San Francisco’s first Spanish restaurant beat the tapas craze of the early aughts by a mile. Picaro Cafe opened in 1982, gaining plenty of fans for its wide array of Iberian dishes and al fresco seating on one of the Mission’s main thoroughfares.
In a city stuffed with Instagram-friendly environs and overly attentive staff, Picaro is a cut of an older cloth. All kinds of diners from all kinds of economic bands eat and drink here. Head over when you want to work through luxe, plentiful food on the low.
There’s a small back patio at Picaro. When it’s sunny, dining on the table out here is like sitting on a back alley while traveling those tried-and-true pilgrim pathways of the Camino de Santiago.