lunch

Restaurant Website: http://www.delarosasf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=delarosa+san+francisco&sll=37.782926,-122.44091&sspn=0.051283,0.10231&gl=us&ie=UTF8&hq=delarosa&hnear=San+Francisco,+CA&ll=37.837988,-122.420654&spn=0.10249,0.20462&z=12&iwloc=A

You’ll be forgiven for thinking you’ve seen Delarosa before. Though it’s grey-and-orange paint job is distinctive, it shares design elements with sister restaurants Starbelly and Beretta—Edison bulbs, communal tables and an open kitchen.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>If you’re a fan of the food at Beretta, welcome to the uptown version. Two of the same owners are involved in this project (including chef Ruggero Gadaldi) and its evident in the menu—expect to find familiar antipasti, among them fried Brussels sprouts with aïoli and Beretta’s famed eggplant caponatina. The pizzas are fine, but a more interesting choice is the lasagna, scraps of fresh pasta layered with rich, nutmeggy béchamel and studded with sautéed radicchio and onions.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.gracias-madre.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=gracias+madre+san+francisco&sll=37.777092,-122.428551&sspn=0.025644,0.051155&gl=us&ie=UTF8&hq=gracias+madre&hnear=San+Francisco,+CA&ll=37.783062,-122.418938&spn=0.051283,0.10231&z=13&iwloc=A

A transformation has taken place at 18th and Mission, so radical that you can hardly remember what occupied the space before Gracias Madre moved in. An outdoor patio, shielded from the street by a fence emblazoned with oversize corn motifs, gives way to a long, skinny room generously outfitted with wood, a long bar and, at the back, an open kitchen.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>With its vegan Mexican menu, Gracias Madre has quickly distinguished itself from the masses of Mission taquerias. There is no carnitas here, no carne asada, no cheese—unless you count the cashew variety. Owned by the team behind feel-good mini chain Café Gratitude, here you’ll find meaty mushrooms filling tacos, tamales stuffed with butternut squash and excellent guacamole, by its very nature vegan. A selection of organic beer and wine round out the offerings.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=chilango+san+francisco&sll=37.759791,-122.418594&sspn=0.006412,0.012789&gl=us&ie=UTF8&hq=chilango&hnear=San+Francisco,+CA&ll=37.777092,-122.428551&spn=0.025644,0.051155&z=14&iwloc=A

Though this Castro spot still bears the hallmarks of its earlier iteration as a slap-dash taqueria, the owners have done their best to spruce up the space in accordance with their new menu and table service. Black-and-white market and food images of Mexico City hang around the room—the best seats are in the windows, where you can watch the foot traffic.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>If you were to judge Chilango by its tortilla soup and churros it might be considered one of the finest Mexican joints in town—both are very fine renditions, made with thought and care. The soup is overflowing with shredded white and dark chicken meat, potatoes and cubes of queso fresco and avocado and topped with crisp tortilla strips; churros are custardy within with a crispy exterior, generously dusted with cinnamon-sugar. Tacos, crafted from tortillas made in front of your eyes, are filled with the likes of pork maw and filet mignon and accompanied by red chili and tomatillo salsas—they too are very good.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.littleskilletsf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=360+ritch+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.790416,-122.396167&sspn=0.052838,0.075874&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=360+Ritch+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94107&z=17

The only scene at this window restaurant—a spin-off of downtown soul-food restaurant Farmer Brown—is the line of people waiting patiently to get their chicken-and-waffles fix. It's a lunch and late-night only affair and there is no seating, but on a sunny day, plenty find seating directly of the sidewalk across the alleyway for a little urban picnic.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The brief menu here includes, yes, excellent fried chicken and Belgian-style waffles. But it goes on to include a pulled pork po'boy (which is really a sloppy joe), Cobb salad, biscuits and sausage gravy, and a slightly dubious over-the-top bacon-wrapped waffledog. Forget calorie counting for the time being because even the mini pecan pies are worth it.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.michaelmina.net/rn74Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=301+mission+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.782595,-122.407715&sspn=0.006605,0.009484&g=16+mint+plaza.,+san+francisco&ie=UTF8&hq=Millennium+Tower&hnear=Millennium+Tower,+San+Francisco,+CA+94105&z=14

The Mina Group's "casual concept" restaurant—led in large part by wine guru Rajat Parr—is named after the highway the runs through Burgundy. Oenophiles convene is the red-leather horseshoe booths here, swirling glasses of Pinot. A haute train-station theme runs through the handsome but whimsical room, including an old-school flip board that announces wines that are on special. Power lunching takes place here, but at night you'll see couples out for special occasions.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Despite the servers in jeans, the refined food here is clearly in the hands of a fine dining chef—Jason Berthold, formerly of the French Laundry. Should you be intimidated by the wine list, fear not. The sommeliers on staff are all at the top of their game. Let them make the pairing suggestions for the eclectic menu items such as the hamachi sashimi with hearts of palm, Asian pear and pine nuts; sautéed pork belly with clams; and a much healthier take on cassoulet made with duck, barley, and shiitake mushrooms.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.carte415.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=101+second+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=53.609468,77.695313&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=101+Second+Street&z=15

This little kiosk, permanently parked in the lobby of 101 Second St., resembles a hot dog cart from afar. But a closer inspection reveals that the offerings from this mobile operation, owned by former Michael Mina chef Joshua Skenes (who also runs the weekly pop-up restaurant, Saison), are not your average cart fare.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>A daily-changing selection of  sandwiches satisfy downtown office drones, who stop by for a weekday lunch. The turkey confit, spread with fig jam and stacked with fresh mozzarella and watercress, is a more refined version of the post-Thanksgiving “gobbler” sandwich; the vegetarian niçoise combines all the requisite ingredients, save for tuna. Side dishes include smoky baba ganoush or hummus (served with crispy crackers), and a potato salad enriched with aïoli. Don’t leave without a freshly baked walnut-chip cookie.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.wexlerssf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=568+Sacramento+St.,+san+francisco&sll=37.784825,-122.400055&sspn=0.204586,0.303497&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=568+Sacramento+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94111&z=17

The undulating sculpture that hangs from the ceiling at Wexler’s resembles a dinosaur skeleton a la New York’s American Museum of Natural History, but the rest of the room is pure modern—a back-lit bar, low lighting and a crowd that tends toward downtown post-work (not surprising, given its location in the heart of the Financial District.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>To call this Southern food wouldn’t be right, and this certainly isn’t a barbecue joint. Rather, it’s a hybrid of fine dining technique (which chef Charlie Kleinman honed during his days at Fifth Floor) and local ingredients, with elements of regional barbecue tossed in the mix. So you’ll see hush puppies and green tomatoes on the menu (the latter as a chutney for chicken live pâté), skate wing with a pulled pork filling and coleslaw and black-eyed peas as side dishes, but don’t go expecting racks of ribs or giant piles of brisket—it’s not that kind of place.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.canerossosf.comGoogle Maps Link: This is Mexican food with a NorCal spin—snack-tastic totopos, freshly-made tortilla chips tossed in arbol chile salsa and topped with crema and cotija cheese (think of them as chips with salsa) blue corn quesadillas, sandwiching cheese and braised greens, and chunks of bay-scented pork carnitas that you pull apart with your fork, accompanied by a tart cabbage salad. Complimentary fried chickpeas and Mexican wedding cookies bookend the meal.

A small corner of the Ferry Building has been transformed into a reasonable facsimile of a rustic Italian rotisserie. Open shelving holds apple boxes piled high with seasonal vegetables and fruits and chickens and porchetta spin on spits behind an open counter, where chefs lovingly prepare sandwiches, salads and plates. Order from the wall-mounted menu, then grab a table (or take it to go).

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Everything at Cane Rosso is remarkably fresh and perfectly delicious. Lunch may be the heart of the business (and with offering such as beef brisket sandwiches, the meat piled high on a soft bun, why shouldn’t it be?) but you can also assemble a fine dinner from some of the rotisserie-cooked meats and a few sides, which run towards the rustic—giant white beans, roasted potatoes and rich polenta. On the weekends, gear up for the day with housemade yogurt topped with fruit compote, fried egg sandwiches and broken farro, which takes the place of oatmeal.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.kitchenettesf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=958+Illinois+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.752888,-122.407298&sspn=0.006608,0.009484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=958+Illinois+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94107&z=17

The decidedly déclassé set-up—nothing more than a table on the loading dock in Dogpatch—means that the box lunches from Kitchenette, an off shoot of catering company Living Room Events, are best taken to go (though there are a couple benches for those that arrive early).

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The inspired sandwich creations at Kitchenette (which change daily and are available Monday through Friday) run the gambit from the “Dogpatch Millionaire”—an Indian-inspired fried chicken sandwich—to fried fish tacos with tartar sauce and porchetta with figs and aïoli. Freshly baked sweets, such as irresistible chocolate-coconut cookies and raspberry-nectarine galettes with whipped cream complete the meal.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.palstakeaway.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2751+24th+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.800052,-122.440014&sspn=0.006604,0.009484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2751+24th+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94110&z=17

Walk past Tony’s Market, on the far reaches of 24th street near Potrero, and you’d never know that amidst the beef jerky and Doritos a preeminent sandwichery resides. Head to the deli counter, where you can order a creative, thoughtfully composed meal-on-bread. Plan accordingly: Pal’s is only open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday, and they sell out quickly.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Crafted from meats and vegetables sourced locally, the ever-changing options at Pal’s might include a shrimp banh mi, Marin Sun Farms roast beef on a Kaiser roll with blue cheese, or a vegetarian option that combines hard-cooked eggs, watercress and green beans, dressed with vinaigrette (sort of like a tuna-less niçoise). A daily dessert is also on offer—in summer, fruit crisps, come fall, treats like chocolate babka.</p>