Go early for happy hour for the gamja fries and Korean tacos. Standouts also include KFC chicken wings, stonepot rice, okonomiyaki, and dumplings.
39 beers on tap, 17 HD TVs, and a three-level heated outdoor beer garden with flatscreens, for all your day-drinking / sportsball-watching needs.
In the former Abbott's Cellar space in the Mission, this is a brewhouse with Southern food.
More so putting here for the Tacos Cala, which is their lunch window located in the alley behind the restaurant. But, restaurant looks pretty remarkable, and Gabriela Cámara is huge in Mexico City.
Saw this place open up on my walks home and it is CRAZY packed. But, makes sense, given it's the first US expansion of Tokyo's cult favorite ramen shop.
Mega popular pop-up turned brick-and-mortar. Lunch apparently comes with a free side of tots 😮
BYOB. Beloved SF institution. Alternative take on Chinese fare.
Dutch pancakes & brunch! Perfect for either a cool, foggy morning, or a miraculously nice day where you can saunter over to Ocean Beach afterwards.
Won Best New Restaurant of 2015. Doing great and inventive things with vegetables and seafood, but you can still order meat as a side dish.
Love this spot. Laid back, order at the counter, stuff only comes in a sandwich or salad version, yet you feel like you're in a really nice, trendy restaurant.
Sister to State Bird Provisions. So good. Not much else to say other than that I have a gift card here.
Pretty much one of the most exciting restaurants out there. Must-do experience if you can somehow land a table.
Other favorite sushi place. Small, almost hole-in-the-wall establishment hidden off Market. Space is small, so be prepared to wait for a table (it's worth it).
Have never been to a steakhouse before? And this place sounds legendary and fun -- maybe save for when family is in town.
This sounds like the Rich Table (which we should also go to) of Russian Hill: a really lovely neighborhood place with plates to share and a great beer menu. Looks so warm and cozy from the outside.
Suuuuuper sleek and trendy, but this is a Hawaiian spot that's been getting a lot of hype lately and sounds amazing.
So I've never done dim sum before so...that should probably change. One of the pricier spots, but you pay for what you get. The xiao long bao and custard tarts are supposedly A++.
Have been a couple times so not dying to go back, but this is a really nice spot (with a delicious burger) right near Caltrain -- convenient for weeknight dinners with those coming up from South Bay.
One of my favorite weekend breakfast spots, but I typically come here to draw and read solo. That can change though, and I never come here as much as I'd like to :)
I mean, this place is a f*cking legend. Downstairs is prix fixe. Upstairs cafe is more chill with an a la carte menu that changes daily.
Exceptional for both brunch and dinner. It's a vegetarian spot, but I doubt you'd notice if I hadn't said anything. Plus, enormous windows that look out onto the Bay. Really nice date material.
Really want to go here! Out of the way, but this is a new Hawaiian brunch (and only brunch) place that recently opened up.
Mmmmmm more brunch. The chef / owner used to head up brunch at Outerlands. Apparently there's a buttermilk biscuit with honey butter which is essentially all I need to know to be sold on it.
Adding because it's so good and such a great spot for groups. I unabashedly love Belga. Plus, they also have brunch / a drink that's a mix of Sculpin habanero IPA and house bloody mary mix.
Laid back neighborhood wine and cheese place that looks pretty damn cool from the outside.
3 things to love about this place: the menus, the cocktails, and the french fries. Would prefer to sit down upstairs the next time I come here, the scene below can be judgmental / not all that chill.
In Rockridge's Market Hall, come here for the freshest catch of the day, fried up in a sandwich or with fish and chips, ceviche, and oysters on the half shell on Sundays.
Most exciting pizzas in Oakland, so two of my favorite things. Should really go on a warm summer night when they've got an outdoor movie playing on the back patio.
Must-go. Best on First Fridays in Oakland (especially before Hoodslam), but really any day / night of the week is acceptable. Bottomless sake.
Food court / incubator in Oakland. Get the oysters at The Cook and Her Farmer, the split-pea fritters at Miss Ollie's, the wild shrimp tacos at Cosecha, and the matcha affogato at B-Dama.
Montreal-style bagels that are totally worth the wait. Get the smoked trout salad too.
Mmmmm tried to go here on my birthday but then got drunk at 7pm with my mom and dad and called it a night. This is ramen Cali-style and I need need need to get here.
Where I got drunk on my birthday that prevented me from going to Ramen Shop. One of my fave spots to hang in East Bay: has a patio, shuffleboard, and reasonably priced / highly-alcoholic punch bowls.
For some reason the Valencia-outpost has a super low Yelp score compared to how much hype this place gets in Oakland. It's pan-Asian party food and the restaurant has the vibe to match.
A pre-game staple of any show at the Fox is Cafe Van Kleef's Greyhound. I can drink these all night. Plus, the space rules and always has live music playing.
Cornhole, ping pong, huge outdoor space, crazy nice beers. Food is less of a draw, but that doesn't really matter.
Obsessed with the concept (and it's a relatively simple one at that): sell outstanding craft beer you can't get anywhere else, support the homebrew community, constantly changing set of beers on tap.
Dig this spot. Good food. Good beer. Love the vision these guys have and am super happy / proud to have Black Sands up and running in the Lower Haight.
One of my favorite beer bars in the city. Strange vibe. If Tim Burton designed a bar, this would be it.
The other legendary beer bar in the Lower Haight (more so than Noc Noc), you grab a sausage from Rosamunde's next door and head in with it.
Meant to evoke an old school jazz lounge, this is a prime location to hit up before a show at the Jazz Center, Symphony, or Nourse Theater.
My other favorite beer bar! I always take friends in town here. Bit pricey, but it's close to the office and has good food.
Holds at least four outrageous shows a night ranging from standup to concerts to plays. Their bar and menu are surprisingly good and I can easily see this place becoming a staple for me.
Similar to PianoFight in the sense that it hosts live music and comedy events (some of them free). About 4 blocks from the office in North Beach with an equally good drink / food menu as PianoFight.
Ugh. Just so good. Could eat like 3 burgers here in one sitting. Have always wanted to just spend a couple hours here during the day playing cards and drinking beers.
Have heard a lot of great things about this place, and there's a good amount of interesting "history" within it: http://www.bonappetit.com/restaurants-travel/best-new-restaurants/article/tosca-cafe
Have always wanted to come here, have just never prioritized it. Upscale beer + food pairing spot.
Absolute favorite, hands-down, no contest, sports bar in the city. Have been so fortunate to watch so many championships be won here :) Great beer list, and Pittsburgh-style sandwiches.
Just went here the other night and loved it! Charming and authentic. Plus, they don't serve pizza, they serve pinsa, which is an easier-to-digest flatbread meaning you can eat MORE OF IT.
Specifically adding this for their Josey Baker pizza party (obviously has to do with pizza) on Mon / Fri nights. Runs from 6-9pm.
The fact that I haven't been here yet is disturbing and must change asap.
Super fun, party-like atmosphere. Peruvian spot with good cocktails. Their other outpost is more of a cevicheria, whereas this one is more shared plates.
There's a monthly beer-and-cheese pairing they do here that's pretty lovely if I do say so myself.
New ping pong social club that just opened up with two full bars for cocktails.
Spanish-influenced restaurant from the folks behind Absinthe and boxing room. There's a lounge area where they host live music :)
