The Story
My relationship with San Francisco began back in 2014, when I arrived for a summer internship in citizen diplomacy the summer before my junior year of college. I was excited to spend more time with my hosts — my cousin and her family (K&R) — and get a taste of California culture: the diverse communities, the incredible food, the beautiful views, and the hustle and bustle of San Francisco, and the particular charm of the East Bay — that long swatch of neighborhoods stretching from Richmond to Kensington and El Cerrito down San Pablo Avenue past Albany to Emeryville and up towards the Berkeley hills, encircling Downtown Berkeley, with the many headlights caught behind the 51B in the early evening traffic down College Avenue, Ashby Avenue, Telegraph Avenue, the Temescal, Oakland, the Bay Bridge, and The City looming in the distance (un)masked) in the billowing fog, always captured in a thimble from the raised platform of the Rockridge BART Station. Time seems to blend together like beading raindrops on a smoky window pane, fogging my first glimpses of a hazy summer sunset over the Pacific Ocean (2014) together with my final glances of the vibrant hues of a post-rain sunset typical of a Northern California winter (2023).
I returned to the Bay Area in 2017 to begin my Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. I quickly made Berkeley my home and spent the next six years exploring different sides of San Francisco and the East Bay, discovering friends old and new, meeting my partner (S) in the deserted foggy hills of pandemic-era San Francisco, and saying goodbye to the city’s most memorable views. As I was leaving this winter to move to Boston, where I will finish the last semester of my Ph.D. before returning for graduation in May, I compiled this list of my favorite memories of a favorite city and time in my 20’s and (30).
Here is to the The Food, The Vibes, and The Not-Its of ‘The City’ — ‘SF’ — ‘San Fran’ — ‘Frisco’ — and every moniker in-between. It’s been real.
The Food
Pancho Villa Taqueria (Mission)— My very first bite of San Francisco was wrapped up in a flour burrito, stuffed with steak and prawns, and bursting at the seams. The maximalism of that first experience blew me away. Here was a classic Mission burrito that skipped any decisions in favor of “why not both?” A true classic that comes and goes with the times. However, the debate over the “best” Mission-style taqueria continues…. Why not skip the dispute altogether and just go for the ‘true’ SF classic, the quesadilla suiza (smothered in extra cheese), or go for the higher- quality experience altogether, the taco birria, at none other than Tacos El Patron. True contrarians may favor the Mission district’s unsung hero: the glorious El Salvadoran/Honduran papusa in all her Curtido (pickled cabbage) smothered forms.
Beit Rima (Market St./Cole Valley) — My favorite go-to restaurant in the entire Bay Area, this Palestinian gem hosts the most luxurious hand-kneaded pita bread and mezze combinations known around. Recently a Beard Foundation Best New Restaurant Semifinalist, Samir Mughannam turned his dad’s burger joint into a Middle Eastern all-star. Comfort food through and through, the standout chicken and beef kabobs do their best to frame the main event: glistening pools of lebna, muhammara, hummus, baba ganoush, and a never-ending supply of falafel. The Middle Eastern pickles (turnips, not fennel, duh!) will forever hold a very special place in my heart.
Snail Bar (Temescal) — My favorite restaurant in the East Bay, this wine bar innovates with a rotating lineup of Parisian-style small plates inspired by the local produce of Northern California, exemplified by the ideal typical summery pan con tomate. Whereas many wine bars in the Bay Area gravitated towards tinned fish, at Snail Bar the rotating menu placards posted to Instagram daily showcased fresh seafood in all kinds of oddball vinegary and saucy applications, inspiring its close rival and Temescal neighbor Daytrip. A truly utopian eating and drinking culture would find a Snail Bar on every corner, but its humble sophistication and delicate attention to detail (down to its beautiful crockery) means it’s a forever 1/1. Other attempts at importing French drinking culture into SF have led to mixed, and in my humble opinion, overrated results, typical of the (too) long (of) lines to enter Bar Part Time in the Mission. Back in the sun-glistening summery afternoons of North Oakland, a fashionably-dressed carpaccio and a brilliant light-bodied red, leaning nonchalantly on a wine barrel, and watching the passerby, rates among the best, and deserving of a dedicated phone call to my two trusted food sources, my best friend (J) and my partner (S). Dreaming of going back for a Spring patio date soon.
Nari (Japan Town) — Speaking of my best friend (J) and my partner (S), I had the privilege of dining at Nari with each of them on separate occasions, each marking the highlight of my year in food in two separate years in a row. The beautiful interior ambiance with vaulted ceilings and lush greenery, the impeccable service, and the grilled squid and caramelized pork jowl. Let me repeat: the grilled squid and caramelized pork jowl. A truly mesmerizing and tangy experience. Paired with the appropriately no-holds-barred spicy eggplant curry, and a crystalline white wine or Thai-inspired lemongrass IPA (for those brave at heart), there was no more deserving Michelin star recipient in San Francisco in 2023 than Pim Techamuanvivit’s iconic blend of authentic flavors and modern elegance.
Hog Island Oyster Co. Farm (Marin) — It took me too long to try the iconic Northern California experience of waterfront shucked oysters. Driving north over the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin and the pastoral farmland twisting and turning through birdsongs and ocean headwinds, this oasis of fresh shellfish formed the backdrop of a perfect autumn date. What really blew us away were the bbq’ed oysters, roasted in chipotle bourbon butter, which demanded a second order to remember.
Beer/Cocktails
Back in my day, as West Coast/Hazy IPA’s were just starting their championship title run on the global craft brewing scene, California IPA’s were the golden goose. From the summer of San Diego’s famous fish-faced Sculpin IPA to the new and old Russian River Brewing outposts in Santa Rosa and Windsor, the hype for the IPA is well-deserved. First and foremost, Berkeley’s own Fieldwork Brewing (Berkeley) perfected the craft, and is still my ideal-typical hazy IPA to this day. My best friend (J) and I grabbed a couple of growlers for our road trip through the Western U.S. during the pandemic, and the assorted Fieldwork IPA’s were unrivaled from here to the Mississippi River. However, beyond the majestic IPA, California has a lot more to offer, and not just from Russia River Brewing’s Pliny the Elder/Younger family. Late discoveries of new breweries like Wondrous Brewing (Emeryville) and the magnanimous Hoi Polloi (Oakland) both showcased how small batch brewing could revitalize lighter more sophisticated offerings than the head-over-heals hazy IPA drinking experience. Wondrous Brewing’s (Emeryville) hopped-pilsner (e.g. New Zealand Style Pilsner hopped with NZ Cascade, Wakatu & Nelson) and Hoi Polloi’s (Oakland) riff on a German-style lager both capture that new excitement of where craft-brewing can — and in my humble opinion, should — go over the next few years. Sorry Berkelyans, pour those Trumer Pils down the drain, and take it easy on those hazy IPA’s, and start demanding something lighter, lower ABV, and a little more gracefully refreshing on your local tap. And pour one out for the since shuttered Beer Revolution (Oakland) when you were looking for something truly radical.
There is something special about a great cocktail, and something average about a good cocktail. Great cocktails were few and far between in a landscape of great wine bars and the tried and true San Francisco mezcal margarita. The best of the best were tried more recently, from cult classics like the tiki bar Last Rites (Market St.), to the Asian-inspired ingredients and techniques of Oakland’s new Viridian (Oakland) (with standout small plates along for the ride). Watching Netflix’s Drink Masters provided a fun diversion, where Wildhawk’s (Mission) bartender “Suzu” became a national sensation for popularizing Japanese flavors over sculpted ice, creating a new cocktail legacy in a city rightly dominated by the illustrated menu books at Trick Dog (Mission) for more than a decade. For more international twists, Oakland’s Sobre Mesa (Oakland) stands out for its use of Brazilian cachaça, as does Berkeley’s East Bay Spice Company (Berkeley) for its incorporation of Indian spices and flavors. If the Bay Area is any indication, cocktail menus will continue to expand into new flavor profiles, while San Francisco will always have an ace up its sleeve. Long live the mezcal margarita.
Takoyaki Yamachan (Japan Town)/Taishoken (Mission) — My biggest standout discovery of the last few years was the delectable promise of the takoyaki (chewy gooey savory deep fried doughy octopus balls) and their pairing with Japanese izakaya (pub) food centered around small plates and cold Japanese beer (and not your average Asahi or Sapporo either). The takoyaki at Takoyaki Yamachan in Japan Town are made piping hot and attract long lines right next to their sister establishment serving up mochi donuts. Taishoken in the Mission is the newest — and, in my humble opinion, best — entry to the long list of standout Bay Area ramen restaurants, this one offering a sublime dipping noodle (tokusei tsukemen) to go along with the classic tonkotsu ramens and the chilled Kawaba and Kyoto Bakushu brews. For more izakayas, check out the classic Rintaro (Mission) and the trifecta of incredible Berkeley offerings, from the always-packed Kiraku (Berkeley) to newer offerings like Fish & Bird (Berkeley) and the brand new and even more tasty Kinda Izakaya (Berkeley).
Cotogna (North Beach)/Flour and Water (Mission)/Itria (Mission)/Penny Roma (Mission) — The year of the Italian pasta and crudo. In 2022, I think my partner (S) and I tried every acclaimed Italian restaurant in the city, each packing the newest punch, with a surprisingly similar formula = crudo, pasta, desert. Cin cin! The newest players on the scene proved most adaptable, making Itria the standout dining experience of a crowded genre. Both old (Flour and Water) and new spinoffs (Penny Roma) hit high highs while bringing a touch of inconsistency to lower the otherwise charming dining experiences (shoutout to the oddly personalized 2016 soundtrack at Penny Roma). Cotogna also proved to be a contender in a lovely anniversary meal that starred its famous raviolos. Time and time again, the formula of a breathy fresh crudo swimming in a herby vinaigrette followed by a deep earthy sultry mushroomy pasta proved to be a dining highlight of multiple seasons. The only Italian in San Francisco that can still blow them all away is the always perfect Marcella's Lasagneria (SoMa). Thanks to my dear friend (G) for recommending their legendary lasagna, equally crispy and saucy (but only for lunch!) that will have you waking up mumbling the “lasagna” of your dreams. An honorable mention to the eggplant lasagna at the pandemic iterations of Che Fico (Divisadero) and SPQR (Divisadero).
Mission Chinese (Mission) — Do you remember the pre-pandemic hocus pocus, rowdy and raucous meals at Mission Chinese? The irreverent Mission street dining room churning with neon energy reflecting off the streetlights and back through the crowded darkened dining room for plate after plate of imaginatively spiced audacious riffs on Chinese-American classics. The tingly Szechuan mapo tofu and the Uyghur-inspired squid ink noodles lamb pappardelle. Walking by the other night to head to the new, hip (but inarguably colder) Piglet & Co. (Mission), Mission Chinese just didn’t look the same in side. Maybe it will recover to its pre-pandemic greatness, but either way, Mission Chinese will always have a special place in my heart. Addendum: I can’t stop thinking about the cauliflower in sweet, tangy fish sauce vinaigrette — a knowing nod to the Momofuku roasted cauliflower with fish sauce vinaigrette — that still has my tastebuds tingling for a “night market” flavor experience like Piglet & Co. again sometime soon.
House of Prime Rib (Nob Hill) — The San Francisco classic that always keeps giving, it’s the star studded beef, the simple menu, the choice of sides, the annotated crockery, the purple velvet, and the bustling brasserie vibes. It was born a legend, and remains a legend. Nothing more to be said.
Cafe de Casa (Castro) — The flagship location of the best Brazilian cafe — or simply cafe — in the Bay Area, Cafe de Casa boasts impeccable Brazilian fried dough, from the savory chicken-stuffed coxinha to the sweet guava-stuffed coconut breads, the Brazilian carrot cake served with a goblet of melting milk chocolate (brigadeiro) topping, and go-to breakfast items, such as egg-sandwiches on deliciously springy rolls accompanied with Brazilian hot sauce, pão de queijo (cheese bread) sandwiches filled with dried salted beef (carne seca), or overflowing açaí bowls, Cafe de Casa can simply do no wrong. Situated on the iconic San Francisco Market St. trolley line and a headquarters of Castro inclusivity, I simply cannot get enough of Cafe de Casa morning, noon, or night.
20th Century Cafe (Hayes Valley) — RIP to the greatest bakery in San Francisco, and a toast to its closure, where Michelle Polzine once slung (or more accurately, rolled) heavenly Eastern European pastries onto and over the counter, overflowing the stretchy dough on all sides, and creating a spectacle known from here to Vienna to St. Petersburg. The marquis item was the honey cake, the best honey cake (медовик) I have ever had in all my travels in Russia and Eastern Europe. The honey cake was so good, my partner (S) asked Michelle Polzine to come out of retirement to bake a honey cake for my birthday. She obliged and was extraordinarily generous and graceful, as I picked up the cake at her home. We still have the plastic cake tray, as we unfortunately lost contact shortly after. To all of those friends and loved ones I took to 20th Century Cafe over the years, the memory of its quaint and dainty charm lives on!
Cafe Colucci (Oakland) — This Ethiopian staple shows off the best of East African cuisine time in and time out. From its original location on Telegraph Ave. to its revitalization in a new and moody home on San Pablo Ave. the fresh injera and creamy lentils, salads, and meats meet no match in a neighborhood crowded with exceptional Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine.
The Best of the Rest
Honorable mentions that are close to my heart include:
Dinners at Corso (Berkeley) (re-opened as Via del Corso) with K&R and the infamous affogato incident, in which I — having recently returned from a summer in Italy — chided the waiter for having brought a “cold affogato” in which the espresso had already been entirely cooled by the creamy gelato. Laughter and derision ensued. Order the butter chicken.
A homemade paella at my partner’s coworker’s (C) house (Bernal Heights) eternally raised the bar for homemade Andalusian/Valencian cuisine. The Catalonian socarrat was perfectly scarred and accompanied by massive gin and tonics, make for an ideal afternoon with our homemade lemon-raspberry gelato.
A spicy hot wing challenge elevated the accompanying component of the donut — Bob’s Donuts (Polk St.) to be precise. The crispy texture of this independent bakery’s double fried/dipped maple crunch was truly astounding, and brought a Eureka-like realization to years of refined mochi donuts and flavored fry cakes that a traditional maximalist donut still has the potential to take the cake. Or maybe this was all a hot sauce fueled hallucination.
Finally, a moment of pure bliss. Walking around San Francisco on New Year’s Eve/Day in the wee hours of the morning, through the seedier parts of Powell St. and out onto the morning sunlight glittering off the waves akin to the Embarcadero. A friend visiting from Russia (N) and I had burned the midnight oil, and I arrived home in Berkeley later that day exhausted from our escapades. For lunch, I wandered down Telegraph Ave. to a Korean fried chicken joint — OBTOWN Oriental BBQ Chicken Town (Oakland) — where I ate up my New Year’s nostalgia one spicy, crunchy chicken wing and cold beer at a time. I may have been the only patron, for which it was a moment of calm, hungover revelation, and a crisp image of solemnity and MSG. Don’t let the closure of OBTOWN fool you. The Bay Area still boasts some of the best fine and causal Korean dining experiences around (okay, aside from L.A.). All-time favorites include the high-end and new Michelin winner SAN HO WON (SoMa) and more everyday options from Umma (Inner Sunset) to Korean bbq staple Brothers Restaurant (Inner Richmond) to the East Bay local favorite Pyeong Chang Tofu House (Oakland).
What’s Missing?
Pizza
The Bay Area boasts a lot of great pizza, but nothing I am left hanging on to, especially from the perspective of the East Coast. In terms of “wow” moments, Square Pie Guys (Oakland, SoMa) delivered my favorite combination of quality ingredients, creative and inspired recipes (Szechuan chili honey anyone?), and consistent execution. Outside of the (once-)trending Detroit style, more classic pies have been vaunted, like Outta Sight Pizza (Market), but were good not great. My leftover Outta Sight Pizza did survive the coat check at the Rickshaw Stop (Hayes Valley), so that’s something to write home about!
Ice Cream
There is a lot of great ice cream in SF from well-known classics like Mitchell's (Mission) to more modern standbys like Salt and Straw (Divisidero), Bi-Rite (Mission), and Humphry Slocombe (Embarcadero/Berkeley). By far my favorite ice cream flavor, beyond the quirky fruits and the luscious chocolates and salted caramels was the Sourdough Bread ice cream from Humphry Slocombe this past winter. A special shoutout to the Japanese soft-serves dotting Berkeley, whose matcha cones are something to reminisce over.
Sushi
SF has really good sushi. It’s just pricey. And something I didn’t prioritize for the “bang for the buck” value compared to other types of fine-dining. I personally love sushi, and have had very good sushi in SF, including at the offbeat and surprising Chīsai Sushi Club (Mission). I wish I had made it to the more causal (no reservation) Saru Sushi Bar (Noe Valley), but the most satisfying sushi I “made” myself at a sushi-making class by Gochiso Kitchen (SoMA) that exceeded expectations. If/when I move back to the Bay Area with a salaried job, I would love to explore the small world of San Francisco’s elite omakase counters. Maybe one day.
The Vibes
The Starry Plough — RIP to the greatest tradition in pre-pandemic America: Free Funk Thursdays at the Starry Plough. Where patrons young and old would come shake their hips to live funk music, bringing the best jazz players from the surrounding community to shred “For Glory!” as everyone else “Got Down!”
The San Francisco Parks — Can you name them all? From Mission Dolores Park to Alamo Square, Alta Plaza, and Washington Square, every neighborhood in San Francisco has “its” park where its denizens gather on sunny days to eat, drink, (smoke), and be merry. Everyone has a San Francisco park story. As I do many. The Park of Parks is none other than Golden Gate Park, which I discovered mostly through the early days of my relationship as we explored the empty pandemic streets, all roads leading to JFK Drive, the Observatory of Flowers, and beyond through the branching and winding paths, sometime serenaded by music, sometimes as quiet as the wind, past the lakes, and the trees, and then the Pacific. Each journey was made brighter by the company, hand-in-hand, and ever more delicious with the breakfast sandwich from Wake Cup (Haight) that included both salmon lox, bacon and eggs, and kimchi, summing up into a truly revelatory combination.
Wine Country — Napa and Sonoma hold a special place in my heart. I was introduced to the notion of a wine country day trip by K&R, navigating the fine line between driving and tasting. The ultimate experience featured winding roads, chats with wine-makers, vintages from birth years (!!), and the perfect trifecta: tasting, lunch, tasting, and then maybe a stop and a final splash on the way home. Highlights include Three Sticks (Sonoma), Piña (Napa), Freemark Abbey (St. Helena), and wherever K&R wished to take me, where I would then (try) to take my friends, and realize I am much too poor to do it on my own. I am eternally grateful to K&R for teaching me more about wine than I could have ever asked, including many wine clubs, blind tastings, and much too much late nights with ouzo following long days of wine tasting, cracked crab, roasted pork, and the national sport of the dedicated wine snob: bocce/pétanque.
Berkeley — There is much to say about Berkeley, but what can really be said? I will hold on to long walks in the hills, admiring expensive homes, walking through open houses pretending to be on the housing market with my partner (S), and running up and around the alleyways and steep inclines during the pandemic summer. Wandering the Berkeley hills and fire tails, trying to keep up on mountain jogs with my roommate (D), and coming back down the neighborhood steps with pulled muscles and burnt out hamstrings. I will also remember the many events that took place in and around Berkeley proper, from the Brazilian Lavagem on San Pablo Ave. to playing pick-up soccer on warm summer nights, shooting hoops with my roommate (D) and assorted department pick-up games in Kensington, walking my cousins’ (K&R) dogs around the Arlington past or through the cemetery, and spying the sunset falling behind the Golden Gate Bridge on clear winter nights. The glow that would shroud and engorge the straining sky, setting directly in the West over the Bay, casting every Berkeley street in fire.
Getting Out and About the Bay Area — Teaching my partner (S) to drive reminded me of the nostalgic beauty of the Marin headlands, driving up and around Mt. Tam, the faded beach town facades of the Outer Sunset, and the twisting turns of Highway 1 and Big Sur, stretching down to the charming vistas of Monterey and Carmel By The Sea. A shoutout to driving around the Bay Area (without owning a car!) as Lyft offers great discounts on short-term car rentals, and the recent entry of Gig Car Share into the East Bay market has revolutionized “micro-mobility” from the level of the electric scooter to the electric car! Honorable mentions for BART, MUNI, East Bay Transit, and the unexpected but game-changing lottery for the free all-access BayPass Clipper Card. Thank you Berkeley Chancellor (Jesus) Christ.
The Not-Its
Bad (single-textured) and overpriced ($15) breakfast burritos — looking at you Cafenated Coffee (Berkeley).
Lack of Berkeley (on-campus) coffee options (RIP Babette in South Hall).
The type of person who brings generic sugar cookies to pass around at brunch (you know the type).
The Marina (outside of tastefully British-themed parties hosted by my friend S).
The De Young closing (30+ minutes) early?!
Cafes with “no laptops on weekends” policies.
Getting to/from Tahoe on long weekends (especially during a snow storm).
Philz coffee — an abomination to the coffee-drinking world — who wants to spend 10 minutes waiting for a regular coffee?!
Free Funk Thursday revival at the Starline Social Club (‘twas never the same — RIP).
Post-pandemic downtown (Financial District) San Francisco.
The electric scooter that “cannot be ridden in this zone”.
The cake at the “world-(in)famous” Madonna Inn.
Palo Alto.
Thanks for reading! Can’t wait to be back in The Bay!