CA · Lunch
The 10 best lunch spots in San Francisco.
A good lunch gets two hours of your afternoon back. A bad one costs three and you spend it wishing you'd eaten at your desk. Harry has done the triage: only places that are actually open at lunchtime, ranked by Harry Score.
The SF lunch window is short and the options are expensive. The correct strategy is the Mission burrito at eleven-thirty, before the line forms. The Vietnamese sandwich on Irving Street. The soup dumpling counter in the Richmond at noon. Everything in the Financial District is a performance for expense accounts.
How Harry ranks lunch
A great dinner restaurant is not automatically a great lunch.| Weekday lunch | Open by 12:30 and still open at 2pm on at least three weekdays, going by the listed hours. A dinner room that opens at six doesn't qualify, however good it is. |
|---|---|
| Harry Score 70+ | The same composite as everywhere else, from Google, Yelp, Tripadvisor and critic signals, adjusted for tourist skew. Seventy is the floor. |
| Lunch prices | Top-price-tier rooms, tasting menus, bars and anything Harry rates paying for the scene are left out. Lunch shouldn't cost dinner prices. |
Harry's ten — San Francisco
Ranked by Harry Score.- 01Boochmania
mediterranean — 685 Harrison St, San Francisco
4.9 across 298 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; a sensible spend, nothing wasted here.
Smart SpendHarry
94
Worth It
82
- 02Kalaches
brunch — 885 Brannan St, San Francisco
5.0 across 182 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; priced about right for what you get.
Smart SpendHarry
94
Worth It
82
- 03Piccolo Forno
italian — 725 Columbus Ave, San Francisco
4.7 across 2.3k Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; a rave from Time Out (Time Out Best #5 (2025)).
Smart SpendHarry
92
Worth It
81
- 04Question Mark Tavern
american — 312 Harriet St, San Francisco
4.9 across 333 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; a sensible spend, nothing wasted here.
Smart SpendHarry
92
Worth It
81
- 05Sewa Nepalese and Indian Cuisine
indian · nepalese — 815 Clement St, San Francisco
4.9 across 510 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; fairly priced for what it is.
Smart SpendHarry
92
Worth It
81
- 06Lumena Pizza and Pide
pizza · turkish — 937 Geary St, San Francisco
5.0 across 67 Google reviews; a sensible spend, nothing wasted here.
Harry
91
Worth It
80
- 07Early Bird Tacos - Catering
mexican · brunch — 2501 Phelps St, San Francisco
4.9 across 163 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; unusually good for what you'll pay.
Great ValueHarry
90
Worth It
82
- 08Arsicault Bakery
bakery — 397 Arguello Blvd, San Francisco
4.8 across 3.3k Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; french bakery with a petite, rustic interior & a pastry case for kouign-amann to….
Harry
90
Worth It
80
- 09Himalayan Cuisine SF
indian — 1412 Polk St, San Francisco
4.8 across 2.3k Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; ranked #502 of 5,903 locally on Tripadvisor.
Harry
90
Worth It
80
- 10The Butcher Shop by Niku Steakhouse
steakhouse — 57 Division St, San Francisco
4.6 across 247 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; named by Michelin Guide and The Infatuation.
Harry
90
Worth It
75
How this list is built Places across San Francisco with a Harry Score of 70 or more that serve weekday lunch: on their listed hours they're open by 12:30 and still open at 2pm on at least three weekdays. Tasting-menu rooms, bars and anything Harry rates paying for the scene are left out. Chains with several branches get one entry. Ranked by Harry Score. No restaurant pays to appear. Scores last recomputed .