O N T H E F L Y

If you’ve ever been to San Francisco, you know that the city is meant for food lovers. If you haven’t been, believe me because Yelp also said so.

So, are you ~bready~ for it?

I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.

Now I have to add this disclaimer: San Francisco is not a cheap city. And I’m sure if you’re reading this, you already know that. But when you think about it in theory and when you actually spend all your money on breakfast, those are two different things. That being said, these recommendations are the best tasting, budget friendly for San Francisco, not for Dayton, Ohio. These prices might actually be on par or more expensive than Nantucket ones. Be careful.

Now let me take you on a culinary adventure….

BOUDIN BAKERY

Ok, if you haven’t heard of Boudin, I’m not sure what to tell you. Welcome to the 21st century? OF SOURDOUGH.

Seriously, this place is nuts. They’ve been using the same base for their dough since 1849, so when I tell you that you can’t get this stuff anywhere else, I’m not lying. Lunch here is actually not badly priced, you can get a bread bowl for $11 or a half bowl and a half sandwich for about $12. I opted for the half bowl and sandwich.

Doesn’t that grilled cheese look divine? It’s a blend of cheddar, gouda, and asiago. Nailed it.

NORCINA BAKERY

This place was one that we just stumbled across while waiting for the ferry to Alcatraz. It’s just across Embarcadero on the other side of what looks like an office building. Unassuming, but cute, right? This place was phenomenal. The pastries and sandwiches looked great, but since we were about to spend the next few hours walking around and it was 8am, I knew I’d need more than a muffin. So…..

This is what I got. Not even sure if you can call it avocado toast, because it is a masterpiece. Toasted ciabatta with a burrata spread, half an avocado (generous, nowadays!) and half a soft-ish boiled egg. Oh, and some bacon bits. I can’t even tell you how the coffee is here because I was too distracted by this. $6, not bad for what you get. I’ll never be able to eat regular avocado toast again. It ruined me.

JANE

Another cute cafe is Jane. Just stopped in for breakfast, and this place literally did not have a name anywhere outside, but the inside looked cute. It definitely was worth the gamble because this cinnamon pastry was everything you could want on a brisk morning, and even though you can’t tell from the photo, I could bathe in this coffee cup, so more bang for your buck.

BARBARA PINSERIA

Yep, you read correctly, this is a pinseria, not a pizzeria. The difference is that “pinsa” is a slightly different Roman style of pizza, and it honestly might be better. Barbara did not disappoint.

We ordered due “pinse” and cacio e pepe. These all averaged about $15-20 per dish, which is standard, if not on the cheaper end for a sit down dinner in the city. Since my family is Italian, I’m picky with any and all Italian food, especially pasta, and this place passes with flying colors. My favorite was the pinsa with prosciutto!

CHINA LIVE

Recommended to me by my good friend Tara, China Live is hands down the best Chinese food I’ve ever had. Now this is something because although I love her to death, Tara has questionable taste in food sometimes. Also known as the Olive Garden and Red Lobster aficionado, Tara can usually be found eating chocolate and Cape Cod chips. Together. Anyway, enough on Tara’s strange eating habits. I am very grateful for her rec.

Now I’m definitely not calling myself an expert on Chinese food (I’m about as white as they come), but I think it’s easy to tell when something is done really, really well. All of the dishes we ordered were fresh, cooked perfectly, and the service and atmosphere made the whole experience amazing.

That being said, this place would be at the very top of my price range for food. The dumplings pictured above were $18, and although they were the best dumplings I’ve ever had in my life, it’s definitely not something I could order every day. So treat yourself to one luxury meal out, China Live is so worth it. Thanks, Tara!

MR. HOLMES BAKEHOUSE

I actually can’t speak to this bakery too much, as I couldn’t eat anything here. Not because it looked bad–everything looked fab. I’m allergic to nuts, and there was a lot of cross contamination going on. So, instead of taking a trip to the hospital, I decided to snap a pic of their iconic wall and watch my mom eat a pastry which she said was very good. Come for the basic photo, stay for the nutty pastries?

Anyway, if you’re not convinced that San Francisco is for foodies by now, I’m not sure what to tell you. Go to Italy? Spain? France? I’d love to! But for now, San Francisco exceeds my food expectations.