When you live in a city with more than 800,000 residents and some 5,000 restaurants and bars, it can be tough to find a spot where everybody knows your name. But that’s what makes it so satisfying when you finally do achieve “regular” status.
“San Francisco is such a transient town,” says Eric Ehler, chef and owner of Outta Sight Pizza. “People may see faces come and go, but when you have stuck around long enough, they’ll know you’re one of those who have stayed here for the city.”
Whether it’s a neighborhood dive in North Beach or an izakaya joint in the Outer Mission, some restaurants and bars double as a home away from home — places where servers know your usual order, where you like to sit, and who your friends are. Regulars are the backbone of the industry, and thankfully, San Francisco has plenty of excellent places where it’s worth being one.
C-Y Chia, chef and co-owner, Lion Dance Café
Source: Morgan Ellis/The Standard
Source: Morgan Ellis/The Standard
Favorite spot: Specs’ Twelve Adler Museum Café, 12 William Saroyan Place, North Beach
The 58-year-old dive, tucked away in a quiet alley, was the first bar where Chia became a regular when they moved to the city 14 years ago. It was also one of the last places they visited before relocating to Singapore this month. “I love how dark it is, how you can really feel its history, how it’s still full of regulars who come to paint or read poetry, and how we run into restaurant friends there,” Chia says. They reminisce about late nights with free-flowing shots of Fernet and beer and, inevitably, the moment when someone in the group orders a wedge from the bar’s infamous wheel of cheese. Chia offers this advice to anyone aspiring to become a regular: “Read the room. Don’t be a jerk.”
Eric Ehler, chef and owner, Outta Sight Pizza
Favorite spot: Punjab Restaurant, 2838 24th St., Mission
In the late-2000s, Ehler and a buddy had an unofficial routine: get really high, eat at Punjab, and watch “The Simpsons.” Nearly two decades later, Ehler still visits this hole-in-the-wall Chinese American spot and catches up with Serene, who has worked as a server there for 20 years. “I see Serene on the street, and we always hug, and she asks me how my friends and family are,” Ehler says. “That’s the best feeling — when you walk in, you feel like you belong and are going to have a special experience.” He advises first-timers to sit at the counter and order Combo No. 17: fried salt-and-pepper prawns (no shell) with shrimp fried rice, substitute shrimp for pork, and add egg rolls or crab rangoon. “Serene will know you heard from me.”
Simone Mims, bar consultant at JouJou
The Valley Club owner Mitchell Lagneaux. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
Favorite spot: The Valley Club, 398 Geary St., Union Square
Calling it “a secret I almost don’t want to share,” the beverage pro heads to this swanky James Beard Award-nominated cocktail bar at least once a week to order a drink or a cheeky from the glossy, zine-style menu. On weekdays, it might just be her and the owner, Mitchell Lagneaux, chopping it up. On the weekends, however, the place is packed and pulses with energy — though to Mims it still feels warm and welcoming. “You feel like you’re at home — if your home happened to be inside a small disco,” she says. “It’s comfy, sexy, and always a good time.”
Dong Choi, corporate chef, Slanted Door Group
Favorite spot: ABV, 3174 16th St., Mission
Regulars tend to bring friends to their go-to spots — and so, too, goes the tale of Choi and ABV. Nearly a decade ago, The Slanted Door’s founder, the late Charles Phan, and Michelle Mah brought Choi to this cocktail bar a block from the restaurant. “It’s a world-class bar that happens to be our local watering hole,” he says. “It’s the epitome of ‘come as you are’ but still executing at the highest level of any craft bar program.” When he gets a day off, he and Mah still go for a gin and celery, and crispy cauliflower. “I really love that we are just treated the same every time we go. Whether we get recognized by who’s on shift or not doesn’t change the experience, and I really appreciate that.”
Max Blachman-Gentile, chef and owner, Jules Pizza
Max Blachman-Gentile. | Source: Jules Pizza
Favorite spot: Out There Coffee Roasters, 254 Fillmore St., Lower Haight
“For me, being a regular is more about the sense of community than about being at the coolest or hottest place in town,” Blachman-Gentile says. “Not that those two things can’t coexist, but the priority is more about feeling really welcomed.” Out There Coffee Roasters is where he finds that vibe. Not only is it convenient (across the street from Jules), but the baristas have memorized his usual order: cold brew with a splash of half-and-half. But for Blachman-Gentile, it’s more about the people than the coffee. “They’re always so nice, and it’s fun to catch up with them, bullshit about things going on in the neighborhood — and they keep us highly caffeinated as well.”
Sincere Justice, chef and owner, Tacos Sincero
Cumin lamb at Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
Favorite spot: Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant, 3132 Vicente St., Parkside
Justice loves the food at this halal Northern Chinese restaurant. But like many industry professionals, he returns for the service. “The owner is so damn hospitable every time,” he says. A few times a year, Justice and a group of friends take over a couple of tables and order the works: braised lamb ribs; lamb with pickled cabbage soup; cumin lamb; and the infamous chicken, egg, and chile-studded la si ni, which translates, he says, to “burn you to death.” The menu is pages long, so Justice advises not being shy about asking the owner for recommendations. “Or, if you’re not sure, just watch what people are ordering and follow suit.”
Paul Einbund, owner, The Morris and Sirene
Favorite spot: Kin Khao, 55 Cyril Mangnin St., Union Square
Kin Khao’s chef-owner, Pim Techamuanvivit, is like a sister to Einbund, so he admits that he’s treated well in part because the restaurant’s staff knows him. “Most of them know the exact namprik I’m obsessed with and tell me when I walk in the door if it’s on the menu that night,” he says. But that’s not to say that Einbund hasn’t put in the time. In 2014, he was among the first to dine at this Michelin-listed Thai restaurant, which offers the bold flavors he can otherwise find only in his wife’s hometown of Ipoh, Malaysia. “I crave this food and need to dine here on a regular basis,” he says. “If not, I start feeling a void where spice and umami should be.” Start with the “super messy” chicken wings, he recommends, and add a few curries, the yaowaraj noodles, and black rice pudding for dessert. “It’s not traditional, but my wife and I prefer sticky rice with our curry. Don’t tell Pim I told you!”
Eleana Hsu, chief fermentress officer, Shared Cultures
Fiery lobster ramen at Chome. | Source: Astrid Kane/The Standard
Favorite spot: Chome, 3601 26th St., Outer Mission
Production days often finish around 9 p.m., at which point Hsu is usually starving. If she’s not at Underdogs Too, she slides into a table at this quaint izakaya for a late-night feast of dumplings, ramen, yakitori, and grilled fava beans (a can’t-miss when they’re in season) — plus whatever else Chome co-owner Judy recommends. “What’s wonderful about Chome is that you feel transported to Japan,” Hsu says. “The food is amazing, but Judy is the biggest reason we keep coming back!”
Brigid Huntoon, general manager, Barcha
Server Tim Scully at Tadich Grill. | Source: The Washington Post via Getty Im
Favorite spot: Tadich Grill, 240 California St., Financial District
The moment Huntoon walks in the door at Tadich Grill, one of the longtime bartenders reflexively starts to pour her usual, a St. George Botanivore gin martini with olives. That’s to be expected when you’ve been coming to the same spot at least twice a month for 26 years. When she’s with friends, Huntoon settles in at the bar for an old-school San Francisco meal of crab Louie, fries, a martini, and some sassy repartee with the bartenders. It’s one of the main reasons she loves Tadich. “I love a playful and fun conversation,” Huntoon says. “We’ve got some characters left in this town — more of that, please!”
Mark Lieuw, owner, Stay Sweet SF
House of Pancakes. | Source: Kelsey McClellan
Favorite spot: House of Pancakes, 937 Taraval St., Parkside
To Lieuw, one of the best things about San Francisco is the diversity of excellent dining options, which makes being a regular even more meaningful. “To love a place so much that you’re a regular is so special, as there are so many other places you could go and visit!” For this acclaimed pastry chef, one of those places is House of Pancakes. At least once a month for the past decade, Lieuw has come to this hole-in-the-wall spot for lamb potstickers and signature hand-pulled noodle soups. “The owner knows us well — my parents actually discovered it before they blew up and got super popular — and I love this place because it’s just a simple, good, no-frills spot.”