There’s certainly no shortage of excellent food to be found in San Francisco and the Bay Area — but there’s plenty worth skipping, too. Luckily for you, Eater editors dine out several times a week (or more) and we’re happy to share the standout dishes we encounter as we go.
Kiri’s market salad is a simple winner, like Rudy headed to Notre Dame. Kiri
Brian Jackson-Lee and Brian Ishii said goodbye to their Japanese cuisine pop-up Kiri’s temporary home of Rintaro in November with one of their more well-executed menus so far. Across the board — of which Jackson-Lee made sure me and my group ordered almost all of it with his signature two-handed handshake meant to vigorously shake you down with Eleven Madison Park-levels of hospitality — the dishes hit, not a dry eye in the izakaya. But something as simple as a market salad was the group’s favorite. Fried renkon works like asteroids on a starry bed of greens slathered in ginger-carrot dressing. Chunks of tomato and persimmon mark the changing of the season. The various crunches and saucy leafy bites really clicked. Perhaps it was the size of the salad: It easily served a table of four to satisfaction for a more-than-reasonable $18. One must also circle and underline Ishii’s genmaicha ice cream (like Bernie Sanders, I am once again writing about ice cream), which packs a powderkeg of tea-forward spice. The crispy and fragrant salad is the write-home, though, and well worth an order at wherever Kiri shows up next. Follow Kiri on Instagram for updates on upcoming pop-ups.
— Paolo Bicchieri, audience editor, Northern California/Pacific Northwest
Savory egg soufflé at San Ho Won
A warming egg souffle with broth, perfect for winter. Dianne de Guzman
With the Thanksgiving holiday on the horizon (and the implied heavy meal that comes with it), the dish lingering on my mind is a humble one that I don’t want anyone to miss. On a recent visit to San Ho Won, every dish was impressive, but surprisingly, it was the savory egg soufflé that really spoke to me. To be honest, if our party ordered a la carte at the restaurant, I don’t know that I would have noticed it on the menu. Thankfully, this star egg souffle came with the house menu, a nice warming course after the Busan-style seafood pancake kicked off the meal. The egg itself was lovely and fluffy, like a cloud of eggy goodness. But what stood out was the broth — a spicy anchovy broth that was poured over the egg. It had really nice umami to it, giving the broth some depth and dimension to it, different than other typical egg souffles I’ve had. The whole thing was then topped with a bit of rock seaweed sauce. I kept taking spoonfuls of broth and egg, trying to figure out why I liked it so much. I still haven’t found out, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t searched for a dolsot pot and burner for my house, in case I can recreate that magic at home. Until then, I’ll have to come back for this the next time I want another hit of Korean barbecue. San Ho Won, 2170 Bryant Street, San Francisco, is open from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
— Dianne de Guzman, regional editor, Northern California/Pacific Northwest
Orchard punch at Kopê House
The Orchard Punch is a signature drink for the pop-up. Paolo Bicchieri
A mouthfeel-heavy coffee, a milk punch that cracks the jaw right off of a pumpkin spice latte. That’s the tl;dr on GOAT pop-up Kopê House. The cafe featured this apple-laden and dried apple slice-topped drink for a month in the fall, and I hope they give it a permanent spot on the roster. Getting sober is famously not a great gig. Outside of the obvious benefits, it’s the lack of wine, cocktails, and booze that really guarantees it’s a long, boring road. The body on the Orchard Punch showcases the trio’s bartending talents, despite the fact that none of the founders boast some sexy career in award-winning bars. Rather, they pay attention to the cutting-edge coffee game in San Francisco, seeing where their tile in the puzzle is best laid. The Orchard Punch demonstrates a round palette, benefitted by kefir and whole milk. The apple cider vinegar comes from Placerville’s Boa Vista Orchards and the apples themselves from O’Halloran’s Apple Trail in Camino. These baristas are reminding you of their Northern California roots with the sourcing, yes. Then, by brewing the drink with a washed Burundi coffee from Swerl Coffee Roasters, they again prove their razor-sharp attention to premier international preparation and execution. It’s a meme: drinking nonalcoholic bevs is a fool’s errand for those pining for the golden days (read: messy days). It’s the rare lightning strike like the Orchard Punch that sets that barren plain aflame with a reason to drink again, so to speak. Kopê House, currently in residence at York Street Collective, 1100 Valencia Street, until the end of 2025. Follow Kopê House on Instagram for updates.
— Paolo Bicchieri, audience editor, Northern California/Pacific Northwest
Brusco bagel at Cafe Brusco
The flavors on these bagels are captivating. Dianne de Guzman
I was really amped to go to Cafe Brusco. This new bagel spot in Berkeley comes from the team behind Rose Pizzeria, and given that I am a fan of their pizzas, I had high hopes for their cafe. On a recent visit, I was really blown away by the flavors of the Brusco, right, a mortadella open-faced bagel. Guests get a choice of bagel — I chose sesame, if you must know — and on it comes Calabrian chile cream cheese, fluffed up pistachio mortadella, a drizzle of honey, and pickled pepper. In that first bite, I was hit with savoriness from the mortadella, a good amount of heat from the cream cheese, and a cooling sweetness from the honey. It hit this nice trifecta of flavors that play well together, and I was thoroughly pleased, eagerly sharing a photo of it with my teammates on Slack. The persimmon bagel was no slouch either, and together it felt like a complete meal, savory and sweet(ish, the persimmon bagel does also come with a hit of sumac on it), and I’m sure I’ll be back for another lunch soon. Cafe Brusco, 2000 University Avenue, Berkeley, is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
— Dianne de Guzman, regional editor, Northern California/Pacific Northwest