San Francisco eats local and seasonal, and the ingredient comes first. Tangy sourdough, Dungeness crab pulled from cold water, and produce from nearby farms anchor the table. The Mission burrito and serious third-wave coffee are civic institutions in their own right.
The Mission burrito is foil-wrapped engineering, rice and beans and meat packed tight into a full meal, and you order it super. Crab has a season, roughly November into spring, and the cioppino sings when the catch is local. Dim sum and a deep bench of Cantonese cooking round out the city's range.
Coffee is taken seriously here, where third-wave roasting was reshaped, and a slow pour-over is the norm rather than a pose. Between the fog and the hills, San Francisco eats clean, fresh, and proudly of its place.
