9 Dishes Worth Traveling to San Francisco For

The Bay Area has gone from strength to strength as a food destination. Stop stalling and go eat.

Robert Sietsema

Most agree that San Francisco is one of the country’s best food cities, with a pleasing mix of both historic and nouvelle attractions, ethnic eats and home-grown specialties. I recently went on a restaurant-hopping expedition there—stopping at both venerable places, middle-age places, and brand-spanking-new places—and I never had a bad bite of food in nearly a week of constant eating.

Here are the nine best things I tasted, in order of increasing deliciousness.

Written by Robert Sietsema (@robertsietsema)

Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip and Tcho Chocolate at Smitten Ice Cream

The frozen confections at this semi-outdoor Hayes Valley newcomer are made not in a churn, but in a contraption that bubbles liquid nitrogen through the ice-cream mix, creating an opulent and very cold product that tastes just-made. It just was. 432 Octavia St. (415-863-1518, smittenicecream.com)
Fried Chicken Ramen at Suzu Noodle House

This cute little Japantown place is in a bi-level mall, where shoppers dressed as anime characters drift in and out, buying costume accessories, strange plush animals dressed as pirates, and a meal or a snack at one of the restaurants or mochi-and-bubble tea stalls. The shoyu broth at Suzu is fiery hot with chili oil, and the fried chicken tidbits are sinewy and exquisitely marinated beforehand. 1825 Post St. (415-346-5083)
Montanara at Farina Pizza

This sleek new spot is one of several San Francisco places (including nearby Delfina Pizza, also in the Mission) to capitalize on the promise of thin-crust Neapolitan-style pizza, with fundamentally wonderful ingredients and cooking equipment imported from Mother Italy. This puffy, appetizer-size fried pizza showcases squeekingly fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes probably from Bi-Rite (a few blocks distant), and enough extra olive oil to slick down your hair when you’re done. 700-712 Valencia St. (415-565-1900, farina-foods.com)
Chicken With Explosive Chili Pepper at Z & Y

Yes, it’s the Sichuan standard Chongqing chicken, rarely produced so perfectly, the meat extensively hammered and breaded before being stir fried with dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns. Goodbye lips, goodbye tongue, goodbye stomach. And who said there were no great restaurants in SF’s Chinatown? Z & Y is the place to go. 655 Jackson St. (415-981-8988, zandyrestaurant.com)
Monday Oyster Happy Hour at Hog Island Oyster Co.

You’re going to have to swallow your pride and march with the tourists down to the Embarcadero—the site of the greatest farmers’ market in the Western Hemisphere on Saturday. Of the pristine oyster selection, one variety is offered at half price each Monday, coming from producers all over the northwest coast. Are they as good as actual Hog Island oysters eaten fresh from the water in Marshall, CA? Well, yes, because someone opens them for you. San Francisco Ferry Building #11 (415-391-7117, hogislandoysters.com)
Kung Pao Pastrami at Mission Chinese Food

Who’d have imagined pastrami would marry so well with Chinese food? No matter how many times pundits tell us Mission Chinese (there’s a branch in New York, too, though not quite as good) is not serving up authentic Chinese food—to which you’re supposed to reply, “Who cares?”—the fact is that this is real Chinese food. And I guarantee this dish will eventually be imitated from Hong Kong to Beijing. 2234 Mission St. (415-863-2800, missionchinesefood.com)
Celery Root Tortelli With Brown Butter, Walnut, and Balsamico at Flour + Water

This three-year-old restaurant, located in an obscure part of the Mission, spits in the face of Dr. Atkins, with its emphasis on farinaceous ingredientes in both pastas and Neapolitan-style pizzas. Any stuffed pasta is superb, especially this flavorsome mass that improbably uses celeriac as its launching pad—and the nuts on top go crunch, crunch, crunch. 2401 Harrison St. (415-826-7000, flourandwater.com)
Carne Asada Burrito Mojado at Taqueria Cancun

This quintessential Mission Mexican spot is right in the heart of where the excessive burrito as we know it was invented. Doused in multiple sauces, the enormous creation is so glistening and beautiful that you almost don’t want to cut into it, but when you do you won’t be able to stop until the last drop of chili sauce has been sopped. 2288 Mission St. (415-252-9560)
Crab Cioppino at Sotto Mare

This legendary fisherman’s stew—a signature of early San Francisco cuisine—is offered in debased form all over Fisherman’s Wharf. Rather than settling, go to this North Beach old-timer for an extravagant version, loaded with shellfish, baby octopi, and crab legs kicking every which way, plus some local salmon that adds tremendous zip to the marinara. Dig to the bottom for the real buried treasure—penne cooked way more than al dente, and all the better for it. 552 Green St. (415-398-3181, sottomaresf.com)
Most agree that San Francisco is one of the country’s best food cities, with a pleasing mix of both historic and nouvelle attractions, ethnic eats and home-grown specialties. I recently went on a restaurant-hopping expedition there—stopping at both venerable places, middle-age places, and brand-spanking-new places—and I never had a bad bite of food in nearly a week of constant eating. Here are the nine best things I tasted, in order of increasing deliciousness. Written by Robert Sietsema (@robertsietsema)

9 Dishes Worth Traveling to San Francisco For

Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip and Tcho Chocolate at Smitten Ice Cream

Fried Chicken Ramen at Suzu Noodle House

Montanara at Farina Pizza

Chicken With Explosive Chili Pepper at Z & Y

Monday Oyster Happy Hour at Hog Island Oyster Co.

Kung Pao Pastrami at Mission Chinese Food

Celery Root Tortelli With Brown Butter, Walnut, and Balsamico at Flour + Water

Carne Asada Burrito Mojado at Taqueria Cancun

Crab Cioppino at Sotto Mare

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