As we head into the weekend, Eater SF editors have compiled a list of recommendations to answer one of the most persistent and, arguably, pressing questions of the day: “Where should I eat?” Of course, we have several resources to help guide your dining and drinking decisions — for example, the San Francisco and East Bay heatmaps, which reflect the hottest new restaurants to try right now. But here we offer four suggestions of places to check out this weekend around the Bay Area. And if you’re looking for places to grab a drink, try these lists of the best new places to grab a co*cktail in San Francisco and the East Bay.
For Vietnamese-style brunch: Bodega SF
The Bay Area breakfast and brunch scene is getting more exciting, just in time for summer. The buzzy new Tanzie’s Cafe is popular in the East Bay for its Thai breakfast, and now Eater SF 2022 restaurant of the year Bodega SF is getting in on the game, putting its spin on the boozy morning meal. The restaurant is adding bò né — that classic Vietnamese marinated steak filet with eggs and pate on a sizzling platter — and “Bodega shakshuka” made with Dungeness crab. Chao suon, meanwhile, is a rice porridge with pork spare ribs topped with mussels and served with a Chinese doughnut. For drinks, I’m eyeing the trendy, roasted banana carajillo made with Vietnamese coffee. Might as well get caffeine with a side of booze, after all, isn’t that the entire point of brunch? Bodega SF, 138 Mason Street, San Francisco
— Dianne de Guzman, Eater SF deputy editor
For a don’t-miss chef collab: Flour + Water Pizzeria
Real talk: I let out an audible gasp when I scrolled past the Instagram post announcing a pizza collaboration between the team at Flour + Water Pizzeria and James Beard Award-winner Brandon Jiu of Michelin-starred Mister Jiu’s. The pie, which is available now through the end of the month at the North Beach restaurant, comes topped with lap cheong pork sausage, wood ear mushrooms, fresh mozzarella, and ginger scallion oil. Of course, it’ll be built on the strong foundation that is Flour + Water’s leopard-spotted pizza crust, which means this pie is pretty much guaranteed to be utterly delicious. As a bonus, $5 from every pie sold will go to Chinatown nonprofit Gum Moon, which helps immigrant women and families transition safely to life in the city. Get that side of ranch ready because nothing can keep me from trying this pie. Flour + Water Pizzeria, 532 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco
— Lauren Saria, Eater SF editor
For truffle mac and cheese before the symphony: Om Sabor
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Maybe the city’s finest ginger cheesecake and jalapeno-topped nachos are tucked inside a listening bar on Grove Street. That’s in Hayes Valley, and the synthy co*cktail haven is Phonobar. But the food comes from Om Sabor, a vegan outfit from Dhanistha Rivera and Luis Flores, the duo behind the can’t-miss menu. Thanks to a childhood at a meditation center in Mexico, Rivera’s specialties lie in truly satisfying comfort food that leaves animal products off the plate. So before humming along to Encanto at the San Francisco Symphony this weekend, head a block over for the city’s best plant-based mac and cheese, served in little skillets with garlic confit and white truffle oil. Om Sabor, 370 Grove St, San Francisco
— Paolo Bicchieri, Eater SF reporter
For an escape from holiday weekend traffic: Sunrise Cafe
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Last weekend found me down along the central coast and on my way back north, hungry and looking for an excuse to stop the car and stretch my legs, I urged my traveling companions to pull over for a classic diner breakfast. After a little internet sleuthing we ended up at Sunrise Cafe, a mom-and-pop strip mall spot in Paso Robles — and thank goodness. I dove headfirst into this plate of chilaquiles, a heap of crunchy tortillas dressed in a zingy red sauce mixed up with oodles of scrambled eggs and mildly spicy chorizo. On the side rested a pile of hash browns made with the thinnest of shredded potatoes, so light and crunchy I practically inhaled the whole mess without stopping. I’m always enamored by the charm of a classic diner, and I’ll never drive through Paso Robles without stopping at this one again. Sunrise Cafe, 1413 Riverside Ave, Paso Robles
— Lauren Saria, Eater SF editor
