The San Francisco Meal Deal

San Francisco is a restaurant town.  Full stop.

Even after the pandemic, according to the local newspaper the San Francisco Standard, this city has around 4000 restaurants within the city limits.  There are 39 Michelin stars awarded to 28 restaurants in San Francisco, so there is no shortage of fine dining options.

In my upcoming book, Service is the Business (about life behind a real concierge desk), I shared many experiences with guests who were overwhelmed by the restaurant options, when I was a hotel concierge.  It is not beyond the realm of reason to spend half an hour with a first-time visitor explaining the many eateries which serve Chinese cuisine, or Mexican, or Seafood, or Thai, or Ethiopian, or German, or Brazilian, or French, or Asian Fusion, or California Cuisine, or, or, or...  Until their eyes glaze over.

I had one guest from the Great Lakes region who, after spending a considerable amount of time listening to me explain his dining options, interrupted me and simply asked, "What if I just want to get a hot dog?" 

This stopped me in my tracks.

Had he said Japanese-Peruvian or Pan-South Asian fusion, I've got a recommendation for those.  But a hot dog?  I found it for him, but it made me think, the most expensive restaurants get all the attention, but what about the least expensive?  I believe this is a good opportunity to extol the virtues of the cheapest places to eat in town.

Just because the Formica is chipping off their lunch counter, and one of the stools is just a post missing a seat, doesn't mean some of the least attractive restaurants haven't welcomed some of the most well-known food experts.

Sam Burgers on Broadway in North Beach is the place to go to get stick-to-the-ribs burgers and fries once the bars close, as it is open late.  It's not just the go-to place for hipsters and barflies, but Anthony Bourdain?

According to an October 11th , 2023 article in the SF Standard,  "Sam’s tradition of all-hours neighborhood service and tasty classic grilled and fried cuisine has drawn praise over the decades, but perhaps most notably during the San Francisco-focused 10th episode of Anthony Bourdain’s two-season Travel Channel show “The Layover.” In it, Bourdain sampled a burger at Sam’s before saying, “That’s a good burger. Top three in the world!” A sign outside frames the quote for posterity."

Tu Lan's on Sixth Street, is in what outside observers would call a bad neighborhood, even Skid Row.  It serves hearty Vietnamese food at a very reasonable price.  But the area was not so bad for proto-celebrity chef,  Julia Child to seek it out.  Blazoned across the entrance to Tu Lan's is a picture and quote from the author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  If it's good enough for Julia Child, I think you may find some value there as well.

The Lafayette Coffee Shop on Larkin Street is in our Little Saigon neighborhood, on the edge of the Tenderloin.  Opened 1925, it has been an affordable staple in the neighborhood.  You can get an entrée at a reasonable price.  Or a full dinner with soup, salad, and dessert for not much more.  And they serve breakfast too!

Just Part Of The Lafayette Diner's Reasonable Menu in 2025.

Tommy's Joynt is one of those all-to-few pubs which serves a hearty meal at a reasonable price.  Have you ever had Buffalo stew?  You can at Tommy's.  Have you ever felt like turkey and stuffing, but it's not Thanksgiving?  Tommy's sells it all year long.  Open since the 1940s, their bar specializes in dozens of beers from around the world.   And I mean from Azerbaijan to Zambia.  Over the bar is a wooden sign with just the letters, I-I-T-Y-W-Y-B-A-D.  If you ask the bartender what that means, they will answer it stands for If I Tell You Will You Buy a Drink.

If you are unfamiliar with the Bánh Mì, the Vietnamese sandwich with very specific ingredients, you will be.  They seem to be becoming as popular as Boba cafes.  I first stumbled upon them two decades ago at Saigon Sandwiches on Larkin Street in Little Saigon, when they were three dollars.  Today, after twenty years they price has skyrocketed up to, wait for it, five dollars!

Kusina ni Tess is the only restaurant I know of that specializes in traditional Philipine cuisine.  When I say restaurant, it's really a cafe with two tables.  It's super cheap for the portions they serve, but the food is filling.  It is literally one block west of the fancy shops in Union Square, and one block east of Skid Row on Ellis Street, across from the Union Square Hilton.

Since California was once Mexico for a few short decades until 1848, it stands to reason that the burritos are good here, and they are.  They tend to be inexpensive and filling.  My favorite burrito places are in the Mission District, where many Latinos call home.  But the cheapest burrito in town is in the unlikeliest of places.  One block from the Millennium Tower (home to celebrities and Tech billionaires) and the thousand-foot Salesforce Tower headquarters is El Faro on First Street.  On the inside, it looks like a traditional taqueria where the super burritos start at ten bucks!

And now I saved the best for last.  I don't know about the best, but the cheapest sandwich in town -hands down- is the little Miyako Old Fashioned Ice Cream and Candy shop on Fillmore Street.  Walking into it is like walking back in time.  The space for customers is probably two square feet and is surrounded by cramped shelves displaying every kind of candy you can imagine.  Remember Abba-Zaba candy bars?  You can find them there.  Do you like ice cream?  He serves over 20 different flavors including some I doubt you will find at a Baskin-Robbins, like Ube.

Full Disclosure.  The Price Went Up a Dollar Since This Photo Was Taken

Proprietor Tom Bennett has been running it single handedly for, I don't know, decades and is probably in his 70s?  He makes every sandwich by hand and offers two sides with it as well.   I doubt there is a cheaper meal in town, and served by one of the politest men I've met.