The 7x7 Big Eat sheltered in place last year when, just as we were about to press publish on our list of the 100 best things to eat in San Francisco, restaurants shuttered statewide due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
But start your stomachs: The Big Eat is back for 2021. What's new? We're serving it to you in takeout boxes.
Yes, SF restaurants are beginning to reopen for indoor dining, and as spring takes hold, patios and parklets will be filling up. But with limited capacity and many residents still anxiously awaiting vaccines, takeout is still the biggest restaurant game in town. Good thing our phenomenal restaurateurs have really upped their games in that department these past 12 months.
The below list represents the very best to-go dishes we've had in the past year that you can still order up today. Please note that some dishes may be seasonal and menus change frequently, so check with the restaurant for what's available.
With that, we're sending elbow bumps and heartfelt thank-yous to all the members of our local dining community for your incredible work under pressure-cooked circumstances during the pandemic. We've lost some beloved eateries in the past year, but we've also gained some very creative new concepts and scrumptious bites. Eat and enjoy.
Maison Danel's Paris-San Francisco is an updated take on the iconic Paris-Brest pastry. The best part? It's gluten-free!(Courtesy of @maisondanel)
1. Paris-San Francisco (v and gf) at Maison Danel, 1030 Polk St. (TenderNob), maisondanel.com
2. Khao soi at Jitlada Thai Cuisine, 1826 Buchanan St. (Japantown), jitladaironchef.com
3. Kale chaat (v and gf) at Ritu, 3111 24th St. (Mission) ritusf.com
4. BBQ pork ricenoodle roll at Sam Wo, 713 Clay St. (Chinatown), samworestaurant.com
5. Fresh vegetable tamales (v) at Yo También Cantina, 205 Hugo St. (Inner Sunset), yotambientropical.com
6. Turkey momos at Bini's Kitchen, 1001 Howard St. (SoMa), biniskitchen.com
7. Kaya toast (v) at Breadbelly, 1408 Clement St. (Outer Richmond), breadbellysf.com
8. Mezze sampler (v) at Beit Rima, 138 Church St. (Duboce Triangle), beitrimasf.com
9. Classic yakitori bento at Torima by Hina Yakatori, 808 Divisadero St. (NoPa), hinasf.com
Eat up the culinary trend du jour, quesabirria tacos, at the Mission's Tacos el Patron.(Courtesy of @tacos.elpatron)
10. Quesabirria tacos at Tacos el Patron, 1500 S. Van Ness Ave. #100 (Mission), tacos-el-patron.com
11. Beignet flight at Brenda's French Soul Food, 652 Polk St. (Tenderloin), frenchsoulfood.com
12. Margherita pizza (v) at Del Popolo, 855 Bush St. (TenderNob), delpopolosf.com
13. Carne asada burrito at La Taqueria; 2889 Mission St. (Mission), facebook.com/LaTaqSF
14. Roast chicken for two at Zuni Café, 1658 Market St. (Hayes Valley), zunicafe.com
15. Dungeness crab Louie salad (gf) at Swan Oyster Depot, 1517 Polk St. (Nob Hill), swanoysterdepot.us
16. Raviolo di ricotta with egg and brown butter (v) at Cotogna, 490 Pacific Ave. (Jackson Square), cotognasf.com
17. Guava li hing sorbet (v and gf) at Garden Creamery, 3566 20th St. (Mission), gardencreamery.square.site
18. Stoner garlic bread (v) at Zero Zero, 826 Folsom St. (SoMa), zerozerosf.com
19. Dungeness crab pavé (gf) at Routier, 2801 California St. (Pacific Heights), routiersf.com
20. Chicken pot pie at Black Jet Baking Co., 833 Cortland Ave. (Bernal Heights), blackjetbakingco.com
Andytown Coffee lovers must order the Local Special at Churn.(Courtesy of @churnsf)
21. The Local Special ice cream (v and gf) at Churn Urban Creamery, 2646 San Bruno Ave. (Portola), churnsf.com
22. Seasonal kouign amann (v) at B. Patisserie, 2821 California St. (Pacific Heights), bpatisserie.com
23. No. 18 sandwich at Mark 'n' Mike's NY Style Deli at One Market, 1 Market St. (Embarcadero), onemarket.com
24. Nigiri (especially the zuke king salmon) at Saru Sushi, 3856 24th St. (Noe Valley), akaisarusf.square.site
25. Seasonal fruit strudel (v) at 20th Century Cafe, 198 Gough St. (Hayes Valley), 20thcenturycafe.com
26. Bulgogi kimchi fried rice at Um.Ma., 1220 9th Ave. (Inner Sunset), ummasf.com
27. Pozole verde at El Pipila, 879 Brannan St. (SoMa), elpipila.com
28. Slow-cooked garlic pork empanadas at Chao Pescao, 272 McAllister St. (Civic Center), chaopescaosf.com
29. Smoked duck with root vegetables at The Morris, 2501 Mariposa St. (Mission), themorris-sf.com
30. Chocolada clam ceviche (gf) at Billingsgate, 3859 24th St. (Noe Valley), billingsgatesf.com
Need some greens? Don't miss the kale salad at Quik Dog by Trick Dog.(@lofivephoto via @quik_dog)
31. Kale salad (v) at Quik Dog by Trick Dog, 3010 20th St. (Mission), trickdogbar.com
32. Churros with dulce de leche dipping sauce (v) at Chalos, 2240 Taraval St. (Parkside), chalossf.com
33. Ahi and spicy tuna poke bowl (gf) at Amitis Café, 800 Masonic Ave. (NoPa), amitisdelisf.com
34. Blistered Iacopi brussels sprouts (v) at True Laurel, 753 Alabama St. (Mission), truelaurelsf.com
35. Chili honey catch of the day at Liholiho Yacht Club, 871 Sutter St. (TenderNob), liholihoyachtclub.com
36. Spaghettoni at Altovino, 1358 Mason St. (Nob Hill), altovinosf.com
37. Shrimp siu mai at Good Mong Kok Bakery, 1039 Stockton St. (Nob Hill), 415.397.2688, yelp.com
38. Basuku cheesecake (v and gf), available at The Morris and Nightbird weekly; instagram.com/basukucheesecakes
39. California Dreamin' pizza at Little Original Joe's, 393 W. Portal Ave. (Forest Hill), littleoriginaljoes.com
40. Garlic roast pork hoagie at Palm City, 4055 Irving St. (Outer Sunset), palmcitysf.com
Maison Nico's pâté en croûte de canard makes for a très special hors d'oeuvre or host gift.(Courtesy of @maison_nico)
41. Pâté en croûte de canard at Maison Nico, 710 Montgomery St. (Jackson Square), maisonnico.com
42. Globe eggplant "parm" (v) at SPQR, 1911 Fillmore St. (Pacific Heights), spqrsf.com
43. Braised beef rib with cheese (kalbijjim) at Daeho Korean BBQ & Beef Soup, 1620 Post St. (Japantown), instagram.com/daeho_official
44. Brown butter chocolate chip cookie (v) at Merchant Roots/The Roost, 479 Ellis St. (Tenderloin), buttery-bites-and-bottles.myshopify.com
45. Spaghittusu cun Allu Ollu e Bottariga at La Ciccia, 291 30th St. (Noe Valley), laciccia.com
46. Salt and vinegar fries (v) at Ungrafted, 2419 Third St. (Dogpatch), ungraftedsf.com
47. Ube flan cake (v) at Ube Area at Excelsior Coffee, 4495 Mission St. (Excelsior), ubeareabakery.com
48. Gamtae gyeran mari kimbap (v) at Queens, 1235 9th Ave. (Inner Sunset), queenssf.com
49. Five spice chicken vermicelli bowl at Sai's, 505 Washington St. (FiDi), yelp.com
Nari's set dinner menu might include the likes of this gaeng kiew wan nuea, a tender braised bone-in beef short rib in spicy green curry.(@hungryhungryhooker via @nari_sf)
50. Dinner set for two (v optional) at Nari, 1625 Post St. (Japantown), narisf.com
51. Moussaka at Kitchen Istanbul, 349 Clement St. (Inner Richmond), kitchenistanbulsf.com
52. Kalamansi truffle (v) at Kokak Chocolates, 3901 18th St. (Castro), kokakchocolates.com
53. Forbidden rice chao at Lily on Clement, 225 Clement St. (Inner Richmond), lilyonclement.com
54. Irish breakfast at New Taraval Cafe, 1054 Taraval St. (Parkside). newtaravalcafe.com
55. Carnitas with fresh corn tortillas at La Palma Mexicatessen, 2884 24th St. (Mission), lapalmasf.com
56. Vegetarian combination (v, gf optional) at House of Tadu Ethiopian Kitchen, 1130 Fourth St. (Mission Bay), taduethiopiankitchen.com
57. Potato pesto pizza at DamnFine, 3410 Judah St. (Outer Sunset), damnfineco.com
58. Pain au chocolat (v) at Arsicault Bakery, 397 Arguello Blvd. (Inner Richmond), arsicault-bakery.com
59. 500 Club sandwich at Turner's Kitchen, 3505 17th St. (Mission), turnerskitchensf.com
60. Canelé (v) at Le Dix-Sept Patisserie, 3376 18th St. (Mission), ledixsept.com
61. Lasagna Bolognese at Che Fico Alimentari, 834 Divisadero (NoPa), cheficoalimentari.com
62. Jū-Ni chirashi bowl at Jū-Ni, 1335 Fulton St. (NoPa), junisf.com
63. West Coast chop salad (v, gf) at Flour + Water Pasta Shop, 3000 20th St. (Mission), flourandwaterpastashop.com
Fancify your takeout night with Pinoy Heritage's seven-course at-home experience.(Courtesy of @pinoyheritage)
64. The seven-course at-home experience from Pinoy Heritage (inside Bluestone Cafe at Emblem Hotel), 562 Sutter St. (TenderNob), pinoyheritage.com
65. Chicken tinga sopes at El Buen Comer, 3435 Mission St. (Bernal Heights), elbuencomersf.com
66. Farm egg, arugula pesto, goat cheese and prosciutto pizza at Pizzetta 211, 211 23rd Ave. (Outer Richmond), pizzetta211.com
67. Lox bagel sandwich at Early to Rise, 1098 Jackson St. (Nob Hill), earlytorisesf.com
68. Chocolate chunk cookies with wagyu tallow at Gozu, 201 Spear St. #120 (Embarcadero), gozusf.com
69. Ko'ko wings at Prubechu, 2224 Mission St. #A (Mission), prubechu.com
70. Surprise Ending (v) at Shizen, 370 14th St. (Mission), shizensf.com
71. Buttermilk fried chicken with biscuits at Nopa, 560 Divisadero St. (NoPa), nopasf.com
72. Tea leaf salad at Mandalay; 4348 California St. (Inner Richmond), mandalaysf.com
73. Roasted lamb shank at Z Zoul Cafe, 295 Eddy St. (Tenderloin), zzoulcafe.com
Order up a classic San Francisco dish—clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl—from a new SF classic restaurant, Lord Stanley.(Courtesy of @lordstanley_sf)
74. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl at Lord Stanley, 2065 Polk St. (Russian Hill), lordstanleysf.com
75. Falafel sandwich (v) at Falafelland, 133 Sixth St. (SoMa); order via Doordash
76. Sourdough focaccia (v) at Sorrel, 3228 Sacramento St. (Presidio Heights), sorrelrestaurant.com
77. Tarte tatin (v) at L' Ardoise Bistro, 151 Noe St. (Duboce Triange), ardoisesf.com
78. Sichuan working hands dumplings at China Live, 644 Broadway (Chinatown), chinalivesf.com
79. Braised duck leg noodles at Hai Ky Noodles, 707 Ellis St. (Tenderloin), haikynoodles.com
80. Maine lobster rollat Spruce, 3640 Sacramento St. (Presidio Heights), sprucesf.com
81. Kukhurako ledo (chicken cashew cream curry) at Cuisine of Nepal, 3486 Mission St. (Glen Park), cuisineofnepal.com
82. Maw Maw's gumbo at Gentilly, 4826 Mission St. (Excelsior), gentillysf.com
83. King George sando (v) at Family Cafe, 362 Columbus Ave. (North Beach), family-northbeach.com
84. Vegan curry with veggie UP topping (v) at Konomama, 4601 Geary Blvd. (Inner Richmond), konomamasf.square.site
85. Prawn vindaloo (gf without naan), Viva Goa, 2420 Lombard St. (Marina), vivagoaindiancuisine.com
86. Nightburger at Nightburger by Nightbird, 330 Gough St. (Hayes Valley), exploretock.com
Cassava takes toast to the next level with house baked Japanese milk bread and kewpie and Meyer lemon kosho spread.(Courtesy of @cassavasf)
87. Ghibli fried egg toast (v optional) at Cassava, 3519 Balboa St. (Outer Richmond), cassavasf.com
88. House cold noodles at Chong Qing Xiao Mian, 915 Kearny St. (Chinatown), chongqingxiaomian-sf.com
89. Cochinita pibil taco at Akna, 399 Grove St. (Hayes Valley), aknasf.com
90. Clam chowder pie at Sunset Squares Pizza, 59 Ninth St. (SoMa), sunsetsquares.com
91. Josey Baker's Adventure bread (v, gf) at The Mill, 736 Divisadero St. (NoP), themillsf.com
92. Slice of onion tart (v) at Rich Table, 199 Gough St. (Hayes Valley), richtablesf.com
93. Breakfast sandwich with Spam at Sunday Gather, 4100 Third St. (Bayview), thesunday.family
94. Croque madame at Foreign Cinema, 2534 Mission St. (Mission), foreigncinema.com
95. Charred cauliflower tacos at Son's Addition, 2990 24th St. (Mission), sonsaddition.com
96. Butter chicken (gf without naan) at Rooh, 333 Brannan St. #150 (SoMa), roohsf.com
97. Manti at Halal Dastarkhan, 1098 Sutter St. (Tenderloin), halaldastarkhan.com
98. Mushroom mapo tofu (v) at Mamahuhu, 517 Clement St. (Inner Richmond), eatmamahuhu.com
99. Seven-course Crenn Kit Luxe at Atelier Crenn, 3127 Fillmore St. (Cow Hollow), ateliercrenn.com
100. House of Prime Rib cut with mashed potatoes at House of Prime Rib, 1906 Van Ness Ave. (Nob Hill), houseofprimerib.net
The mapo tofu (center) is a star on the takeout menu at Brandon Jew's Mamahuhu.(Courtesy of @eatmamahuhu)
(Note: "v" is vegetarian and "gf" is gluten-free)
