Brunch is so much more than a meal in San Francisco – it’s a ritual, and one that, for me, no trip to the city would be complete without. For a typically San Franciscan brunch experience, prepare to wait in line to bag a table – stick on your sunglasses, enjoy the California sunshine and grab a coffee while you wait. Queuing is so common that some places offer coffee for free to waiting brunchers. What follows is always worth the wait. Eat and drink your heart out, sip on coffee and mimosas (highly recommended), and be prepared to get so full you may need to be horizontal for the rest of the day.
Plow
One of the most popular and bougie brunch spots in the city. It’s ideal to visit early on day one if you’re jetlagged, to give you the best chance of beating the queues. If the beautiful light-filled space doesn’t help to shake off your jet lag, the coffee certainly will. It gets seriously busy, but the view across the city from outside on Potrero Hill sweeten the deal if you’re standing in line, along with free coffee while you queue. If you’re a meat eater, opt for ‘The Plow’ to get a taste of everything that makes Plow so beloved. If meat’s not your thing, Plow’s legendary lemon ricotta pancakes are a must try, or go lighter with chia seed pudding with delicious toppings like coconut, honey and bee pollen. The mimosas aren’t cheap, but always worth splashing out for. If you’re there early enough to try the house-made biscuits with honey butter before they sell out for the day, you will not regret it.
Where to find it: 18th St & Texas
Giuliana’s Just For You Cafe
Long-time regulars will know this spot as Just For You – a Dogpatch institution that closed its doors in 2023, to the heartbreak of half the neighbourhood. The good news: it reopened under new ownership as Giuliana’s, with much of the original kitchen team back in place and the beignets very much intact (phew). The atmosphere is still pleasantly relaxed, and mimosas remain a serious commitment here. The crab cake benedict is my order of choice, though the menu has something to suit every appetite. Save room for the beignets with a coffee on the side – a joyful way to start, or finish, the meal.
Where to find it: 3rd St & 22nd St
The Sycamore
This one comes with a warning, it can be pretty intense. The menu is decent, with brunch classics like Chicken + Waffles, loaded scrambled eggs or all your typical benedict varieties, but the main draw here is the bottomless mimosas. On Saturdays and Sundays (served 10 til 3) you can book a 2 hour seating for a blowout bottomless mimosa brunch – definitely book ahead and be prepared to cancel any plans you might have for the rest of your day.
Where to find it: 17th St & Sycamore
Tartine Manufactory
Tartine is a west coast institution. Founded in LA with branches in San Francisco, and more opening further afield. The Tartine bakery in the Mission was the city’s first branch, famous for it’s perfect pastries and the queues around the block to get your hands on them. The opening of Tartine Manufactory – a part bakery, part cafe, part restaurant hybrid – is a welcome addition to the city’s bakery and brunch offering. The space is bright, airy, relaxed, and so filled with delicious options you’ll want to stay all day. From 8 – 11am the breakfast menu features the full range of baked goods (their morning bun is legendary), along with stuffed breakfast sandwiches and tartines with seasonally changing flavours. My standout dish here is the coddled eggs topped with trout roe, served with toasted Tartine bread (a highlight in itself) with a za’atar topping.
Where to find it: 595 Alabama St
Vive La Tarte
Vive La Tarte has all your breakfast and pastry cravings covered, in a Noe Valley space with a pleasingly modern, minimalist feel. Expect a cabinet stacked with tempting pastries, plus an all-day menu that covers all bases from eggs benedict with asparagus to a solid rotation of breakfast sandwiches for the savoury-inclined. The ‘pan-crepes’ – somewhere between a pancake and a crêpe – are well worth ordering, if only to settle the debate over what to call them.
Where to find it: 4024 24th St
El Buen Comer
A local favourite in Bernal Heights for comforting home style Mexican dishes. In the morning, their traditional breakfast plates like huevos rancheros and huevos divorciados are truly standout. Wonderfully unphotogenic and absolutely packed with flavour. If you’re visiting SF from somewhere that doesn’t have abundant Mexican brunch options, this place is worth going out of your way for.
Where to find it: 3435 Mission Street
Poppy Bagels
Across the bay in Oakland, Across the bay in Oakland, Poppy Bagels serves up New York-style bagels – hand-rolled, boiled, and baked in a huge revolving deck oven until golden and chewy. Choose from bagel varieties including sesame, plain, poppy, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, cinnamon golden raisin, pumpernickel, and (of course) everything – and once you’ve made that first tough decision, the toppings will have you spoiled for choice all over again. Go classic with scallion cream cheese, or get more experimental with one of the open-faced sandwiches, like the Spicy & Sweet, that layers with jalapeño cream cheese and a drizzle of honey. Expect a queue, especially on weekends; they open early and have been known to sell out.
Where to find it: 5004 Telegraph Ave, Oakland