Where do you go for breakfast in SF?

[Stu-i-moto]

OK - eGulletteers,

I am always in search of good breakfast or brunch places in San Francisco. I have to say that, after living in this great culinary capital for 5+ years, I am consistently underwhelmed by the quality of offerings in the breakfast category. I would roughly group breakfast spots into the following buckets:

- Greasy spoons/ diner types: this description is pretty self-explanatory. What you see is what you get - simple dishes, simple prices, simple service. The basics. Some are greasier than others. Some actually cook and season their home fries; others give you something that could best be described as potato salad before it becomes the salad. There are some I like, but I am always looking for new suggestions;

- Mega-breakfast/Insulin shockers: these places go for the "more is better" approach. Muffins that could feed 100 starving children, stacks & stacks o' pancakes and waffles with copious amounts of whipped cream, butter, etc. Generally mountains of food. Never bring a European friend to a place like this - along with our presidential situation, it only gives them another reason to hate us, unless you learn how to say "I didn't vote for him" in French. I tend to stay away from these places, but maybe there are some that like them, so I'd like to hear favorites as well;

- Semi-refined/yuppie-type places: You've seen these places as well - people line up around the block for scrambled eggs with some smoked salmon and capers tossed in, and chicken apple sausage. Sort of an in-between place between the greasy spoons and the mega-breakfast. Which are your favorites here?

- Brunch-oriented: Self-explanatory as well. Focused on brunch; higher-end and lower-end. Places you take mom on mother's day and stuff like that. Do you like these and where do you go if you do?

- Gourmet breakfast: These are bakeries and/or restaurants that serve breakfast where the focus is on putting out a good product, at a decent price, where the portions are enough to make you full enough to get to lunch vs. full enough to get you to dinner. They know how to do the simple things well, like: scramble eggs, cook potatoes, make a plate of breakfast food look very nice, find fresh fruit, pour a good cup of coffee, juice oranges, etc. I really cherish these kind of places, but have not found many of them at all. I'd really like to hear your thoughts about these spots.

So, let's hear from the group on what your favorites are (if any) in these categories, or if you have other categories to add to the list. And, please bear with my tongue-in-cheek descriptions - they are not meant to offend.

To recap, we have:

Greasy spoons/ diner types

Mega-breakfast/Insulin shockers

Semi-refined/yuppie-type places

Brunch-oriented

Gourmet breakfast

[annachan]

Here are some of my picks:

Greasy spoons/diner types

Lucky Penny (Masonic @ Geary) - no thrills, 24/7 diner. Large portions @ great prices.

Manor Coffee Shop (West Portal x 14th Ave) - a very old fashion diner. The waitresses still don pink uniforms.

Mega-breakfast/Insulin shockers

Hard Knox Cafe (3rd St x 22nd St) - delicious southern food. I would suggest calling before going over to check the hours (415) 648-3770. Since the first time I went a few years ago to now, hours have been changing.

Semi-refined/yuppie-type places

Miss Millies (24th St @ Castro) - always love those fresh churros. Many items on the brunch menu tend to be new twists on old classics, such as gingerbread pear waffles and lemon ricotta pancakes. You'll definitely spot a crowd waiting for tables outside on weekends.

Gourmet breakfast

Chouchou (400 Dewey @ Laguna Honda) - my all time favorite! We're there for brunch about every other week (and dinners in between!). A casual French bistro serving up delicious food at decent prices. Most items on the menu are below $10. I've had most of the items on the menu (changes from time to time) and have not been disappionted. Don't forget to get a cappuchino and a piece of their divine tart.

Cheap Eats

Denny's Cafe (not the chain!) (Geary x 19th Ave) - daily breakfast specials from 8-11am. For each day of the week, there are 3 specials @ $2.35 that includes coffee or tea! There are usually 1 or 2 Chinese type breakfast and the rest American type, ranging from BBQ pork noodle to French toast to porridge to sausage and eggs. Other than the specials, they also have a full breakfast menu @ excellent prices. Steak and eggs is about $6.

[eje]

Don't get out to brunch very often.

I do like Mabel's Just For You on 22nd near Third.

Falls somewhere between Diner and Semi-Refined.

I believe pretty much everything is from scratch and they do seem to have some talented line cooks, as the eggs are usually pefectly cooked. Great Pancakes!

[Stu-i-moto]

Semi-refined/yuppie-type places

Miss Millies (24th St @ Castro) - always love those fresh churros. Many items on the brunch menu tend to be new twists on old classics, such as gingerbread pear waffles and lemon ricotta pancakes. You'll definitely spot a crowd waiting for tables outside on weekends.

FYI-

Unfortunately, Miss Millie's is closing; due to the cost of doing business in San Francisco, they have decided to move their place to Rockridge (Oakland).

Stu

Edited January 17, 2006 by Stu-i-moto (log)

[annachan]

Semi-refined/yuppie-type places

Miss Millies (24th St @ Castro) - always love those fresh churros. Many items on the brunch menu tend to be new twists on old classics, such as gingerbread pear waffles and lemon ricotta pancakes. You'll definitely spot a crowd waiting for tables outside on weekends.

FYI-

Unfortunately, Miss Millie's is closing; due to the cost of doing business in San Francisco, they have decided to move their place to Rockridge (Oakland).

Stu

←

Thanks for the heads-up. It will be missed by SF.

[philadining]

I'm not a local, but travel to the city frequently for business, and always look forward to breakfast at Home Plate: 2274 Lombard St. (at Pierce). (415) 922-4663.

It's kind-of a combination of all of your categories, it's fairly down and dirty, but with creative food, good ingredients, big portions, and it's not crazy expensive.

Tom Sietsema's review in The Chronicle is over a decade old, but it still seems accurate. They have interesting, creative stuff, but I have a hard time straying from the basic pancakes with fresh fruit. Luckily, we usually go every morning that we're in town, so I can work my way around the menu...

It's crowded on weekends, but not bad during the week, or off-times.

[eje]

A few more somewhere between diner and yuppie:

Kate's Kitchen on Haight near Fillmore is quite good. I have fond memories of their french toast.

Boogaloo's at 22nd and Valencia isn't bad. If I hadn't chosen the Huevos Rancheros, that one time... Why is it, when you are really hung over, you always choose the food the least likely to make you feel better?

We've almost gone to Ella's in the Presidio a few times now. If they served waffles on the weekends we probably would have gone for brunch on my birthday. One of these days we will get there.

[subliminalkid]

I second the recommendation for Kate's in the Lower Haight. Good corned beef hash, hush puppies in sweet butter, fresh fruit, very savory greens. (Yes, I've been a regular for many years.)

I can't be bothered to slot my favorites into the different categories, but here are some other suggestions.

Chloe's at 1399 Church at 25th (yuppie breakfast? heck, it's Noe Valley). Smooth scrambled eggs, nice fluffy pancakes, good sausage, some of my favorite French toast in town, fresh fruit. The line is impossible on weekends and holidays; I'd stick to weekdays.

The Metro at Divisadero at Page, strictly weekend breakfast/brunch. Good Hollandaise sauce, very nice French toast, Dauphin potatoes.

Home at Market and Church (upscale diner/yuppie brunch, see what a hard time I'm having with the categories...) Good quiche, excellent brisket hash with eggs.

Buzz 9 on 8th near Howard. Haven't been in ages, but back when I was a regular, they had excellent Hollandaise sauce.

Bill

[Catherine Nash]

Now that the Elite Cafe has reopened on Fillmore with Joanna Karlinksy at the helm (formerly of the Meetinghouse) I'd be willing to give it another shot at brunch. Used to be my favorite spot, mostly because of the beignets -- which have now been supplemented by cinnamon sugar donut holes and the Meetinghouse's rightly famous biscuits (with honey or sausage gravy).

[kiliki]

Can anyone recommend a breakfast place within walking distance of the Embaradero Center for a sunday morning? I see that MarketBar in the Ferry building serves sunday brunch-any opinions? We're having dim sum the day before so that's out.

[annachan]

In the past month, I've tried the following brunch places that are worth mentioning:

Mabel's Just for You: It has the standards like egg dishes, pancakes, burgers, etc. Those items aren't very special and you can get the same quality for those prices at a lot of places. What I would go back for are the fresh beignets and the huevo ranchero. Oh yeah, cash or check only!

Town's End: Frankly, the place is a little overpriced for moderate quality food. I ordered the Winter Frittata and it was more like a scramble. The strawberries that my husband ordered with the waffles was under-ripe and came with a high price. The best parts of the breakfast are the potato pancakes and the free basket of mini muffins and scones. I would be happy just having those two items for brunch.

Welcome Home: A no non-sense diner on Castro with all the standard flairs. It's a nice place for brunch if you're in the neighborhood.

[jpdchef]

http://www.themenupage.com/originaljoesmenu.html roadfood.good when I lived there 25 years ago. edited to adad years, and say dam*--I'm getting old! Edited February 20, 2006 by jpdchef (log)

[SG-]

Anyplace serving sunday brunch like this around the bay area?

Lacroix Sunday Brunch menu

[ohmyganache]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Dottie's True Blue Cafe on Jones and Geary!!! It's my favorite breakfast spot...

[Syre]

If you're in the neighborhood and want a Latin-American style breakfast, try

Los Jarritos

901 S. Van Ness at 20th Street

415-648-8383

They're large, comfortable, inexpensive and pretty good.

If your breakfast isn't quite as early, try Platanos on 18th and Guerrero for a more upscale version. The chilaquiles there are so fantastic...

[CheNiPenso]

I've long since lost my taste for the groaner breakfasts, but on the occasions when duty calls (*cough*hangover*cough), I have a few haunts (caveat: I live in Noe Valley):

Fattoush (Church btwn Clipper/26th)

They swap out their Levantine menu for more standard brunch fare on weekend mornings. On sunny days, they have a sweet little garden in the back. Very civilized.

Le Zinc (24th btwn Noe/Castro)

A place I like generally, but the brunch is quite nice indeed. Try the brik.

Red Grill (18th btwn Hartford/Castro)

Offers up a decent brunch menu and also has a nice little back garden area. They also have a charming mimosa kit -- a bottle of bubbly with three little pitchers of different juices hanging off the side of the bucket.

I'm neverendingly amazed that places like Boogaloo and Chloe's can sustain themselves on brunch alone, and that people line up for it. There are so many alternatives.

And funny story in the "don't take a European there" category: Our good friend Franca from Rome has been here a number of times and has fallen in love with American breakfast. Skinny as a whip, she can really put it away. On her last visit, late last year, she went to Sparky's nearly every day and would order two full dishes -- large stack of pancakes and a full egg dish. The waiters were very amused by her.

* Edited to add location data

Edited February 23, 2006 by CheNiPenso (log)

[Stu-i-moto]

I've long since lost my taste for the groaner breakfasts, but on the occasions when duty calls (*cough*hangover*cough), I have a few haunts (caveat: I live in Noe Valley):

Fattoush (Church btwn Clipper/26th)

They swap out their Levantine menu for more standard brunch fare on weekend mornings. On sunny days, they have a sweet little garden in the back. Very civilized.

Le Zinc (24th btwn Noe/Castro)

A place I like generally, but the brunch is quite nice indeed. Try the brik.

Red Grill (18th btwn Hartford/Castro)

Offers up a decent brunch menu and also has a nice little back garden area. They also have a charming mimosa kit -- a bottle of bubbly with three little pitchers of different juices hanging off the side of the bucket.

I'm neverendingly amazed that places like Boogaloo and Chloe's can sustain themselves on brunch alone, and that people line up for it. There are so many alternatives.

And funny story in the "don't take a European there" category: Our good friend Franca from Rome has been here a number of times and has fallen in love with American breakfast. Skinny as a whip, she can really put it away. On her last visit, late last year, she went to Sparky's nearly every day and would order two full dishes -- large stack of pancakes and a full egg dish. The waiters were very amused by her.

* Edited to add location data

←

Your comments made me laugh out loud -

I *love* Le Zinc for brunch. They used to serve breakfast every morning, and I would go there 3-4 times per week when I used to work from home (I also live in Noe). Alas, they couldn't get enough business (everyone else was stacking up at Chloe's for whatever reason), so they nixed the weekday service.

Haven't tried Fattoush or Red Grill, but since I feel we're on the same wavelength, I will -

[annachan]

If you're in the neighborhood and want a Latin-American style breakfast, try

Los Jarritos

901 S. Van Ness at 20th Street

415-648-8383

They're large, comfortable, inexpensive and pretty good.

I went to Los Jarritos a few times several years ago and really enjoyed the food. I have to get over there again sometime.

Over the long weekend, I discovered another great brunch place, Tangerine, at 16th and Sanchez. It serves up traditional items with a twist, such as coconut pancakes w/ ginger syrup, blue crab omelet and Thai chicken satay sandwich. WE ended up with the Hawaiian omelet and macaroni pancake. The omelet was filled with ham, fresh pineappe and cheese, and was the fluffiest omelet we've had. The macaroni pancake was topped an egg, sautee leek and oyster mushroom. It needed a little salt, but was very satisfying. The prices are also great since most items are under $10. We will definitely go back again.

[hankston]

during a visit, i ate at Venus for brunch and was really blown away by how well-done it was. perfect eggs and lemon ricotta pancakes that blew me away [how does something so ephemeral in the mouth even stay together on the fork? amazing.]

Venus, brunch, yum.

[Grub]

Where does The Cliff House fit into this? Just a tourist trap?

[Carolyn Tillie]

Where does The Cliff House fit into this? Just a tourist trap?

←

By all accounts, yes -- a tourist trap.

My BF's family visited during Thanksgiving and decided to go there against my suggestion. It was later confirmed that service was horrendous, a hollandaise was served with a crust and was too thick, potatoes were undercooked, etc... Glad we didn't join them!

Also, I had a friend visiting last weekend who reported a fabulous eggs benedict at The Monaco, where I've only gone for cocktails.

[Carlsbad]

We had a great brunch at Americano in the Hotel Vitale in July. The menu was very interesting and the execution was well done. It's quiet during the morning hours, but I wouldn't go anytime after 3:00 p.m., unless you are young and single.

I remember having quite a few good breakfasts at the Buena Vista, but that was a long time ago. Maybe it was the Irish Coffees that made it.

[alanamoana]

i actually like the "crepe house". they have three locations: polk, gough and post. i used to live almost across the street from the polk location.

very casual, but the food is tasty and reasonably priced.

[mixmaster b]

A few more...

Boulette's Larder at the Ferry Plaza (gourmet/yuppy)

Citizen Cake (also gourmet/yuppy, wonderful baked goods)

Elite Cafe (gourmet/gut buster)

Slow Club (gourmet/yuppy)

My other faves have already been mentioned: Dotties (really the BEST!), Boogaloos (because of that cabbage salad), and Just For You. These are all a bit more on the hipster-diner continuum.

[SG-]

Another recommendation around the financial district is Cafe Bastille.

Nice selection of classical french items, casual laid back atmosphere. Really enjoyed the boudin noir I had there. Also noticed that it seems popular with the french locals.

Caution.. some might be put off by the setting in the alley.