{"id":230261,"date":"2026-03-21T16:17:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T16:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/230261\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T16:17:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T16:17:20","slug":"the-restaurants-and-bars-that-sf-food-pros-go-to-over-and-over-and-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/230261\/","title":{"rendered":"The restaurants and bars that SF food pros go to over and over and over\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s what makes it so satisfying when you finally do achieve \u201cregular\u201d status. <\/p>\n

\u201cSan Francisco is such a transient town,\u201d says Eric Ehler, chef and owner of Outta Sight Pizza. \u201cPeople may see faces come and go, but when you have stuck around long enough, they\u2019ll know you\u2019re one of those who have stayed here for the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s 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 \u2014 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\u2019s worth being one.<\/p>\n

C-Y Chia, chef and co-owner, Lion Dance Caf\u00e9\"ASource: Morgan Ellis\/The Standard\"ASource: Morgan Ellis\/The Standard<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: Specs\u2019 Twelve Adler Museum Caf\u00e9, 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. \u201cI love how dark it is, how you can really feel its history, how it\u2019s still full of regulars who come to paint or read poetry, and how we run into restaurant friends there,\u201d 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\u2019s infamous wheel of cheese. Chia offers this advice to anyone aspiring to become a regular: \u201cRead the room. Don\u2019t be a jerk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eric Ehler, chef and owner, Outta Sight Pizza<\/p>\n

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 \u201cThe Simpsons.\u201d 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. \u201cI see Serene on the street, and we always hug, and she asks me how my friends and family are,\u201d Ehler says. \u201cThat\u2019s the best feeling \u2014 when you walk in, you feel like you belong and are going to have a special experience.\u201d 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. \u201cSerene will know you heard from me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simone Mims, bar consultant at JouJou\"AThe Valley Club owner Mitchell Lagneaux. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: The Valley Club, 398 Geary St., Union Square
Calling it \u201ca secret I almost don\u2019t want to share,\u201d 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<\/a> 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 \u2014 though to Mims it still feels warm and welcoming. \u201cYou feel like you\u2019re at home \u2014 if your home happened to be inside a small disco,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s comfy, sexy, and always a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dong Choi, corporate chef, Slanted Door Group<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: ABV, 3174 16th St., Mission\u00a0
Regulars tend to bring friends to their go-to spots \u2014 and so, too, goes the tale of Choi and ABV. Nearly a decade ago, The Slanted Door\u2019s founder, the late Charles Phan, and Michelle Mah brought Choi to this cocktail bar a block from the restaurant. \u201cIt\u2019s a world-class bar that happens to be our local watering hole,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s the epitome of \u2018come as you are\u2019 but still executing at the highest level of any craft bar program.\u201d When he gets a day off, he and Mah still go for a gin and celery, and crispy cauliflower. \u201cI really love that we are just treated the same every time we go. Whether we get recognized by who\u2019s on shift or not doesn\u2019t change the experience, and I really appreciate that.\u201d <\/p>\n

Max Blachman-Gentile, chef and owner, Jules Pizza\"AMax Blachman-Gentile. | Source: Jules Pizza<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: Out There Coffee Roasters, 254 Fillmore St., Lower Haight
\u201cFor me, being a regular is more about the sense of community than about being at the coolest or hottest place in town,\u201d Blachman-Gentile says. \u201cNot that those two things can\u2019t coexist, but the priority is more about feeling really welcomed.\u201d 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\u2019s more about the people than the coffee. \u201cThey\u2019re always so nice, and it\u2019s fun to catch up with them, bullshit about things going on in the neighborhood \u2014 and they keep us highly caffeinated as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sincere Justice, chef and owner, Tacos Sincero\"SizzlingCumin lamb at Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant, 3132 Vicente St., Parkside\u00a0
Justice loves the food at this halal Northern Chinese restaurant. But like many industry professionals, he returns for the service. \u201cThe owner is so damn hospitable every time,\u201d 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 \u201cburn you to death.\u201d The menu is pages long, so Justice advises not being shy about asking the owner for recommendations. \u201cOr, if you\u2019re not sure, just watch what people are ordering and follow suit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul Einbund, owner, The Morris and Sirene<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: Kin Khao, 55 Cyril Mangnin St., Union Square\u00a0
Kin Khao\u2019s chef-owner, Pim Techamuanvivit, is like a sister to Einbund, so he admits that he\u2019s treated well in part because the restaurant\u2019s staff knows him. \u201cMost of them know the exact namprik I\u2019m obsessed with and tell me when I walk in the door if it\u2019s on the menu that night,\u201d he says. But that\u2019s not to say that Einbund hasn\u2019t 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\u2019s hometown of Ipoh, Malaysia. \u201cI crave this food and need to dine here on a regular basis,\u201d he says. \u201cIf not, I start feeling a void where spice and umami should be.\u201d Start with the \u201csuper messy\u201d chicken wings, he recommends, and add a few curries, the yaowaraj noodles, and black rice pudding for dessert. \u201cIt\u2019s not traditional, but my wife and I prefer sticky rice with our curry. Don\u2019t tell Pim I told you!\u201d<\/p>\n

Eleana Hsu, chief fermentress officer, Shared Cultures\"aFiery lobster ramen at Chome. | Source: Astrid Kane\/The Standard<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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\u2019t-miss when they\u2019re in season) \u2014 plus whatever else Chome co-owner Judy recommends. \u201cWhat\u2019s wonderful about Chome is that you feel transported to Japan,\u201d Hsu says. \u201cThe food is amazing, but Judy is the biggest reason we keep coming back!\u201d<\/p>\n

Brigid Huntoon, general manager, Barcha\"AnServer Tim Scully at Tadich Grill. | Source: The Washington Post via Getty Im<\/p>\n

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\u2019s to be expected when you\u2019ve been coming to the same spot at least twice a month for 26 years. When she\u2019s 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\u2019s one of the main reasons she loves Tadich. \u201cI love a playful and fun conversation,\u201d Huntoon says. \u201cWe\u2019ve got some characters left in this town \u2014 more of that, please!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mark Lieuw, owner, Stay Sweet SF\"AHouse of Pancakes. | Source: Kelsey McClellan<\/p>\n

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. \u201cTo love a place so much that you\u2019re a regular is so special, as there are so many other places you could go and visit!\u201d 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. \u201cThe owner knows us well \u2014 my parents actually discovered it before they blew up and got super popular \u2014 and I love this place because it\u2019s just a simple, good, no-frills spot.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When you live in a city with more than 800,000 residents and some 5,000 restaurants and bars, it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":230262,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[414,35067,2499,412,101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":["post-230261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-chefs","tag-eat-here","tag-pro-tips","tag-restaurants","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}