The 11 best brunch spots in San Francisco

It should come as no surprise that brunch at Foreign Cinema is a culinary romp that rivals the beloved restaurant’s evening meals. On the seasonal, globally-influenced morning menu, find sweet bites like bing cherry or peach “pop tarts,” savory shareables like Provencal brandade (blended salt cod, whipped potatoes, garlic, chilis, and toast), and hearty meals like the champagne truffle omelet or duck leg confit. Lines can be long at brunch, so make a reservation to secure your spot. If they can’t fit you in, Laszlo next door serves the same menu.

A longtime SF staple, Brenda’s French Soul Food cultivates a New Orleans aesthetic both in decor and on the plate. But Brenda’s is doing something far more interesting than the typical chicken and waffles. Here, there are beignets stuffed with crawfish and cheddar cheese, shrimp and grits in spicy tomato gravy and a satisfying bowl of gumbo. Like mouthwatering meals, interminable waits are par for the course at this Tenderloin favorite.

Hilda and Jesse in North Beach celebrates its Michelin star and its ability to serve up the “gayest pancakes ever.” Diners can choose à la carte options like the grade school breakfast (French toast sticks with cinnamon sugar and fig leaf caramel topped with Rice Krispies ice cream), to the more adventurous like Kaluga caviar in a rolled omelet or duck leg karaage. You can also opt for the $85 Chef’s Adventure Menu, made up of five courses the chef is most excited about.

Weekend brunch at Outerlands has drawn people to this driftwood-paneled Outer Sunset spot for years. You can’t go wrong with the restaurant’s famed Dutch pancake topped with seasonal fruit and nuts. Many things on the menu are vegetarian-friendly, but carnivores can also find brunch staples like the steak and eggs or salmon toast.

Simply outfitted with gleaming reclaimed wood tables and floor-to-ceiling windows, Plow is a beautiful space to spend a morning. You’ll find standout dishes on both the sweet and savory ends of the spectrum, from the legendary lemon ricotta pancakes to the cold-smoked salmon toast and house-made biscuits topped in honey butter, cheddar, scallions and pork sausage. (Nab a biscuit while you can—they’ve been known to run out on busy mornings.) Even lighter fare is memorable here, like the chia seed pudding served with Potrero Hill honey, almond milk, coconut and bee pollen. 

Beretta’s weekend brunch is a welcome mix of pasta chilaquiles and antipasti like the marinated castelvetrano olives and the restaurant’s beloved Neapolitan-style pizzas. Outdoor seating is ample, as long as you get there around 11am to avoid a long wait. If you’re stuck in the line, order a brunch beer or wine straight from the bar to pass the time.

SF’s youthful dim sum spot is also one of the splashiest. Located at Ghirardelli Square, Palette Tea House focuses on fresh seafood and Instagram-worthy dumplings such as rainbow-colored soup dumplings, matcha lava bao filled with salted egg custard, black swan taro puffs and squid ink Sakura shrimp fried rice. The restaurant was founded by the same family that runs Koi Palace and Dragon Beaux. 

Our dim sum go-to for weekend brunch has shifted to the downtown favorite, Yank Sing. Though this Michelin Bib Gourmand winner is pricier than some of the city’s other dim sum joints, their food doesn’t disappoint. Yank Sing’s Shanghai Kurobuta pork dumplings are iconic, but we also love the snow pea shoots dumplings and the turnip cakes.

Newly opened (February) in West Portal, Elena’s serves California-inspired Mexican food with a menu inspired by family visits to San Bartolo Morelos, Mexico, where the owners’ abuelita hand crafted tortillas and tamales. Elena’s is another culinary feat from the family behind Original Joe’s in North Beach. Dishes arrive on beautiful green and white plateware by Anfora from Pachuca, and the light-filled space with wooden rafters, potted plants and arched display shelves along the long bar feels comfortable and elegant. We’re in love with the Dungeness crab enchiladas, housemade churros with raspberry dipping sauce and Lucha’s chilaquiles. For beverages, try the frozen aperol margarita, Mexican mule or Elena’s house carajillo.

Aziza’s Californian take on Moroccan flavors has been pleasing San Franciscans for a long time, along with sister restaurant Mourad downtown. The brainchild of Michelin starred Moroccan-born chef Mourad Lahlou, this Richmond District restaurant offers a fulfilling brunch. Choose from items like beghrir pancakes, a plate of soft-boiled eggs, harissa cashews and spiced lebni yogurt. With a beautiful wine list of local and far-flung wines and coffee by local favorite Sightglass, you can drink up or drink down.

This family-owned favorite in the Castro serves California cuisine with Asian fusion influences. Kitchen Story is the best at making one of the beverages we strongly associate with brunch—it won top honors at the city’s Bloody Mary Fest from 2016 to 2018. We also need to mention the bottomless mimosas (the whole table has to participate, and you can only seek the bottom for 60 minutes), the beermosa with franziskaner heifeweissen and the Castro Michelada. On the food side, various incarnations of the Millionaire’s bacon, as seen on the Discovery Network’s “United States of Bacon,” have to be consumed, as well as the marscapone stuffed deep fried French toast and the Franciscan scramble.