtf does 18). I love this place so much, can’t wait to come back!

Mexican like your mom makes you. Homey like the home you wish you had. Kindness like all restaurants should offer. And that mole verde!

This classic San Francisco at its best. This classic San Francisco at its best. Amazing ingredients, sophisticated food, yet in a casual and cozy ambience. Besides the quality of the food, there is something very unique about this place. The love for food and hospitality shines from everything you see, smell, taste and touch here: the large flower arrangements, linen blinds and chair covers, wooden counter and tables, and the tableware, kitchen utensils and pantry items organized neatly but unpretentiously on open shelves. And the food, for sure. The owners, Lori Regis and Chef Amaryll Schwertner are there every day. That reminds me of Italy where running a soulful restaurant is a lifestyle. Chef Amaryll’s food makes me feel happy, healthy and nourished. In the morning, I would have fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, freshly pressed citrus juice and maybe some toasted bread with butter. For lunch, a selection of mezze, maybe, or a fantastic pizza and some salad on the side. The last time I ate lunch in Boulettes Larder, I had a salad made of shredded roast chicken breast with some crushed walnuts, dates and chestnuts, cilantro leaves, extra virgin olive oil and little gem lettuce. Sounds too simple? It was wonderful. The sister restaurant Boulibar next door is just as lovely food wise, but for some reason, I always gravitate towards Boulettes Larder; the airy open space with all the beautiful ingredients displayed is too delicious to pass.

Big bowls of brothy birria. Really love this spot so much, been coming here for years. Long before the quesabirria craze, Juan Gallardo has been doing weekend-only big bowls of brothy birria at his restaurant Gallardo’s in the mission. Gallardo hails from Jalisco, Mexico, aka the birthplace of birria, and has had his restaurant for 25years (!)—the og location was on 14th and Folsom, not too far away from its current corner spot on Shotwell Steet.I like to get the birria seca (dry), in where the meat (gallardo uses lamb), is seared on the plancha until nice and crispy. It’s served on the side so you can make your own tacos with their fresh tortillas made in house - use the broth as a sipper or a dipper or both — the choice is yours and you won’t be judged.Really love this spot so much, been coming here for years. Everything is excellent—the rice, the beans, the chilaquiles. Just don’t ask for quesabirria—they don’t have it.

Luxurious California-Vietnamese food in the Inner Richmond.Chef Rob Lam is fulfilling a dream of cooking Vietnamese dishes from his upbringing, with a luxurious, ingredient- and technique-driven focus (he’s French-trained, so the pâté in his banh mi is next-level). Go with a posse so you can taste a number of dishes since the portions are quite generous. It’s open for weekend brunch and dinner. The busy dining room has an elegant yet approachable style, and there’s a bar where you can perch if you're dining by yourself (enjoy a bowl of sublime beef pho) or just want a casual bite. My favorite seasonal dish is the Bun Rieu with numerous types of crab and dry-farmed tomato. I also love the Cha Ca La Vong—it’s a turmeric-fried catfish with noodles and it's funky-fresh. For brunch, they're making some of the best banh mi in the city, plus a great Saigon breakfast plate and chao (porridge). Their wine list is by James Yu of Great China, so you’ll see some fantastic selections, and they also have a full bar.

Singular chef driven Regional Indian cookingThere’s nothing like Heena Patel’s food. Her menu of regional Indian dishes from regions like Surat and Jaipur will have you eating things in a unique and new way.