cash only

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.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>

Restaurant Website: http://www.schmidts-sf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2400+folsom+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.782054,-122.410932&sspn=0.006606,0.009484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2400+Folsom+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94110&z=17

Like Walzwerk, the sister restaurant, the focus here is on German food and drink. But whereas Walzwerk’s dining room is  a cozy cell that only serves dinner, Schmidt’s is airy, bright and high-ceilinged and also offers lunch. The servers, efficient and brusque, do not suffer fools lightly.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The signature sausage plates, heaped with spaetzle or mashed potatoes and sauerkraut, are always a good choice, but the expanded offerings at Schmidt’s also include an irresistible golden brown veal schnitzel, and—as official gild to the lily—it’s topped with a fried egg and a couple white anchovy filets. If you’re going to do this kind of eating, you may as well throw caution to the wind and have a couple oversized steins of German beer, especially since the few desserts are nothing to fuss over.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=560+larkin+St.+San+Francisco&sll=37.787946,-122.410312&sspn=0.009276,0.013304&ie=UTF8&ll=37.787335,-122.41396&spn=0.009276,0.013304&z=16&iwloc=A

This closet-sized to-go spot, devoted almost solely to cheap and cheerful Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, is one of the city’s great gems. Be ready to order when the no-nonsense counter lady turns her attention to you; the line of hungry regulars waiting for their fix suffers no fools.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Banh mi here are assembled on lengths of crusty toasted baguette made in part with rice flour, then split, spread with mayo and hot sauce and filled with your choice of fillings (such as grilled pork, grilled chicken, meatballs, paté or tofu) and a zippy salad of shredded pickled carrot and daikon, plus sliced jalapeno and loads of fresh cilantro.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.humphryslocombe.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2790+Harrison+St.+San+Francisco&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=38.008397,54.492188&ie=UTF8&ll=37.753242,-122.411921&spn=0.00928,0.013304&z=16&iwloc=A

Though done up like an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, with white tile and red swivel stools, there’s nothing classic about the flavors offered at this new-fangled scoop shop located deep in the Mission, where punk music is more likely to be playing than Musak.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Owner Jake Godby—the former pastry chef of Coi—is so committed to ice cream that he has 31 miniature cones tattooed on his forearm. At his ice creamery, he applies his fine-dining training and creativity to flavors ranging from hibiscus-beet sorbet to foie gras to more classic versions such as Blue Bottle Vietnamese coffee to his signature, “secret breakfast”—made with bourbon and cornflakes.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2445+24th+St.+San+Francisco&sll=37.790269,-122.404196&sspn=0.009276,0.013304&ie=UTF8&ll=37.753955,-122.404196&spn=0.00928,0.013304&z=16&iwloc=A

At night, Jack’s Club, located across Potrero Avenue from SF General, is just another Mission bar. But during the day it plays host to Yat’s, which serves an impressive roster of no-frills New Orleans classics along with the cheeky motto, “Be nice or leave.”

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Post-Katrina transplant Yon Davis is recreating the flavors of the Big Easy right here in SF, from the massive shrimp po’boy spilling forth from a length of French bread flown in from New Orleans’ Leidenheimer bakery to red beans and rice and huge slices of corn bread. <br /></p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Nicaragua+Restaurant++sf&sll=37.790388,-122.398767&sspn=0.030455,0.053558&gl=us&ie=UTF8&ll=37.869433,-122.325897&spn=0.461823,0.856934&z=10&iwloc=A

This bare-bones, family-owned Nicaraguan place, a few blocks from the 24th Street BART station, is nothing special to look at—it’s a low-ceilinged space with plastic-covered tables and posters of the Nicaraguan countryside on the walls—but the cheery service and tables of regulars make it feel warm and friendly.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>If you’ve wearied of the taco, Nicaragua Restaurant will be a welcome addition to your Central American eating repertoire. The simple, rustic food is prepared to order—heaping plates of carne deshilachada (shredded beef with a sweet, tomato-based sauce) sided by the trifecta of beans, rice and pickled cabbage; ceviche; and giant bowls of mild sopa de albondigas (meatball soup), accompanied by freshly made tortillas. Don’t miss the fried plantains, topped with deep-fried Nicaraguan cheese, at once squeaky and salty.</p>

This famous Castro corner lot is the place for 24-hour people-watching on the weekends. You’ll see everything from dog-walking couples on weekdays to six-foot-tall divas vamping around in the wee hours. Sit by the window or huddle at the counter and let Bagdad’s all-American eats fuel you up for the night ahead or ease you into the morning after. Eats:What's on your menu.: Half-pound Angus burgers are a hit, especially with a side of “desert-spiced” fries served with a glug of ranch dressing. If breakfast’s what you’re after, try Odetta’s potato pancakes with sour cream, applesauce and sausage. Body-conscious types should stick to the Gluteus—four scrambled egg whites with fruit, cottage cheese and toast.

This bare-bones, cash-only, reservations-required, fixed-price restaurant, which recently relocated from smaller digs on Pacific Street, is one of the city's finest places for Shanghainese food. Don’t expect your server to speak much English, or even offer you a menu, but rest assured you’ll walk out satisfied with a bellyful of authentic Chinese specialties. Eats:What's on your menu.: Set aside at least two hours for a dining extravaganza showcasing, at minimum, six cold and six hot dishes. Instead of ordering from a menu, you'll name your price and leave everything to chef Nei Chia Ji. The lineup varies depending on what’s fresh at the market that day, so every course is a surprise. Standouts to hope for include a spicy eggplant stir-fry and egg-white scramble topped with abalone. It's BYOB with no corkage fee, so bring your favorite bottle (or two).