🏛️ Iconic SF Institutions

Eighteen stools, a marble counter, a century of practice. Show up early, get the combo and a cold beer, and let the guys behind the counter run the show.

California's oldest restaurant, since 1849. Mahogany booths, white-jacketed waiters, cioppino and sand dabs. Sit at the counter if the wait's long.

A time capsule of red leather and tableside carving carts. Basically one thing on the menu, perfected since 1949. Book ahead, order the Englishman cut.

Order the roast chicken for two and a Caesar, sit by the window, and watch Market Street go by. Forty years on and still the definition of an SF night out.

Revived Zanze's crustless European cheesecake with berry sauce

Operating since 1867, old-school seafood with curtained booths

The line out front is the whole story. Worth it for a morning bun and a coffee that turned SF into a pastry city.

1908 chophouse immortalized in 'The Maltese Falcon,' famed for lamb chops

They project old films on the courtyard wall while you eat. Unbeatable date setup: heated patio, oysters, candlelight, and a movie you half-watch over dinner.

The burrito argument starts and ends here. No rice, all attitude, dorado-crisped tortilla. Cash, a line, and zero regrets.

The tea leaf salad that started a movement, tossed tableside. Expect a wait on Clement Street, expect to be converted.

Temple of house-cured meats; 'The Renzo' with prosciutto, mozzarella, and sun-dried tomatoes

Family-run since 1953 with tropical flavors like fresh peach, ube, and avocado

Original home of butter-soaked roasted crab and famous garlic noodles.

1930s supper club with live jazz, martinis, and buttoned-up old-school charm.

1919 institution with classic cocktails and Italian fare

Since 1938, beloved for its silver-dollar pancakes

Since 1935, one of the city's first wood-fired pizzerias