Where to find the best breakfast in San Francisco

This Asian-American bakery and cafe on Clement Street started out as a pop-up from chefs who worked at top spots like Atelier Crenn, Coi and Mourad and who were inspired by their travels throughout Asia as well as their Chinese and Filipino-American heritage. The small counter has a case full of creative pastries such as “not ube” tart and anko (sweet red bean) sticky buns. The breakfast offerings include griddled milk bread topped with Instagram-ready coconut pandan jam, soft egg and soya sauce, sesame and crispy shallot with butter, or fruit preserve and butter. There’s also a dreamy breakfast sandwich with ham, braised greens, fried egg and chile sauce. Wash it all down with sesame horchata or matcha cappuccino.

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If you're looking for a classic San Francisco diner experience, look no further than Sears Fine Food in Union Square. You'll find everything you're hoping for: plush maroon booths, black-and-white checkered floors, nostalgic photos, and quintessential American breakfast fare. The restaurant dates back to 1938 when Wilbur and Ben Sears opened shop and gained a reputation for their delicious Swedish pancakes, an inherited family recipe. Sears is still best known for those pancakes made from the original recipe. You can order a dish of 18 of these beauties—thin, silver dollar-sized and served with butter and jam.

With several spots across the city, this bakery and cafe is exquisitely French. We recommend the Ferry Building site with its Grande Crȇperie serving traditional Breton-style sweet crêpes and salé galettes made with farine de sarrasin, organic buckwheat flour. There’s also a Mission/Castro site and one on Sutter Street, but the latter is for coffee and bakery only. If you want customizable boards—with seasonal fruit, smoked salmon, goat cheese, housemade granola and eggs served any which way—and bowls with oatmeal, quinoa, Straus yogurt, dried fruits, nuts and sweet toppings like brown sugar, honey or maple syrup, then try the other locations, including one across the bridge in Mill Valley.

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A lot of San Francisco's beloved, historic spots haven't managed to survive over the years, but luckily, Pork Store Cafe is still here to fill you with chicken fried steak, omelets, and its signature dish: pork chops for breakfast. The restaurant is the oldest free-standing restaurant on Haight Street. Its story began in 1916 when a Czech couple opened the Pork Store butcher shop. It turned into a cafe in 1953 (known as the Triple Coin Cafe), then changed hands over the years. It eventually became the Pork Store Cafe in 1979. It's maintained a loyal following over the years for its big portions, friendly service, and reasonable prices. Despite its name, it's also great for vegetarians!

This Scandinavian-inspired cafe on Market Street offers straight-out-of-Denmark specialties like Frøsnapper, a savory poppy-and-sesame-seed twist and almond Kringle, and seasonal treats like Swedish semlor, cardamom buns filled with almond paste and whipped cream. The main draw, though, is the Copenhagen-style brunch boards with five or seven items all perfect for sharing: sprouted rye bread, a runny organic egg in creamy spinach, trout salad, pink bay shrimp, egg and dill, hot rye porridge, Icelandic skyr yogurt, beaten berries, muesli, and melon salad with tarragon and mint.

The city was devastated to hear the news that, during the pandemic, this beloved Korean-American diner in the Inner Sunset was closing after 30 years because owners Sarah and Hae Ryong Young were retiring. But recently, it reopened with new local owners hoping to keep the place's magic alive. Chol and Young Lee have taken over the operation, committing to leaving it largely unchanged, serving up nostalgia for people who have pulled up a seat at the counter for decades. Art's is known for its crispy hash browns, teriyaki beef omelettes, sandwiches, and bibimbap. You can't go wrong. 

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Breakfast is served all day at both the Fillmore and Larkin Street locations of the casual bakery and cafe Jane. Along with typical breakfast pastries, avocado toast, quiche and a smoked salmon platter, you’ll find more unusual things like Jane’s dragonfruit smoothie bowl, a riot of dragonfruit, pineapple, banana, ginger, coconut water, blueberries, raspberries, hemp seeds, flax seeds, cocoa nibs, goji and mulberries. For a more savory breakfast try the spicy baked eggs with spicy tomato and black bean stew, cheddar and cilantro.

San Francisco is no New York when it comes to its bagel reputation, but Daily Driver is changing that. The team behind the company transformed a 7,200-square-foot garment reconstruction workshop in Dogpatch into SF's first urban creamery, open-floor bagel bakery, and coffee roastery all in one. The bagels are hand-rolled with a crunchy exterior and chewy interior, while the housemade cream cheese melts perfectly in the middle. 

Part bakery, part cafe and part restaurant, Tartine Manufactory’s breakfast from 8 until 11am offers not just the full range of baked goods (including their famous morning bun and frangipane croissant), but also emmer porridge, egg sandwiches with greens, ham and even porchetta. Tartines change seasonally but are always stunners such as the winter version with apples and cranberries, fresh ricotta, seed brittle and vanilla gastrique. Another favorite is the coddled eggs topped with glistening trout roe, horseradish and toast with za’atar. The airy space is so comfortable that you may find yourself lingering until lunch rolls around.

Located just South of Market Street is San Francisco’s first casual Israeli restaurant to serve breakfast seven days a week. While it’s not Kosher, there’s also no bacon or pork sausage on the menu; what is on offer is an abundant Israeli breakfast with two eggs any style, Israeli salad, fresh goat cheese with olives, roasted peppers, tahini, matbucha (cooked tomato and pepper salad) and a bread basket of assorted fresh bread. They also serve two versions of shakshuka in addition to more standard things like challah French toast and a smoked salmon plate.

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This Haight spot draws hordes of bike commuters each morning—it’s conveniently located just off the Wiggle. Chef Juliet Orbach comes with a pedigree, having worked at LA hotspots Sqirl and Rustic Canyon. The breakfast menu starts with lighter fare, like an acai bowl (topped with house-made granola and bee pollen) and a coconut chia pudding finished with apricot compote and an almond, date, and sesame crumble. But it’s the heartier morning offerings that are worth the wait. The generous breakfast bowl layers two eggs, avocado, carrots, cabbage, kale, green tahini, and hot sauce over a bed of brown rice, quinoa, and lentils. And the warming shakshuka takes inspiration from Orbach’s Iranian-Persian roots: two poached eggs over a spiced tomato sauce and levain, drizzled with yogurt sauce and herbs.

Ryan Blumenthal opened this weekday-only breakfast joint as an homage to his East Coast roots—it’s even named after his New York-bred grandma. Everyone’s here for one thing: The oozing, piping-hot fried egg sandwiches, made with cage-free brown eggs cushioned on buttered poppy kaiser rolls. Build your own stack, with eggs, cheddar, pastrami, or applewood smoked bacon, or splurge on specials like the Twenty Five (egg, avocado, tomato, cream cheese, and black olive) or the Horse on the Roof (grilled steak, eggs, provolone, American cheese, and special sauce). Don’t miss the homemade hot sauce.

Escape the Ferry Building’s tourist throngs in this refreshingly refined eatery. Lighting designer Lindsey Adelman’s branching chandeliers glow overhead and the gleaming open kitchen is pristine. The breakfast fare is as upscale as the digs. On the lighter side, the yogurt bowl offers your choice of cow, sheep, or goat milk yogurt and is topped with berries and plum sauce. Heartier dishes include the smoked wild king salmon, piled on Meyer lemon toast with a dollop of crème fraîche, and the poached eggs, which are served atop cranberry beans and tomatillos, and topped with queso fresco and purslane.

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For all its multicultural prowess, San Francisco had never done a Jewish deli successfully. All that changed in 2012 with the opening of Wise Sons – you could hear the echo of a million Jewish mothers shouting “mazel tov.” Evan Bloom and Leo Beckerman have not only nailed it, but done so in a uniquely Northern California way with reinterpreted classics such as house-smoked pastrami on rye with handmade pickles, just-salty-enough chopped liver, and rich, veggie-filled matzo ball soup (self-deprecatingly described as “not as good as your bubbe's”). For breakfast, choose from a curated variety of bagel flavors, then snag a shmear. Or go for the gold with one of their stacked bagel sandwiches, like the bodega egg and cheese with the added option of crispy pastrami. There's also freshly baked bread to take home, and plenty of Intelligentsia coffee.

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With its ample outdoor seating, wood-fired pizza oven, and gorgeously wild floral arrangements, this quaint Italian spot brings a little European charm to the Marina. The stars of the morning menu are the breakfast pizzas, whether laden with smoked ham, fontina, and eggs or smoked salmon and creme fraiche. All the bread is made daily in-house—a clear vote for any dish served with toast—as are the pastries. Neighborhood regulars pop in on the way to work for the baked goods, whether it be the fruit focaccia and sour cream coffee cake or a still-warm ham-and-cheese croissant.

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This teeny Outer Sunset bakery has a perennial line snaking out the door for cookies, cinnamon buns, limited-edition pies and the ultimate morning-after breakfast. Though the spot serves an assortment of baked goods and sandwiches, the unequivocal highlight is the “special” breakfast sandwich: two eggs, pepper jack cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, avocado, and lemon-garlic aioli served on a homemade buttermilk biscuit. There’s minimal seating inside, so dress prepared for chilly weather.

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With locations in the Marina and Potrero Hill, this cozy spot offers up comfort food regulars like chicken and waffles and lemon/ricotta pancakes, as well as newer offerings like Nasi Goreng (Indonesian fried rice with cabbage, garlic and onion, topped with eggs and fried chicken) and Shakshouka, a Moroccan dish of braised tomatoes, onions, garlic herbs, topped with fried eggs and warmed pita, with a side of hummus. The house specialty is a fluffy, thick crispy Belgian waffle topped with berries and butter.

Chef Tony Hua opened the doors to this Southern homestyle cooking spot in the Dog Patch in 1999, with a second Richmond district restaurant opening in 2008. Weekend brunch offerings include the regulars; the Hard Knox Omelette is made with spinach, tomatoes, onions, and cheddar cheese served with country potatoes or grits and a choice of toast—and bacon or your choice of sausage, which could be a Louisiana beef hot link given the Southern vibe.

Offering what they call the “best American breakfast in San Francisco,” Home Plate includes an adorable half-cup measuring cup to hold the veggies on its breakfast board plate, while the homemade pancakes come in a small tower topped by a beautiful arrangement of berries and cream. The chicken fried steak and waffles are beautifully plated with a geometric arrangement of waffle quarters. When they’re able, they’ll bring back the tradition of a complimentary house-baked scone coming to you when you sit down.